Sonic Maximizer question

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60's guy said:
. Does that mean that I'm an idiot or "new to audio"? ;)
I believe I said most. I was not questioning the intelligence of someone who has found a legitamate use for the thing. I was mearly pointing out that most of the BBE's are sold to people who are new and don't know any better. They bought them because the dude at Guitar Center told them that it was a magic box that 'made up for the design flaws of speaker systems' and will make anything that you put through it 'better'. This is clearly not the case even though that foolishness keeps getting perpetuated.
 
This isn't a scientific study by any means but, most of the guys I know who use them in their guitar rig are losing their hearing. Or they are kids that are desparatly trying to make their Digitech pedal into a Crate amp sound like something. That brightness is addictive. It's like salt: If you put a ton of salt on everything, you get used to it and everything tastes bland without it. If you stop putting salt on everything for a couple weeks and try to eat food with the same amout of salt, it will gag you.
 
Farview said:
I believe I said most. I was not questioning the intelligence of someone who has found a legitamate use for the thing. I was mearly pointing out that most of the BBE's are sold to people who are new and don't know any better. They bought them because the dude at Guitar Center told them that it was a magic box that 'made up for the design flaws of speaker systems' and will make anything that you put through it 'better'. This is clearly not the case even though that foolishness keeps getting perpetuated.
Agreed! You did say most users.

I can't argue the fact that knowledgeable sales people at GC are few and far between. The same can also be said of most sales personnel. Their so called product expertise, whether it be recording gear, computers, television sets, or kitchen appliances is more often than not....suspect. I've made enough purchase decision mistakes on my own without the aid of listening to a 20 year old sales guy at GC saying, "This unit is the greatest thing since sliced bread".

By the way, my local GC is the most aggravating store to walk into. If I do go there...it's because I already know what I want to buy. I walk in, get what I want, and get out as quickly as possible.

Foolishness perpetuation? I like that phrase! ;) :cool: We all learn as we go.

My parents didn't teach me how to walk when I was a toddler. What they did teach me, though, was how to pick myself up on my own after I fell down.
 
60's guy said:
By the way, my local GC is the most aggravating store to walk into. If I do go there...it's because I already know what I want to buy. I walk in, get what I want, and get out as quickly as possible.
And it still takes at least an hour.

60's guy said:
Foolishness perpetuation? I like that phrase! ;) :cool: We all learn as we go.
There are legitimate uses for these things. Unfortunately most of the company's sales pitch is BS. The 'magic box' angle that you get at the music store is a bunch of crap too.
 
chessrock said:
I think they're great tools for people who are treble deaf.

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60's guy said:
They're also a great tool to use on a stereo system that resides in perhaps a less than acoustically perfect room. Could you go so far as to perhaps agree with that?


Actually, I would agree. They are a great tool ... for a treble deaf person ... to use on a stereo system in a less than accoustically perfect room.

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chessrock said:
Actually, I would agree. They are a great tool ... for a treble deaf person ... to use on a stereo system in a less than accoustically perfect room.

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Actually I use mine to give overall balance to my sound, usually boosting the low end, and taming the hi's.
 
All I've ever liked it for was beefing up a few guitar players with intentionally extremely thin tones.
 
chessrock said:
You get your hearing checked lately?

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Remember it is a "TOOL" to achieve a sound of personal taste. Works good for some, not so good for others. And just like any other effect, whether it be chorus,flange,compression, or whatever, there are times when it works and times when it doesn't.....and by the way , I hear just fine. ;)
 
I'm not trying to be an ass or anything.

At least not intentionally. :D

But seriously, guys. There's nothing good that can come of those Sonic Maximizers. They're not "a tool." They're evil, and they instantly make anything that is passed through them sound like holy hell. If there ever was a single device on the planet that would constitute as a "suck knob," ... these things are it. And if there has ever been a universal audio truth, this is one of them, so trust me on this.

I'm just tyring to help you guys. If you like things to suck ... and "suck," to you is a good thing ... then to that extent, by all means, keep using them. But I'm telling you, right now, if you think they're "correcting," compensating, or balancing anything, or in any way contributing to your audio in a positive way, then you're wrong. And you might need to get your hearing checked.

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chessrock said:
I'm not trying to be an ass or anything.

At least not intentionally. :D

But seriously, guys. There's nothing good that can come of those Sonic Maximizers. They're not "a tool." They're evil, and they instantly make anything that is passed through them sound like holy hell. If there ever was a single device on the planet that would constitute as a "suck knob," ... these things are it. And if there has ever been a universal audio truth, this is one of them, so trust me on this.

I'm just tyring to help you guys. If you like things to suck ... and "suck," to you is a good thing ... then to that extent, by all means, keep using them. But I'm telling you, right now, if you think they're "correcting," compensating, or balancing anything, or in any way contributing to your audio in a positive way, then you're wrong. And you might need to get your hearing checked.

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To each his own my friend....by the way, thanx for giving me the oppurtunity to post my 100th. :D
 
I know what it has been used for now!

After hearing the experts speak, I just realized that the group had a full band and it was probably used for instrument applications, not vocal application. This all make sense now!

Okay, this has all come together for me now. It was the application after all.

I knew you professional folks would get it through my thick head sooner or later.

You are the people I thought you were...bright and intelligent sound experts. Thanks again!
 
chessrock said:
There's nothing good that can come of those Sonic Maximizers. They're not "a tool."
That's bullshit!!!! You have contradicted yourself within this thread.... albeit with the reference to treble deaf people, which I can fully understand....however

cheessrock said:
Actually, I would agree. They are a great tool ... for a treble deaf person ... to use on a stereo system in a less than accoustically perfect room.

That is exactly one of the points I laid out as a possible use for other people to consider as a use for the BBE maximizer.

In one post you acknowledge that the BBE is a great tool when used for a specific purpose, and then in a subsequent post you come back and say that "Sonics Maximizers are not a tool and nothing good can come of it".

:confused:

Be it one way or the other....what exactly is YOUR official opinion of the BBE in either a postive or negative sense?.... other than swinging both ways relevant to the use of Maximizers within the course of thread commentary.

Don't get me wrong, Chess. You're extremely knowledgeable and only an idiot or Frenchman wouldn't recognize that you are. Still, I'd like to understand exactly why you seem to come down on both sides of the fence concerning the use of BBE maximizers.

For all intensive purposes, people here have clearly stated that they may have found a small functional use of BBE Sonic Maximizers or even perhaps Aphex Aurel Exciters.

In addition to the BBE units I own, I also own an Aphex 204 unit.

I'll ask the question again.

Does it mean I am an idiot for having purchased the Aphex 204?

Sheesh!

I also have a POD XT. Therefore, I'm left to assume that I could be perceived as an idiot for having subscribed to and succumbed to a POD! What can I say? It may have been an "Invasion Of The Body Snatchers" moment. Yup! That's it for sure! My body and mind was taken over by a POD from outer space. :rolleyes:

God forbid I tell anyone that I...........
 
BBE and Aphex make 2 completely different things

The BBE phase shifts certain frequencies to produce a comb filtering effect that seems to add (it doesn't) upper midrange and highs (the high process knob) and does something similar to the lows (low contour).

The Aphex creates harmonics (adds distortion) that increases the upper mids and highs. It employs the same concept for the lows on units equipped with that knob.

They both sound different and shouldn't be confused.
 
60's guy said:
In one post you acknowledge that the BBE is a great tool when used for a specific purpose, and then in a subsequent post you come back and say that "Sonics Maximizers are not a tool and nothing good can come of it".

Yea, I said they're a great tool for treble-deaf people. :D So, to the extent that you might be completely treble-deaf ... fine, they're great. Knock yourself out. Use it every day. For the rest of us, they're completely useless. :D


Does it mean I am an idiot for having purchased the Aphex 204?

Purchased, as in paid full retail price for one, new? Yes. If it's just something you picked up second-hand off ebay, then no. These are different from a Sonic Maximizer, and are actually somewhat useful for rescuing the occasional kick drum track with no beater slap or as a special effect (Even then, you'd be better off just using drumagog or something similar).

But considering the amount of use one might get out of one (maybe once every couple years if that), I certainly wouldn't advocate paying full price for one.

I also have a POD XT.

I'm sorry to hear that. :D

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The BBE has a justified use for the DJ or the home theater guy, and the gamer who patches into his big screen and surround sound system.

It works best when playing back prerecorded stuff.

...And remember, you can always turn the knobs down if it has too much effect.

Yep, fersure buy it used.
 
Treeline said:
It has saved my butt more than once.

Um... I was referring to the MaxCom's optical compressor when set as a limiter, in the final part of a live signal chain, in a live performance. The limiter has gotten me past terrible rooms before without any scarring. I've toyed with the maximizer circuit and it can add a little shimmer to FOH sometimes - but upgrading to a better board let me do that much more reliably with nicer and more proper EQs.

I don't think it belongs in a recording chain. I do think the hysterical hellfire & damnation reactions are because stuff like this is easily oversold for recording or purchased by newbies in the hopes that it is some magic box. There are no magic boxes and if there were it wouldn't be in the form of a comb filter designed to tweak a temporary cabinet setup in a live room.

But I do like the compressor. :D
 
Kinda off topic, but I need to vent. :cool:

Last month I took my BBE 822A to work (hospital) hoping the guys in the biomed lab could calibrate it and clean the pots(scratchy sound when cranking pots)....I gave them the cal procedure that I had downloaded off the BBE site...It seemed simple enuff...All you needed wuz a VOM, a scope, and a tone/signal generator....Then do some tweeking inside.

These guys in biomed are responsible for tons of hospital electronics....You know, that stuff they plug you into when you almost croak, and when they cut on you....So I figured they could handle it.

Wrong!...They ain't got no scope any longer, and fersure no tone/signal generator...They said no one there needed to know how to use that stuff anymore cause all they did was swap cards now a days...And dirty pots?...Nah, everything now is touch pads...No pots. :eek:

Hey, these guys make 80K/year and they can't do audio electronics?..Then they confess they spend most of their time replacing call buttons and pillow speakers...I'm in the wrong line of work I figure. :confused:

Ok, I've vented.... :mad:

No, not yet, just one more half-vent.

So I emailed BBE and they told me they have new pots for 4 bucks each and if I really needed it recalibrated, they could do it in an hour or two @ 25/hour plus shipping both ways....OK..........

Then I see them selling on eBay for 20-50 bucks....Go figure!

So yeah, if you want to play with a BBE, buy one off eBay, then if it breaks, toss it....Just be careful not to bid on mine! :D
 
WhatdoIknow said:
So I emailed BBE ... if I really needed it recalibrated :D

Sorry, I can't help myself...

How could you even tell it was out of calibtration?? :D
 
MOFO Pro said:
Sorry, I can't help myself...

How could you even tell it was out of calibtration?? :D

Don't hurt yerself laffin... :D

If you understood how a BBE worked, you would understand that not only is it an assembly of parts like ferinstance an active xover, it also must be factory/lab tweeked every now n then....They include the cal procedure in the owner's manual...

Personally, I don't think the BBE EFFECT is worth the trouble/expense of calibration.
 
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