BBE Sonic Maximizer Yeh or Neh?

[frankie5string]

I used SM400s and SM900s for years in rehearsal spaces and on backlines, and I can't see how using a BBE will get you to that tone. I did have access to and tried BBE processors over the years and never really felt they helped - and I've got fairly hi-fi basses.

The baked in preamp tone of the Fusion 500 may even fight the BBE a little bit. Isn't that amp designed to mimic that tube sag and saturation which goes against everything the SM series SS amps stood for? I would think a better option would be one of the older RB heads, instead.

I think some BBE processors were a bit of a tone-suck when bypassed or "off" too. So there's that as well.
I know a lot of people who swore by BBE processors dumped them as soon as they saw/heard Hartke XL cabinets because those gave them much more punch than the BBE processor could ever give them.

It's kinda weird reading about these now - in 2020 - I remember they were all the rage years ago with people trying them in home-stereos, PA systems, and I think there was even a tiny BBE processor you could link into your car stereo for a time. Wow... memories.

 

[Claymore]

I found they were most practical on basses that don't cut through in a live mix very well. On a P it might be kind of pointless.

 

[sawzalot]

It’s a Neh for me. I had one for years and it didn’t do anything I couldn’t do with eq except raise the noise floor unnecessarily.

 

[Bass4Brkfast]

I have both the pedal version (Sonic stomp) and a 2-channel rack version.
Whatever it does, I like it. I guess you could think of it as a very broad eq.
In general, I like what the 'lo contour' does to sounds, sort of thickens the bottom end.
The 'process' knob, I use sparingly. I try to keep it around 9am below sometimes, I feel it 'smears' the high midrange too much if I go near the noon position or beyond.
On bass, I hear it does more than an eq would to help the lower notes ring out clearer, not necessarily louder

 

[Pocket4]

I have an old BBE 462 in a rack. That said, I hardly have played it for years. It has a certain charm, but at the gig with a P bass, it is more a play thing or off for best results.

 

[DJ Bebop]

Man, I used to have one in my rack when people had racks. One of the only things i held onto was the BBE Sonic Maximizer. I use it with my home audio. Love it for that.

Yep, I like mine more for DJing than playing bass through.

 

[Bassamatic]

When I was developing studio rack mount gear we did a full evaluation of the Sonic Maximizer. It is a high frequency expander that boosts MORE as you feed it more highs and can push your highs up to +26 dB! That is a crazy amount and can cause headroom problems. There is so much HF boost that they had to add some bass boost to the later models so it didn't sound too thin. If there are no highs to boost, It can't do much.

The Aural Exciter, on the other hand, does not do EQ, but makes NEW harmonics from your existing sound. Kind of a subharmonic synthesizer in reverse. If your sound is dull it can brighten it up, making new highs.

 

[Super Bass]

The BBE sonic maximizer is great for running my cassette decks through.....

 

[DJ Bebop]

I used SM400s and SM900s for years in rehearsal spaces and on backlines, and I can't see how using a BBE will get you to that tone. I did have access to and tried BBE processors over the years and never really felt they helped - and I've got fairly hi-fi basses.

The baked in preamp tone of the Fusion 500 may even fight the BBE a little bit. Isn't that amp designed to mimic that tube sag and saturation which goes against everything the SM series SS amps stood for? I would think a better option would be one of the older RB heads, instead.

I think some BBE processors were a bit of a tone-suck when bypassed or "off" too. So there's that as well.
I know a lot of people who swore by BBE processors dumped them as soon as they saw/heard Hartke XL cabinets because those gave them much more punch than the BBE processor could ever give them.

It's kinda weird reading about these now - in 2020 - I remember they were all the rage years ago with people trying them in home-stereos, PA systems, and I think there was even a tiny BBE processor you could link into your car stereo for a time. Wow... memories.

MEMORIES!

 

[juancaminos]

We used one for vocals and it was great but then we learned how to mix properly (and bought a better mixer) so it's no longer needed. I wouldn't use it for bass I can get that high sparkle from my Eden with out it.

 

[bobdabilder]

For a pbass or a passive jazz, yes. With my lakland 5502, only when i want to solo over the soloing guitarist.

I was wondering just what the "general consensus" is here on TB as far as the BBE Sonic Maximizer (or the Aural Exiter) goes. I have a Gallien Krueger Fusion 550 and I Love the versatility and tones I can get from just this one amp head; BUT, no one amp can "do it all"; so I heard mention (somewhere here on TB) that the particular tone I was "chasing"/after SWR (SM400) could be had by simply adding in a Sonic Maximizer and it'll get me "in the ballpark" of that particular tone. They're really not that expensive, but I wanted to see/hear what some others here have to say about them Good or Bad. I figure if I came get close to that tone for ? $150 (or less used) it may be well worth it. Thoughts? Thanks.

 

[ezstep]

I had one for a while, and used it on the p.a. mostly. But, over the years of setting up the p.a., it took only an extra minute or two to get pretty much the same sound without the BBE. I really thought it sounded better playing back recorded music than playing live music.

 

[Kmonk]

I tried them a couple of times. The first time was about 15 years ago. I tried again about 5 years ago. To be honest, I never heard a difference when I used one or when I didn't.

 

[Hundred proof]

I had one in the rack slot on my SWR 2x10 redhead combo ... it was the only thing that could make that amp sound better. That was a long time ago though, hated that amp but they were all the rage at the time.

 

[BrickBatMansion]

I have a rack unit. Somewhere.....! Wasn't really impressed with it on my bass amp but it kicked major a$$ running vox thru it in a small p.a. system.

 

[Medicine Man]

Back in the old rack days I was using the BBE compressor with a maximizer built in. Sounded pretty good with just a touch blended in. I used to use one channel for bass and one for lead vox into our crappy pa. Not as good as today's gear, not even close. My guitarist still uses a stomp on his board.

 

[crankypants]

I don't know what it is, but I think I'd not enjoy explaining what a "sonic maximizer" is to anyone who asks.

 

[Bboopbennie]

BBE and Aphex ( Big Bottom ) are very similar. You will digit for a couple days and then on the shelve it goes like mine. Kind of a toyish sound with the highs and lows adjustable. DJ's were big into these years back in the clubs.
Worked pretty well for that. For the young players, the Aphex aural exciter was only for rent in studios. You could not buy them. Puts a glassy sound / life- on the vocals and Mix. Now for $ 150.00 you can buy the same thing. Sound has come a long way. Not to say its unusable, but many have given you the same info? Buy it from GC ?? and if you don't like return it for something better ?

 

[Bboopbennie]

I don't know what it is, but I think I'd not enjoy explaining what a "sonic maximizer is.

Psycho acoustics - is how its described. How humans perceive various sounds.

 

[crankypants]

I don't know what it is, but I think I'd not enjoy explaining what a "sonic maximizer is.

Psycho acoustics - is how its described.

Yes, that old DOD pedal was always fascinating to me. I dunno how it would help me with anything I do, tho. Quite rare, don't you know.