Zoom Neurig: Compact Touchscreen Modeler With Native NAM A2 and Battery Power
Not a new MS pedal but a new modeling family!
Zoom Neurig: Compact Touchscreen Modeler With Native NAM A2 and Battery Power · Source: Zoom
It’s been a bit of an open secret in the past few weeks, but now it’s officially here: the Zoom Neurig. The Japanese company has packed native NAM A2 Lite support, a new neural amp modeling engine called “DNA Engine”, and a battery into a compact, futuristic-looking floor modeler. And with a price point of 349 euros, it’s quite a bit more affordable than many comparable multi-effects.
This is Neurig:
Zoom Neurig: My First Impression
NAM before NAMM. Ever since the introduction of NAM A2, budget modeler makers have been rushing to either update their pedals with NAM support or release new versions that support it.
With the Zoom Neurig, the Japanese manufacturer is presenting a floor modeler that almost seems too good to be true on paper at this price point. With two touchscreens, NAM A2 Lite support, and battery power, the Neurig could be the sweet spot for those who want to move up from the low-budget world to a more advanced modeling pedal.
What are the specs of the Zoom Neurig?
Zoom’s new amp modeling technology, DNA (Dynamic Neural Archive), aims to do what Neural DSP’s or Line 6’s technology does: model an amp so that it behaves like the real thing when you turn the virtual knobs. By comparison, NAM A2 currently only does amp captures.
That means, with NAM, you get an extremely accurate sonic photograph, but when you change the knobs, the results will not be the same. With the Zoom Neurig, you get 30 DNA amp models and drive pedals, 22 conventional models, 22 multi-layer IRs, and 139 virtual effects. You can also load up to 50 of your own IRs, and there is a built-in 45-second looper.
That alone, in combination with the two touchscreens, is quite the statement in terms of versatility.
NAM A2 vs. DNA
The Zoom Neurig also supports natively loading NAM A2 Lite captures. Through Zoom’s dedicated app, the SessionZ Pedal (available for free for Android and iOS), you have access to the massive, community-driven NAM catalog over at TONE3000.
There are currently over 700,000 free captures and IRs available over there. There might be some who’ll sneer at NAM A2 Lite’s sometimes somewhat degraded audio quality compared to the NAM A2 full version. But given the additional CPU overhead needed for that, there is a reason that this is still not a thing among budget modelers.
The companion app also offers some AI-assisting features like stem separation (so you can isolate or remove the guitar from a backing track) and rig prompting. You prompt something like “90s grunge rhythm guitar” or “Metallica 80s thrash era” and the app will suggest a full virtual rig as a starting point. Great for beginners!
4.5-hour battery, four footswitches, and more
Whether you set up your rigs yourself or use the app to create them, you get 200 slots to save them, with 75 presets as a starting point. Zoom Neurig’s internal processsing happens at 32-bit float, and you also get routing options for serial, parallel, and even split signal flow.
In terms of inputs and outputs, the Neurig offers a mono input, stereo outputs, a send/return pair, two MIDI ports on 3.5 mm TRS, a headphone jack, a control input for expression pedals, and a USB-C port. Through that, you control the Neurig with the companion app, upload firmware updates, and even use it as an audio interface. The multi-effect also offers Bluetooth audio capabilities, so you can wirelessly stream your favorite songs and jam along.
And then there is the built-in battery, which lasts up to 4.5 hours!
The Competion: Headrush, Hotone, and Valetone
Since NAM A2’s announcement in June, there is been a lot of movement in the market. HeadRush recently announced NAM A2 Full support for its floor modelers, but these all sit at a higher price point. Hotone also announced NAM A2 support, but like the Neurig, it’s NAM A2 lite for the Ampero II Stomp.
It costs about the same and offers a larger screen, but this multi-effect does not come with a battery and only has three footswitches. And with the GP-200 from Valeton, you get a slightly more affordable floor modeler, but without any native NAM support (it handles NAM A2 captures through converting it first), and without a touchscreen.
Price and Availability
The Zoom Neurig is available for pre-order at Thomann* for 349 euros.
More on the new Neurig from Zoom
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