Sonic Maximizer
Sonic Maximizer
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 NEW BBE STOMP BOX SONIC MAXIMIZER GUITAR EFFECT PEDAL  US $99.99
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 BBE Sonic Stomp Sonic Maximizer Guitar and Bass Pedal US $99.95
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 New BBE DJ Gear Dual Mono Rack PA Sonic Maximizer 882i US $249.99
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 BBE 382iSW DJ Gear Rack Stereo Band Sonic Maximizer US $219.99
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 BBE DI 1000 US $199.00
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 Brand New BBE Pro Audio Rack Mount Sonic Maximizer 382i US $99.99
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 BBE Acoustimax Sonic Maximizer Preamp Pedal US $169.00
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5 Ways to Improve Your Audio Systems Sound & Clarity
1.Cables: Make sure that the resistance of the speaker wire is not exceeding 5% of the rated impedance of the system. Although there has been a long debate with strong support on both sides of the issues of brand name cables VS. affordable cables; both parties will agree the thickness of the cable absolutely makes a difference. What happens when the resistance gets too high? In simplest terms, there is power lost in the wire and the speaker will not play as loud.
I recommend that any run over 40ft. should use 14 AWG and 12AWG for any run longer than 70ft. Copper is expensive, if your are simply installing a home theater surround system and your average run is less than 40ft. there is no advantage to using thicker wire than 16 AWG, save your money and put it towards a nicer receiver or powered subwoofer.
Quality cables and the correct connection in a professional set-up for Live performances is equally as important, whether your in a band on stage, a mobile audio DJ, or solo artist. The longer the run, the more likely you will pick up hums and distortion; avoid these by using thicker cables with XLR connnections.
2. Your Audio Source: As music has been digitized we continue to remove information making files more manageable for our laptops, ipods, mp3 players, and storage devices. This compressed digital information is great for storage, but lousy for sound quality. Compressing music into small digital files can negatively impact sound quality and many times is the unidentified source of poor audio quality. However, there are a few things short of buying vinyl records and using a phono player and amplifying an analog signal, to improve your sound quality.
Some die-hard DJs are still lugging around boxes of vinyl, but utilizing a file with a high bit-rate can greatly improve detail and clarity. Solution; if you have enough storage space on your iPod or computer, try selecting a higher bit rate setting in your music software when ripping tracks from your CDs. If you are downloading music tracks, check to see if the song is available in a higher bit rate. Finally, purchase a receiver with features that offer the best possible digital to analog upgrading such as features like; ProLogic IIz, Advanced Sound Retrieving and Acoustic Calibration. This is also true for your mixing software, you should look for software that supplies a variety of features for importing audio files and applications for converting and improving sound quality.
3. Add a dedicated Subwoofer: A dedicated subwoofer helps extend your low end and alleviates your mains from reproducing power sucking lows. This is especially important if you are pushing your mains so hard you experience clipping or farting. A powered subwoofer adds action to a surround system and supports the drums and bass in a live system. This is an element that should be considered a non-negotiable.
4. Dial in your Subwoofer's Settings: If you have a powered subwoofer dialing in the crossover can make a big impact in your overall sound quality. Deep bass can be a dramatic addition to your home theater or assist in delivering the true low end punch of a performance, but if you have set your crossover frequency too low you may leave a low-end hole. If you set it too high it can sound muddy and boomy from phase cancellation. If your mains fall off around around 80Hz then equalize your subwoofer to pick-up from 79Hz and below. The low-pass filter's cutt-off on most subs are not that sharp, so some overlap will occur.
Most modern Home Theater A/V Receivers have delay controls that work similarly to phase controls, and through a microphone that is provided with the unit, and using pink noise testing, the system will automatically adjust the frequency and decibel levels sent to the subwoofer.
Placement of a subwoofer is key to achieving an overall balanced sound and because of the long length of the soundwave, sub frequencies are not easily localized. You might say the sound is non-directional, allowing us to place the sub in corners, behind furniture, or off center stage. When placing a sub in a room for a home theater, the easiest and usually most efficient is to place the sub in the corner furthest from large room openings. For additional techniques visit: OnlyFactoryDirect.com's Resource Center/Where To?
5. Sonic Maximizers and Signal Processors: I was absolutely amazed at the difference a Sonic Maximizer made in the volume and sound quality of a PA System, when I was introduced to the BBE Sonic Maximizer. One of our technicians performed some A/B testing on several systems, and demonstrated the value of a Signal Processor and/or Sonic Maximizer in a Professional Audio System. We offer a 30-day "No Hassle" Guarantee, just keep your original packaging. If you want to boost the level of volume and clarity in your system, this is a quick and inexpensive addition to any pro audio system.
About the Author
Sasha Letourneau is currently the Director of Marketing for OnlyFactoryDirect.com. She has been with the company for 7 years and worked as a technician in technical support in the earlier years. If you have any questions or comments regarding this article please forward them to Sasha@OnlyFactoryDirect.com or to receive regular audio related articles and unique specials and deals from OnlyFactoryDirect.com follow Sasha's blog AudioHotSpot and add her as a friend on Facebook/OnlyFactoryDirect
I need help with my guitar pedal chain?
Ok I just got all my new pedals for my board and I need to know the EXACT order that they need to go in. I have a Jekyll and Hyde, crybaby wah, ernieball volume, boss dd5, Fs-5u tap tempo, isp decimator, line 6 dl4, bbe sonic maximizer, z vex tap a whirl, z vex super hard on, boss tu 2, and a keely compressor. Someone please help Im stumped on what order they should go in.
The first two pedals should absolutely, no questions asked, no room for discussion, be your tuner and your compressor. Neither will function correctly or as well if they are anywhere else in your signal chain. Look up what a compressor does - you'll understand why it should come before modulation effects, delays, and definitely distortion.
The sonic maximizer should go in your amp's effect loop for maximum effect. Putting it in front of the amp will dull it's effect, since the amp's gain stages will offset most of the sparkle the maximizer adds.
Beyond that... dear god, that's a lot of crap. I mean, stuff. First off, I would ask if you need all of it at the same time. Can you get by with using the dd5 or the dl4, and not both? Do you really need a volume pedal and a wah pedal? The reason that I ask is that you most likely don't have a buffered output on your guitar, and I don't see any buffer pedals in your collection. That means a high impedance signal out of your guitar, which means more pedals = more tone suckage.
You can offset this by installing a buffer in your guitar or getting a buffer circuit and putting it at the beginning of your pedal board. Boss pedals are buffered, so that will help, but some of these aren't, and for every pedal that isn't, you're losing tone when they're not on. How many distortion pedals do you really need? The decimator is cool, but how often will you use it?
Play around a lot, expiriment plenty, but try to decide if there's a way to pare down your pedal board to a smaller size - that's a lot of batteries, or a lot of power supplies, both of which mean more complexity and more stuff to worry about. When playing live, that's something you don't want - more complexity means more things that can go wrong.
You've got a lot to work with, and having options is certain a lot better than not having any - but there's something to be said for keeping it simple.
Well, if I was you, considering the type of music that I play (progressive-y with both melodic, aggressive, clean, and dirty elements to it) this would be my signal chain:
Boss tu2 - keely compressor - jekyll/hyde - dd5 w/tap tempo - crybaby wah - super hard on w/ sonic maximizer in the fx loop
Tuner so I can tune, compressor to keep a non-noisy tone compressed, the jekyll/hyde for rhythm distortion if I need it, a tap delay, a wah, and a booster pedal for solos. I would personally prefer to have a modulation effect after the tap delay, like a boss chorus. I wouldn't use any of the rest of it, so why have it in my signal chain, sucking my tone?
I could even drop the compressor and jekyll/hyde, because my guitar gives decent tone already and I play through a mesa/boogie, so I'm pretty well covered for distortion.
Anyways, that's my 2 cents.
Saul
BBE Sonic Stomp Sonic Maximizer AM64 American Metal Dean Guitars AT3000 ML Winter NAMM 2011 '11