Zoom Corporation is a Japan-based audio company whose main business is the design and development of

electronic devices The field of electronics is a branch of physics and electrical engineering that deals with the emission, behaviour and effects of electrons using electronic devices. Electronics uses active devices to control electron flow by amplification ...

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 , formerly the is one of the sections of the Tokyo Stock Exchange. It was formerly an independent stock exchange. JASDAQ is not related to NASDAQ in the United States, but has operated an electronic trading system similar to NASDAQ. History In 1 ...

market of the

Tokyo Stock Exchange The , abbreviated as Tosho () or TSE/TYO, is a stock exchange located in Tokyo, Japan. It is the third largest stock exchange in the world by aggregate market capitalization of its listed companies, and the largest in Asia. It had 2,292 listed ...

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 Fabless manufacturing is the design and sale of hardware devices and semiconductor chips while outsourcing their fabrication (or ''fab'') to a specialized manufacturer called a semiconductor foundry. These foundries are typically, but not exclu ...

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 Delay (from Latin: dilatio) may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Delay 1968'', a 1981 album by German experimental rock band Can * ''The Delay'', a 2012 Uruguayan film People * B. H. DeLay (1891–1923), American aviator and acto ...

. 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 compressor, overdrive,

distortion In signal processing, distortion is the alteration of the original shape (or other characteristic) of a signal. In communications and electronics it means the alteration of the waveform of an information-bearing signal, such as an audio signa ...

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 Vibrato ( Italian, from past participle of " vibrare", to vibrate) is a musical effect consisting of a regular, pulsating change of pitch. It is used to add expression to vocal and instrumental music. Vibrato is typically characterised in terms ...

flanger Flanging is an audio signal processing, audio effect produced by mixing two identical audio signal, signals together, one signal delayed by a small and (usually) gradually changing period, usually smaller than 20 milliseconds. This produces a s ...

and 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 MIDI (; Musical Instrument Digital Interface) is a technical standard that describes a communications protocol, digital interface, and electrical connectors that connect a wide variety of electronic musical instruments, computers, and ...

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 * H2 Handy Recorder * H2n *H3-VR * H4 Handy Recorder * H5 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 * HD8 / HD8CD * 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

External links

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