Presenting the all new IK Multimedia Z-TONE Buffer Boost Preamp and DI Pedal.
The Z-TONE is a Preamp/DI pedal with advanced tone shaping. Guitar & bass pedalboards are all about exploring new tones & textures, creating a wide range of sound for your instrument. Z-TONE® Buffer Boost takes your live rig to a new level, letting you shape the sound of your instrument with the input circuits from IK's award-winning AXE I/O interface.
Use the Z-TONE to change the tone & feel of your guitar or bass, buffer your tone to survive even the biggest pedalboard, kick in the boost and supercharge all your existing gear with a powerful new front-end.
Key Features of the Z-TONE:
The Z-TONE Buffer Boost offers a high-quality instrument preamp with exceptionally low noise and wide frequency response, and multiple circuit topologies to adapt to any type of guitar, pick-up and style.
Pick your pickup:
PASSIVE: designed to accommodate everything from low-output vintage pickups to hotter modern humbuckers with ultra-low noise and extended frequency response.
ACTIVE: bypasses unnecessary gain stages when using active pick-ups, to keep your signal path as direct, transparent and clean as possible.
Choose your channel:
PURE: a completely transparent and ultra-accurate preamp circuit that won’t color your sound in any way.
JFET: a Class A JFET input buffer for subtle harmonic enhancement, midrange focus and warmth.
Guitar pickups can dramatically change their character depending on impedance - many amps offer a load of 1 MOhms, while pedals can run much lower. That’s why the tone and responsiveness of your guitar can change when plugging into different gear.
You can use this control to coax a wider range of sounds from a single guitar, experiment with how the rest of your rig reacts to these changes, or dial in exactly the right vibe regardless of what comes next in your chain.
Long cable runs, low-impedance stomps and complex routing can degrade your guitar’s signal, causing muffled, bassy or lifeless tone. To ensure your signal always stays crystal-clear, Z-TONE Buffer Boost offers a transparent output buffer so you always sound your best, And Z-TONE Buffer Boost offers a true bypass circuit, so it’s completely transparent when not in use.
In addition to the “Link” amp & pedal output, Z-TONE Buffer Boost offers a balanced XLR output to connect to mixers & PAs. Skip the amp and perform direct, or mix clean and processed signals to create even more tonal options.
A switchable ground lift eliminates noise and hum caused by ground loops, and an unbalanced ¼” output offers additional flexibility. Now you’re ready to connect in any situation, and Z-TONE Buffer Boost runs on a standard 9V battery, +48v phantom power from your mixer or 9V pedal power supply, so it’s easy to drop onto your existing pedalboard.
In the studio, Z-TONE Buffer Boost also lets you record like the pros. Connect the balanced out to your audio interface and mic up your amp – now you can simultaneously record both your amp tone as well as a second DI guitar track. Now you can process and fine-tune at will with the included AmpliTube 5 SE software– all without recording endless takes.
The Z-TONE is a Preamp/DI pedal with advanced tone shaping. Guitar & bass pedalboards are all about exploring new tones & textures, creating a wide range of sound for your instrument. Z-TONE® Buffer Boost takes your live rig to a new level, letting you shape the sound of your instrument with the input circuits from IK's award-winning AXE I/O interface.
Use the Z-TONE to change the tone & feel of your guitar or bass, buffer your tone to survive even the biggest pedalboard, kick in the boost and supercharge all your existing gear with a powerful new front-end.
Key Features of the Z-TONE:
- Active/Passive pickup selector
- PURE channel for transparent soun
- JFET channel adds warmth & harmonics
- Z-TONE variable impedance control creates a wide range of tone
- Buffers signal for longer pedalboards & cable run
- Boost circuit adds volume & driv
- Alternate outs for mixers & PA
- Ground lift switch eliminates buzz & hu
- Designed and made in Italy
The Z-TONE Buffer Boost offers a high-quality instrument preamp with exceptionally low noise and wide frequency response, and multiple circuit topologies to adapt to any type of guitar, pick-up and style.
Pick your pickup:
PASSIVE: designed to accommodate everything from low-output vintage pickups to hotter modern humbuckers with ultra-low noise and extended frequency response.
ACTIVE: bypasses unnecessary gain stages when using active pick-ups, to keep your signal path as direct, transparent and clean as possible.
Choose your channel:
PURE: a completely transparent and ultra-accurate preamp circuit that won’t color your sound in any way.
JFET: a Class A JFET input buffer for subtle harmonic enhancement, midrange focus and warmth.
Guitar pickups can dramatically change their character depending on impedance - many amps offer a load of 1 MOhms, while pedals can run much lower. That’s why the tone and responsiveness of your guitar can change when plugging into different gear.
The Z-TONE Buffer Boost gives you the same variable impedance control as IK's groundbreaking AXE I/O audio interface, from 1 MOhm to 2.2 kOhms. At the maximum impedance, you’ll find your sound tighter, sharper and more precise. Increase the load and the sound becomes thicker and more bold.
You can use this control to coax a wider range of sounds from a single guitar, experiment with how the rest of your rig reacts to these changes, or dial in exactly the right vibe regardless of what comes next in your chain.
Long cable runs, low-impedance stomps and complex routing can degrade your guitar’s signal, causing muffled, bassy or lifeless tone. To ensure your signal always stays crystal-clear, Z-TONE Buffer Boost offers a transparent output buffer so you always sound your best, And Z-TONE Buffer Boost offers a true bypass circuit, so it’s completely transparent when not in use.
In addition to the “Link” amp & pedal output, Z-TONE Buffer Boost offers a balanced XLR output to connect to mixers & PAs. Skip the amp and perform direct, or mix clean and processed signals to create even more tonal options.
A switchable ground lift eliminates noise and hum caused by ground loops, and an unbalanced ¼” output offers additional flexibility. Now you’re ready to connect in any situation, and Z-TONE Buffer Boost runs on a standard 9V battery, +48v phantom power from your mixer or 9V pedal power supply, so it’s easy to drop onto your existing pedalboard.
In the studio, Z-TONE Buffer Boost also lets you record like the pros. Connect the balanced out to your audio interface and mic up your amp – now you can simultaneously record both your amp tone as well as a second DI guitar track. Now you can process and fine-tune at will with the included AmpliTube 5 SE software– all without recording endless takes.
Audio specs
I/O Gain: Unitary, from 1/4” input JACK to both 1/4” and XLR outputs when GAIN is at 0dB and Z-TONE at the SHARP position.
Gain Range: From -8dB to +8dB
Boost range: From 0dB to +10dB
Input impedance - Z-TONE set on PASSIVE mode: Variable from 1MΩ down to 2.2kΩ
Input impedance - Z-TONE set on ACTIVE mode: Approx 20kΩ
Output impedance, unbalanced out: 56Ω
Output impedance, balanced out: 600Ω
Max input level before clipping: +13dBm when powered by 48V phantom,+9dBm when powered by 9V battery
Dynamic Range: better than 114dB(A) for both outputs, input gain at 0dB
Total Harmonic Distortion, balanced output, 1kHz, +4dBm input: 0.0033% (PURE), 0.2% (JFET)
Total Harmonic Distortion, unbalanced output, 1kHz, +4dBm input: 0.00055% (PURE), 0.2% (JFET)
Frequency response: from 5Hz to 30kHz -1dB
Phase deviation: 0° +/-10° from 20Hz to 20kHz
Power
Phantom power: +48V phantom on Balanced output.
Battery power: 9V
External DC power: 9VDC, positive outside - not included
Current consumption from P48 phantom power source: 6.5mA
Dimensions
Size: 10.8cm/4.25" x 12cm/4.72" x 5.8cm/2.28"
Weight: 600g/21.2oz
I/O Gain: Unitary, from 1/4” input JACK to both 1/4” and XLR outputs when GAIN is at 0dB and Z-TONE at the SHARP position.
Gain Range: From -8dB to +8dB
Boost range: From 0dB to +10dB
Input impedance - Z-TONE set on PASSIVE mode: Variable from 1MΩ down to 2.2kΩ
Input impedance - Z-TONE set on ACTIVE mode: Approx 20kΩ
Output impedance, unbalanced out: 56Ω
Output impedance, balanced out: 600Ω
Max input level before clipping: +13dBm when powered by 48V phantom,+9dBm when powered by 9V battery
Dynamic Range: better than 114dB(A) for both outputs, input gain at 0dB
Total Harmonic Distortion, balanced output, 1kHz, +4dBm input: 0.0033% (PURE), 0.2% (JFET)
Total Harmonic Distortion, unbalanced output, 1kHz, +4dBm input: 0.00055% (PURE), 0.2% (JFET)
Frequency response: from 5Hz to 30kHz -1dB
Phase deviation: 0° +/-10° from 20Hz to 20kHz
Power
Phantom power: +48V phantom on Balanced output.
Battery power: 9V
External DC power: 9VDC, positive outside - not included
Current consumption from P48 phantom power source: 6.5mA
Dimensions
Size: 10.8cm/4.25" x 12cm/4.72" x 5.8cm/2.28"
Weight: 600g/21.2oz
We are open Tuesday-Saturday from 10am until 6pm CDT.
Any order placed before 3pm CDT Tuesday through Saturday is processed for shipment the same day. Orders placed Sunday-Monday will be processed for shipment the following Tuesday.
For Free Shipping items, Effects pedals and small goods items are generally shipped via USPS Priority Mail, and Guitars and Amplifiers are generally shipped via UPS Ground.
Due to our central location in the middle of the US, most orders will be delivered within 1-3 days delivery time.
Other shipping methods are available (at an additional cost), including next day air.
Please call us directly at (972)540-6420 if you have any questions regarding shipping for your order.
