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Rating And Reviews: BBE MaxCom

2-channel compressor/expander unit with gate function and BBE Sonic Maximizer.

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BBE MaxCom Dual Channel Compressor Limiter Gate

User Ratings

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Sound

Features

Ease of Use

Quality

Value

Manufacturer Support

The Wow Factor

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"MaxCom a GREAT 2-in1 product!" submitted February 3, 2012

By Steven B in Auburn, NY

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Features

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Musical Background: Recording Engineer, Live Sound Engineer, Bass Player

Music Style: Contemporary Christian

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Sound: The sound is very transparent and clear. The compression is very musical, taking little away from dynamics and creating a clean, blanced sound. Adding the Sonic Maximizer feature adds even more clarity and punch in live situations. Feature: This compressor is feature packed, including a Gate, Balanced XLR and 1/4" inputs, Sonic Maximizer/ low Contour, side chain inserts, auto Attack/Realease offers more features and flexibility than most standard compressors. Considering BBE's Sonic Maximizer alone costs upwards of $200, your getting a steral with this product. Ease of Use: The auto features and clearly written manual make for an easy to use and relatively painless experience. Just do your research and experiementing before you try it live, so you know what you're getting into. Quality: I will admit that the pots and knobs seem a little cheep, but for $200 I wasnt expecting state of the art. It mounts well in a rack and should hold up to moderate abuse. I take care of my stuff, so should you. Value: I have often desired a Sonic Maximizer unit for my live sound rig, and when I was in the market for a compressor, seeing this unit made it a no brainer. 1 Rack space, two great effects, 1 happy costumer. As I mentioned before, with the inclusion of the Sonic Maximizer, this unit is a steal. Just make sure you know what your doing. Manufacturer Support: I haven't needed them yet, but I hear good things. (Both out of the unit, and about the service.) The Wow Factor: This unit has taken my live sound to a new level, clearer, controlled, and more even tone throughout made this unit one of my new favorites. Overall: Before you go buying a compressor, you have to remember that the quality of the sound (noise, hum, hiss) that goes into a compressor will ultimately determine the quality that comes out. If the signal going in is noisey, the signal coming out will be noisey, and likely more so. I have read many reviews about this compressor adding noise and being unusable, but unless they got a dud (unlikely in my experence), I think these people do not understand what a compressor does and how it works. I also question their ability to properly hook one up. My opinion is that this piece of gear is created with the intended purpose is as a final compression just before going out to the poweramp and main speakers. BBE created the Sonic Maximaizer with this application in mind and the inclusion of this feature leads me to believe that this compressor is meant for that. As a main stereo compressor/limiter, this piece of gear works flawlessly. Make sure you use properly made BALANCED cables in and out and you will have nice transparent sound. I only use it for my mains, but given its performance, I wouldnt doubt that it has great potential as part of a bass or guitar rig, and even for keys. I wouldn't hesitate to try it there, and most who know what their doing agree in other reviews. For recording, its obviously not a "super-high-end" compressor, but I can't see why (again, if used properly and hooked up correctly) it wouldnt work out for home studio use.

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"Nice idea, pitiful implementation." submitted November 6, 2006

By a customer from pacbell.net

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Musical Background: Producer

Music Style: Various & Sundry

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Sound: The promise of this box is that you get a free 882i Sonic Maximizer along with a dbx166-style compressor/gate. Unfortunately, it fails in its promise because of miserable implementation. The compressor actually works OK on program material, and the Sonic Maximizer can help a dull track, but only up to a setting of 4 or so before it gets too harsh. Running the sonic maximizer in the effects loop of a guitar amp or after some ribbon microphones may be more beneficial. The compressor was fairly dismal on most individual instruments, including voice. Whether auto mode or hand-set attack and release, it wasn't very pleasant to listen to. Both the RNC and the Drawmer MX-30 (what I have on hand to compare it to) worked far better for those purposes. Even worse is the gate. It has a very severe release curve, and this means that it pops in and out loudly when it's set to the area of the noise threshold. The gate on the Drawmer MX-30 is vastly better. Feature: There is no individual limiter, but the compressor can be set to limit. There is no individual bypass per channel: if you want the Sonic maximizer, you have to also have the compressor in line, but you can turn the sonic maximizer off. I/O is 1/4" unbal and XLR plus sidechain TRS loop. The metering has ladders for both input level and gain reduction, but oddly, the gain reduction ladder is all ON by default and the lights turn OFF as gain is reduced. The knobs and build quality is poor, but the chassis is very solid and a pretty shade of red. Quality: What finally got the thing sent back is the 60 and 120 cycle hum it generates internally! Putting the hamonic generation of the sonic maximizer on this hum makes it far, far worse. It hummed with any powercord, in any position, with any set of inputs and outputs I tried. The hum would get louder or softer based on the output (makeup gain) setting and whether the sonic maxmimizer was on. I bought a blemish unit, which I understand to be cosmetic flaws, but perhaps it was a bad one. In which case BBE has to get that unit off the market because I read similar reports on harmony-central. Apparently the wiring is substandard, but I didn't open it up to see. Since these units go for less than the 882i ($200 street vs. $250), but BBE claims it's the same circuit (and it has balanced i/o), they must have cut corners somewhere to also stick a compressor and gate in it. The Wow Factor: I sent it back.

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BBE MaxCom Customer Review submitted March 20, 2008

By a customer from yahoo.com

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Musical Background: Active Pro Musician

Music Style: Rock, "Alternative", "Country

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Sound: I use my unit strictly for microphone use and has not dissapointed. There is no hum or any noise related to this piece. If you don't know haow to operate it and just use old nasty cords you will have issues. I spent a couple of hours trying out all of my microphones and it does seem to like EV mics the best, I can get a lot out of them while still maintaining very low feedback. I am buying another one today and will get rid of my tube composer and open up a spot for my new audio technica atw-3141 handheld microphone reciever. Hint; if you want this unit to perform well for you take the time to adjust it by itself while bypassing all other rack components first and use high quality low z cables, I have seen a buch of idiots using high z and wonder why there is noise! Feature: For the money you cannot get even close to these features. Quality: I rate the quality at at ten because for one thing it never comes out of the rack so im not beating it up everytime I have a gig. mine is two years old and is in new condition still. All the lights and dials still function as when new. Manufacturer Support: never needed it.

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"all most bought two!" submitted January 15, 2008

By a customer from kcnet.org

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Musical Background: live sound

Music Style: any

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Sound: makes pa hum plus there is a highend swishing noise when used? Overall: would like too add one more to my set up but i dont think i will just to noise !

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