EBMM Bass + Sonic Maximizer + Bass Rig ?

[EBMM7181]

Anyone here use a BBE Sonic Maximizer with their bass rig? Several '' guitar '' players have recommended that I get one and add it to my rack, but I have never used a Sonic Maximizer, and I'm not sure what it would do matched up with a Bass guitar.

Any help/info would be appreciated.

 

[Randracula]

Personally, I think they sound great.I don't have one in my bass rig currently but I bought my first one 15 years ago and it gave me a good 12 years of service.You should just try one and see what you think........

 

[mynan]

I had one in my last rig and it sounded great. I have a GK Neo 1001/212 on order right now and I'm waiting to see how it sounds before I determine whether or not I get another one. The one I had was a stereo rack unit and I think they make a pedal style unit now that would work better for me. Anyway, the BBE really does do a lot to clean up the low end if you need that.

 

[Dr. Nick]

I run one in the effects loop of my rig, and it really does make a difference...its hard to describe, but its kind of like putting on a fresh set of strings: crisper highs and fuller lows. I have a BBE 362, which is one of their older rack models. It has two knobs which are, in effect, a two-band EQ that comes in handy for quick adjustments on stage. Try one. I think you 'll like it!

 

[eddybomb]

I have a mono one, I think it's a 461 model that I sometimes use in my rig.
I think it's about 10 years old or more, I bought it new, sounds great and hasn't failed me yet.
We use the 882i in the P.A. racks.

 

[soniq]

I use the Aphex Bass Xciter which I believe does the same thing...it works great too.

 

[b-unit]

I don't mean sound negative but I have owned two different BBE processors as well as the BMAX pre amp and have come to believe that the BBE process does not work for me at all with bass guitar.

The BBE circuit has been described in some pretty technical terms but in the end, no matter how you set it, what you're getting is a boost in high end and a boost in low end....read "scoop".

This effect can be extremely appealing at first as it seems to make your sound crisper, brighter, deeper etc, but maybe thats not what makes a killer bass sound cut through a band mix???

I have found over and over that the BBE, no matter how subtle I set it, simply bury's me in the band mix and scoops away my precious mid frequencies. As an SR5 player, this is not acceptable to be as i love the growly mid punch of my bass set dead flat in parallel, going into my rig.

With the BBE, my rig would run out of headroom faster as the low end is accentuated and the tone is just too processed sounding.

What really confirmed all this for me was using a fretless bass. I had a very growly ACME fretless for awhile and with even a subtle amount of BBE processing, my fretless growl would disappear as soon as the BBE was kicked in.

Getting rid of the BBE unit made a huge difference. It should be noted that the BBE units are not true bypass and when disengaged, there is a defineate loss of tone as opposed to the unit not being in your signal chain. The pedal versions may have corrected this but I have not tried the pedals.

My guitar playing friend went through the same experience using BBE processors. He was addicted to his unil he turned it off one day and realized how much better his distorted guitar cut through the mix. he didn't need to play as loud and his mids were so much thicker andmore present.

So in conclusion, I don't mean to slam the product as they are extremely popular in PA and DJ systems, are well made and seem to last forever. But as I covet my mids and growly tone, the last thing I need is a "scoop" device to take my tone away.

Of course other may have opposing opinions. Just my 2 cents.

Bruce

 

[DJBenzBass]

I don't mean sound negative but I have owned two different BBE processors as well as the BMAX pre amp and have come to believe that the BBE process does not work for me at all with bass guitar.

The BBE circuit has been described in some pretty technical terms but in the end, no matter how you set it, what you're getting is a boost in high end and a boost in low end....read "scoop".

This effect can be extremely appealing at first as it seems to make your sound crisper, brighter, deeper etc, but maybe thats not what makes a killer bass sound cut through a band mix???

I have found over and over that the BBE, no matter how subtle I set it, simply bury's me in the band mix and scoops away my precious mid frequencies. As an SR5 player, this is not acceptable to be as i love the growly mid punch of my bass set dead flat in parallel, going into my rig.

With the BBE, my rig would run out of headroom faster as the low end is accentuated and the tone is just too processed sounding.

What really confirmed all this for me was using a fretless bass. I had a very growly ACME fretless for awhile and with even a subtle amount of BBE processing, my fretless growl would disappear as soon as the BBE was kicked in.

Getting rid of the BBE unit made a huge difference. It should be noted that the BBE units are not true bypass and when disengaged, there is a defineate loss of tone as opposed to the unit not being in your signal chain. The pedal versions may have corrected this but I have not tried the pedals.

My guitar playing friend went through the same experience using BBE processors. He was addicted to his unil he turned it off one day and realized how much better his distorted guitar cut through the mix. he didn't need to play as loud and his mids were so much thicker andmore present.

So in conclusion, I don't mean to slam the product as they are extremely popular in PA and DJ systems, are well made and seem to last forever. But as I covet my mids and growly tone, the last thing I need is a "scoop" device to take my tone away.

Of course other may have opposing opinions. Just my 2 cents.

Bruce

Agreed, + my 2 cents on this one as well. This thread is up to 4 cents now.
Tried BBE (pedal & rackmount) & Aphex (pedal and rackmount). I found they just added unwanted and unnecessary "something" to the bottom end. Upper register sounds great on bass with them, but in the low realm, they just aren't needed. The last thing I want is to lose clarity.

 

[adouglas]

Not used either of these units but these two reports sound like they coincide with my experience over time.

Took me years to learn this, but I've found that "scooped" EQ, while it sounds awesome soloed, just doesn't work in a band situation.

Now my EQ usually contains a lo-mid bump and little else.

The problem, methinks, is that when we bass players are screwing around with EQ and effects looking for good tone, we're usually by ourselves...so naturally we gravitate towards what sounds good soloed.

The trick, I've found, is learning to listen to the whole band when you're playing, not just yourself, and EQ so that the WHOLE mix sounds good. That was the epiphany that made me realize that I was going in the wrong direction with EQ.

Just my $0.02. YMMV.

 

[EBMM7181]

Thanks for the help, guys =)

 

[Rano Bass]

I used an older version of the BBE preamp for bass and i always bypassed the maximizer, sounded good by itself but too processed when playing with the band.

 

[Kirby]

I have a BBE 482i in my main rig as well as a BMAX preamp in a backup rig. I run the 482i with a first generation Demeter VTBP-201 and a Crown K2 with a dbx 160a compressor. I personally like the new generation of BBE, did not care too much for the previous generation as I felt it did squash my tone. I find that if I have the BBE 482i just barely present that it does tighten up the low bass signal that I am sending. With anything though, if you add too much I think it does become more of a bother.

The BMAX is in a backup rig because I don't care for the sterile sound that it can give. I much prefer my Mullard tubes in the Demeter as a preamp. I have a friend that uses the BMAX exclusively though. To each his own.

Hope this helped.