Zoom B3 compressor question

bloobass

bloobass

Jul 10, 2012
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Louisville, KY
#1
So I bought a Zoom B3 a while back and I've used it for several different things. I'm really happy with it, BUT I saw somewhere (here I think), that the compressors in it don't actually provide compression, they just sculpt the sound to make it SOUND compressed. This honestly threw me a bit. Anybody know about this? I currently have a rack with a compressor in it, and want to down size from all rack stuff (except for my head) to a smaller pedal set up. I'm going to sell off the rack gear regardless, but trying to decide if I need a pedal for compression or if the B3 will take care of it.

I've searched and gone through several of the B3 threads and haven't really found an answer.

Thanks for the help.
 
#2
Bizarre. I've never heard the comps in the B3 described that way. Compression is simply some form of automated dynamics control, and though tonal changes can certainly be a byproduct of compression (and some are designed with tonal considerations in mind), their primary purpose is for leveling signal.

I'm going to go out on a limb and say that in all of the time I've used compressors on my B3, they most certainly do compress. Please put your mind at ease. That said, some of the comps do different things, with some, like the OptoComp and DComp having a tone knob as one of their parameters. Others don't have a tone knob.

Depending on how much you like to change tones and add effects during a gig, the B3 could be either perfect, or slightly awkward. I used mine for years for gigs that required only minor effects and/or tone changes. Great pedal! Lots of fans on this forum will weigh in.
 
#3
bloobass said:
So I bought a Zoom B3 a while back and I've used it for several different things. I'm really happy with it, BUT I saw somewhere (here I think), that the compressors in it don't actually provide compression, they just sculpt the sound to make it SOUND compressed.
Click to expand...

That is technically accurate, the comps and limiters do a very good job of modelling what their analog counterparts do but like the distortions they do leave something to be desired over their analog counterparts. For myself there is a certain organic "feel" to playing through any analog comp or limiter (expensive or cheap) that the B3 and other modellers just do not deliver.

The Local Lords of Compression, Cyrus and Frank may be able to give a better analogy.
 
#5
bassbrad said:
That is technically accurate, the comps and limiters do a very good job of modelling what their analog counterparts do but like the distortions they do leave something to be desired over their analog counterparts. For myself there is a certain organic "feel" to playing through any analog comp or limiter (expensive or cheap) that the B3 and other modellers just do not deliver.

The Local Lords of Compression, Cyrus and Frank may be able to give a better analogy.
Click to expand...

No, it's not technically accurate. That's voodoo-mumbo-jumbo.

The compressor models actually compress your signal. Whether or not they do it exactly with the same parameters as the analogue circuits they are based on is an entirely different matter. They probably do not. Compression isn't some magic that happens only in analogue circuits, it is a well-defined change to the envelope of a signal that depends on various parameters, the most obvious being the usual threshold, ratio, attack, release and make-up gain. However, as analogue electric circuits work, any specific implementation typically depends on lots of other variables, hence different compressors sounding different.
 
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#7
Joe Nerve said:
If it makes your bass sound the way you want it to, what difference does it make how it actually does it?
Click to expand...

Good point. I think it boils down to, "does the B3 model 'act like' it's analog equivalent"? Yes, maybe you can get the sound you want, but if you have to "tweak" it differently than the pedal it models, that could be a problem for some, I suppose. I suspect a lot of people approach emulators as that - that is, they are assuming they are manipulating an emulator (as opposed to the "real deal") - which in fact they are, but that adds a certain mental bias on the part of the user - "It can't possible be as good as the real thing!" I've heard lots of praise for the B3 here (and I'm a satisfied user myself), but you also hear a lot of, "Yeah, but it doesn't really do _____ as well as the actual pedal." Taking comments like that in totality, you could think that the B3 is a pretty poor emulator, when I think general opinion here is the opposite.

Having said that, I think CharlieC's threads, "Zoom B3 as a Preamp" is probably the right place for any B3 user to start as he gives a good overview of a lot of the B3's features, plus provides a useful step-by-step approach for using the amp sims. I suspect even if you don't use a B3 as your preamp, it will be very useful for most B3 users.

Crystalman85 said:
I normally don't use compressors, but I do enjoy using the m comp and the limiter models on my zoom b3. it seems to add a little something to some of my patches. whatever it is, it makes it sound great.
Click to expand...

Same here. Ultimately the goal is finding something useable that help gives you that ever-elusive TONE that we bass players are constantly searching for - even if no one else seems to notice... ;)

John
 
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#10
bloobass said:
So I bought a Zoom B3 a while back and I've used it for several different things. I'm really happy with it, BUT I saw somewhere (here I think), that the compressors in it don't actually provide compression, they just sculpt the sound to make it SOUND compressed. This honestly threw me a bit. Anybody know about this? I currently have a rack with a compressor in it, and want to down size from all rack stuff (except for my head) to a smaller pedal set up. I'm going to sell off the rack gear regardless, but trying to decide if I need a pedal for compression or if the B3 will take care of it.

I've searched and gone through several of the B3 threads and haven't really found an answer.

Thanks for the help.
Click to expand...
You sort of answered your own concern. Lately I've become more concerned with sound sculpting than the vernacular of what a specific effect effect is supposed to do. I love the way the B3 sounds. However they chose to get there doesn't really matter to me so much as the end product. If I have something that cost $199 and sounds as good or better than all the individual pedals I had before that in total cost about $500 then I consider myself smart. :)
 
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#11
Thanks for everyone's input. While I agree with the philosophy of "if you like how it sounds...etc", I was concerned with some peaks hitting my amp when using different basses and on board eq settings. What I ultimately decided to do was create some different patches based on the bass I was using with specific levels in the B3 to compensate for the output and eq differences.
I gigged with it this weekend using nothing but bass(es), the B3, into my amp. I got several compliments on my sound, so I'm moving forward.
Gonna be selling some rack gear very soon!
 
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#12
bloobass said:
Thanks for everyone's input. While I agree with the philosophy of "if you like how it sounds...etc", I was concerned with some peaks hitting my amp when using different basses and on board eq settings. What I ultimately decided to do was create some different patches based on the bass I was using with specific levels in the B3 to compensate for the output and eq differences.
I gigged with it this weekend using nothing but bass(es), the B3, into my amp. I got several compliments on my sound, so I'm moving forward.
Gonna be selling some rack gear very soon!
Click to expand...
Creating patches for individual basses is pretty much what you have to do on the B3 - but that is actually the beauty of the unit to have the ability to do that. When I had the separate pedals I could never find a unity sound to work across the boards. I've never seen a digital multi effect get as much love and discussion as the Zoom on Talkbass.
 
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