Zoom A3 Acoustic Pedal

[RockerDuck]

Originally Posted by jetdriver

Ok. For those of you using this pedal live, what is your favorite way to connect it to PA? Via the XLR out or the unbalanced out. I Know the idea was to use the balanced out to PA, but if I want to use a looper after the A3, the signal will no longer be balanced. Thoughts?

I use the XLR out to the PA for solo use with the A3 alone.

[jetdriver]

That's the plan then. I think I will forgo the looper for now. I got the A3 today and setup a couple patches already. I really like it.

[Mcirish]

I know, I'm digging up a real old thread again. Yesterday I picked up both the Aura Spectrum and the A3. I have to say that the A3 has a bit of a learning curve due to the horrible manual but once I understood what was going on, I got the hang of it quickly. Maybe some other posters were like me in that I heard very little effect from the modeler. After thinking this wasn't going to work out, I noticed the FX on light wasn't lit. Pressed the big button and surprise, the modeler worked. I felt like an idiot. Anyway, here are my impressions.

Aura: Very cool right away. It changes the sound drastically and so the balance know didn't need to be more than 40% up. Anything more than that was waaay too boomy and strange sounding. I used it in the studio and at first really liked it. When I set it up with my live amp, I found it very hard to control feedback. The body resonance models made it want to feedback nearly as bad as a microphone. Still, it sounded pretty nice. My one big gripe is that it is not programmable for different instruments. I need to switch between different instruments quickly. The Aura wouldn't do that for me. If you only have one acoustic guitar to plug in, this might be a nice choice.

A3: At first I wasn't impressed at all but the more I worked with it, the more I liked it. I play 7 different acoustic instruments in a show. Mandolin, mandola, bouzouki, banjo, dobro and a couple 000-28 guitars. Most of my instruments have K&K pickups in them, so they already sound much better than an under the saddle pickup. Obviously, each of those instruments needs a completely different EQ and body resonance. That's where the A3 solved my troubles. I'd been using many EQ pedals strung together and then I pick the one that is right for the chosen instrument. Now I went from 6 pedals to 1 and it sounds better too. The acoustic modeling is more subtle than the Aura but I found it to be much more usable. There isn't really a horrible sound in it, where the Aura is easy to make sound bad; especially if you go past 50% with the mix knob.

Is the A3 perfect? Nope. I'd love one more effect and I would also like an up and down button for presets. Even with it's faults, it's the best my instruments have sounded live so far. I've got some very expensive instruments and it's always disappointing to hear what they sound like in the house system. The A3 is getting me a little closer to what I want to hear. For a multi-instrumentalist, it's the best thing available to date.

[RockerDuck]

I had the same experience between the Aura Spectrum and A3. I set the A3 to one model and reverb for the always on effects and use a chorus or delay for the step on the button effect. Another thing I've mentioned is you can use the A3 as a mixer. Your can both sing and play guitar through it. You have the mic volume knob to control the mic volume. I know the original intent is to have both a plugged in and mic'd sound for the guitar, but none the less, its a mixer.

[icaro738]

hey guys. thanks for helping me. i have a question for you. i wanna start to use effects on guitar, reverb (some modulate), and i need a EQ cuz my pickup is the lr baggs anthem sl...without eq, some times it gets too low on eq. my question is: Buy a Zoom A3 or buy three pedals ( boss rv6, boss GE7 and a cheap tuner pedal)?

i spent a lot of money on my pickup and my fear is zoom a3 suck my sound, lose quality and signal cuz is a digital stompbox. so...what you guys think ? i know that stompbox is better than multiFX but is cheaper buy the zoom a3 but i dont want that problems...

[BuleriaChk]

Stompbox is not necessarily than MFX; I just evaluated the Helix LT, and WOW! And the GT-1 is also really, really excellent, and far more powerful than the A-3.

With MFX, there are three things to be aware of:

1. Impedance matching - the Helix LT has auto impedance matching, but you can also use an inexpensive solution (like the M-audio) ZBox which will work fine if you are going into an instrument input without a preamp. Most MFX's model preamps, but the issue here is matching the hardware output of the guitar with the hardware input of the mfx. (There was a drastic change in going from Inst Input to Line Input on my Focusrite 2i2 into my DAW.

2. Be aware of "Direct Monitor" On/Off (Direct monitor On will include effects/cabs, etc... - and cabs sometimes work really well.) Going into a DAW you want Direct Monitor OFf (particularly if working with software modelers/effects).

3. Gain controls - keep gain low until you know what your are doing. Feedback can be a huge issue, but is also due to wrong settings in 1) or 2) above....

4. Also, if you use the line out/headphone option of the MFX (if it has one), experiment with turning off the speaker modeling. In Boss MFX particularly, if can add an ugly bass (and you may have to turn the bass down in the preamp as well).

I use a Takamine TC-132SC (nylon string) with Palathetic pickup/CTP2 preamp, and a DI+, and didn't realize how much the DI+ was interacting with my interface. Switching from "Inst" to "Line" made a huge difference for me.

A modeler like the Boss GT1 will give you much more bang for your buck than the AC3 IMO....

IMO, FWIW, YMMV, FYI, etc...

[jlipoth]

I moved to a Zoom A3 in 2013 and it has surpassed my expectations. It has a "piezo" switch that softens transients a bit, a boost, a feedback detector, a master EQ. I particularly like the opto comp, to help get more body to the sound. One note: do not use the XLR. It is flimsy

I've used the A3 with the following pickups: LRBaggs Anthem, B-band A2.2, Fishman passive, JJB. All of these pickups benefited from the A3 to my ears...

Personally, I'm not a fan of Boss for acoustic guitar, but that is more personal taste than anything.

[guitaniac]

Originally Posted by RockerDuck

I had the same experience between the Aura Spectrum and A3. I set the A3 to one model and reverb for the always on effects and use a chorus or delay for the step on the button effect. Another thing I've mentioned is you can use the A3 as a mixer. Your can both sing and play guitar through it. You have the mic volume knob to control the mic volume. I know the original intent is to have both a plugged in and mic'd sound for the guitar, but none the less, its a mixer.

Thanks for the idea. I'm embarrassed that it never occurred to me that the A3 could be used as an emergency mini-mixer.

[Photojeep]

Originally Posted by icaro738

hey guys. thanks for helping me. i have a question for you. i wanna start to use effects on guitar, reverb (some modulate), and i need a EQ cuz my pickup is the lr baggs anthem sl...without eq, some times it gets too low on eq. my question is: Buy a Zoom A3 or buy three pedals ( boss rv6, boss GE7 and a cheap tuner pedal)?

i spent a lot of money on my pickup and my fear is zoom a3 suck my sound, lose quality and signal cuz is a digital stompbox. so...what you guys think ? i know that stompbox is better than multiFX but is cheaper buy the zoom a3 but i dont want that problems...

Like all of this, it seems we have our preferences and I'm no exception. I own an A3 and while I also have reverb and chorus pedals, I feel the A3's built in effects are pretty good. Like someone else said, it has a built in tuner, a clean boost, and a VERY GOOD feedback killer. The sound does not sound digital. you can also mix your dry guitar sound with what the Zoom does. I find this to be the best of all. The Zoom will be your DI box or you can plug your Zoom into a DI if you want.

For me, it's a great pedal that does a lot. I must warn you that the menu system will take a few days to figure out but keep at it. You won't be disappointed.

Best,
PJ

[icaro738]

thanks guys. you are helping me a lot. the zoom a3 has a lot of resources nd i need a lot of them. i like the modulate setting on boss, the zoom a3 has something like that ? my pickup is the lr baggs anthem SL, all the way to mic...is that a problem?

[icaro738]

i mean...is that a problem combined with the zoom a3? ( anthem sl all the way to the mic side)

[Marty C]

Originally Posted by icaro738

thanks guys. you are helping me a lot. the zoom a3 has a lot of resources nd i need a lot of them. i like the modulate setting on boss, the zoom a3 has something like that ? my pickup is the lr baggs anthem SL, all the way to mic...is that a problem?

I just purchased a Zoom A3. I ordered it and it should arrive this week. I also have an Anthem SL. I gave never had the setting all the way to mic. What guitar do you have that requires this?

I am curious what setting on the pickup selection will work best with the Anthem SL. I downloaded the manual and watched tons on videos so I think I have a pretty good grasp on how it functions.

When my unit arrives, I will try to set the SL to full mic and see what happens.

[guitaniac]

Originally Posted by icaro738

i mean...is that a problem combined with the zoom a3? ( anthem sl all the way to the mic side)

Are you asking if the Anthem SL is compatible with the A3's modeling? I've found a model (00028) which is somewhat compatible with my own Anthem SL rig. I've decided for now, however, not to use the modeling. I use the A3 with my Anthem SL rig because the A3's EQ sections are especially helpful, and because the A3's level control is much more precise (for small adjustments) than the Anthem SL's volume wheel.

For what its worth, I've made some recorded comparisons of my Anthem SL rig with A3 modeling and without A3 modeling.

https://soundcloud.com/guitaniac/lr-...g-martin-00028


I'm not sure what you mean by having your Anthem SL "all the way to the mic side". Unless they've changed the design of the Anthem SL, there is no mix control. There is only an adjustment screw which is used to raise or lower the mic level (over a certain range) to put it in balance with the fixed gain on the UST. The mic level needs to be adjustable (relative to the UST level) to account for a range of personal tastes and to account for the fact that the UST level will be vary somewhat, from guitar to guitar, due to the mechanics of the UST installation. Factors like the angle of the saddle, the angle of the strings across the saddle and the amount of saddle extending above the bridge will affect the strength of the signal which the undersaddle transducer will send to its fixed-gain preamp.

And to further confuse the issue, the UST in the Anthem SL only provides a signal in the range of 250Hz and lower. Theoretically, the UST and the mic contribute entirely different frequency ranges. In practice, however, there must be some overlap of signals around 250Hz.

[icaro738]

Originally Posted by Marty C

I just purchased a Zoom A3. I ordered it and it should arrive this week. I also have an Anthem SL. I gave never had the setting all the way to mic. What guitar do you have that requires this?

I am curious what setting on the pickup selection will work best with the Anthem SL. I downloaded the manual and watched tons on videos so I think I have a pretty good grasp on how it functions.

When my unit arrives, I will try to set the SL to full mic and see what happens.

Man, i have a epiphone masterbilt DR 500 rns ( dread) sounds awesome with lr baggs anthem sl. and to have the best of yout pickup i sugest to put all the mic side

[icaro738]

and guys, my english is not perfect yet haha i'm learning. thanks for answer me