BBE Sonic Maximizer

[Teacher's Pet]

I'm picking up where the old, locked thread left off...

old thread:
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=14214&hilit=BBE+362

I just so happen to be among the lucky few who have been able to secure one of these rare, highly-regarded pieces of outboard gear.
Many people are saying this special unit is the well-kept secret behind all successful recordings ever made. Really.

OK, I really just need a little help understanding the schematic. My unit is a BBE 362NR.

1.
If I use this in a PA application and put the 362NR just before the power amp, is my signal going through a lot of unfortunate-sounding junk even when unit is in bypass?

2.
Can I use the unit as a splitter and take the output from the RCA outs AND the 1/4" outs at the same time?
Each would go to a separate power amp & crossover network.

Thanks in advance!

Schematics:
https://imgur.com/gallery/vyomauh

[vvv]

I just so happen to be among the lucky few who have been able to secure one of these rare, highly-regarded pieces of outboard gear.
Many people are saying this special unit is the well-kept secret behind all successful recordings ever made. Really.

Pssssst! Wanna buy a Black Rat-Shack EQ?

[Teacher's Pet]

I also have an Aphex Aural Exciter and a Hughes Retriever.

[Scodiddly]

Looks like the outputs are in parallel, basically just like using a Y cable.

[Teacher's Pet]

Great, thank you.

It doesn't look like it has anything approaching "true bypass" right?

Could I wire an extra "bypass" switch that just jumpers in the inputs directly to the outputs?

[Nick Sevilla]

Many people are saying this special unit is the well-kept secret behind all successful recordings ever made. Really.

I remember these things. Hated them.

Typically, they were used to "excite" frequencies, because typically, some of those recordings, done to analog tape, were TOTAL SHITE. Too dark, yet with the wrong sort of low and as well.

No, this thing was not used on "all successful recordings ever made." More like, used a lot by coke addicts in the 1980s, to excite frequencies their drug addled brains could not hear due to their cocaine ears. LOL.

Only once did I have to rent one of these things, to recreate an old Metal mix from the 1980s, in order to bypass publishing rights by some (never to be named famous) producer. Because we could not get that shitty sound from the mix, and thankfully, the producer remembered the "red one rack unit", if nothing else, from the original mixing session. Who knows what else they used. The mix came out almost the same. But because by now we had Pro Tools and plug ins galore.

Hopefully, you find a good use for this unit.

[A.David.MacKinnon]

Years ago I had the honor of watching Trina Shoemaker mix a record Id produced (and had the embarrassing pleasure of watching her fix my mistakes). She used this box on toms.

[Teacher's Pet]

I was just kidding. It's slightly embarrassing to ask persistent questions about widely reviled pieces of gear, I should know.

At least there's no obnoxious answers like "the only way to use it properly is to throw it out" type answers, so common on other forums. Those are neither clever nor helpful.

Tape Op at its best is about making the most of what's available to each individual, so if some weirdo wants to dive deep into some cheap old piece of gear, who cares?

Up, next I shall bump the old "snip the noise gate mod on your Alesis 3630" thread, I have one of those too, those are what George Martin used on all the Beatles' records.

But really: Is there any reason I should not try to add a switch and jumper wire directly from input to output?
(Besides wasting time and energy on this POS?)

[Brett Siler]

I think in the 80's and 90's they were just abused a lot and got a bad rep. I've heard them used and can sound pretty cool, especially on like snare or toms. Just don't crank it to 11, be tasteful with it and it can sound cool.

Also I think the same thing with the 3630. I still have one and they sound gross when pushed, but it can be a cool sound for certain things, particularly that Daftpunk pumping sound. These days you can just use for a character piece. It's possible to get clean sounds with softknee and RMS engaged but If you want clean, your better off using your stock DAW compressor.

[FNM]

I was just kidding. It's slightly embarrassing to ask persistent questions about widely reviled pieces of gear, I should know.

At least there's no obnoxious answers like "the only way to use it properly is to throw it out" type answers, so common on other forums. Those are neither clever nor helpful.

Tape Op at its best is about making the most of what's available to each individual, so if some weirdo wants to dive deep into some cheap old piece of gear, who cares?

Up, next I shall bump the old "snip the noise gate mod on your Alesis 3630" thread, I have one of those too, those are what George Martin used on all the Beatles' records.

But really: Is there any reason I should not try to add a switch and jumper wire directly from input to output?
(Besides wasting time and energy on this POS?)

I don't see why not (bypass switch). I suspect you might need two switches, one for each side, unless you can find a 4PDT (I haven't thought it through that much so I could be wrong).