Zorg Effects Blow!

Since HornFX began, we dreamed of a day when there would be pedals made specifically for horn players. That day is TODAY! The Zorn Blow! is the first pre-amp designed specifically to give access to pedals for horns, strings, vocals, and more. Zorg is a pedal manufacturer based in the little town of Toulouse, France, and every pedal is handmade by Zorg himself. This pedal, aside from being quite beautiful, is simply stunning to use. For horn players in need of a compact, highly functional, and affordable pre-amp, look no further! This magical little box, made specifically with horn players in mind, is an excellent and practical solution for signal conversion, and it was made for YOU!

External Control: None
Cost: $

HornFX Review

Interface:  5/5
As we have mentioned in previous reviews, we LOVE one knob pedals. Simplicity, especially hen it works well, is always a huge plus, and the Blow! is incredibly simple to use. Other that the one knob for gain, there is a pad button on the top and a phantom power switch on the side. As of right now, the switch needs to be activated by taking the back cover off the pedal and flipping it from the inside. This only inconvenience will not be the case on future models. Its inputs and outputs are clearly made, and the effects loop jacks are nicely offset to allow for a wide range of 1/4” plugs, big and small. This pedal is perfectly simply and easy to understand. Just plug it in, dial in your gain, and Blow!

Versatility: 1/5
This pedal is not versatile at all, which in this case may be a great thing. This pedal performs only one function, which happens to be one of the most important yet technologically challenging the world of effects for horns. It has a no-frills and simplistic approach to signal conversion, and we could not be happier about it.

Tonal Reproduction: 4.5/5
The Blow! is an extremely simple pre-amp, yet it does have some positive effect on tone. The Blow! has a very warm and lush tonal profile which seems to warm up and get a little beefier the more you push the gain. We suggest putting the gain as high as is manageable on the pre-amp to give your signal a little more meat and warmth. We sincerely enjoy the effect it has on our sounds. While other pre-amps, like the Voco-loco, have more tonal control and may be better for conveying a brighter or intentionally harsher clean signal, the Blow! simply sounds great and certainly adds to your sound in a pleasant way.

Live application: 5/5
Quite simply, this pedal is the most practical pre-amp we have ever reviewed. It is by far the smallest and lightest of the bunch, and since it utilizes an effects loop and an XLR output, there is no DI needed, further saving on weight and pedalboard space. This makes travel exceedingly easy. Along with its size, its simplicity is one of it’s greatest strengths on a live stage. Minimal buttons and knobs means easy manipulation in the dark, and fewer bells and whistles means that there is less than can go wrong or be accidentally engaged. Not only does this pedal have exceptional utility and sound, but it looks great with its wooden face plate and rugged construction. You will certainly catch some looks with this pedal on your board. There is one more thing that that makes us want to use this pedal: Pride. This is the first pre-amp made by a pedal manufacturer FOR HORNS! We at HornFX are so happy to know that the world of pedals now includes horn players in a more real and tactile way. Using the Blow! gives us immense fulfillment knowing that the horn-playing effects community has grown to this point, where pedals are being made with horns in mind. The community will continue to grow and more pedals will be there for us to use, but the Blow! is an incredible first step. Get the Blow! use the Blow! You will love it as much as we do!!

Audio

Below, you will hear a few different audio clips of the Blow! in action. The first is a trumpet running through the pedal. Note the warmth of the sound and the stellar overall quality. The second clip is the Blow! with the JAM Pedals Ripply Fall in its effects loop. Listen to how well this effect is represented!

Product Information

The Blow! is a preamp for static or condenser mics with a jack effect loop for guitar effects pedals. If you're a singer, saxophone player, trombone or trumpet player, etc. the Blow! will allow you to experiment with guitar pedals without loss in your sound quality.

Guitar pickups being more powerful than dynamic or condenser mics, the preamp part allows to attack the guitar pedals with the same level as a guitar’s pickup. The XLR in and out and the optional phantom power makes this pedal very similar to a direct box but added a preamp and an effect loop.

To use guitar pedals with condenser or dynamic mics, the temptation would be great to simply use a XLR-> Jack plug adapter. But even if it can work, one can then get a lot of problems to solve: loss of signal quality due to impedance mismatch, noise issues, bad behaviour of the pedals due to the mic's very low signal output.

Because of its XLR in and out connexions the Blow! allow to keep all the advantages of a balanced line while sending to the pedals a signal as powerful as an electric guitar thanks to its high quality preamp and effect loop.

The pedal goes with two options:
- A phantom power for condensers mics. Which can be added later if you didn't think you'd use it in the first place. If you wish me to mount it later, please contact me. If you feel like your can mount it yourself, there's a DIY kit!
- A soft switch to bypass all the effect loop in one click with a relay true bypass system.

Product info taken from the Zorg! website.