BBE sonic maximizer

T

transmission

New member
i was recently at a show and i saw a band and their guitarist had the most amazing amp ide ever heard.. it sounded so clean and perfect. you could hear every note he hit... he had a bbe sonic maximizer on the top of his peavey. i talked to him after they played and he said thats what did it. what my problem is... he had a discontinued model "bbe 402 sonic maximizer" i was looking to see what anyone knows anything about what a sonic maximizer does. and what is a similar model to the 402 thats not discontinued... the 362 looks very similar... i wasnt sure if anyone knew if it was a similar model or not?

thanks!
-mike
 
simply put, a sonic maximizer adds more low end and high end and gives a scooped sound. in my opinion, they are worthless, but maybe that's because i've only used them in the recording field. all they do is mud up a track. but it might be interesting to hear one through a guitar stack.

justin
 
Their web site explains the technicle jargon of what the maximizer's supposed to do.I've used one in recording to beef up a whimpy drum machine, occationally on DI guitars and across the mains when mixing down, when I had a Portastudio.
It made a big differance with DI guitar, which was routed, guitar>mic preamp>maximizer>modeler.Never tried it in my guitar rig because I'm happy with my amp sound.
 
I could be wrong and this is not really related to the questions but I thought sonic maximizers were originally made to "add life" to analog tape after alot of overdubbing caused loss of some highs???!?
 
sk8ingsnowman said:
I could be wrong and this is not really related to the questions but I thought sonic maximizers were originally made to "add life" to analog tape after alot of overdubbing caused loss of some highs???!?
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That's why I used it when mixing down with the portastudio.
 
I use a BBE in a guitar signal path and I'm very satisfied with the soiund. In particular it helps the clerity and attack in particular with "distorted sounds.

I originally bought a BBE to "help" with my mixes - and quickly learned that it served more as a crutch and did indeed muddy the sound of a mix up.

I sometimes used it when dubbing cassette (analog) tapes - but that is not something I do often any more.

The BBE was pretty much sitting collecting dust until I filled in with a band and the guitar player was using a BBE in his guitar rig - he got a great sound, and he felt the BBE was an important part of that sound.

So my BBE came out of mothballs and is used in almost all my guitar recording now.
 
I've got an 822A I'll sell it to you for $100 plus ship (that's what I paid )
In HIs Name
Big Kenny
I used it for mixing until I got better at mixing
Manderson1@wi.rr.com
whoa I just checked ebay, there's acouple there cheaper
 
I've been using the plugin version of the BBE Maximizer. I use it judiciously on individual tracks to enhance clarity, tighten up high and low end, or to make tracks cut through a mix a little more. You definitely have to be careful not to overuse this, but I feel it works great when used appropriately. Some use it as an overall processor on a final mix to add sparkle or bigger bass.
 
mallcore pop said:
. . . and quickly regret it the next morning. :)
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haha, very true. if you need sparkle or bigger bass, this should be done in the tracking stage. there is no substitute for good mic choice and good mic placement.

justin
 
I completely agree. There is no substitute for good mic choice and good mic placement.

I think there is room for exciters like Aphex Aural Exciter, BBE sonic maximizer, Waves Maxxbass, Arboretum Exciter, and I'm sure there are a number of others. Because of the fact that they enhace harmonics of sounds, the effect these units have are not something that can be replaced with a different mic or better placement. Just like reverb creates the illusion of space, and compressors tame dynamics, these enhancers can be a great effect, if, like the others, are used appropriately.
 
OK - I used the BBE Sonic Maximizer plugin on a cassette transcribe yesterday. No Low processing and 12% high only - no more...no kiddin ! He He

(don't tell mallcore ! :D )

kylen
 
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