Zoom (audio company)
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Zoom Corporation is a Japan-based audio company whose main business is the design and development of electronic devices for music. The company’s products are sold worldwide. Its brand slogan "We're for creators" reflects the company’s commitment to creators such as musicians, video creators, and podcasters. Established in 1983, the company is listed on the JASDAQ market of the Tokyo Stock Exchange.


Corporate History

Zoom Corporation was founded in Tokyo in 1983 and in 2004, established ZOOM HK LTD as a logistics base in Hong Kong. In 2009, it set up ZOOM Dongguan Corporation (China) as a quality control operation; 2013, formed ZOOM North America, LLC (US) as a distribution base; 2017, listed on Tokyo Stock Exchange JASDAQ (Standard); In 2018, acquired shares of Mogar Music S.p.A. (Italy) (current consolidated subsidiary Mogar Music S.r.l.), making it a subsidiary as a distribution center; and in 2020, acquired all shares of ZOOM North America, LLC (US), making it a wholly-owned subsidiary; 2020, ZOOM UK Distribution LTD excluded as equity method affiliate; 2021, acquired all shares of Hook Up, Inc. in Japan, making it a wholly-owned subsidiary.


Business Model

Zoom is a global company selling electronic devices for music developed for a wide range of professional and amateur customers in some 130 countries. The Japanese headquarters primarily focuses on product development and marketing, while overseas sales activities are conducted via group companies and sales agencies. By adopting a fabless method that outsources production to third parties, technical management resources are concentrated at product development headquarters, thereby enabling the company to respond to the needs of a wide range of creators such as musicians, video creators, and podcasters. As a global brand, approximately 90% of sales are accounted for by markets outside Japan.


Major Product Categories

In the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020, Zoom Corporation's main product categories accounted for the following percentages of sales: Handy Audio Recorders (HAR), 43%; Digital Mixers / Multitrack Recorders (DMX/MTR), 13%; Multi Effects (MFX), 12%; Handy Video Recorders (HVR), 10%; Professional Field Recorders (PFR) 7%; other 15%.


Products


Effect processors


Guitar effect processors

* G1 * G1X * G1Next * G1XNext * G1 Four * G1X Four * G1u * G1on * G1Xon * G2 * G2.1u * G2Nu * G2.1Nu * G3/G3X * G5 * G7.1ut * G9.2tt * G11 * GFX-1 * GFX-3 * GFX-4 * GFX-5 * GFX-8 * GM-200 * MS-100BT * MS-50G * MS-70CDR * ZFX * 503 * 505 * 505II * 508 * 606 * 606II * 707 * 707II * 1010 * 2020 * 4040 * 8080 * 3000S * 3030 * 4040 * 9030 * 9002 * 9002 Artist's Edition
9000s
* 9050S * 9120 * 9150


=GFX-8

= At the time it was released, the GFX-8 was the flagship of the Zoom GFX series. It has a solid steel dark green body with an opto-based pedal on the right and red LED display on the top left. It uses the Variable Architecture Modeling System (V.A.M.S) technology. In general, there are three main internal modules: for drive, for modulation and for Delay (audio effect), delay. The unit allows a high level of distortion customization by using specialized software. It also allows the use of external distortion. The technology used in the unit does not allow full reordering of the effects but allows some of modulation effects like wah and phaser to be connected before or after the drive module. The drive module implements dynamic related effects like Dynamic range compression, compressor, Overdrive (music), overdrive, Distortion (music), distortion and fuzz. After the drive module, the noise gate module called ZNR (ZOOM Noise Reduction) is connected, followed by a parametric equalizer (presence, treble, middle, bass). The amp simulation module is connected next and allows various types of guitar amplifier simulations. The modulation module implements effects like wah, phaser, chorus, ring modulator, tremolo, Vibrato unit, vibrato, flanger and Pitch shifter (audio processor), pitch shifter. The delay module is used to implement delay and reverb effects. Effects that require high processing power use modulation and delay module together. One such effect is the jam play effect, which allows, for example, a guitar player to play a rhythm guitar part and then play a solo part over it. The unit design is oriented toward ease of use by providing more knobs than usually found on such units, thus making the unit look more like a chain of effect boxes instead of the typical effect processor with a "few knobs many functions" type design. The unit has mature MIDI capabilities, allowing both control from an external sequencer or using the unit as a MIDI controller. The MIDI OUT can be configured to act as MIDI THRU.


Bass guitar effect processors

* 708II * 607 * 506 * 506II * B1 * B1x * B1on * B1Xon * B2 * B2.1u * B3 * B3n * B9.1ut * MS-60B


Acoustic guitar effect processors

* 504 * 504II * A2 * A2.1u * A3


Studio rack mountable effect processors

* RFX-2200 * RFX-2000 * RFX-1100 * RFX-1000 * Zoom Studio 1201 * Zoom Studio 1202 * Zoom Studio 1204 * 9010 * 9200


Digital recorders

* H1 Handy Recorder * H1n Handy Recorder * Zoom H2, H2 Handy Recorder * Zoom H2n, H2n *H3-VR * Zoom H4 Handy Recorder, H4 Handy Recorder * Zoom H5 Handy Recorder, H5 Handy Recorder * Zoom H4n Handy Recorder, H4n Handy Recorder * H6 Handy Recorder * F1-SP / F1-LP Field Recorder * F2 / F2-BT Field Recorder * F3 Field Recorder * F4 Field Recorder * F8 Field Recorder * F8n Field Recorder * MRS-1608 * MRS-1266 * MRS-1044 * MRS-802 * MRS-8 * MRS-4 * PS-04 * PS-02 * Zoom HD8 and HD16, HD8 / HD8CD * Zoom HD8 and HD16, HD16 / HD16CD * R8 * R16 * R24 * Q2HD * Q3 * Q3HD * Q4 * Q4n * Q8HD


Rhythm machines

* RT-123 * RT-223 * RT-323 * RT-234 * MRT-3 * MRT-3b * SB-246 * ST-224 * ARQ AR-48 * ARQ AR-96


Guitar amplifiers

* FIRE-36M * FIRE-18M * FIRE-36 * FIRE-18 * FIRE-7010


Audio interfaces

*TAC-2 *TAC-2R *TAC-8 *UAC-2 *UAC-8


References


Further reading

* *


External links

*
NAMM.org: Oral History Library − "Masahiro Iijima Interview" (2014)
{{Zoom Corporation Zoom Corporation, Music equipment manufacturers Guitar effects manufacturing companies