effect like a sonic maximizer

I haven't tried the BBE, but i know the Aphex very well.
The Aphex Aural Exciter is different at first sight, it creates some harmonics which are absent from the original signal. The harmonics are created from the original signal through the circuitry. The amount and the spectrum of this signal are adjustable.
Depending on the adjustment, we can get different results and actually very interesting ones as the system is very effective. It can add some bite in the mediums i can't get without it. It can be used with electric or acoustic guitars with very interesting results. On the acoustic, (piezo, RMC pickups) i get a very "acoustic" and clear sound with a nice extended treble and smooth mediums. All depends on the adjustments, it worth the trouble to spend some time to adjust this device and understand how it works. It is really different from a tone corrector.
 
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While we are all hating on BBE....I do own this product and really like it for my acoustic. Good direct box and best of all...a switch to turn off the BBE circuit. I like the EQ, and it is nice and quiet with XLR output. Built like a tank.
 
The guy we regularly use for Sound/PA stuck a BBE one in his rack back many years ago saying it was a brilliant bit of kit. It literally made the guitar disappear in the FOH mix when we soundchecked ..... and he fought hard before we persuaded him to remove it from the signal path too! Cloth-eared git.
 
i've never had a BBE product make anything "cut through." it's great for program music to scoop out the mids to allow casual conversation in the room with pleasurable lows and highs cushioning your ears, but that's about it.
 
A good friend of mine uses one or the pedal versions that he runs into the front of his 5153 and swears by it. I don't know if it acts as a boost for him or what but he won't play without it.
 
stm113 said:
A good friend of mine uses one or the pedal versions that he runs into the front of his 5153 and swears by it. I don't know if it acts as a boost for him or what but he won't play without it.
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used in front of an amp i could understand, almost more like a MBC or something. but not after! ew! EW!
 
Is it possible to simulate the effect on the magnitude response of the BBE Maximizer with a filter block using a Tilt Eq ? How would you set the filter block exactly to mimic the Lo Contour and the process knobs (frequency, gain, level parameters) ? It's difficult to see the effect on the video.


Thanks.
 
I used to know a guy that used a BBE in the FX loop of a Dual Rec. You couldn't hear him unless you were right up at the front of the stage in front of the amp. Scooped all the mids out of an already scooped sounding amp.
 
Anthony David said:
This is just my opinion, so take it with a grain of salt, but the BBE variety at least, is pure overpriced snake oil. It's just EQ that degrades the bypassed signal, thus making it sound 'better' when engaged. Again, my opinion. There are people with amazing tone that swear by them.
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In my experience, the effectiveness of the BBE depends largely on the speakers used and the source material. If I use it on my high-end studio monitors with modern source material, the sound is degraded. When I use it with a pair of Electro-Voice S-40 compact monitors, the increase in sound quality is astounding. The BBE can work miracles, but only under specific circumstances.

And I would recommend an external bypass.

The original manual I had described it as group delay of the bass with respect to the mids, and of the mids with respect to the highs. It then boosts the highs dynamically based on the midrange content. It sounds terrible under some conditions, and great under others (based on my experience).
 
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Brownmatthall said:
what the hell does psycho-acoustic even mean o_O
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I was thinking something along these lines.

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The thing with BBE is that a little goes a long way. Used very modestly (and I do mean modestly) it can improve definition and clarity, but this largely depends on the source material.
 
I own one. An 882i. I bought it a million years ago (ok..10 or 15) when pursuing highly processed 80's tones. It is absolute crap in an electric guitar rig. It kills out the very frequencies that guitars need to cut through. I didn't sell it though. Mostly because I never sell anything. But, I do like the effect it has on acoustic guitars. It gives some shimmer and warmth to them.. at least to mine. If not competing with bass and drums... this kind of eq sounds nice in isolation.

They are also pretty good for a DJ rig and program music,like Chris pointed out. It has the same basic effect as the "loudness" button on a stereo. Basically pumps the low end and the sparkly highs. BUT... what everyone says about the bypass function is true. I tested this eith mine by true bypassing it through a patch bay. There is a big difference in sound quality with the unit out of the signal path than with it in and "bypassed". The thing absolutely dulls and flattens the sound until you turn it on.
 
I would think something like a sonic maximizer would be used in the PA for the sound as a whole, not an individual instrument. I think that was the original intention. At least until the BBE stomp came along. But that was to fill demand by guitarists.
 
I remember demoing one at Guitar Center in the early 90's, sales guy had the effect/bypass switch mixed up so he kept saying how good it sounded with it bypassed, and then he'd switch the BBE process on thinking it was off and said something akin to "see how much clarity it adds". Me, my buddy, and another dude standing near by were all trying not to bust up laughing at his obvious confusion and "salesmanship".

Needless to say though, the unit didn't impress me and I think I bought a purple Boss BF-2 flanger instead. Probably cost like $39 back then for one
 
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