Recording King Guitars: Aphex 1402 Bass Xciter Effect Pedal and Direct Box Review

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(More customer reviews)If you've spent any time at all in quality recording studios or big time radio stations you've no doubt seen rack mounted versions of the Aphex Aural Exciters with Big Bottom. The Bass Exciter pedal is a compact yet fully functional version of these same processors specially voiced for electric bass. The case is solid metal painted deep purple and should outlive you. This item is very well made and definitely roadworthy. There is no added noise at all, only music. With over two decades experience catering to the recording and broadcasting industries Aphex already has a first class customer support operation.
The Bass Exciter is actually two processors in one. The signal from your bass is first split into highs and lows. The higher frequencies are sent to the Aural Exciter circuit which adds clarity, sparkle,air and intensity to the upper audio freqencies. The lows are sent to the Big Bottom circuit which increases the apparent loudness of the lower frequencies. The two processed signals are then seamlessly recombined and sent to the two outputs. While it sounds louder, the Aphex has done it without actually increasing the volume so there is no danger to your amp or speakers. Both outputs can be used simultaneously. There is both a basic standard quarter-inch guitar cable output and an XLR output to feed a PA or recording console. The XLR output has an extra nifty feature on mine. If you connect the XLR jack to a console with 48 volt phantom power turned on for that channel it runs off the console's phantom power, meaning you don't need a battery or an AC adapter either for the Aphex unit! This feature was not mentioned in the manual, but it works on mine. If for some reason you do not want to send the processed signal to the mixing console, you can send an unprocessed straight signal by setting the "WET/DRY" pushbutton on the back panel to "DRY." In "Wet" position the processed signal is routed to the XLR output. There is a ground lift switch also. There is a Passive/Active pushbutton for the one bass guitar input. On top here is a red LED "ENGAGED" pilot light and the bypass footswitch. I never use the switch since I leave the pedal on all the time. As proof you can use any power supply from 7 to 48 volts DC with it, I use an old DSL/Cable Router's power supply with mine. Basically if the power supply plug will fit into the power jack, the Aphex will work. Do not try that with pedals from other companies!
This is the first bass pedal I've found that makes basses sound better instead of stranger, noisier, hissier or artificial. I've used a Fender passive USA Jazz, a reissue '51 Precision and an Ibanez SRX700 with active EQ through this. It makes each and every one sound better and it makes every amp I've used sound louder. It does this without burying the highs, upper mids or harmonics as you might expect. This is the only pedal I know of that can do that. It is not a compressor, so you still have full dynamic control. If you couple this with the Aphex Punch Factory compressor you'll have a killer processing combo. The Aphex Bass Exciter is my all time favorite bass pedal. It is the one I use all the time. You can plug it into your practice amp, your gig rig, a PA console or a recording console and get a professional bass sound without a lot of fiddling with settings. When you plug this unit into a high quality amp setup and stand in front of the cabinet your pant legs will flap in the breeze. It makes my practice amp sound like a gig rig and my gig rig sound amazing. I can recommend this pedal to bassists without any reservation. It is actually worth the retail price.

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For all types of basses with magnetic or piezo pickups, active or passive. Voicing is tailored for deep tone and sustain while adding life to the bite or slap. Gives great action response and speeds up the attacks. Makes smaller bass rigs sound much bigger. Gives big rigs real thunder. Countless albums and CD?s owe part of their success to the Aphex Aural Exciter It?s been a ?secret weapon? of top producers and artists for over 24 years. This patented process adds transient discriminate harmonic details to the sound - without turning it into distortion. High impedance instrument input (10 megohms) Low impedance instrument output - drives a long cable effortlessly Aural Exciter Big Bottom Lo Tune Control Lo Blend Control Hi Tune Control Hi Blend Control Foot Switch with LED Indicator Active/Passive Input Switch Balanced XLR D.I. Output Ground Lift Wet/Dry D.I. Output Switch 9V Battery or AC Adapter Powered Ruggedly Constructed