What are ENHANCERS, VITALIZERS and EXCITERS?!!!
Luc.v...@ping.be
Hello world,
Is there anybody out there who could explain me what an ENHANCER, a
VITALIZER and an EXCITER are?!
Their I am into dance/techno music, I would like to know if those
effects are usefull in my case?
Regards,
Luc.
Dave Rosenbloom
They are various names for post processors (things you connect between
your mixer and amp) Some of them synthesize lower bass harmonics (Big
Bottom, Boom Box, etc.) Others supposedly make your sound clearer by
changing the phasing of certain frequencies (BBE, Aphex Aural, etc) and
yet others seem to be nothing more than glorified loudness contour
buttons like your parents have on their stereo.
IMO, these things are unnessecary, if your speakers suck, there's no
magic box that you can buy to change that fact. If you bought $5
speakers and a $400 processor to try and make them sound like something,
you really should have bought $405 speakers from the get-go.
The only processing that you need is a good 15-band EQ or a 31 if you
know what you're doing and a compressor. Once again, you must understand
a compressor before you go to use one. Used improperly they can make
your sound really bad and you can blow your speakers at what seems to be
a lower volume than what would blow them without the compressor.
--
Dave Rosenbloom
http://www.dancetronics.com
"Enhance Your Environment With Electronic Entertainment"
Rowe Morehouse
Actually, I have a Behringer Ultrafex II that I use when I mix live to
DAT. It enhances the stereo image and gives a nice sparkle to the sound.
If you set it sparingly it sounds great.
--
rowe.mo...@colorado.edu
<URL:http://www.stardot.com/~rowe>
Dave Rosenbloom (dancet...@enter.net) wrote:
Antonio Daniels
>
> IMO, these things are unnessecary, if your speakers suck, there's no
> magic box that you can buy to change that fact. If you bought $5
> speakers and a $400 processor to try and make them sound like something,
> you really should have bought $405 speakers from the get-go.
>
> The only processing that you need is a good 15-band EQ or a 31 if you
> know what you're doing and a compressor. Once again, you must understand
> a compressor before you go to use one. Used improperly they can make
> your sound really bad and you can blow your speakers at what seems to be
> a lower volume than what would blow them without the compressor.
Ahhhh... a purist !!! I tend to agree with you....it is important to
get the best sound possible before you add any effects. I know many
people who never use outboard EQ.
However, I do believe that a little...LITTLE BIT of aural exciter/sonic
maximizer goes a long way in the HOME studio environment. A touch of BBE
after you've finished your mixdown really makes a difference.....but I
guess it's a taste thing.
Also, higher quality instrument samples tend to need less "help" in the
mix.
Tony Daniels
Nick Batzdorf
> Luc.v...@ping.be wrote:
> > Is there anybody out there who could explain me what an ENHANCER, a
> > VITALIZER and an EXCITER are?!
I am into dance/techno music, I would like to know if those
> > effects are usefull in my case?
Sure.
Dave Rosenbloom wrote:
> They are various names for post processors (things you connect between
> your mixer and amp)
Just to clarify, you can also connect them between instruments and
a mixer, in insert loops in a mixer, and in some cases as send-return
effects (less common).
And note that not all processors (things that affect the entire signal
like dynamics processors and equalizers) are enhancers!
'Enhancer' is the generic term; Aphex Aural Exciter and SPL Vitalizer
are brand names. They all work slightly differently and have a different
sound; for instance, Aphex has a patent on creating harmonics by adding
controlled distortion, so none of the others work that way.
Some of them synthesize lower bass harmonics (Big
> Bottom, Boom Box, etc.)
While both the SPL Vitalizer and Aphex
Aural Exciter C2 with Big Bottom include bass enhancement circuitry,
that's not what people are usually talking about when they mention
enhancers.
Others supposedly make your sound clearer by
> changing the phasing of certain frequencies (BBE, Aphex Aural, etc) and
That's how BBE works, but not Aphex.
> yet others seem to be nothing more than glorified loudness contour
> buttons like your parents have on their stereo.
The loudness button shelves the lows and highs up. It's designed
to compensate for how you hear at low listening levels. Enhancers are
creative tools that make the sound stand out more. They are a substitute
for equalizers.
> IMO, these things are unnessecary, if your speakers suck, there's no
> magic box that you can buy to change that fact
Using an enhancer to fix your speakers would be rather weird, although
I guess it might be appropriate on the dance floor. There are many
creative uses for them, though, such as brightening up snare drums...
Know what? Go listen to the piano sound on any Elton John album
from the '70s on and you'll know what I'm talking about. That's
a rather obvious exmaple - most of the time you aren't aware
that they've been used on a recording. And that's the key: moderation.
This explanation is a little shallows, but I think it's a more
impartial answer to the question.
> The only processing that you need is a good 15-band EQ or a 31
[and a compressor]
Different sound. Green and purple.
__
Nick Batzdorf, editor
Recording magazine - the magazine for the recording musician
Editorial: (US) 818/905-9101, fax -5434
Klaus Lotz
Dave Rosenbloom wrote:
> They are various names for post processors (things you connect between
> your mixer and amp)........
> IMO, these things are unnessecary, if your speakers suck, there's no
> magic box that you can buy to change that fact.
principally right, but i personally changed my mind after testing most
of these boxes (3-4 years ago i wrote as editor for a leading german
music magazine). Natural sound (even if recorded properly) is one thing,
and the other is the impressive sound you may create with those little
helpers, even in good professional environments.
(besides that, i strongly recommend good active speakers like Genelec or
EMES, and also high end microphones like the most natural B&Ks:-))
--
cu Klaus Lotz -- live from icafe munich
please reply to: k...@musicshop.de