Multieffects, are they any good?

[isteen]

Are multieffect "just for fun" or are there any products that actually sounds good?
I know a guy who says his Boss me20b is fun at home, but he rarely use it for anything but home practice.
The Zoom b3 looks neat, and also have rythm patterns build in, but I've head it really don't sound good enough for using with a band or on stage.
Zoom also have that cute little Multistomp-thingy, but I miss the drum thing for home practice.
Are multieffects just a toy, or are the useful?

[Doddy]

Victor Wooten is using the Zoom B3 on his current tour, so it definitely isn't a toy. The Line 6 M series
are really good too. I prefer individual pedals but I've done gigs with just an M5.

[Cameronj279]

Used to have the Boss GT-10B, fantastic bit of kit but personally I also preferred having individual pedals.

[HowieBass]

For the price and for getting a complete collection of effects all in one box I think they're very handy - you can also create your own patches which are in effect your own custom pedal boards. The amp and cab simulations are often said to be quite convincing and most of the multi-effects units come with a chromatic tuner built in. You'll likely always be able to find a better individual stomp box than the simulated version in the multi-effects unit but you need to be aware that individual quality stomp boxes might well cost as much as the multi-effects unit itself so if you haven't got much spare cash then multi is probably the way to go. Victor Wooten is a notable user of a Boss GT-6B unit so multi-effects are ok for him! The higher spec Zoom units seem to get good reviews from users; I've got the now discontinued Zoom B9.1ut and am very happy with it (it even has a valve in it to warm up the sounds) though you'll only be able to get hold of them secondhand now - I think it put people off owing to the complexity faced by new users when they tried to get to grips with what it can do - it just needs time spent with the manual as most of these things do.

Edited August 2, 2014 by HowieBass

[tauzero]

[quote name='isteen' timestamp='1406983836' post='2516430']
The Zoom b3 looks neat, and also have rythm patterns build in, but I've head it really don't sound good enough for using with a band or on stage.
[/quote]

Was the person who said that someone whose opinion you value?

[Grangur]

[quote name='tauzero' timestamp='1407001064' post='2516607']


Was the person who said that someone whose opinion you value?
[/quote]
It would have to be an impressive "someone" for me to accept his word over that of Victor Wooten. I too saw him using it in London for effects and the Looper.

[mcnach]

[quote name='isteen' timestamp='1406983836' post='2516430']
The Zoom b3 looks neat, and also have rythm patterns build in, but I've head it really don't sound good enough for using with a band or on stage.
[/quote]

who said that?

I've seen a few bands using a B3/MS-60 and sounding great!

The thing about multiFX is that they're convenient, having everything neatly available in one box, easy to program in various combinations etc into separate patches... While every single effect may be perfectly useable, chances are that your favourite chorus, or overdrive, or envelope filter or octaver are not any of the ones in the multiFX, but something else. It's for that reason I use separate pedals: I just combine what I like best and I may go through a few of the same type until I find the one I want etc... But then again, I don't use a LOT of effects, alone or in combination, so separate pedals are a good option for me.

[dincz]

[quote name='Grangur' timestamp='1407003727' post='2516627']
It would have to be an impressive "someone" for me to accept his word over that of Victor Wooten[/quote]

Some impressive someones have been less than impressed by Victor's endorsement of eye-wateringly expensive power cords. Or maybe the sound you heard was actually the power cord rather than the B3

[Truckstop]

I have an ME-20b and it's cracking. Good quality digital effects, well built and easily programmable on the fly. Was tempted by an ME-50b but just don't need it!

Bigger units like the GT10, GT6 and M13 are harder to programme and adjust on the fly but the options are infinite in most cases. Much more useful than individual effects but need a lot of work! Whether or not they sound better is neither here not there, it's just you can get EXACTLY the effect you want.

Truckstop

[discreet]

The B3 is an excellent device which needs time and patience to get the best from it. If you plug in and scroll through the presets for five minutes you will be disappointed.

[thisnameistaken]

I've had a Line 6 M9 on my board for about five years. I have other pedals too (the filters on the M9 are all crap, and nothing sounds like an OC-2, and it doesn't have a sample rate reducer patch...) but the M9 has stuck around because it's really useful and a lot of the patches sound great. It's also nice to have expression pedal control over any or all of the params, across all the active patches.

[Grissle]

Recent multi-effects are the real deal. And a good one plus some individual effects can be great combination.

[lefrash]

Multifx are immense live in most scenarios. Soundwise they are infinitely better than they were 15 years ago. The zoom b3 and ms60b (which I use) are both excellent units but are aimed at different applications so it's important to work out what you want from it.

For example, even if you just use the ms60b as a tuner and as a single effect stomp box, phaser foe example, it takes up one space on the board and will cost you the same as purchasing the 2 pedals. But tomorrow if you want a chorus rather than a phaser, you have one there already.

Often though some if the bigger ones put limitations on what you can use it for. I.e. You can only put one distortion in the chain. Or in the case of the b9.1ut, you can't gave fuzz on at the same time as an amp sim.

[winterfire666]

i use a zoom 9.1ut and i really cant fault it, i only actually use 2 settings on it but its so handy and does exactly what i need with no noise issues, the pedal synth feature is cool too.

[barkin]

Another very happy multi fx user here. I've both a Zoom B9 and a B3.
The effects aren't quite up there with proper individual pedals, but in a full on rock band setting I doubt that anybody could really tell the difference between (say) the Zoom's OBD3 effect and a pukka Boss unit.

Sure, they have limitations, but modern units are definitely not toys.

[mike257]

Worked with Victor Wooten on his recent UK tour and his pedal setup was his custom Rodenburg dual boost pedal and a Zoom B3 with the three positions set for an auto wah, octaver and reverb. Sounded mighty. I've always liked single pedals but I haven't spent a long time with any of the recent crop of multis which I hear are generally of a much higher standard than they were a few generations of products ago.

[Marvin]

I've got a Boss GT-6B and it's a lovely bit of kit to have. The fx are very good. I found it particularly useful a few weeks ago when I used a headline bass players rig. I didn't touch his settings, just bypassed his pre amp and just used the power section using the Boss as my pre... worked a treat.

[isteen]

Thank you for all inputs. Looks like B3 is a winner.
The looper+rythm sections is a plus for home practice.
I know now what I want for my birthday

BTW - the Sansamp sound thingy from the B3, is that as good as the real thing?

[Grangur]

On Talkbass there's a really impressive thread about the B3 and loading patches and how to get loads more than the stock issue of effects on the machine.

I admit I'm a noob and easily impressed, but its worth a look.

[isteen]

Thanks Grangur

[mikebass84]

I used the Zoom b9.1ut for about 18 months until I moved onto single pedals. Great pedal once you get around the settings.

(my Zoom is currently on sale on eBay)

[gadgie]

not got any bass fx yet. However I played guitar for years and years. What I found was that I got a good sound in the house, but this didn't seem to be the case with the band volume etc. I reckon this is more to do with me not being able to set it up lol.
I then found I was only using about 3-4 sounds so in the end I got a couple of decent pedals and just used them. Easy to change 'on the fly'

[thisnameistaken]

I think the main reason that used to happen with multi effects is because they were so difficult to tweak in a rehearsal room or on stage to get them sitting right with the rest of the band, because they had such arcane user interfaces. Newer units are much better in that respect, developers are really thinking about users and workflow these days.

[discreet]

[quote name='isteen' timestamp='1407368998' post='2519962']
...the Sansamp sound thingy from the B3, is that as good as the real thing?
[/quote]

Yes, but you have to realise that a 'real' SansAmp is basically an emulation of a valve amp and the B3 patch is an emulation of that emulation...

Edited August 9, 2014 by discreet

[vsmith1]

I just didn't like the foot controls on my Digitech BP80 in a gig situation - having to press both simultaneously to bypass - was too hit and miss for me.

But the use otherwise was good. I did some prep work in setting up my own patches and just referencing the patch number in the set list worked ok.