Wow, such a great yet old ass video! I've had a 482i sitting in my rack for years now and never thought to run my electronic's through it. The sound it gave my microkorg and drumbrute are amazing, ty for this!

I use to have one of these, for vocals. I miss it so much and my warm ass 1970s electrovoice mixer.

Good video, we have a BBe Maximizer, we are so used to having our sound clear now!

By the way is it a 15db max Eq boost on the two points which is too extreme around 12:00, the magic happens and after you get used to the enhancement you will not turn it off unless you really do like having blankets over your speakers and mud low end. By all means go out and get a graphic and parametric EQ and believe you are matching this unit, you will end up screwing up your sound more than help it. Turn on the BBE knobs at 12:00 and presto done deal. Sounds better and no tweaking madness.

Good video!!!! I have the same maxinizer for my mobile Dj setup and I love it it does make a diffrence!

Yes, it works well on a solid state amp. I use this on all of my tube amp heads, as well as my solid state Hughes and Kettner Vortex combo (I use it in the studio because of its clean tone). It is literally like day and night. Try and send it through an effects loop though if you can.

@yinyang0203 It shifts the phase very slightly of frequencies to stop them distorting each other. the net result is a very clear wider sound.

Hey guys, it's not like an EQ - it fixes the phase of the signal so that the frequencies of the instrument reach your ear in the correct order. It does what an EQ could never do. You have to hear it live to understand.

Wow I need that! That's the magic I've been looking for! Broadcast quality ham radio!!

i have heard this with the jbl eon series and it is awesome. i will be getting one very soon!

I just bought the 482i about 3 weeks ago! ;) for my guitar rig.

this would be great for mic'd cabinets, i might have to grab this.

@yinyang0203 In a sense it is.My BBE462 manual stated that it splits the lo's/mid's/highs by milliseconds,fattening up the signal.These are great units if you use the proper 1 for your situation.The 462 was awesome for me as a guitarist.Worked well on a stereo system.

Good Review!!!!!!!

I use this in a chain in my mic line wow it's amazing

The sonic maximizer worked magic. I had some tracks that had alot going on. The mixs just weren't what I was after plus i was having some phase shift issues. All i really had to do was turn everything down then ran a compressor to this product and Wallah, instant perfection! Definitely not snake oil like i hear some people say, they probably just aren't using it right.

it will work great!

Plug this unit between a tube guitar preamp and tube power amp and see what it does.You'll be impressed.

the music sounds like the intro music for the dharma initative orientation videos

Imagine if they had used it when recording the audio for this video.. The background noise would have sounded much prettier hahahah

@skywalker3012 If there are frequencies that are noticably out of phase, then yes, correction would make a significant amount of difference, depending on how much the waveforms are out. Just get your favourite DAW, find an audio sample, and disalign it by a few ms, most of the time (Depending on the frequency), you'll hear some sort of audio loss. Just whack a VST maximiser on it and hear it sing. Any phase correction software/hardware will do though. This is a message to all :)

@mangenkyu Compressors squish the sound and push out making it sound louder. The maximizer just takes the sound.. and amplifies the frequencies more than an EQ can. Ive played with it on the guitar and with DAW's.

I have the VST version. I like using it on everything

@KaslarProductions Sound travels through the air at the same speed, regardless of the frequency. It is however, the frequency that defines how the waveform interacts with the medium with which it is travelling. Lower frequencies are less likely to be affected by air and all the other particles in it (Dust, smoke etc), and tend to reach the target first should there be a situation where the higher frequencies are interupted for whatever reason.

BBE processing is fundamentally different than boosting or cutting EQ. Basically, it splits a signal into three frequency bands, delays the mids and delays the lows a bit more. This counteracts poor speaker design, or speakers using a single sized driver (guitar cabinets for instance). A mid scoop adds a different flavor of clarity, not because it's time-shifted like in the BB process, it's just removed entirely.

I love how he still seems dissatisfied with the sound at one point and says "notice if I turn the lows and the highs up--", and he tries to turn the knob and they're already at max.

I use it after an Alesis PEQ 450 parametric EQ in this stting it's a fubulous mastering tool.

@yinyang0203 The thing that makes it distinct from just boosting highs and lows is that if you just equalize, the lows are still being pumped out at the same time as the highs, but if you're listening to music live, those highs hit you just milliseconds quicker than the lows, the maximizer kicks out the lows out of phase and just behind the highs, so it's not all one muddy mush being pumped out at the same time, but there's the same 3-dimesnional depth as live. Make sense?

45 plus yrs of bass playing here. I'm using this with my Alembic Just ran the Maximizer through a pair of Roland FFP single 15" combo amps in my living room. (I use the Alembic in stereo) Bottom line- it was if I added a Twin Turbo to my Alembic. I am blown away at the difference.. Alembics are great, goes without say, however, I'm of the opinion the bass is missing some chunk due to the 34" scale and narrow neck. The Maximizer throws every frequency in your face --- with authority. I'll never leave home without it..

@yinyang0203 It fixes any of the frequencies that become out of phase while EQ boosts or cuts a specfic frequency.

The demo starts at 2:09.

@jbealsmusic Low,Mid,and Hi frequencies travel through the air at different speeds. This will compensate for that.

@yin youre right...but the sound will be tighter and more controlled... ;) Its not a pure boost. Phase shifted...

O Wowwwwwwwww I love it!!!

Thank you for post this video.Could you do the same with a shred guitar maybe ,so we can hear the harmonics?

@furr0ci0us strange. An enhancer/sonic maximizer is NOT equal to an EQ. an enhancer adds new octaves(low or high) of existing frequencies. you can control the volume of those octaves.(thats why the volume is harder). An eq only changes the volume of existing frequencies and does not adds new frequencies. SRS is a company that makes plug-ins (like the SRS wow plug-in for windows media player)

Just bought one new for $50. I'm excited!

Awesome review

hi thank you for your guidance, why the lights of my sonic maximizer goes all the way up till almost clipping red led , with power up or down? I did set up my equipment like this; from mixer to, equalizer to ,sonic maximizer, to cross over , to power amplifiers thank you. Edgar.

Besides all the problems in the video already mentioned, it's hard to evaluate the device when the audio is getting louder...

Like an effects loop on the back of my guitar amp?

Ever hear it used solely on vocals in a live application? If the signal was being processed prior to it reaching the board, would it still work? If it would, would this be beneficial to use before or after an effects processor in the loop? Thanks for any help with those questions.

i like it

You can say that about everything.. How is different? It sounds different because what it does is different. For what it does, it'll sound much better than trying to replicate the effect using EQ - more natural I guess would be one way of putting it.

how does it compate to the "aphex exciter"?

how can i hook this up to the mixer board for studio application, i have the bbe unimax 401 ,at the back there is 2 1/4 jack and 1 xlr on each in and output ?Any 2 cents from anybody would be good, thanks.

How do I keep my maximizer from almost clipping? I have my music pretty low or not too high and it’s almost clipping, I run it from mixer to maximizer then crossover then to my amps. I set all my levels to 12 o clock or U, does it have more to do with my eq on the mixer or is it something else? I’d appreciate if someone who know could answer my question, it’s a great product I really love it but I’m concerned when my music is pretty soft and already the maximizer is getting past 0 almost clipping.

im gettin one

hi !! I bought a keyboard kurzweil forte. The tones are very good, but a little "cold" Do you know if the sonic maximizer could improve the tone of this keyboard ? (pianos, organs..) thanks a lot

As a DJ I use it to clarify the bass and the mid range and high range. I still use an equalizer but I do like the ability to control the clarity

@MCSKEPTICAL559 Of course it works. For everything. That's why people use it.

Hard to believe a device that can make a pair of JBL Control 1 Plus speakers with no subwoofer sound close enough (and in some ways better) to a pair of JBL Control 10's running off the same QSC duel-mono 3200 series 400w amp and causes a blind folded piano tuner/musician to question which one sounds better has taken so many decades to reach the awareness of the general public. While there are other solutions high-end audio buffs will strive for there is nothing I know of for the price can that improve the clarity of sound. A low-cost solution to a complex problem that works.

i have a marshall mg250dfx 2x12 its a 230 watt solid state and i was wondering if this would work on it

@SJP444 - Thats the difference between a pro sound engineer and an amateur. They will not use any effect or box really on EVERY song the same unless they suck. For mastering there is some things run on all, but if you do it right you would only use it where needed, and in other areas you will use tube pre's or other tube rack mount gear to give it that warm feeling in areas. So basically its just a tool, just like a guitar, you dont generally play only guitar for the whole album. Its moderation

how to connect to the crossover

The signal used in this video does not really demonstrate the effect. The problem is that the high/low/mid parts of the signal are actually tied to the separate instruments, like the high hat (treble) or kick drum (bass). When the maximizer changes the timing between low and high frequencies, this translates to some offset between snare and kick, which you can't really hear. Maybe there is something there, but it's not apparent at this encoding quality.

Would you know if the software plug-in of this is just as effective?

Anyone know of another good Signal Processor guitar rack mount. diff brand? Also, what is the real difference between 882i and 482i

como se conecta me podrías decir porfa y eso puede sustituir el crosover o nop

The fx-loop of course.

can i just put my stereo signal in this ? left and right? will it still be stereo?

what is the difference maximizer and compressor?

would it work to put this behind the mixer in my drum cage to send to the sound man with his huge board..he has a driverack up there too...is that gonna kill it?

How can you hear the clipping?

Hook up should be easy.You'll figure it out.Let me know if you get to use one in your set up and what you think.

Ok I Have This Hooked Up To My Bass Head , Threw My Effects Send N Return ~ Ok When I Play The Lights Don't Blink ~ Are They Supposed To Blink ?

This is not a true bypass circuit and does not claim to be so, yes. the "out" is not like your true dry signal. Issue is most of use it "on" so that is a moot point for me. When used correctly it is a marvelous unit. I use a 382i on both my guitar synth rig and my std guitar pedalboard rig. This is not a mere EQ so do not pay attention to these other cats. Just as it states when frequency analyzed and according to the BBE specs. It has a bell curve EQ bump at 50hz and 5khz, and the phase inversion correction is taking place as stated. No EQ phase inverts like the BBE. The unit works and if you play guitar it will improve your sound. Using it correctly is a must and so simply use it badly mismatching the impedance for line or instrument, placing the unit in the wrong place and overtly cranking the levels. Keep them around 12:00 and get this as close to your power amp as possible last in chain. I am not a fan of the floor pedal which may be bypass, not sure but it tends to make users place it in the wrong placement and crank the knobs like an effects pedal, which it is not.

This guy says that the dry signal isn't really dry.

It doesn't but you can easily get a scooped tone if you use too much of both the Lo-Contour and the Process.

I can hear the clarity..in the highs......how is this different from an EQ?

@KaslarProductions PPS - If you don't believe me, read the actual specs of the unit to see what it does, not what this video (or some random forum writer) says it does. bbesound com/products/manuals/882_manual.pdf

I fail to see how this is any different than a limiter with EQ. Could someone explain?

IDK wtf this thing does but I can tell you that the VST fucking rocks! When I get a PA Im going to by one of these shits!

can this be used for a home entertainment system? I've got some less than awesome speakers, and the receiver is a dumb ass, so it doesn't do a very good job of sending the right frequencies to the right speakers. the lows are muddy, the highs, and mids are not very clear, and worst of all if a song, or noise has a lot of bass I can hear the front position speakers crackle, and buzz even at very low volumes. maybe the speakers are blown? can the maximizer be used for home entertainment set ups?

How can you use maximize if play with external crossover?

What did the QSC amps cost each?

Has anyone used this on Vocals?

@yinyang0203 as sophisticated as my car stereo

Okay so... high harmonics fall out of phase with the fundamental and first few harmonics and this lines them back up so that they don't overload the system?...but if you're putting the harmonics back in phase, it'll just get louder...sooo... that can't be the use for it, can it? Also, you'd think that if he was adjusting the phase of harmonics and not just tweaking an EQ, you'd hear some phasing occur... wouldn't you?

Will it work with Akai MPC one?

What is the difference between this model and the one before????

Sonic bbe maximazer possible use base or sub?

@yinyang0203 this thing is weird, you have to actually play with it to hear the difference. All I will say is dont play through a clean channel without it. It just makes notes jump out of the amp. Not a huge fan of it through a distorted guitar channel though

Could I use my BBE882i as a crossover??

This wouldnt cut out mids whould it?

I’m a dj....just brought this product to add to my dj equipment. Problem I have is I don’t know how to incorporate into my dj set up. My Eq is connected to my mixer and into both inputs into my amp. I don’t have any inputs left in the amp to connect my maximizer. In the manual it says you can add it to Eq....but not sure how to do it....am I missing something ?

So basically it's just a graphic equaliser with 2 bands ! ?

@KaslarProductions PS - If you would have continued your "research", you would have found that the sonic difference from the "phase realignment process" is inaudible. The difference people are hearing when using this unit is only apparent when they use the front panel controls. The front panel controls do nothing more than basic EQ shaping. Even if you don't research any more than the link you gave me, at least continue reading the rebuttal posts in that very same thread.

@evilsnakes1 "...FLAT-PANEL TVS..." Once SRS has a 30 percent market share of enhancers in the pro audio plugins market, I'll be impressed. There's a reason it's in TVs and not in the hands of audio engineers. Well, believe it. A friend of mine wanted me to set up his bass tone a couple of days back, and he had an eq as well as the BBE. I asked him why he had the BBE, and he said, "I dunno, I just bought it cause I saw some bass player with a good tone using it."

Would this enhance recording quality?

Whats the best compressors to master music from a 8 Track Tascam?

"When these complex relationships pass through a speaker, the proper order is lost. The higher frequencies are delayed. A lower frequency may reach the listener's ear first or perhaps simultaneously with that of a higher frequency. In some cases, the fundamental components may be so time-shifted that they reach the listener's ear ahead of some or all of the harmonic components. " nuff said

How is this anything other than a basic compressor/limiter with a fancy name ?

@ mrfacephone..,what took you so long?!

sir UTUBOPIA what is the software?

No, But they have one with a built in crossover though.....

If this is somethis that is an EQ for dummies, is it something thar could help in a church application where I have untrained volunteers operating the board? A full 15 or 30 band EQ seems imposing for our application. Thoughts?

@KaslarProductions Yes, this phenomenon exists. It's a difference of only a few milliseconds and even with compensation the difference is virtually inaudible to the human ear. That "time-shift" is not frequencies travelling through the air at different speeds as you originally claimed. Perhaps you should keep studying and learning how this stuff works rather than taking the first thing you think supports your argument (whether you understand it or not) and posting it here.

Ya,those are $600 bucks and up.Nice units but I'm not certain they split the lows/mids/highs pn the same respect the Maximiser does.That has to be a patented design.Well,obviously I'm not selling anything.Just suggesting if you get the opportunity give a maximizer a run through.I had the 462 and it was great.

@ShredCorpse all this is is a two band equalizer, and it just scoops the mids. that's the last thing you wanna do if you're playing with a band. you really need a lot of extra things. just keep the mids up.