Sonic Maximizers: What's the difference?

[doctorus]

I'm sure there are plenty of bassists who love them, just as there are bass players that think they are just another stupid box of blinking lights (rack stuffing). What's your take?

I'm not sure I buy into BBE's techno-fairy tale about what they say their Maximizers do, but I do like what it does for my sound (I dial in the Low Contour at 2:00 and the BBE Process at 1:00). Overused, these things cause what I call "Whoom-Tink Syndrom" when you dime them out. Same thing can happen when you give a bass player active electronics!

I'm deciding whether to get a new sonic maximizer for my live rig. I've got a 461 installed now, I've got an old 422A in mothballs, and now there's the 362 and the 482i!! Is there any sonic difference to anyone's knowledge? Better headroom, lower noise, or tonal characteristics?

[MHensleyJr]

If you need a sonic maximizer to make your bass and/or amp sound better, then IMO, you need a better bass and/or amp.

[scotch]

Sonic Maximizer... Worth it?

[bassman1185]

It's been discussed to death before, but my $.02 is that the Aphex Bass Xciter KILLS the SM for tone. It's way more natural sounding, doesn't kill your mids, and is a lot more tweakable.

[Geddyfleaharris]

Had one for about 1/2 an hour one day. Wasn't really sure what it was doing or supposed to be doing so I sold it. Some people swear by them.

[RobertPaulson]

I like it, it really fills out the bottom end which is especially nice when using certain effects that tend to suck it out. Example: my ts808 sound pretty bleh by itself, but throw the bass xciter behind it and it's a whole new animal.

If you need a sonic maximizer to make your bass and/or amp sound better, then IMO, you need a better bass and/or amp.

I'm playing with a 30th stingray and a db750 into a db410 and I
still use one sometimes Perhaps I should upgrade?

[bassman1185]

Originally Posted by RobertPaulson

I like it, it really fills out the bottom end which is especially nice when using certain effects that tend to suck it out. Example: my ts808 sound pretty bleh by itself, but throw the bass xciter behind it and it's a whole new animal.



I'm playing with a 30th stingray and a db750 into a db410 and I
still use one sometimes Perhaps I should upgrade?

I agree with this. The Xciter and the SM both work really well to get sparkle and clarity out of effects, especially drives and choruses.