ZOOM A1 FOUR
YOU KNOW WHAT THEY SAY ABOUT SMALL PACKAGES? WELL, IT GETS BETTER!
We’re now just a few months short of 30 years since the Zoom Corporation hit the market with their groundbreaking 9002 – a multi-effects unit with an astounding amount of processing built into a beltpack unit. It didn’t sound like a Boogie or a Plexi (and it wasn’t meant to), but it had a variety of super useful sounds that were just right for the time. With the market’s continuing focus on acoustic music, Zoom’s new A1 series (A1 FOUR and A1X FOUR) seems quite timely.
The A1 units have been designed not just for stringed instruments, but also for wind instruments like trumpet, sax and harmonica. Typical for a Zoom products, the A1 FOUR has an amazing amount of ‘stuff’ inside: over 70 stompbox effects (five at once), 50 memory locations, 15 guitar models, amp models, a rhythm machine with over 60 patterns, a realtime looper and a chromatic tuner, and it even comes with a separate mic pre and adaptor for ‘unplugged’ instruments. You can also download additional effects to expand the palette, and it runs on a standard nine-volt adaptor or four AA batteries.
The A1 FOUR is only 130 millimetres wide and weighs a diminutive 340 grams – it’s a really easy lug. Input and output are jacks, there’s a mini jack for aux in, and a USB port for accessing other sounds off the net (for example, there are another 13 guitar models available online). The preloaded guitar and effect models include various Martin and Gibson instruments; a Resophonic; an Adamas; TS and RC sounds; compressors; acoustic EQs (like Fishman and Radial), wahs; various trem, chorus, phaser and flanger options; pitch shifter; detuner; and some lovely reverbs. There are also specific effects and combinations for sax, trumpet, blues harp, and so forth. The amp models and speaker simulations are cool – mix and match and you can create your very own custom amp.
Plugging in a favourite Maton dreadnought, there are plenty of options to create a tonal shift in its basic sound. Changing the core tone can offer options like a more appropriate sound for a given tune, or in a duo setting, contrast between two similar guitars. In a band, it can be the critical difference between being heard at all or being irrelevant.
I pulled up a band track (with acoustic and electric stems) in Logic and played around with the different guitar models the A1 FOUR has to offer. Muting the track’s acoustic guitar (a Maton MSH-210D), I played around with the Zoom’s OOO-21, which offers a less boomy tone, and the softer-but-broader sound of the Hummingbird model. Both gave the track a different image – the Hummingbird blended especially well. It’s surprising the choices that seem suddenly appropriate: bringing the original acoustic back up, I dialled up Zoom’s Resonator to create some contrast. The honky flavour added some poke and immediately found its own place in the mix, without sounding at all out of place.
The Zoom’s effects selection offers quite a variety. Some are specifically designed for wind instruments – so, naturally, I couldn’t help but run a guitar through them. For example, the ‘Hm Juke’ models a Green Bullet mic through a tweed Bassman and a tape echo. This is a great solo sound with heaps of presence and cut. Likewise, the ‘Hm StevieW’ ( whoevercouldtheymean!?), meant for a chromonica, delivers a fabulous rhythm guitar sound with a sweet chorus and a touch of echo.
Part of the fun in using effects is being able to really ‘mess’ with them – change the order, use them ‘wrong’ or change their function (like using a compressor for a solo boost). The A1 FOUR lets you do all of that. The signal chain can be reordered, as weird as a player wants to sound, or just conventional for those straighter gigs. And don’t be scared to use the TS effect on your acoustic – dial down the gain and use it as a warm boost.
Programming is super easy. Click the Stomp button (top left) and see what’s there, click the pedal button (1-5) twice, click the Edit button (top left), then choose the sound (footswitches) and dial it in with the knobs. Click Memory (top left), and the A1 FOUR remembers the settings – there’s no save button. The looper has 30 seconds of realtime sampling and, like most loopers, is a hoot. It’s controlled via the two footswitches and is very easy to operate. Likewise, the rhythm machine is straightforward and offers loads of options – great for personal practice and to goose up a solo or duo gig.
THE BOTTOM LINE
There’s no reason to necessarily limit the A1 FOUR to acoustic music. There are quite a number of ‘electric’ effects onboard (drives, boosts, wahs, and so on) and the gain structure handles electric guitars with ease. That ‘Hm StevieW’ patch sounds absolutely killer with a Strat.
The A1 FOUR has loads more than we can cover here, so it’s worth checking out at the local. It’s built solidly, and the A1X model (a chunk pricier at $319.00) also has an expression pedal that works well with a positive, professional feel. The Zoom A1 FOUR is an outstanding effects unit that turns a complex idea into a surprisingly simple reality.