BBE Maxie 401 User Manual
Important Safeguards
WARNING
CAUTION
RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK
DO NOT OPEN
CAUTION: TO REDUCE THE RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK,
DO NOT REMOVE COVER (OR BACK).
NO USER-SERVICEABLE PARTS INSIDE.
REFER SERVICING TO QUALIFIED SERVICE PERSONNEL.
A
To prevent fire or shock hazard, do not expose
the unit to rain or moisture.
ATTENTiON: RISQUE DE CHOC
The lightning flash with arrowhead symbol, within
an equilateral triangle, is intended to aiert the user
to the presence of uninsulated "dangerous
voltage" within the product’s enclosure that may
be of sufficient magnitude to constitute a risk of
electric shock to persons.
The exclamation point, within a equilaterai triangie
is intended to alert the user to the presence of
important operating and maintenance (servicing)
instructions in the iiterature accompanying the
appliance.
ELECTRIC- NE PAS
OUVRIR.
For your protection, please read these safety instructions completely before operating the appliance, and
keep this manual for future reference.
Carefully observe all warnings, precautions and instructions on the appliance and described in the
operating instructions supplied with the appliance.
INSTALLATION------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Water and Moisture - Do not install the
appliance near water: for example, near a
bathtub, washbowl, kitchen sink, laundry tub,
in a wet basement, or near a swimming pooi.
Heat - Do not instaii the appliance near
sources of heat such as radiators, heat regis
ters, stoves, or other appliances that pro
duce heat.
Ventilation - Situate the product so its
location or position does not interfere with its
proper ventilation. For example, you should
not place the product on a bed, sofa, rug, or
similar surface that might block the vent
openings, or placed in a built-in installation,
such as a bookcase or cabinet that might
impede the flow of air through the ventilation
openings.
Wall or Ceiling Mounting - If your
appliance can be mounted to a wall or ceil
ing, mount it only as recommended.
USE
Power Source - Connect the appliance
to a power supply only of the type described
in the operating instructions or as marked on
the appliance.
Power-Cord Protection - Route the
power cord so that it is not likely to be walked
on or pinched by having objects placed on it,
paying particular attention to the plugs,
receptacles, and the point where the cord
exits from the appliance.
SERVICE
Unplug the appliance from the wall outlet and
consult qualified service personnel when:
• the power cord or the plug has been
damaged.
* a solid object or liquid has fallen into the
cabinet.
Grounding or Poiarization - Do not
defeat the grounding or polarization feature of
the AC power cord. If your AC receptacle will
not accept the power cord plug, contact your
electrician to install a proper AC receptacle.
When not in use - unplug the power
cord of the appliance from the outlet when left
unused for a long period of time.
To disconnect the cord, pull it out by grasping
the plug. Never pull the plug out by the cord.
* the appliance has been exposed to rain or
moisture.
* the appliance does not appear to operate
normally or exhibits a marked change in
performance.
* the appliance has been dropped, or thé
enclosure damaged.
AC Receptacie - Check to make sure
that the AC receptacle holds the power cord
plug firmly and securely. If the power cord
plug is loose, contact your electrician to
replace the defective and unsafe AC
Foreign Objects - Be careful that foreign
objects and liquids do not enter the enclosure
through openings.
Do not attempt to service the appliance
beyond that described in the operating
instructions. For all other sen/icing, refer to
qualified sen/ice personnel only.
Congratulations!
Thank you for buying the BBE Model 401 UNIMAX Processor. You now own a very unique signal
processing device with no other equal in the audio world. Whether you purchased the BBE 401 for your home studio or club
RA. system, you will find the unit's rugged construction and careful electronic design a welcome addition to your audio system.
This manual will help you use the BBE 401 more effectively and In ways of which you may not be aware. Review of the
information contained in this owner’s manual will answer most of the common questions that our service department receives.
But if you still have questions, please feel free to call toll-free (in USA) 1-800-233-8346 or (in CA) 1-800-558-3963.
The BBE^^ Process — “What Is It?”
Loudspeakers have difficulty dealing with the electronic signals supplied by an amplifier. These difficulties cause such major
phase and amplitude distortion that the sound reproduced by a speaker differs significantly from the sound produced by the
original source.
In the past, these problems have proved unsolvable and were thus relegated to a position of secondary importance in audio
system design. However, phase and amplitude integrity is essential to accurate sound reproduction. Research shows that the
information which the listener translates into the recognizable characteristics of a live performance are intimately tied into the
complex time and amplitude relationships between the fundamental and harmonic components of a given musical note or
sound. These relationships define a sound's “sound”.
When these complex relationships pass through a speaker, the proper order is lost. The higher frequencies are delayed. A
lower order frequency may reach the listener's ear first or perhaps simultaneously with that of a higher frequency. In some
cases, the fundamental components may be so time-shifted that they can reach the listener’s ear ahead of some or all the
harmonic components.
This change in the phase and amplitude relationship of the harmonic and fundamental frequencies is technically called
“envelope distortion". The listener perceives this loss of sound integrity in the reproduced sound as “muddy” and “smeared”. In
the extreme, it can become difficult to tell the difference among musical instruments, for example, an oboe and a clarinet.
BBE Sound, Inc. conducted extensive studies of numerous speaker systems over a ten year period. With this knowledge it
became possible to develop an ideal speaker and to distill the corrections necessary to return the fundamental and harmonic
frequency sfructures to their correct order. While there are differences among various speaker designs in the magnitude of
their needs for correcfion, the overall pattern of correction needed is remarkably consistent.
The BBE’” process is so unique that 42 patents have been awarded by the U.S. Patent Office.
“How It Works”
The BBE’" process imparts a pre-determined phase correction to the high frequencies where most harmonic information
exists. This is done by breaking the signal Into three sub-bands or groups: the low frequency group which is crossed over at
150Hz, the mid-range group which is crossed over at 1200Hz and the high frequency group that handles everything else up to
20kHz.
The low group is delayed about 2.5 ms (milliseconds) via group delay within a passive low pass filter. The front panel control
allows for either a flat response or a boost of the lows at 50Hz.
The mid-range group is delayed only about 0.5 ms and passes through an active band-pass filter. The mid group is used as
a point of reference fo make dynamic amplitude corrections in both positive and negative directions to the high frequency
group which has been passed through a high quality VGA (Voltage Controlled Amplifier).
Two RMS average loudness detectors continuously monitor both the mid-range and high frequencies to compare the
relative harmonic content levels of the two bands and apply the appropriate amount of control voltage to the VGA, thereby
determining the amount of high frequency harmonic content present at the final output of the BBE’” processor.
Product Description
The BBE 401 is an intelligent audio processor designed to solve a series of complex problems as described in the previous
section. It is, however, very simple to set up and operate and once installed will function flawlessly without further attention.
It is a single-channel, rack-mountable device for use in applications such as those found in PA. systems, home recordings
studios, and commercial audio applications. Since the BBE 401 can handle both -lOdBu line levels and high or low
impedance microphone levels, it may be integrated into any existing audio system without costly, or-site system modifications.
The BBE 401 takes up one EIA standard rack space of 19 inches width and 1.75 inches height (1U).
BBE’“ applies different phase correction algorithms to three separate frequency bands. A variable front panel control allows
the user to adjust the amount of process desired.
Using Your New BBE 401
BBE’" is a process to be added before all other mixing of reverb, special effects or equalization. The BBE 401 should be
used to increase the clarity and intelligibility of the program material.
Unlike many aural exciters or equalizers, the BBE 401 will not add any extra noise or harmonios to the sound. Thus, there will
be no future problems in duplication or mastering caused by aberrant high frequency distortion. Since the BBE’" technology is
a single-stage process there is no need for encoding or decoding.
Always ‘A-B” the processed to unprocessed sound with the process in/out switch to adjust the amount of processing
required.
Things To Remember
The BBE 401 has three sets of inputs and outputs to accomodate any existing audio system. Please consult the “Controls
and Set-Up” section of the manual to determine which input and output connections are correct for your application. Proper
operation of the BBE 401 depends on proper interfacing.
Even though there are Hi-Z inputs on both the front panel and the back panel, they do not mix. This means that if you plug a
cable into Hi-Z jack #1 on the front panel, it will cancel out any program material coming into Hi-Z jack #2 on the rear panel.
The front panel jack is provided as a convenience to the user.
If the program material has excessive background noise, the noise may be modulated with the program. In this case, an
equalizer or other type of noise reduction system may be inserted in front of the BBE 401 to roll off the noise first. Post
amplification of the BBE 401 is not necessary and not recommended, as the BBE 401 will drive any microphone input or
-lOdBu line directly.
Applications
Various applications of the BBE'“ process include:
Home Recording Studios
The BBE 401 gives a pro-edge to otherwise dull recordings on narrow-track width home recorders. Snare drums and
guitars take on a brighter tonal quality without equalization. Tape tracks recorded without BBE’” can be processed after the
tact by placing the BBE 401 between the tape track output and the mixer channel input. The BBE 401 saves poorly
recorded low-level instruments and brightens them without bringing up tape hiss as equalizers do. The program transients
are greatly improved on just about any sound source, because the BBE 401 reduces mid-range smear and associated
masking effects.
The BBE 401 acts as an active “direct" box so that high impedance microphones, guitars, basses or synthesizers can be
plugged directly into the mixer’s low impedance input. Conversely, the BBE 401 matches a low impedance microphone to a
high impedance input and provides the -t-24 volt phantom-power needed by condenser-type microphones. The BBE 401
is the perfect mic pre-amp for amplifying microphones to drive -lOdBu line levels.
Figures 1 shows the BBE 401 installed between a low-impedance microphone and the low impedance input of the mixing
console.
Figure 2 shows the BBE 401 installed between a line-out of the mixing console and the main program fader input. This
arrangement would apply the BBE’” process to the entire program mix.
Figure 3 shows the BBE 401 used as an active direct-box for matching high impedance musical instruments to low
impedance mixer inputs. The BBE’” process can be applied directly to the recording in this fashion.
Figure 4 shows the BBE 401 used as a mic pre-amp to bring a high impedance microphone up to -lOdBu line level for
direct recording on a home tape recorder.
Music and P.A. Systems
The BBE 401 has become a popular addition to many RA. systems because it can make a drastic improvement to the
clarity of the vocals without the usual excessive brightness associated with equalizers.
The BBE 401 is perfect for the traveling musician who wants to have BBE’” applied to the "house RA." without disrupting
the wiring installation. Figure 5 shows the BBE 401 inserted between the house microphone and the house mixer. This can
be done by the musician quickly and removed after the show just as quickly. The BBE 401 does not harm or alter the
settings on any existing system.
The BBE 401 is also perfect for podium sound systems since it can be added right at the podium itself without any
internal modifications to the podium’s amplifier. The BBE 401 allows better intelligibility with less volume. Figure 6 shows the
BBE 401 in a typical podium installation.
The BBE 401 is the ideal unit for applying the BBE’” process in situations where the sound system has no other insert
points or is permanently wired and cannot be modified. The BBE 401 also provides a universal method of matching any
microphone to any sound system.
Industrial
The BBE 401 greatly improves intelligibility in speech and music by improving the attack of the consonants that the
human ear needs in order to recognize the difference between like sounding words and syllables. This makes the BBE 401
a natural for public address, intercom or wide area dispersion of pre-recorded music or voice announcements over existing
old and dull loudspeaker systems.
Figure 7 shows the BBE 401 inserted between the telephone matching adapter and the auxiliary input to the public
address intercom amplifier. Since the BBE 401 has a microphone pre-amp, the BBE 401 is perfect for installation where the
RA. amplifier is inaccessible or prior installations have not allowed for future modifications to be carried out easily. Figure 8
shows the BBE 401 installed between the RA. microphone and the RA. amplifier.
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