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Any experience here, with that unit?

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I'm thinking of the plugin , just to sweeten things up in the end. It's rather cheap and simple to use.

Comments

RecorderMan Thu, 02/05/2004 - 17:48

Originally posted by golli:
Any experience here, with that unit??

[[url=http://[/URL]="http://www.bbesound…"]web page[/]="http://www.bbesound…"]web page[/]

I'm thinking of the plugin, just to sweeten things up in the end. It's rather cheap and simple to use.

I used to use the 201, 822 etc BBE sonic maximizers back in the days of heavy gtrs and tape. They would be the answer now and again to add some air to a track(s) that needed it. If they're not too expensive they'd be another tool for the situation that would warrant it.

While they're are no rules...I'd shy against using it too often on a stereo mix...a little goes along way.

anonymous Thu, 02/05/2004 - 22:40

Wow, I'm glad to see Recorderman not ripping the BBE. I've seen so many people rip it like it was made by Behringer or something, and I've avoided posting my own feelings about it.

I don't know nothing about the plug in version but, I and most bass players I know and even a couple of guitarists use something like the 462 or 362 or 422 or the small half a rack unit in their live rig. I've used many years ago to try to liven up poorly recorded audition tapes done on old Porta-1's (not to much success, but I tried), but I never really thought about it for recording. I've run synths through it.

anonymous Mon, 02/09/2004 - 06:19

Originally posted by AudioGaff:

Originally posted by Paladyne:
is this a product similar to the Aphex Aural Exciter?

Yes. The Aphex Aural Exciter was the original and was so popular and well liked back in the days of tape, that you could pretty much only rent them at hundreds of dollars per hour. HUNDREDS PER DAY!!! I need a time machine!!!

anonymous Mon, 02/09/2004 - 07:11

I used to use the plugin a fair bit. It's simple and easy, but you can quickly ruin a mix with it. It's a matter of balance. If you have a guitar/bass sitting too far back in the mix and you don't want to raise the instrument's level, this might be the ticket. Maybe the same with drum sections and piano/synth.

But again use with caution. However, it's worth getting.

KurtFoster Thu, 02/19/2004 - 10:45

These things have their uses rescuing old cassette and slow speed rtr tapes but in a digital recording rig, they should not be needed.

The Aphex is different from the BBE... The Aphex actually re generates some high end distortion and feeds that back into the signal, while the BBE runs the audio through a crossover network and then applies a small amount of delay to the lower freqs, thereby makeing the mids and highs more apparent, taking advantage of the phenomenon the human ear exhibits of perceiving the first sound that arrives to it as being the loudest.

anonymous Thu, 02/19/2004 - 11:02

in a digital recording rig, they should not be needed.

Kurt, I suppose it all depends on the quality of your gear. I'm using lower-end stuff (Alesis QS6 with a Tascam 429 DAW).

Most of my instruments are actually sequenced and played through the QS6. The sound quality is less than stellar and the BBE really helps. I rarely use it for "live" instruments and never on my bass track (I record with a SansAmp RBI). Then I usually use it on the final mixdown to perk things up a little.

For me it was a good investment.

anonymous Thu, 02/19/2004 - 12:16

The 422 is the one to get... It's distortion is actually useful! I use it in 2 ways in a mix, depending on what's necessary:
[list]

  • Take a couple of buses to the BBE, return on 2 faders and flip the phase.
  • On toms take the insert send to a gate then to the BBE, return on 2 faders, flip out of phase, and tune the BBE to taste to add attack and lo-mids. The gate keeps leakage from getting obtrusive when the toms are not being played.Possibly the best thing about them is you can find them in almost any junky music shop for under $100. The other good exciters are the Aphex B and Aphex 204. They all do something different, and are great cheap tricks to have in your bag...
  • sheet Thu, 02/19/2004 - 16:14

    Originally posted by AudioGaff:

    Originally posted by Paladyne:
    is this a product similar to the Aphex Aural Exciter?

    Yes. The Aphex Aural Exciter was the original and was so popular and well liked back in the days of tape, that you could pretty much only rent them at hundreds of dollars per hour. The BBE is NOT the same thing as the Aphex. Completely different approach. The Aphex was not originally addressing the low end, just the highs. Then Barcus Berry came out with the Sonic Maximizer many years later.

    anonymous Thu, 02/19/2004 - 20:57

    If you ask me, steer clear of using any exciters across a mix. Sure, on individual tracks they are very useful. It's just too easy to stick either an Aphex or a BBE across the mix. In time you'll find that all your mixes will have a samey sound about them and you can't get rid of it after the fact. So far as the differences between the two are concerned (not getting into techncalities and having used both) the BBE certainly has an immediate impact on the bottom end that the Aphex doesn't seem to have. Both of course add that top end candy, but I am very wary these days of such devices - even while my hearing must be on a downward slide due to age.