Zoom AC-3 Acoustic Creator Acoustic Guitar Effects Pedal

Zoom AC-3 Acoustic Creator, an incredible tonal shaper for acoustic guitars – a combination DI, multi-effects pedal and tonal recreation device.

DI, Multi-Effects and Tone Shaping for Acoustic Guitar

Zoom have taken pretty much everything gigging acoustic guitarists have ever wanted and put it all together to create the Zoom AC-3 Acoustic Creator.

All the essential DI features are right there at your disposal while the Zoom AC3’s high quality preamp boosts your signal along with restoring the true acoustic sound of your guitar and the on-board 3-band EQ allows you to quickly tailor your tone to perfect.

Furthermore, the AC-3 features the best acoustic guitar effects Zoom have ever designed. A wide range of effects all with adjustable parameters, you can get exactly the sound you want to suit your performance and creativity.

Retain Your True Acoustic Sound

Playing unplugged, you may have an absolutely beautiful tone and depth to your sound but one of the pitfalls of using an electro-acoustic guitar is that as soon as they’re plugged in, you can lose all that great sound and you’re left with the raspy, brittle sounds of your pickup.

In short; your sound loses its acoustic soul.

And that right there is why Zoom have given us the AC-3 Acoustic Creator. When playing live with the Zoom AC3, getting your perfect and true acoustic sound back is as easy as 1, 2, 3 and is done in three simple steps.

First, you select the type of guitar you’re using by turning the “SOURCE GUITAR” wheel to one of the 16 options including Dreadnought, Orchestra, 12 Strings and more.

Second, you can choose the type of pickup you’re using; piezo or magnetic.

Thirdly, you can further specify the sound you require by selecting one of the 15 additional guitar presets on the “TARGET GUITAR” wheel, and that’s it!

For example, if you’re using a Martin D-18 you would select Dreadnought on the SOURCE GUITAR wheel and D-Eighteen on the TARGET GUITAR wheel in order get an amazing recreation of your acoustic sound.

Zoom’s Best Acoustic Guitar Effects Yet

When developing the effects for the AC3, Zoom went all out and have delivered their best effects for acoustic guitar yet.

Zoom have brought together some real acoustic guitar favourites and they sound fantastic, allowing you to really play around with your sonic palette and add extra depth and dimension to your performances.

Zoom AC-3 Acoustic Creator Effects:

• Chorus 1
• Chorus 2
• Tape Echo
• Analog Delay
• Delay
• Hall Reverb
• Mod Reverb Tremolo
• Pad

Furthermore, you can adjust the parameters on each of these effects to ensure you get the sound just perfect.

You’ll also be able to make use of the Zoom AC3’s single-knob compressor that makes it extremely easy to smooth out your guitar’s dynamic in order to create a really nice balanced and full sound. It features an LED indicator to allow for simple and accurate adjustment to the parameters which will come in really handy when you're playing live.

Great Features

The Zoom AC-3 Acoustic Creator is the gift that just keeps on giving thanks to a huge assortment of extra features that expand your tonal potential even more.

With its balanced XLR mono/stereo outputs with pre/post control you can easily connect to any mixing board or console in the studio.

It also features two ¼” jack outputs allowing for simultaneous mon/stereo connection to amps, audio interfaces and headphones.

Making use of these outputs allows your audience to fully experience and enjoy stereo and delay effects.

A Ground/Lift switch allows you to eliminate any unwanted buzz and hum that you might pick up from microphones or speakers in the venue while an anti-feedback button can used to automatically locate and eliminate aggravating frequencies which is invaluable during live performances.

Three footswitches at the bottom of the AC-3 allow fast and simple control over the unit.

On the left is a footswitch that activates the tuner which also mutes your signal making it extremely handy when you need to re-tune your guitar mid-set.

In the middle is a footswitch that activates your chosen effect while on the right you will find the “BOOST” footswitch. Using the boost function you can add up to 9 Db of gain just by tapping the footswitch; fantastic when you reach that part of the song that needs a little more oomph.

To power the Zoom AC-3 you have three options. Two AA batteries give you up to three hours of continuous use or you can use the Zoom AD-16 AC adapter that comes with the AC-3.

Additionally, there is a micro USB port that allows you to power the AC-3 with your computer; perfect for when you’re recording.

All-In-One Live Acoustic Solution

Whether you’re going into your amp, the PA/mixing desk or an audio interface for recording straight to the computer – the Zoom AC-3 covers all your bases and gives you everything you need.

The days of your lush and deep acoustic sound dying out and being replaced by a brash and brittle sound as soon as you plug in are gone.

Finally, you can perform live and your electro acoustic guitar will sound exactly the way it was meant to sound with the Zoom AC-3 Acoustic Creator.

Zoom AC-3 Acoustic Creator Key Features:

• 16 source guitar type/body presets for accurate tone re-creation
• 15 target guitar type/body presets for tonal refinement
• ¼” input
• Two XLR balanced outs
• Two ¼” outputs for mono or stereo connection to guitar amps, headphones, and audio interfaces
• High-quality, low noise preamp
• 9 effects with adjustable parameters
• Piezo/magnetic input pickup select
• Built-in compressor
• 3-band equalizer
• Input and output gain/sensitivity adjustable via single volume knob (patent pending)
• Clipping indicator
• Anti-feedback control
• Boost switch for up to 9 dB of additional gain
• Built-in chromatic visual-LED tuner
• USB connection for firmware updates
• Dual output jacks for connection to guitar amps and mono or stereo PA systems
• Three power options: 2 x AA batteries, the included Zoom AD-16 power adapter (9V DC in), or bus power via micro-USB port

Zoom AC-3 Acoustic Creator Included Accessories:

• Zoom AD-16 AC Adapter
• Operation Manual
• Zoom AC-3 Acoustic Creator Specs:
• Source Guitars: 16 Types
• Target Guitars: 15 Types
• Effect Types: 9 Types
• Sampling Frequency: 44.1 kHz
• A/D conversion: 24-bit with 128x oversampling
• D/A conversion: 24-bit with 128x oversampling
• Signal processing: 32-bit
• Frequency characteristics: 20 Hz – 20 kHz (+1 dB/-3 dB) (10 kOhms load)

INPUTS

• Standard mono phone jack
• Rated input level: -20 dBu
• Input impedance: 10 MOhms

OUTPUTS

L/MONO/PHONES

• Standard stereo phone jack (combined line/headphones)
• Maximum output level: Line +7 dBu (10 kOhms or more output impedance)
• Headphones 8 mW + 8 mW (32 Ohms load)

R

• Standard mono phone jack
• Maximum output level: Line +7 dBu
• (10 kOhms or more output impedance)

BALANCED OUT-L

• XLR jack
• Output impedance: 100 Ohms (HOT-GND, COLD-GND), 200 Ohms (HOT-COLD)
• PRE/POST (switchable)
• GND LIFT (switchable)

BALANCED OUT-R

• XLR jack
• Output impedance: 100 Ohms (HOT-GND, COLD-GND), 200 Ohms (HOT-COLD)
• GND LIFT (switchable)

Other Details

• Equivalent input noise: 120 dBu
• Noise floor (residual noise): -100 dBu
• Control input: FS01 Input
• Power:  AC adapter: 9 V DC 500 mA centre negative (ZOOM AD-16), Batteries: 2 AA (about 3 hrs continuous operation time using alkaline batteries)
• USB: USB MIDI USB Micro-B
• Dimensions: 6.22 in (D) X 4.21 in (W) X 2.04 in (H)
• Weight: 2.5 lbs (Not including batteries)
• Options: FS01 footswitch
• Note: 0 dBu = 0.775 V