BBE Sonic Maximizer?

[JHolt6505]

ok so heres the deal...I use to own a BBE Sonic Maximizer 882i but I had to sell it due to money issues. Now everything is straightened out and im in the market for another one..BUT im not sure if i wanna pay $250 for a new one or get the Sonic Stomp? I just need to know the difference if any at all or am i better off getting the rackmount again?

 

[sicstringzen]

I've owned both and I would save the money if I were you. Those BBE's basically boost extreme low and high frequencies better known as scooping. It's a neat audio trick to make your ears go "YAY this sounds so much better" but in reality any EQ could do the same thing and be more versatile. Just my two cents.

 

[Ryan-ZenGtr-]

I'd say practicality will determine your choice. Rack or pedal, which is more convenient for you?

BBE process frequency limits the frequency ranges in time, delaying the faster moving treble and middle frequencies so the bass arrives at the same time. IT IS NOT AN EQ. It is a psycho acoustic STIMULATOR!!!



I sold mine with my Triaxis/2:90/Gmajor rig. Something around 4.8khz hurts my teeth when it's at the correct volume (i.e. LOUD!). Turning off the BBE removed this. It was weird. I really liked the unit and I'm sure it would benefit live and maybe recording. But A/B'ing... You definitely have to adjust your amp for it, mainly less presence. It also increased ear fatigue after long periods and I think it gave me headaches, too.

Sounded great though!

Overall, a confusing piece of equipment!

 

[JHolt6505]

Sweet, that really helps out a lot. I have been thinking about getting an MXR 10band eq, so would it do pretty much the same thing?

 

[Thrashmanzac]

http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/gear-equipment/157410-bbe-sonic-maximizer.html
http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/ge...onic-maximizer-8-string-noise-suppressor.html
http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/gear-equipment/83662-bbe-sonic-maximizer-differences.html
http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/gear-equipment/54339-bbe-sonic-maximizer-402-a.html
http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/gear-equipment/7552-bbe-sonic-stomp-m.html
site:sevenstring.org bbe sonic sevenstring.org - Google Search
seriously dude, do a search.

 

[dwilk]

This thing has got to be the currently most debated piece of gear ever. If you have free rack space I'd personally say fill the rack first.

The stompbox offers added control in terms of being able to turn it on and off while playing, but I don't see this as something you'd want to turn off unless you purchased it for a solo boost or something of that nature.

 

[Strobe]

If you don't miss it, then you probably do not need it. I would characterize it as subtle. I do not run one, but a friend in a local band does. His tone is sick, but it was before he added the (rack mount) sonic maximizer.

 

[Funz]

If you don't miss it, then you probably do not need it...

^this.
sonic maximizers are over rated...

 

[demoniaco]

I used to have a 482i.. Im glad I sold it. So much processing... My sound was better with out it afterwards.

 

[myampslouder]

I had one for a while. It was ok if you Leo the setting.ga very low but it did add an annoying bit of presence. I finally sold it. Live you can't even hear the extra.lies and highs because the bass is gonna eat those frequencies and the added highs will just get washed out by your drummer's cymbals. Do yourself a favor and put that money towards a good EQ.

 

[somniumaeternum]

I've had one and I basically had it in a switchable loop so i could include it or exclude it from the signal chain depending on the patch. Sometimes I thought it sounded great and sometimes i thought it removed some of the organic feel from the patches. Now that I'm solely AxeFx based i honestly haven't even tried to use it (but keep thinking about it).

I think using it live is mostly pointless. In a typical live situation you're going to get your cab mic-ed and go through the PA (so they sound guy can blast you to 11 and muddy the shit out of everything obviously ) so the whole thing about aligning the sound waves, etc wouldn't really mean anything - you'd have to use it AFTER the board for it to work as intended.

And I never really got that feature anyways. If you time align the waves, it means that the zero boundary (basically when the waves intersect 0) is matched. But wouldn't it also mean that the effect is valid only at a specific distance?? Since the waves are different lengths it'd be like time signatures... every x amount of the smaller waves the boundary would match the longer waves 0 crossing. Does that make sense? (This is just from what memory... may be way off )

It always kind of seemed like a bit of truth and a bit of bs to me.. but hear it out and if you dig it add it to your signal chain. I would borrow one from somewhere and try it now. even if you don't miss it it doesn't mean you wouldn't love it back - it may just be an indication that your ears got used to the sound without it instead of not "needing" it.

 

[sicstringzen]

Someone left me a pretty rude comment in regard to this thread so I just wanted to elaborate on my previous comment.

I know they claim the BBE process involves a delay of frequencies in order to make the listener precieve lows and highs at the same time. This may be true but I have owned a couple of them and in my experience the controls on sonic maximizers behave no differently than the presence and resonance knobs you find on power amps.

If you record a clip and then apply BBEness to it the first thing that pops out at me is it sucks the midrange right out. They promise you right on the box punchier bass and crisper highs, you do get that but at the expense of midrange. This is the reason these things sound so good when you try them in a store but the first time you try using them in a live situation you get buried.

I think BBE has it's use as a mastering tool but for guitarists I feel they are a snake oil product.

 

[danenachtrieb]

The BBE Sonic Maximizer is more of a shaper. I used it when I had a blue voodoo head because that head sucked ass and the BBE just helped clean it up. When I got a 6505+ I found I didn't need it. I think it's awesome for bass more than anything, it's a useful tool for the recording studio, and it can help with the sound of the more affordable tube heads. Judging by your avatar, you have a 6505+ so maybe I would say you should pass on it.

 

[fwd0120]

for those that think it sucks mids..... USE MOAR MIDSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Flip Downey]

My buddy uses a sonic maximizer pedal and really I think it depends on the amp a lot too. On his it makes all the diff, no eq could do what it does for his rig. On my amp though it did nothing at all, I found it odd but it did nothing in the fx loop or in front of my XXX.

 

[DeadSharrk]

'Scooping'. You clearly don't have a clue about the BBE Sonic Maximiser do you?
The Sonic Maximiser reorders the order frequencies exit the speaker, so the frequencies are in an order which are more pleasing to the ear. Due to this it does depend on the amp and speaker.
Play with the Sonic on for 2 weeks then turn it off, you will hear a difference. It works brilliantly in my rig which lacked bottom end sparkle. The mids are still there it's just that everything else isn't muddy.

 

[sicstringzen]

'Scooping'. You clearly don't have a clue about the BBE Sonic Maximiser do you?
The Sonic Maximiser reorders the order frequencies exit the speaker, so the frequencies are in an order which are more pleasing to the ear. Due to this it does depend on the amp and speaker.
Play with the Sonic on for 2 weeks then turn it off, you will hear a difference. It works brilliantly in my rig which lacked bottom end sparkle. The mids are still there it's just that everything else isn't muddy.

I already know the claim about reordering the frequencies. I owned 2 rackmount BBE's the stompbox and used the plugin so I know exactly what it claims to do and what it actually does. If I can find someone local to lend me theirs I will show you with an audio spectrum reading of 2 identical waves before and after. Everyone I know that has used them eventually outgrows them.

 

[rotebass]

'Scooping'. You clearly don't have a clue about the BBE Sonic Maximiser do you?
The Sonic Maximiser reorders the order frequencies exit the speaker, so the frequencies are in an order which are more pleasing to the ear. Due to this it does depend on the amp and speaker.
Play with the Sonic on for 2 weeks then turn it off, you will hear a difference. It works brilliantly in my rig which lacked bottom end sparkle. The mids are still there it's just that everything else isn't muddy.

WTF is bottom end sparkle?

I don't care what BBE says the SM does, my ears tell me that it makes everything sound like shit.

My $0.02

 

[demoniaco]

lol!! bottom end sparkle? Add highs to your lows? add presence to your resonance? really doesnt make sense.