Waves Audio MaxxBass User Guide
MaxxBass
Table of Contents
Chapter 1 Quick Start For MaxxBass
Chapter 2 How Does MaxxBass Work?
Chapter 3 Controls
Chapter 4 Mastering With MaxxBass
Benefits
Optimizing for better playback on all speakers
Chapter 5 MaxxBass For Installed Systems
Chapter 6 Factory Presets
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Chapter 1 - Quickstart for MaxxBass™
Mixing and Mastering
MaxxBass creates harmonics that you can add to the signal. These harmonics trick the ear into perceiving
low bass frequencies that may not actually be present in the output.
This psychoacoustic illusion can be used for mixing and mastering to enhance the bass response for playback on any system. MaxxBass can also be used to mix for installed systems, such as commercial sound systems, theme parks, outdoor distributed systems, personal stereo systems, and more.
For mastering and mixing, simply mix some of the Harmonics into the signal by raising the Harmonics
level fader. You might lower the Original Bass level a few dB as you replace its signal with the MaxxBass signal. Try to make the mix have the same amount of bass as you normally would, otherwise you run the risk
of over-using the effect, just as you might with any processor in your studio.
Recommended settings to start with for mixing and mastering are the defaults. Simply increase the
Harmonic fader to add to the mix (shown by the yellow curve in the graphic). The best Frequency will be
usually between 60 and 100. Your goal should be a smooth, warm bass response that is balanced, not more
bass than you usually would use.
Using MaxxBass for small speaker systems
This is a special case for MaxxBass. Most people will mix for normal, full-range speaker systems (you want
your mix to sound good everywhere). However, if you are mixing for a specific system, such as a kiosk,
theme park, commercial sound installation, special radio mixes, etc., you can extend the range of that system by replacing almost all of the original bass signal with the MaxxBass signal.
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By doing this, you remove most of the Original Bass signal (take the fader down to the bottom), and putting the Maxxbass signal to 0.0dB (unity gain). You should be listening through the system that you are
mixing or mastering for!
Select the third Highpass filter setting (the one with the steep corner). Set the Ratio to 2:2.
Starting at 200Hz, slide the Frequency downward until you stop hearing any improvement in the sound,
then move it back up just a little. All frequencies below this point will be removed from the signal, and
MaxxBass will create harmonics above this point that will replace them.
Adjust the Decay setting for best enhancement.
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Chapter 2 - How does MaxxBass work?
Even though you can hear a bass guitar from a small speaker, you are not hearing the main note -the fundamental frequency. This is simply because the speaker can not physically produce such a low pitch.
However, the harmonics of the bass guitar are indeed coming from the speaker, and your ear interprets
these harmonics and creates the “missing fundamental” inside your head. This is a well-known psychoacoustic phenomena. MaxxBass takes this phenomena to the maximum, and gives you control of it.
Using this principle, MaxxBass can extend the perceived frequency response of a speaker about two octaves
below its physical limitation.
What MaxxBass does
The input signal is split into two parts; the crossover Frequency determines the split point.
High frequencies are merely passed to the output (to be added back to the bass). The bass signal is analyzed
by the MaxxBass processor, which creates a specific series of harmonics of these low frequencies. Since the
dynamics and the loudness of the original bass are duplicated in these harmonics, the result is the most natural-sounding enhancement of the original bass.
The MaxxBass Harmonics and the Original Bass can be mixed in any proportion at the output.
To provide more control of the harmonics that are created, a highpass filter can be switched in, plus an
upward compressor. These are very useful when mixing for a specific set of speakers or systems, such as
those in commercial installations, theme parks, kiosks, etc. The decay control can also focus the effect for
these specific types of systems.
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