tech dude: Tech Dude: BBE Sound Sonic Maximizer Sound Processors

While checking out professional PA rigs at clubs and concert halls, I’ve noticed that many of the racks include the Sonic Maximizer by BBE Sound. The sound guys I spoke with all told me it was an essential piece of gear for their sound setup. I spoke with Rob Rizzuto, Vice President of Sales of BBE Sound about why Sonic Maximizer Sound Processors are so popular.

Music123: Rob, a lot of musicians may be surprised to find out they’re not getting all the sound they should from their PA and home studio speakers. Can you explain how Sonic Maximizers help you get all the sound you should be getting?

Rob Rizzuto: Listeners to live or recorded music too often hear music that sounds indistinct because of an inherent problem with speakers. Their timing is off, and by that I mean all the frequencies of any given note are not reaching the listeners ears at the same time. High frequencies are delayed; low frequencies are reaching the listener first. Sonic Maximizer cures that problem—the technical name is “envelope distortion”—by carefully applying delay to make sure all the sound reaches the listener at the same time. As we like to say, the resulting clarity is like removing a blanket that’s been covering speakers. And the Sonic Maximizer works its magic without adding processor-generated artifacts or frequencies to your sound, instead it corrects and optimizes it.

Music123: A lot of research went into developing what seems to be a simple processor. Can you describe how the sound from speakers is improved when processed through the Sonic Maximizer?

RR: The BBE Sonic Maximizer makes the overall sound more focused with a sharper edge, but without adding the excessive brightness that you would get by merely boosting the high end with the EQ. The sound is fuller and wider with improved definition and clarity. You can easily hear the difference between the processed and unprocessed sound by turning on and off the bypass switch.

Music123: Two of the Sonic Maximizers have been updated. Can you explain the main difference between each model?

RR: There are updated models of Sonic Maximizer to choose from, depending on your needs: 482i, and 882i rack unit models. Each offers different input/output options. Both the 482i, and 882i are rack-mountable and can be used with PA or DJ sound systems in a live setting or in a home studio for recording, playback, or mixing. The 482i is also a good choice for semi-pro operations that use unbalanced jacks. It has independent unbalanced 1/4" input/output jacks and RCA ins and outs for processing from mono or stereo sources. It has separate process controls for each channel. The 882i has independent balanced XLR connectors plus TRS balanced 1/4" I/O for pro applications requiring low noise, high headroom, and +4dB levels (line level). The 481i and 882i have a 4th generation processing chip that BBE tells me offers greater warmth with a more naturally detailed midrange.

Check out the rackmount BBE Sonic Maximizer at Music123 today!

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Comments (2)

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May 31, 2011 4:10 PM

What is the a difference between an exciter and a sonic maximizer?

Jun 1, 2011 11:05 AM

in response to John W. Haight III:

Thanks for your excellent question, John. I talked to my Tech Guru, Mr. Barry Rivman, to get you an equally good answer. Here's what he said:

The similarity between an exciter and BBE's Sonic Maximizer is that both units bring high frequencies forward. However, they get there differently and are not the same.

An exciter splits off high-frequency information (harmonics) from the incoming signal,
compresses it, and then feeds it back into the original signal. The result is a perceived increase in high-frequency information without the amplification and phase shift that would occur with high-frequency EQ.

The Sonic Maximizer deals with phase (time) issues that occur when signal passes through various components of a signal chain. In essence, as signal passes through various circuits and components, high-frequency information begins to lag behind the low-frequency information—the result is a loss of clarity and transient information. Since we use HF transients to localize sound, the result of this time shift (phase) is an apparent muddying of the overall signal.

By phase-aligning high frequencies, the Maximizer appears to do the same thing as an exciter, but in actuality, what it's doing is correcting phase so you hear the high frequencies first, as you would in nature. This makes the program material sound brighter and more present.

So, the main difference is that the Maximizer isn't adding anything, rather, it's correcting phase coherency, while the exciter is adding compressed high-frequency information. So, even if you use an exciter on a particular track (vocal or acoustic guitar, for example), you'd still want to use a BBE Sonic Maximizer on your overall mix.

As an aside, Sonic Maximizers also have a bass enhancer.