Agreed. I try not to be too judgmental and harsh on things, but the plugin (IMO) isn’t anything like the hardware. The guy behind the programming and some of the DSP for it does some terrific work in general too. I tried the demo thinking it’d be great having a bunch of Zen delays and could finally modulate some of the parameters, but I pretty quickly uninstalled it. I didn’t find it inspiring at all and was pretty disappointed knowing what the hardware sounds like.
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Same here 
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Shame really, too bad.
@Richard-Dehove Another welcome 
Your DB-01 videos are a huge resource. You are one of the reasons I just bought another one 
Interesting to hear your take on these other delay pedals (which I know have also been featured in your videos). I have’t tried any of them, though I have been considering the El Cap.
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Thanks Zollenz. So you’re a member of the Double-DB club 
Would love to hear some stuff when you get them humming.
The Strymon gear is top quality that’s for sure, but they do seem quite focussed. For example, the Timeline for all its many modes and parameters only has one or two where you can get anything like a ping-pong effect. Seems they specifically held that out so the DIG could shine a bit more. OTOH I believe the DD-200 is the same - no ping-pong, that was reserved for the DD-500 !
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The OTO Machines BIM is fantastic. It has great MIDI CC implementation so you can control pretty much everything. I think one or two other things have been added in recent firmware too -
I should mention that the filter settings aren’t continuous, for example the LPF steps through 2/4/8/16kHz. It’s just a limitation of the way it’s been designed but I honestly don’t mind it now.
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Hi,
Just wanted to say thanks for all your help with the DB01 - awesome videos mate!
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yeah this is one of the downsides of BIM (I have it too). The way the filter is implemented in zen delay is quite unique, don’t know of any alternative analog delay pedal that has such ‘playable’ filter controls (but open to suggestions if anyone disagrees)
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Have you tried the Meris LVX yet? I also got a Zen and sold it and now I’m considering to rebuy it… just remember that I believe it had issues with keeping tempo but not sure. Have you hade any issues when midi-syncing it?
I will second the BIM suggestion. Sounds so good it put a smile on my face every time I turned it on. Only outboard effect I regret selling.
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Firmware 1.1.0 was released in June 2020 and the main issues listed were fixes to MIDI sync and scaling for the time divisions when in sync. That’s a long time ago, but given how clunky it is to update the firmware who knows how many machines are on the old version, or simply failed to update properly, since there’s no way to tell what version you’re on 
The sync issue did always bother me. I remember selling my second Zen after attempting a Fripp-style long-delay experiment that refused to work as expected.
The other funny thing is getting into sync mode - a long press on the tap button and then it starts blinking at the sync rate. I’ve certainly seen videos where the MIDI cable is plugged in but the unit isn’t synced. I’m absolutely certain I confused the two modes in the past.
I’m not sure I’m completely convinced the sync is perfect even now. For my own peace of mind I think I should do a test into the Zen and Timeline and compare output timings… That’s getting a bit forensic but I think I’d sleep better
the LVX? I keep looking at it but it’s so expensive…
(And thanks JCinvisible, a pleasure!)
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A self-indulgent video where I wallow in the Zen’s input drive. But it reminds me that it’s a lot more than a delay. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-Pl8zoH75M
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Guys, do you think it is possible to use zen in mono mode. Or is it silly and better to look elsewhere?
Sure. The delay is the only part that can be stereo anyway. And even then only in ping-pong. Is there something specific you’re worried about?
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Dual mono versus summed, or as in just one channel?
I worry more about the fact that I want to turn this stereo beautiful delay exclusively into mono and use only one channel L input and L output, so the question arises whether I will break all those processes that since the Zen was sold exclusively as stereo and no word about using it in mono )
Just wanted to use only one channel per input and output for send and return. Or are there more options?
I’m wondering if I’m overpaying for a right channel and stereo I don’t plan to use)
I guess I’d suggest looking at it differently. The Zen has many different capabilities. It’s a delay. It’s distortion. It’s multimode filters. It can do mono. It can do stereo. It can be very hands-on. It can be set-and-forget. It can be midi-sync’d. It can be tap-tempo’d.
Can you drop one or two of these things and have it still be worth the cost? Your call. I think so. But also music isn’t a static thing. Not every track is going to make use of all of these. Heck, many of them are exclusive of one another — you can’t tap tempo, midi-sync, and control the speed hands-on.
So I’d say; just because you’re using it mono doesn’t mean it’s not valuable that it can be stereo if you need it to. And really, the more you experiment with it, the greater the chances are you might.
For a long time mine lived at the end of my chain for its filter and distortion. The stereo was appreciated, but the delay often unused. Then I used it essentially as an FX machine for buildups. Heavy real-time filter manipulation, but the delay stayed sync’d to midi. Then it was a send off my mixer. Mono-to-mono and delay only. Then as a tape loop creating sound just by cranking gain then looping it forever with infinite feedback. I didn’t even use the ins for that. And through all of this all bets were off if I wanted a dub chords in something, because it was worth tearing down everything I was doing for that.
Anyway, delays aren’t super complicated beasts. If you know what you want and don’t feel like going through the faff of learning a new box and experimenting and everything, use the one built-in to your DAW. Or pick up a cheap pedal. Plenty of great music had been made with those. It’ll work just fine.
But if you’re itching to learn a new instrument, want to add a new set of tools to your toolbox, and looking for something that can be a flexible, creative element in addition to just an FX, the Zen has a lot to offer. And it’s fine if you don’t use it all at once. Because if you keep working with it, you’ll need it someday.
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Oh thanks for the extensive reply. It’s all accounted for. I was just a little worried about whether I could use it to its full potential. Yes, obviously I can!)
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I have an octatrack that I’m currently only using to trigger one of two fills when I press a button 
Sometimes you just need a thing when you need it. It fitting in there is also part of its potential.
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