BBE 362 Sonic Maximizer through a VH4 question

Hi guys, got some questions. I just got it and like it so far and feel it does make my already great Diezel tone sound more alive but not sure if I have it placed properly.

My set up is this. The VH4 with a GC midi board. I have a tuner, Boss Flanger, and Retrosonic Chorus Enemble through the Parallel loop. I ONLY use those effects for channel one, my clean channel. Now for my dirties channels 2-4 I have the Send 2 buttons turned off and stored so I dont have the flanger or chorus altering my dirties.

With that being said, where would the best place be to put the Maximizer? Right now I have my guitar wireless going into it and it into the input in the front of the amp, as if it was a pedal. However I wonder if going th FX loop would produce the maximum effect. I want to have the effect of the Maximizer on all channels, cleans and dirties. I can't run it through the parallel loop as if I select on for the Send 2 button then my dirties will have the maximizer plus all the chorus and flanger (which I dont want)

So I guess in simplest terms my question is. Should I run it through the front like I have it now, as a pedal....or run it through the Series FX loop?

Thanks guys!!

Sean

Well maximizers, eqs and compressors go on serial loops. Now if I were you I wouldn't use a maximizer. In a band context it pushes your sound to the background if you know what I mean. Maximizers are like smart EQs. Their role is to balance your highs and lows with a touch of mid frequencies roll off. Well VH4s. Herberts and the majority of contemporary high end amplifiers are well balanced compared to their 80's cousins so no maximization is needed. Of course that's just my opinion and there are no rules but if you decide to use it plug it to the serial loop.

Hey thanks man. Yeah I tried it in front and I noticed a slight difference in my clean tone. A little more alive. Not much on the dirty department.

Now when I experimented and ran it through the serial loop. It barely changed my clean tone that much, did a hug differnece with my dirty tone (I will post an on/off you yoube vid for it later. At first I was like woah!!!!! Yuk, sounds like a Metal Zone Pedal...yuk. but after tweaking the Vh4 a ting and tweaking the BBE a bit I got a real nice punchy dirty tone. It sounded "alive" and not like a metal zone pedal. Just a more focused distorition, with punchy notes, clear chords and also very articulate notes when it came to playing single dirty notes or simple solos, bends, pull offs and hammer ons. I will get a vid made up tonight for ya. [smile] Thanks again man!

You're welcome

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JohnRageOn":6a9a9 said:

Well maximizers, eqs and compressors go on serial loops. Now if I were you I wouldn't use a maximizer. In a band context it pushes your sound to the background if you know what I mean. Maximizers are like smart EQs. Their role is to balance your highs and lows with a touch of mid frequencies roll off. Well VH4s. Herberts and the majority of contemporary high end amplifiers are well balanced compared to their 80's cousins so no maximization is needed. Of course that's just my opinion and there are no rules but if you decide to use it plug it to the serial loop.

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+1

I had one years ago, and hated it thru every amp. It gives a nice tube amp a solid state sound.

if you want you amp to sound more alive?

change your stings, and tubes.

whens the last time you've changed either?

like someone said before i doubt a modern amp needs a BBE, but if it is your taste, serial loop is where you want to put it.

or you could take the chorus out of its loop. and put it in the serial loop with small variations so it almost sound like your tone is moving.

Brae

yeah I change my strings all the time and set them up in all my different tunings, Eflat, CGCFAD, CGCGCE, and DGCFAD, and when I had a baritone A standard.

Tubes are stock and have not been changed nor do they need to IMO as the amp is fairly new, under a year.

So far I like the tones I am getting through the serial loop, but tweaking a bit. I notice I bit of nicer harmonics and a punchier tone when playing single notes and bends etc. Still testing the waters with it. In serial it almost does nothing to my clean tone, but in front of the amp it added some more life to my cleans (I am always searching for the best clean chorus tone), but does nothing for the dirty channels.