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This is a true statement. My system with the Yamaha MG166CX and JBL 315 Eons sounds great without it. I've played with it using the pass through button, and the difference isn't super apparent.... except from bar to bar.

My experience is that different rooms and acoustics can change the dynamics of the sound production, and the BBE can fix some of that... giving the music and vocals a fuller sound.

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Side note... Notice the last processor in my chain is the 104. I do like to run procs before the main faders to give them less than unity and a constant level. The CFX12 has main inserts and if I were to buy another mixer it would have to have main inserts.

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Some venues take weeks to get adjusted. EFX (delay). But when you have the tools and procs to compensate for acoustics and different conditions then with experience you can get a better than average sounding system by far.

The only thing is now that I have everything my hearing is sub par.

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Ya, definitely need main out inserts to use this Aphex 104c2 properly.
I just did an initial 10 minute hook-up/test with my new toy and I don't think I was sending enough signal to it; the green lights did not light and it completely brutalized and degraded my sound. And I can't drive it at full from the mixer without being able to control signal to my powered speakers and keep my hearing

Got my signal levels etc all ok with my 2 mixer solution and the Aphex 104c2.

The verdict: It doesn't make a whole lot of difference for me.

I don't think it does anything to the sound that EQing can't do.
I guess the advantage is that it doesn't increase overall signal levels.

The Big Bottom is ok, adds abit more punchiness if you want it, but I don't like too much bass for karaoke. For my electronic drums, should be ok.

The Exciter just seems to add some mid-upper harmonics.
Add too much and the sound is too bright and thinny.
Overall, I don't like the sound the of harmonics it adds.
I guess some would perceive it as "more sparkle", but I think after a song or two
there's going to be listening fatigue with this.

I think where it might help is is you have a long signal chain and lots of AD/DA conversions, and if you are using very compressed music. Then it may do what it was originally designed to do to add what is needed to make the sound sound "live" again.

For my rig, I intentionally have the shortest signal chain possible and only one AD/DA conversion for any vocal path, and am not using compressed music.
So for me, the sound from the Aphex actually doesn't do much for my sound and arguably I can actually hear that my sound is slightly degraded because of the extra signal chain with my aphex to 2nd mixer kludge, as well as whatever phase shifting it is doing may be conflicting with my other effects.

I'll play with it some more using compressed music (VCDs etc) to see if it helps with that, but this one's kind of of a disappointment for me. If I keep it, it'll be relegated to my almost never used EQ for feedback side-chain and used only when it might help.

mchin99

For live sound or music that doesnt need processing they dont do that much except help with some problems. If it is affecting the sound then you giving it too much of a signal or it is malajusted.

Dont give up on it yet. When you learn when and how to use it then it be integrated into your sytem. How exactly do you have them hooked up?

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When I was doing my testing earlier, since I didn't have main out inserts, I had main outputs of my primary mixer go to the Aphex. Aphex then went to my crappy secondary mixer on a stereo channel. Main out from secondary mixer to powered speakers.

I now have the Aphex in my side-chain/alternate main signal path on main mixer only. Group out to 31band EQ. EQ to Aphex. Aphex to a stereo channel back on the main mixer. When I want to listen to what the Aphex does to something, I silence other inputs and just listen to the stereo channel the Aphex is coming into via main out to powered speakers. Sounds better and works well for doing quick switchover comparisons. And the Aphex gets be be inline to my sound only when I want it to for what I want it to

Your right about learning when to use it. Although I don't generally like the sound of what it is doing with the harmonics, I think that some may like it on faster moving songs.

The green lights are abit of a mystery

The 2 page doc I found on internet says:
"The Overhang/Drive control sets the optimum level required for Big
Bottom to work effectively, indicated by the green L.E.D. at the right of
the control."

So this is just for Big Bottom? It only lights when it gets signal peaks.
How do I know it is happy with my signal level for the Exciter if the single green light per channel is just for Big Bottom?

It blinks during the bass beats and more often with hiphop or accenuated bass.

I have spent years in my lil apt with my rack and listening on head phones and running all genres (mp3) and getting a feel for adjusting everything out. Then after awhile you can tweak for live room acoustics. In some venues with a lot of reverbs I turn the EFX almost off but still use the BBE and Aphex. The input to them usually is about -6 DB.

Sometimes late at night with a heavy screaming crowd I will bump the EFX up more with a louder mains level. The main thing hurting me now is my hearing is getting worse esp on the high end but I can still use the headphones.

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Try running it on the main output of the main mixer. Usually after the eq but before the crossover/amps/powered speakers. You are running a lot inline a mixer to another mixer? Why 2 mixers?

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Hmm, wonder if this has anything to do with years of Aphexing and BBEing?
Seriously.

A technical discussion around spectrum analysis what these things are doing and how it may be affecting the eardrum would be very interesting...

ps: -6dB, thanks..

2 mixers was just a quick kludge. I now have it the way I want on a single mixer.