Empress Effects ZOIA

Started by BROCKSTAR, January 13, 2020, 10:46:26 AM

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BROCKSTAR

I really think this magnificent pedal should belong with the other guitar synth pedals as it's capable of doing a lot and the last firmware just improved tracking and pitch detection. Not only can it do normal guitar pedals, but also anything you can dream of type guitar pedals along with guitar synth stuff and normal midi synth stuff etc..

Here's a video I just did today using a patch on patchstorage called "GuitarOperator". I tweaked some modules and numbers and stuff and came up with this thing which reminds me of a GR-300 type sound. Some added delay / reverb from helix.


BROCKSTAR

#1
So I am pretty happy right now. My friend Christopher made a guitar / instrument-to-midi preset on ZOIA. So now I don't need my Sonuus G2M version 3 unit as I can do it with ZOIA now. Just plug guitar into ZOIA and midi out from ZOIA to midi in on any hardware synth I want and it tracks great and you have the option to add things inside the ZOIA patch too etc.. Like the one he built has a sustain / hold feature and a built in looper etc.. or build anything inside there you want along with the converter =)

admin

Quote from: BROCKSTAR on January 14, 2020, 06:15:44 PM
So I am pretty happy right now. My friend Christopher made a guitar / instrument-to-midi preset on ZOIA. So now I don't need my Sonuus G2M version 3 unit as I can do it with ZOIA now. Just plug guitar into ZOIA and midi out from ZOIA to midi in on any hardware synth I want and it tracks great and you have the option to add things inside the ZOIA patch too etc.. Like the one he built has a sustain / hold feature and a built in looper etc.. or build anything inside there you want along with the converter =)

I posted my G2M for sale on my local selling page, but if anyone here wants it, I can ship for $60 anywhere in U.S. Only a few days old, with box / paperwork etc. If this part of the post is still here than it's still available, but if it's gone then it sold.

Post an example Video?

BROCKSTAR

Quote from: admin on January 14, 2020, 06:20:49 PM
Post an example Video?

I plan to do a video of it tomorrow, a bit too late for me to do it tonight but here's the patch and sample video done by my friend christopher who made the patch :) https://patchstorage.com/instrument-to-midi-a-patch-for-translating-instruments-to-midi/

BROCKSTAR

Here's a quick demo....

Play guitar, bass or anything with a 1/4th cable into a hardware synth / module with midi in option. In the video I have it as my guitar going into ZOIA then ZOIA midi out to the midi in of my behringer deepmind 12D hardware synthesizer and out to speakers and controlling the synth monophonically.

Works best when you roll your tone knob off on the guitar and put it on your neck pickup for best results in tracking. This is pretty typical for instrument-to-midi converters like sonuus g2m and others.


hippietim


BROCKSTAR

Quote from: hippietim on January 15, 2020, 09:12:21 AM
Nice!

Thanks :D I like it much more than the sonuus g2m version 3 I just got. And like I mentioned somewhere (maybe here) that you can add things too it as well inside the patch. Right now it has a built in looper and sustain/hold feature, but could add any module you want along with the converter going into a hardware synth. More LFO's, Env's probably etc..

kevorkian

Very nice!

I really like Zoia, it's extremely powerful - I realized that I could basically recreate a number of sounds that generally only rack-based effects can accomplish if they would just allow for shorter delay times for the Delay w/Mod module but I couldn't seem to get any real attention around this - even though this appeared to be a relatively simple enhancement.

It's possible that one of the more recent firmware updates has addressed this but my threads are still in the voting forum so I doubt it.  :'(




admin

#8
Quote from: kevorkian on January 15, 2020, 09:39:59 AM
Very nice!

I really like Zoia, it's extremely powerful - I realized that I could basically recreate a number of sounds that generally only rack-based effects can accomplish if they would just allow for shorter delay times for the Delay w/Mod module but I couldn't seem to get any real attention around this - even though this appeared to be a relatively simple enhancement.

It's possible that one of the more recent firmware updates has addressed this but my threads are still in the voting forum so I doubt it.  :'(

This will be the third year Ive seen the Empress Effects ZOIA at NAMM

My wish  is that they can actually reveal to the layman the full power of the  Empress Effects ZOIA
because each time I ask, their "ZOIA guru" is away from the booth, and his co-workers seem clueless or unwilling to show me

and the user interface reminds me of this
 

BROCKSTAR

Quote from: admin on January 15, 2020, 09:50:34 AM
This will be the third year Ive seen the Empress Effects ZOIA at NAMM

My wish  is that they can actually reveal to the layman the full power of the  Empress Effects ZOIA
because each time I ask, their "ZOIA guru" is away from the booth, and his co-workers seem clueless or unwilling to show me

and the user interface reminds me of this


Haha yeah they revealed it at winter 2018 NAMM and then it finally came out April 2019, and now they're revealing ZOIA euroburo this year! I like the colorful buttons. I've had a few things on the voting forum make it to ZOIA. Like getting more folders for preset storage / loading etc.. Also new colors coming for ZOIA soon is because I asked for it and people voted etc..

kevorkian

#10
Quote from: BROCKSTAR on January 15, 2020, 10:01:10 AM
Haha yeah they revealed it at winter 2018 NAMM and then it finally came out April 2019, and now they're revealing ZOIA euroburo this year! I like the colorful buttons. I've had a few things on the voting forum make it to ZOIA. Like getting more folders for preset storage / loading etc.. Also new colors coming for ZOIA soon is because I asked for it and people voted etc..

You've definitely made some great suggestions around patch management and organization that have improved the product.

What surprised me a bit is how open Empress has been to implementing features that seem to only increase the complexity (and inscrutability) of the pedal before fully fleshing out the effect blocks that they offered at launch time.

ZOIA is amazingly powerful and flexible, but in my view,  things like adding additional colors or lights shouldn't be prioritized over making the effect blocks as powerful and flexible as possible.

There are a legion of players who are continuing to use things like the Yamaha MagicStomp because it can run 8 delays+mod in parallel, or who would like to recreate the types of circular delay effects that you used to need an 8-space rack to construct - something as minor as shortened delay times would achieve this (all in ONE pedal) using the provided delay+mod effect block but when I suggested they correct this oversight, I was told that I could use the basic delay line module to construct a delay+mod from scratch even though doing this would have made the number of modules and connections in each patch unreasonably large and difficult to modify - especially if you are imaging this being useful on a gig.

I haven't given up yet but I can't say I'm super pleased by the way things have developed.

BROCKSTAR

Quote from: kevorkian on January 15, 2020, 11:28:20 AM
You've definitely made some great suggestions around patch management and organization that have improved the product.

What surprised me a bit is how open Empress has been to implementing features that seem to only increase the complexity (and inscrutability) of the pedal before fully fleshing out the effect blocks that they offered at launch time.

ZOIA is amazingly powerful and flexible, but in my view,  things like adding additional colors or lights shouldn't be prioritized over making the effect blocks as powerful and flexible as possible.

There are a legion of players who are continuing to use things like the Yamaha MagicStomp because it can run 8 delays+mod in parallel, or who would like to recreate the types of circular delay effects that you used to need an 8-space rack to construct - something as minor as shortened delay times would achieve this (all in ONE pedal) using the provided delay+mod effect block but when I suggested they correct this oversight, I was told that I could use the basic delay line module to construct a delay+mod from scratch even though doing this would have made the number of modules and connections in each patch unreasonably large and difficult to modify - especially if you are imaging this being useful on a gig.

I haven't given up yet but I can't say I'm super pleased by the way things have developed.

Yeah I understand that and get that 100%. There is a lot of things that would be nice if they were done for sure to help ZOIA becomes stronger more than the things I suggest, but am happy to have a better folder system for sure though. I hated having only a folder of 64 presets and then taking the SD out to fill back up with new ones etc.. Now I can cycle between the 11 or more folders I have of presets for now, and when I get a handful, update the folders etc.. lol.

BROCKSTAR

My friend Dustin was over last night and we were tracking some bass for my new album and I asked if he'd be ok to plug into the instrument-to-midi converter patch on ZOIA and midi out of ZOIA to midi in of my Arturia MicroFreak synthesizer for some fun and he tried it.


BROCKSTAR

#13
OMG ZOIA's instrument to midi patch just got a brand new upgrade by the person who made the original patch. I had talked to him about doing some octaves, scales and other things and he came up with this.... Now this can do octaves, scale stuff, also a cool chord thing where you hit one note on your guitar or bass or whatever and ZOIA will play it back as a chord style you set up etc!! I can't wait to dive into this later!

This is probably the best instrument-to-midi converter on the planet! No other converter I know of can do things like this. The only way I know of to play guitar through a hardware synth and do chords is you have to get a module of some sort like a roland GR-33 or something and a hex pickup and run from the gr-33 to hardware etc.. but he managed to do it in some neat and trickery way with ZOIA without hex pickups!!! Although still monophonically but the modules and techniques employed allows for you to play 1 note at a time but sound as chords or like strummed chords etc..


BROCKSTAR

Showcasing the instrument-to-midi converter again..

Some quick Monday "I wanna be Pat Metheny" noodling guitar synth stuff on my tablet. Running guitar into Christopher H. M. Jacques instrument-to-midi patch in  ZOIA then out to my Behringer Model D synthesizer and some delay from my Line 6 Helix.


Tape

Quote from: BROCKSTAR on January 27, 2020, 10:06:06 AM
Showcasing the instrument-to-midi converter again..

Some quick Monday "I wanna be Pat Metheny" noodling guitar synth stuff on my tablet. Running guitar into Christopher H. M. Jacques instrument-to-midi patch in  ZOIA then out to my Behringer Model D synthesizer and some delay from my Line 6 Helix.



Sounds pretty damn good! Just got the Zoia myself, and currently half amazed by the capabilities of it and half horrified of the time it will take me to figure the whole thing out ;D

BROCKSTAR

Quote from: Tape on February 17, 2020, 06:38:24 AM
Sounds pretty damn good! Just got the Zoia myself, and currently half amazed by the capabilities of it and half horrified of the time it will take me to figure the whole thing out ;D

Thanks! ZOIA is amazing. Have had it since launch last year. Can pretty much copy whatever pedal you want to some degree and make new stuff too or synth stuff etc..

admin


Chumly

Your thread convinced me to buy one Brockstar! I've recently retired from teaching and there are no meaningful live gigs in my neck of the woods; but the weather is spectacular and the ZOIA is as well. The modular synth capabilities in combination with the multi-effects plus audio input are very spiffy.  I can't help imagining what it would be like to hop back to the mid 1960's with this little box.
I think it's much more interesting to live not knowing than to have answers which might be wrong. - Richard P. Feynman

BROCKSTAR

NEW FIRMWARE IS HERE!!

https://empresseffects.freshdesk.com/support/solutions/articles/1000275389-updating-firmware-on-the-zoia



2.0 ( June 1, 2021 )

--------------------------

- New Features:

  - Code Optimizations decrease CPU usage. Actual decrease depends on patch.

    Testing on popular Patch Storage patches showed that average decrease

    in CPU usage was 24%.

  - As requested, added a track and hold option to the sample and hold module.

    Enabling this option will output the tracked input value while the trigger

    is low, and hold it when the trigger is high.

  - Delay Line Module: As requested, added an option to control the delay

    time with CV Input scaled linearly. Biasing the delay time will remain

    exponential regardless of the selected option.

  - SV Filter: Negative CV input to the frequency will result in frequencies

    below 27.5 Hz.

  - Ring Modulator: Negative CV input to the frequency will result in

    frequencies below 27.5 Hz.

  - As requested, added an option to CV Filter for separate rise and fall

    time constants.

  - CV Trigger: Changed the output to a single pulse that will instantly

    rise to max CV before returning to zero 1.3 milliseconds later.

  - Added a CV mixer/attenuverter module. It's like the audio mixer but for CV

    signals, with a few extra features! The atten parameter for each channel

    controls the amount and polarity of the signal that is passed through to the

    output: 1.0 passes the full signal, 0.5 fully attenuates it, and 0.0 fully

    inverts it. The 'mode' option lets you select how these signals are summed

    at the output. Summing mode simply adds up all of the signals, clipping

    anything outside the +1/-1 CV range. Average mode divides each signal by

    the number of inputs before summing them at the output. This ensures that

    the output  doesn't get clipped. Try mixing multiple LFOs to create a wild

    new waveform, or blend a few sequencers to create a unique melody!

  - Added alternative screen views for the ADSR, audio mixer, and CV mixer

    modules. Each new view is unique to the module, and aims to show you more

    information about the module as a whole. You can access available

    alternative views using the shift + view buttons. When you save a patch

    with modules that have alternative views, they will get saved. For the ADSR

    module, the new view displays a classic ADSR curve. For the audio mixer

    and CV mixer, the view places a mixing console on the screen. Pressing the

    rotary encoder will toggle between viewing the full console or just a

    single channel.

  - Updated patch screen so the page name is printed to the right of the

    page number.

  - If a module has been changed between firmware versions so that it

    will retain past behavior in patches created on old firmware, the module

    options screen will indicate that it is an old module. For example, editing

    a clock divider in a patch that was saved prior to firmware 1.13 will

    display "Edit Module V0" at the top of the screen.



- Bug Fixes:

  - ADSR Module: When the 'immediate rel' option is off, the sustain stage

    was being held for an amount of time proportional to the sustain level.

    Changed the sustain stage to immediately advance to the release stage

    if a CV decrease is detected at the gate input. A sustain time can be set

    by enabling 'hold sus/rel'. ADSR modules loaded from patches created before

    this firmware will continue to function as before.

  - MIDI Note Out Module: Will no longer send a note off message for note 0

    when the module is first created or a patch is first loaded.

  - MIDI Note In Module: Notes were getting stuck when priority was set

    to lowest note.

  - MIDI CC Out Module: Will no longer send CC values when switching away

    from a patch. Patches loading with MIDI CC Out modules will continue to

    send the set CC values on load.

  - CV Filter: Changed the behavior so that the time constant determines the

    time it takes the CV output to reach 63%, or decay to 37%, of the input.

  - Tap to CV Module: The output will update after Changing the module options.

  - LEDs will once again reflect changing audio/CV levels.

  - Negative CV values were not being displayed on the Sequencer or Comparator.

  - Moving a module on top of the Keyboard module was resulting in stuck notes.

  - Updated automatic version detection system used for internal inventory

    tracking system

Chumly

#20
Good news that Empress is taking the unit seriously with ongoing updates (are you listening Roland?).

On another note, does anyone know if Zoia can emulate an Electro Harmonix Mainframe?

The Mainframe seems to be a bit (bad pun) too proprietary for Zoia, even though Zoia does have a bit crusher and a ring modulator, which from my ears point of view, sounds like at least some of the sonic building blocks of the Mainframe.
I think it's much more interesting to live not knowing than to have answers which might be wrong. - Richard P. Feynman

pje

New Zoia person here.Would you say it tracks notes to midi as well as the Triple Play?

also, Q: Anyone elese having problems with the micro card stuck deep in Zoia so you cant get it out??

Thanks!
Peter

Chumly

No problems with the micro SD card insertion or removal.
I think it's much more interesting to live not knowing than to have answers which might be wrong. - Richard P. Feynman

Chumly

Hello Vguitar People,

According to the website, if I leave the latest firmware on the micro SD card, it will reload it each time the Empress ZOIA is powered up, but this is not the case. It boots up identically with or without the bin file on the micro SD card.

I wonder why would that be, it's running the latest firmware 2.80 according to the LCD display.

See here  https://support.empresseffects.com/support/solutions/articles/1000308788-updating-firmware-on-the-zoia-and-euroburo-latest-version-2-80-beta-3-0-
"If you leave the Micro SD card in, it will update the firmware every time you boot it up."

Thank you!
I think it's much more interesting to live not knowing than to have answers which might be wrong. - Richard P. Feynman