I’ve been working intermittently on a patch set for the Zoom G3, and it’s nearly done–just a round or two of setting relative patch levels and completing documentation to go.

The Zoom G3: our patch set's been a long time comin', and it's almost here
The Zoom G3: our patch set’s been a long time comin’, and it’s almost here

The Zoom is not the same as a Digitech RP. In particular, the Zoom allows you to stack 6 FX of any type you like in any order you like, while the RP’s signal processing chain (of 10 FX) is fixed. What that means in practice is that you can make some very freaky sounds on the G3 that are impossible to make on the RP.

It seemed wasteful to me not to take advantage of all that freakishness, so I’ve constructed the initial G3 set with 35 patches, about half of which are decidedly out of the ordinary, the other half of which are split into amped-up bread and butter sounds and clean sounds with various combinations of reverb, delay, and subtle modulation FX like chorus and detune.

This setup makes the G3 useful both for the traditional player, and for the musician who wants to go farther. Players who want something full-featured that they can plug in quickly in a jam session will appreciate the G3’s battery powered operation. Players who want expressive electronica will find plenty to like too.

Stay tuned for the formal announcement within a week or two.