Zoom 1201 Guitar Multi-Effects Processor

Zoom is a Japanese manufacturer of electronicThe first available patch bank, Bank A, contains
musical instruments, effects processors andreverb effects grouped into Halls, Rooms, Plates,
accessories. Allegedly the name of the companyVocal, Ambience, Dimension (panning reverbs and
was chosen simply to stand out among itsmono-to-stereo simulation patches), Percussion,
competitors, simply because it started with theEnsemble, Power, Gate and Reverse. Each reverb
"unusual" letter Z. Zoom released their firsttype has 11 variations, which can be selected by
product in 1990, the Zoom 9002 multi-effectsthe Character/Variants knob. The Adjust control
processor. Seven years in 1997 later came onesets the reverb decay time.
of their most successful products, the Zoom 1201.Bank B contains mostly delay and modulation
The Zoom 1201 is a clear-cut stereo digital reverbeffects, such as chorus and flanging, as well as in
and multi-effects processor. It does not supportvarious combinations.
MIDI and allows for very little in the way of patchThe final effect bank is where other various
programming. However this simplicity, combinedeffects offered by the Zoom 1201 can be found.
with its price tag (it originally retailed for aroundA pitch shifter with 11 types of detuning, phasers
$150 and is now sold used for less than half thatand tremolo/pan effects, an auto-filter and ring
amount), is actually the main appeal of the 1201.modulator are all located in Bank C.
Users can select from 11 types of effects, eachOne of the most ridiculed effects on the 1201 is
of which are available in 11 variations, by usingthe Karaoke setting, which was intended to
knobs on the front panel of the unit. A threeremove vocals from recordings using a
position slider is used to select from patch bankcombination of phase cancellation and filtering.
types.However, the results are seldom useable.