Zoom A1 Four and A1X Four: multi-effects for acoustic instruments

14 Sep 2019 by Lasse Eilers |

4,5 / 5,0 | Approximate reading time: 2 Minutes

A1X Four · Source: Zoom

A1 Four · Source: Zoom

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Zoom has announced the A1 Four and A1X Four multi-effects for acoustic instruments. The two effects processors are designed for acoustic guitar, wind instruments and strings. In addition to effects, the Zoom A1Four and A1X Four also feature integrated rhythm patterns and a looper.

The new effects processors follow in the footsteps of the G1 Four and G1X Four multi-effects for electric guitar, which were released earlier this year. The similarities are obvious, as the A1 Four and A1X Four not only share the same enclosures, but also many features. The 80+ integrated effects, however, are optimized for acoustic instruments like acoustic guitar, trumpet, saxophone, harmonica, and violin.

While the A1 Four and A1X Four look almost exactly the same as the G1 series, sharing the same dot matrix displays, buttons, and knobs, there is one notable difference. As they are designed for acoustic instruments, they come with the MMA-1 Mic Adapter for connecting microphones. The adapter even supplies phantom power for condenser mics.

Acoustic guitar modeling

Both devices feature more than 80 effects. Acoustic guitar players can choose from 15 presets for acoustic guitar modeling, which recreate the characteristics of different types of guitars using impulse responses (IR), according to Zoom. Another 13 presets are available via the free Zoom Guitar Lab software. Other effects are specialized for brass, saxophone, harmonica, and strings. Zoom says that the specific requirements of the instruments were taken into consideration. For example, the wah effects for brass include a low pass filter, while the distortion for strings retains the bowing attack.

: A1 Four · Source: Zoom

: A1X Four · Source: Zoom

Zoom A1X Four

Like the G1X Four, the A1X Four adds an expression pedal. It also contains eight additional pedal-controlled effects, including volume, pitch, reverb, delay, and wah.

Rhythm patterns and looper

Both the A1 Four and the A1X Four come with 68 rhythm patterns, so you have something to play along with during your next practice session. They also feature built-in loopers. While these will without doubt be less sophisticated than a dedicated looper board, they can record up to 30 seconds and let you create multi-part arrangements.

Price and availability

According to Zoom, the A1 Four and A1X Four will be available from October 2019. And here’s one final similarity to the G1 Four series. At EUR 129 for the A1 Four and EUR 149 for the A1X Four, you won’t have to break the bank to get them.