Bbe Sonic Maximizer Vs. Aphex Aural Exciter

[mailman]

Between these, which brand makes a better product? or are they completely different sounding effects?

Anyone with experience using either of these?

[GregP]

I wouldn't use EITHER of them as a "guitar effect". If you're planning on doing some home studio recording, they could be worthwhile, but there are a million of other pieces of kit I'd buy first.

Greg

[mailman]

well i already bought a BEE 411 off ebay for $20

i was recommended to get one of either from a friend of mine whos a guitar nut. he's pretty knowledgeable so i'm surprised you'd say the complete opposite as him :-S

[westhemann]

well i already bought a BEE 411 off ebay for $20

i was recommended to get one of either from a friend of mine whos a guitar nut. he's pretty knowledgeable so i'm surprised you'd say the complete opposite as him :-S

←

he is not saying the opposite...he is saying it isn't really an "effect"

the sonic maximizer,when set correctly,makes only a subtle difference.but i like mine very well.

[mailman]

well now that im not gonna get an aural exciter

what should i get?

hmmmmmmmmmm

[Nitefly SA]

what does a sonic maximizer do, i saw it in a set up for a guitarist i like on guitargeek.com and its so inexpensive, wat does it do!?!?!

[Jester700]

Basically, they both add treble. The exciter generates upper harmonics from midrange frequencies. This can work well on sources that lost their treble - like cassette tapes. For guitar you're adding harmonics to the ones that are there. Maybe you like it, maybe not. I don't generally care for it. But if you use it, be careful. It often happens that you get used to it, crank on more, get used to THAT, etc... repeat until your ears bleed from treble overload.

The Maximiser claims to "realign" bass & treble in time to give greater clarity. This is pure bunk. IIRC, this was originally designed for hi fi systems with 3 way speakers that usually have drivers mounted on a flat face. In this arrangement, the sound from the woofer actually originates an inch or two behind that of the tweeter, which this purports fo fix. Unless you're sitting in an EXACT sweet spot and never move your head, the distance they claim to fix is the LEAST of your worries. And on guitar rigs where there's one speaker or 2 or 4 that reproduce the same frequencies, even the theory makes no sense.

So why does the maximiser make audio SOUND brighter? You may have guessed - it also has a harmonic generator. Theirs sounds a little different than the aphex, and I actually slightly preferred it on program material (like brightening cassettes). But they're similar.

[westhemann]

Basically, they both add treble.  The exciter generates upper harmonics from midrange frequencies.  This can work well on sources that lost their treble - like cassette tapes.  For guitar you're adding harmonics to the ones that are there.  Maybe you like it, maybe not.  I don't generally care for it.  But if you use it, be careful.  It often happens that you get used to it, crank on more, get used to THAT, etc... repeat until your ears bleed from treble overload.

The Maximiser claims to "realign" bass & treble in time to give greater clarity.  This is pure bunk.  IIRC, this was originally designed for hi fi systems with 3 way speakers that usually have drivers mounted on a flat face.  In this arrangement, the sound from the woofer actually originates an inch or two behind that of the tweeter, which this purports fo fix.  Unless you're sitting in an EXACT sweet spot and never move your head, the distance they claim to fix is the LEAST of your worries.  And on guitar rigs where there's one speaker or 2 or 4 that reproduce the same frequencies, even the theory makes no sense.

So why does the maximiser make audio SOUND brighter?  You may have guessed - it also has a harmonic generator.  Theirs sounds a little different than the aphex, and I actually slightly preferred it on program material (like brightening cassettes).  But they're similar.

←

whatever.the bottom line is that it tightens up the sound of your amp a bit.

[GregP]

No, Jester, the literature is accurate. It doesn't ONLY generate treble signal, but DOES have an effect in the time domain.

The reason I didn't recommend it as a "guitar effect" is because the guitar has a limited frequency range. Sure, it can add new harmonic content based on partials, but that's only half the picture. It's the half of the picture that makes a guitar signal sound a bit different, but it's still only half the picture. The other half of the picture requires a wider frequency range to work. Read on:

A sonic maximizer is more useful over an entire mix. It will split the frequency ranges into bands, and then shift them in the time domain. Since the treble frequencies are "sent" first and your ears get them first, they're more present than the bass frequencies. This adds a sensation of clarity to your mix. The catch, as it relates to guitar effects? Well, if your guitar is only producing one range of frequencies (particularly when you're playing lines rather than full chords, but in general like any instrument, a guitar has limited range), then there's not enough of a noticeable split that CAN be made in frequencies which will create the time-domain effect.

<takes deep breath>

Maximizers and exciters were very heavily used in the 80s to add clarity and definition to a mix. It's a big part of the 80's sound. If you really want to sound like the 80's, put stereo imaging and harmonic excitement effects all over your final mix.

To recap:

- as a guitar effect, it's not useless, but it IS subtle. I wouldn't get one unless it was cheap (OK, for $20, you got a good bargain and I would've bought it, too!) and until I had already purchased the basics like a compressor and wah, some of the optionals (like chorus and flanger), and a few different flavours of overdrive. If your effects-bag is already full to the boobies, by all means see what a harmonic exciter can do for your tone.

- as a mixing tool, it's a fast and sometimes effective way to get certain effects and a certain kind of polish to a song, but it should be used sparingly and with good taste in mind, because it WILL leave a distinct mark on your track if caution isn't taken

Greg

[Saber]

I echo everything GregP wrote except that the BBE doesn't even generate any harmonics as you can read in this somewhat technically oriented article:

Sound Enhancers

I had a 482i in my guitar rig for a while but, at reasonable processing levels, the difference wasn't even noticeable enough to be worth using up a rack space. And increasing the effect only makes it sound more processed and "artificial". A good rig doesn't need it, and it won't make a poor rig great.

I did try the 482i on a cheap home stereo once out of curiosity. The stereo system only had full range 8" drivers with "whizzer" cones. Amazingly, it significantly improved the sound even with processing set to minimum! So on full range material, I can see the benefit. In fact I sometimes use the Sonic Maximizer Plug-in on a final mix.

Edited September 18, 2005 by Saber

[Jester700]

Just tryin' to help. I never said it had no time domain effect, just that this was not the cause of the extra clarity. There was an old hifi version where the FX could be applied seperately, and a review said there was no audible difference with just the alignment but an obvious one with the "booster" switched in.

Now, maybe they changed the circuit since then. It would be interesting to see a frequency analysis in both level & time domans pre & post to suss this out. There is MORE HF energy after BBEing - that won't arise from simple fixed delays. Now, I just noticed the reference of HF "dynamic control" in that SOS article - that probably means HF expansion, which would boost highs. So I'll concede that I was mistaken WRT harmonic generation - the highs are just boosted by expansion.

[zh.guitar]

I have and have used both. I like the BBE better.

They are more of an eq and expander kinda of thing.

The BBE "process knob" separates the frequencies into groups and very slightly delays them. The delay time is not an audible lag but creates an auditory separation. It makes things crisp and clear. The highs get really harsh if you turn it up too much.

The "low contour" adds or subtracts bottom end.

The BBE IMO can really make up for a cab with little or no low end. Think a 1 x 12. I use it at home on a 1 x 12 and can get good low end at low volumes.

If you have a great amp and cab then you really don't need this. I think it degrades the sound of high end gear.

[ansil]

you can buy the chip for less than 4usd ther was a thread on it over at diystompboxes.com