Zoom AC-2 Acoustic Creator review and demo
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- Опубліковано 8 лип 2024
- Modelling pedals, of which the AC-2 is one, have a long history reaching back at least into the early 2000s. These units all have one common goal - to make the magnetic or piezo pickup in your acoustic instrument sound less like a pickup and more like a microphone. I normally wait a while before posting reviews on new products but this one impressed me so much that I decided to knock one out after just a week of ownership.
True to the style of my channel, this is a long video! Feel free to skip around and just watch the parts you are interested in:
Bookmarks for video:
00:00 Intro
00:59 A brief history of pickups and acoustic modelling.
09:02 Packaging and included accessories
09:45 Unit weight, dimensions and size comparison.
10:25 Durability, ergonomics, quality comparison with Boss pedals.
11:38 How do the controls look and feel?
14:37 Inputs and outputs
15:43 Built in headphone amplifier
16:30 Back panel - power switch, DC input
17:00 XLR output & pre/post switch discussion
19:34 List of modelling presets aka 'source guitars'
21:46 'Pickup' switch
22:50 How to set the volume knob
24:09 Tuner demonstration
25:17 'Boost' demonstration
26:39 Anti-feedback button demonstration
27:25 Reverb demonstration
30:08 EQ section demonstration
33:25 Modelling presets - dreadnought guitar (strumming)
36:32 Modelling presets - dreadnought guitar (fingerstyle)
37:39 Modelling presets - OM-sized guitar (strumming followed by fingerstyle)
42:16 Modelling presets - Parlour-sized guitar (strumming followed by fingerstyle)
45:45 Modelling presets - Acoustic Bass Guitar
47:29 Conclusion
This is an independent review and was neither sponsored nor solicited by the Zoom Corporation.
In the comments section below, let me know what you think about modelling in general as well as the whole concept of pickups on acoustic instruments - necessary evil, or wave of the future?
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Many thanks for all the time and trouble you put into this video. Modelling pedals are of limited interest to me - but I still found all this fascinating to watch and hear.
You're welcome Alan, glad you could appreciate the content even though it's not one of your core interests. Thanks as always for your support and encouragement!
Probably the best and most informative demonstration of an audio/acoustic pedal I have seen, well done and thank you for spending the time
You're welcome, I had fun making this video :)
I saw your review and bought AC3 (AC2 wasn't available). So far, seems excellent.
BTW, thanks for all the information. I learned a lot from you.
Bruno, your videos are totally top-notch. Remarkably clear, well-organized, contextual, and incredibly helpful. I am bookmarking everything you do for myself and my students. Thank you!
You're welcome Ray, thanks for watching and welcome to the channel!
Extremely well done explanation of this age old problem for guitarists. Bravo
Thanks for watching :)
I usually shy away from reviews longer than 10 or 15 minutes, but this was very well done. Thanks!
Thanks Bob! This is one of the longest reviews I've ever done but it was needed to do the product justice. Thanks for watching :)
This is the most dedicated and detailed review I've ever seen! Thank you Sir!
.
When it comes to the world of Fingerstyle playing style, many players have some other methods to get the best live sound of the acoustic guitar. One of the most common ways is to combine 2 types of signals: pickup and microphone together. You have Tommy Emmanuel with his Maton pickup, Don Ross with the K&K trinity, or Mike Dawes with even more pickups - a mic, a piezo, a transducer, a magnetic. In my experience (as I own a K&K trinity myself), this is the best method so far.
That is definitely the ultimate setup - this device is aimed more at simplicity and speed of setup.
Zoom, boss, and other producers should hire you as a consultant. Thanks for the honest, detailed, professional and clear review.
You're welcome! Glad the video was helpful to you :)
Thank you again for a detailed review. On the strength of this I looked very closely at the Zoom offerings and managed to pick up a AC3 at a great sale price. Very Very happy with the sounds live. One thing to anyone out there reading, use your ears when selecting the source guitar type because I settled on a different source to my actual guitar type. Hence my Eastman 422ce ( single cut away) sounded to my ears modelled best as a jumbo... food for thought anyway.
Glad the video was helpful! This box is really made for live work - it has all the necessary connectors, all the features you need and none that you don't. I'm still using it today.
Hi Bruno. Great video! This is the best sounding preamp I've heard so far. I was most impressed by the fact that all of the EQ settings were left at 12:00.
Thanks for watching! Yes, the modelling definitely reduces the need for corrective EQ. BTW I'm going to be dropping a video in a few days about the Fishman ToneDEQ, which is my current preamp pedal of choice and may interest you :)
Hi Bruno, wow what a video you have presented. Its quite amazing and I really have to thank you. too good
You're welcome, thanks for watching!
Great review and demo. Thanks
Excellent and thoughtful review.
Thanks for watching!
I have an A3 and this video makes me happy to keep it. It looks like the AC-2 is somewhat simplified but less rugged. The A3 is all metal. Ultimately the most attractive thing about this technology is no piezo quack (which I hate). For the acoustic songwriter gig it really improves the tone.
Thank you Bruno, great review. Now I know everything about it.
You're welcome, glad the video was helpful :)
Excellent presentation! Thanks for doing this. I found it very helpful
Thanks for watching David :)
Excellent presentation! Learned a lot!!!
Thanks for watching Gil!
Amazing review mate!
Thanks Johnny!
Uh such a long video Bruno!when I got some time I'll surely watch it :)
Haha! Yes, very long! I intended it to be around 30 mins but there's so much to this pedal that it ended up being nearly an hour. There are bookmarks in the description so you can skip around and just watch the parts that you're interested in. I'm also considering filming a short version covering only the modelling presets.
great job
Thanks for watching!
Thank you… very clear explanation.
You're welcome!
Good job.
Thank you for this review! Between the Bodyrez, Boss ad-2 and the zoom ac-2... which would you recommend as a first pedal for acoustic guitar?
It depends on what you are looking for - if you want a modelling pedal the AC-2 would be the one. If you want a pickup enhancer without reverb choose the BodyRez and if you want pickup enhancement plus a reverb go with the AD-2. Having said that if you like the direct sound of your acoustic guitar there is no need to add pedals - just get a high quality active DI box like the Radial J48.
Thank you for your quick reply. Last question, The church I am playing in has a DI-box I can connect to which goes into the PA-system. In such situation, is an pickup enhancer still required? FYI, I play a simon&patrick semi-acoustic with a b-band A3T preamp. I want to get the best acoustic sound.
It's definitely not required - you can still get a good sound with just a high quality DI box in conjunction with your onboard EQ.
Does this box of electronics make your guitar sound better....IMO.....YES. As pointed out you don't have to use Zoom's choice of guitar 'match' but in your video in general Zoom did a good job in enhancing your type of guitar. Meaning if you have a parlour guitar the parlour setting is the most balanced and natural sound (in general) and is the place to start. Good video.
Thank you for wonderful information on the history of amplifying acoustic guitars and review of AC2; can I possibly use this with my piezo pickup semi-acoustic bass for making more-like upright bass sounds?
You're welcome :) Yes you can certainly give it a try - there is an 'upright bass' model which is a good starting point, although the real key to getting a good sound with this pedal is experimentation. Try before you buy 😉
I have realised that there is a lot of static/noise when you plug your mixer into your camera do you have a solution to fix that?
I agree there are definitely issues with the audio! I'm working on a solution and will likely re-shoot the last third of the video where the modelling presets are demonstrated. Thanks for the feedback, glad to hear somebody is listening carefully ;)
Hello, Bruno - Like everyone else here, I'm very impressed by the thoroughness of your demo. Thank you! I'm always nervous about products like this, that have lots of features but don't cost very much. The AC-2 sounds great, but you mentioned here that it doesn't feel very sturdy. It's been almost a year since your review. What's your current impression of the AC-2's build quality and durability? Thanks again!
The AC-2 has held up fine, although I don't use it that frequently, unlike somebody who might be gigging 5 nights a week.
Great:) What preamp is in the parlour sized Tak?
It's the CT4B II preamp. Thanks for watching!
I like your review style: thorough, technical, and analytical.
I am considering this unit in 2023. Is there a way to bypass the 'source guitar' presets, and have some kind of 'flat' preset?
Thanks Ryan. There is no way to bypass the modelling - the silent guitar preset is pretty neutral, but there is no true bypass setting. Definitely test drive this pedal before buying.
@@GLBProductions thank you!
Hello Bruno ! Very useful demo/video !!! If I want to use a chorus and echo pedals, should I put them before the input or after the ouput ??? Merci beaucoup... Philippe from France...
I would experiment and see - conventional wisdom suggests putting them after the AC-2 because you want the modelling tone to be in place before the effects, but there are no hard and fast rules.
@@GLBProductions Ok ! Thank you :) before or after... so, no wrong choice possible... Just depending on feelings and taste... Ok... I will try both of two worlds when I'll have my Zoom AC2...
Okay, so let's say I'm using that thing just with my amp. How do I equalize the amp? Years ago, I occasionally used a Line6 amp simulator when the score called for different sounds and styles. The manual said to equalize the amp "flat," which was bass and trebs at zero and mids at ten. (Eleven on my amp. ) It was good advice for the Line6 gear. What about this?
That's a good question Joe! You now have two sets of EQ controls, possibly even three if you have EQ on your guitar! The best advice I can give you would be to set everything flat and experiment from there. If your amp has active EQ with boost and cut set everything to the 12 o'clock position - likewise set the EQ on the AC-2 and the EQ on your guitar the same way. Then start tweaking and see what sounds good :)
For me personally I have found that I hardly use the EQ on the AC-2 - I have 2dB of bass boost and 2dB of mid cut on my Takamine's onboard EQ and that's all. Which acoustic amp are you using?
Currently, at church, I am playing a Takamine GN93CE (TK-40D Electronics) through a Boss Acoustic Singer Live amp -- which is by far the most complex amp I've ever used -- with two channels (one for voice), separate EQ for each channel (three controls) as well as that "acoustic resonance" button (guitar channel), which provides three different colorations. It's got a built-in harmonizer, chorus, echo, reverb, etc. And the two XLR outputs on the back obviate the need for a DI box. Might be worth a review!
Oh yes those acoustic singers are pretty amazing amps! I've gone back and forth over the years between using effects pedals and amplifiers with effects - at the moment I've pretty much settled on getting my effects from pedals and monitoring using full range PA speakers, either standalone active ones like the QSC K-series or through the monitor system. The time I really like to have an amp is when I'm in an unknown or high-volume situation and I need direct control over your guitar sound.
Great review! The tuner its good for a electric guitar too?
I've never used it with electric guitar but it should work fine.
Thank you, great review!!! The best I saw.
I would like to listen a prove whit a nylon guitar, because is the most dificult to get a good sound playing plugged.
Hugs from Argentina!!!
Thanks Martin! I don't play nylon string guitar, so you'll need to look for another demo that shows that 😊
Thanks you make it now clear to me but for home musicians zoom a3 is seems complicated can you describe please if there composition of different single efect cheap pedals can achieve say same effect? Thank you.
The modelling part would be difficult to duplicate. However you could use a reverb and an EQ pedal to duplicate the other functions of this pedal, plus a tuner and some sort of clean boost pedal. To be honest with you the Zoom does all of this much more economically, it's a really great all-in-one solution.
Thank you. I mean the in time of musiciana it to complicated to switch the effect or disable instead on single pedal you can just on off.
That is true but remember that multiple pedals take much more time to set up and there is the issues of additional cables, connectors etc. The AC-2 is just plug and play.
GLB Productions Thank you. It what i mean and actually the "cheap" single effect is not so cheap :( when need preamp boost overdrive and loop in my case.
Hi, if I turn off this unit from the back, my guitar signal would it still go to the amp?Thank you, best review.
I'm not sure, but my recollection is that the unit does not pass signal when powered off.
@@GLBProductions Thanks.
BTW, ovation vs Takamine pickup? would like to hear your thoughts on these pioneering pick up technologies and sound.
That's a good question - I have almost zero experience with the Ovation system but from what I have read it is broadly similar to the Palathetic pickup in that it uses six relatively massive piezo-ceramic elements and results in a sound that is somewhat decoupled from the 'acoustic' sound of the guitar but is very consistent and easy to amplify to high volume levels.
GLB Productions hey thanks for the reply, I appreciate and trust your thoughts on the matter.
BTW I very much agree that most musicians accept and appreciate a good piezoelectric tone, it's a very legit live sound.
Would also like your thoughts on the tc-helicon bodyrez, is it the same kind of modeling technique as the zoom ac? Or does it just add resonance only?
GLB Productions Also I removed the previous comment, i thought u were doing an experiment. Sorry for pointing it out.
Oh yes the TC Helicon. I've never used it but from what I can read and hear online it appears to be more along the lines of the Boss AD-2, in other words a lot of EQ and some compression. Something you can do yourself with some experimentation really... Also what many of these products miss is the fact that the tone required from an acoustic guitar in a band setting is very different to that needed when playing solo! This is where companies like Takamine hit the nail on the head - yeah by itself the pickup has a rather hard and forward sound but put it in a loud band and it sound just right without a lot of EQ.
GLB Productions hey thanks once again for the replies, I take ur comments very seriously. Ur words carry a lot of weight as u r very knowledgeable.
Yes a very much agree that these piezoelectrics hit the mark in a live band situation especially those that were made during the 70-80s.
(Taks and ovation were the main staple on most live stages)
I've been using my tc-helicon play acoustic on flat setting and compress, the body rez settings really don't work well with a band.
Just as u had suspected, these products were more tuned for the solo singer song writer.
But it took me awhile to actually realize this and I played with horrible tone on stage for months with the bodyrez settings turned on.
But eventually I went back to the flat settings and used more of the para eq on my mixer.
Not sure whether the zoom models would be great on stage and live sound. Haven't tried any of these modeling tech yet.
But I do love the Yamaha A3 pre amps model, the sound is lovely by its own
Nice review done 👍🏻,
Please explain can we use this unit with electric Guitar???
Yes you can, although I haven't tested this.
@@GLBProductions please check and let me also know,
And thank you so much for your reply.
Belo Review Bruno (I´m writing in Portuguese assuming you are Brazilian by your name, if not, please let me know that I write it again in English...kkkk). Definitivamente acredito que seja o pedal correto para eu que toco e canto... quero algo simples de regular e que me dê suporte na gig, além disso estava procurando algum pedal com presets de violão + um reverb e acredito que cai como uma luva...basicamente tinha um certo receito dos pedais da zoom quanto à qualidade de seus presets, achava tudo meio artificial demais, mas fiquei bem impressionado com a qualidade deste pedal, definitivamente parece que a Zoom evoluiu com o tempo neste quesito. Qual sua opinião?
Hello Bosco! I'm from Singapore, so would appreciate it if you could re-post your question in English, thank you :)
I have a zoom A21u how does this compare with my unit if you know thanks
I would say that the A21u is more of an effects unit whereas the AC-2 focuses on the modelling aspect and has only one effect which is reverb.
Really informative review, but I'm literally sick of the G chord right now.
Hello Bruno, thanks for the good clear review. However, as a 12 string player i'd really like to hear its capabilities when dealing with such an instrumnt.
Thanks for the feedback - as and when I get a 12-string I'll definitely make an addendum to this review.
I have one and it works really well with a 12 string. I prefer the Nylon setting as it removes some of the top end of the guitar but yes is a really nice sound.
Thanks Bruno. I kept waiting for "Resonator" seeing I'm a reso/steel player. Perhaps I missed it? :-) JimE
Hello Jim! No I'm afraid I don't have a reso or steel guitar. The sound of the preset when applied to a normal acoustic guitar is really dark and can be muddy so I didn't include it in the video.
That explains it. Thanks. JimE
You're welcome Jim, have a great week ahead!
hello, is he emulating the sound of a twelve-string guitar in this preset while playing the six string acoustic ?? Nobody shows it on demos.
No, the 12-string preset is not featured in this review as I don't own any 12-string guitars.
To me it sounds like this unit does a good job of reducing or improving the pickup sound, but it still sounds like a pickup. Some presets sound less pickup-y than others though, and when finger picking the pickup sound is less noticeable. Could be useful for someone who plays exclusively or mostly fingerstyle.
It really depends on how you listen to the output of the device - in the video you're listening to the direct output, which I agree still retains some pickup-like qualities. However when playing live with the device this effect is ameliorated by having the signal pass through a loudspeaker and then the air. But yes, nothing really sounds like a microphone except a microphone ;)
The microphone sounds breathy while the pick up sounds throaty, which is better might depend on the composition
Yes - in most cases a blend of the two will yield optimal results.