Wish Sonic Maximizer Cohesion

I don't think they are snake oil. I have used one for decades. I think I was the first guy in my area to ever use one in a guitar setup. They way I look at them is like this. They add lows and highs and some volume boost. If you turn it on, then quickly turn down some bass and treble then also turn down a bit of gain this is the happy place. What it effectively does, I think, is give you more power amp distortion. Adding to this, playing with less gain can give you more clarity to punch through a mix. I can say with experience that the BBE does not work on all amps. I'm not sure exactly why that is but my guess, maybe the more Plexi type amps do not benefit. Maybe something to do with Negative feedback? It's one of those things to just try. If it works have fun. I use one with my JMP-1/ DSL pwr amp but with my Silver Jubilee or Plexis ....nope.
 
I don't think they are snake oil. I have used one for decades. I think I was the first guy in my area to ever use one in a guitar setup. They way I look at them is like this. They add lows and highs and some volume boost. If you turn it on, then quickly turn down some bass and treble then also turn down a bit of gain this is the happy place. What it effectively does, I think, is give you more power amp distortion. Adding to this, playing with less gain can give you more clarity to punch through a mix. I can say with experience that the BBE does not work on all amps. I'm not sure exactly why that is but my guess, maybe the more Plexi type amps do not benefit. Maybe something to do with Negative feedback? It's one of those things to just try. If it works have fun. I use one with my JMP-1/ DSL pwr amp but with my Silver Jubilee or Plexis ....nope.
I'll write my next wish, because I have bbe sonic stomp and adds to much punch,power,clarity at my sound when I play my mesa boogie at low volume. Is fantastic and people write here with unknown how it sounds and I'm sure that never listened one
 
excessive boosting of lows and highs
Since Petrucci likes that "scooped" EQ, I was glad to read a recent post here (sorry, I can't recall who) in which he simply used the JP preset, and the sound guy said it was the best tone he'd ever mixed, or something to that effect.
It's been something I've been wondering about, even though I'm not in a band, kind of getting the itch to see how some of the factory presets, along with ones that I've tweaked to taste, sound with a band. (And wondering if the tweaks I made end up giving me that same trouble I've had in the past, namely, getting a tone that sounds great, alone, yet doesn't cut thru.) Someday...
 
I think I read somewhere that some models deliberately “tone-suck” bypass mode so things sound better when you compare it to the effect. Either way make sure you do your own clean bypass for comparisons.
 
Look at Sonic shit shiner like the loud button on an old car stereo. Take a crappy PA system engage Sonic shit shiner and instant less crappy PA.

Ive posted this many times and here we go again. I played a multi band gig years ago and let another band use my rig which I was using a sonic maximizer at the time. Other bands playing and my rig is sounding stellar. I ask sound guy what did you do to my channel, he points to a 31 band EQ that has a frown face curve. After that the sonic maximizer went into the pile of shame.

My band back in the day had one in the PA rack. Bass player would engage it and as soon as he wasnt looking I'd turn it off.

Is it fun to play with it engaged? Sure is. Does it add or subtract anything a guitar needs in a mix ? Not so much.
 
But nobody uses the Fm3 in the same situation, and I don't understand people against that idea. Is only one effect more and maybe users find it easier to manage than the PEQ and for me is diferent because I have the 2 options. Every firmware fractal add a lot of effects. One more is possible. Is very fustrated put a wish because is good for that person that he has that effect and he played in the past or nowadays with it, and people against that wish as a fractal worker.
 
Since I switched to a pair of Red Sound's MF 10s, I hear no improvement adding my old 462 and no longer use it. But it made a very noticeable improvement when I was using a SS reference amp into my JCM 900 cab.
 
Saw this on another forum:

They are great for eliminating all of those pesky midrange tones. This way nobody will be able to tell that you suck because the notes will all sound like mud. Then you can boost the low end to make your guitar sound like a tuba. This saves you from having to pay a bass player so you make more money at the gig. When you turn up the highs you get that ever so popular ice pick to the eardrum tone. The best part is if you get tired during a gig you can just crank up the BBE and drive away all of the customers. Then the club owner will send you home early.
 
I can say 100% I was that guy when first started playing out. All I wanted to be is the WHOLE band. Dimebag Darrel 247. This is no damn guitar its a percussive instrument of destruction! It's been a long hard road learning where the guitar belongs in a mix and how to be happy doing just that. Still struggling with low end wanting to dial in more than is needed and distinguishing between what is the bass guitar and what is the guitar on CD mixes.
 
I can say 100% I was that guy when first started playing out. All I wanted to be is the WHOLE band.
Me too. But I was good about playing "to the song," which came from my HS band director concert band days. Yet I'd have this fantastic tone (alone) that even my bandmates would compliment me on, yet they'd tell me I was too loud. "But I can't hear myself."
Nobody knew to tell me to turn that Sonic Maximizer OFF.

To anyone that wants it modeled in Fractal-land, I'd first say, listen to what people who have "been there, done that" are saying (I mean, even Cliff said it's snake oil!), and try instead to work with Chorus, Delay, &/or EQ. You have the capability of getting tones that'll ultimately be much better than whatever it is the SM does. Just my 2 cents...
 
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