Waves MaxxBCL

They say that in electronics there's no new technology - the only changes will be in size and applications. Things will simply keep getting smaller while doing more. This is certainly true in music (just think about what an iPod can do), but as we design smaller playback systems with small speakers, there are also some tradeoffs, particularly in music. Clever cabinet designs and high-excursion drivers can get you only so far. Any audio engineer trying to extract bass from real-world components must eventually face the laws of physics: All things being equal, small boxes and speaker cones can't move enough air to produce a room-shaking low end. When working with systems tiny enough to toss in a shoulder bag, the challenge is even more formidable. Interestingly enough, Waves MaxxBCL has a new solution to this problem using a very old concept.

MaxxBass Bass Enhancement
Waves' patented algorithm adds stunning bass sound without adding bass frequencies, delivering a bigger bottom end. MaxxBass® allows your audience to hear bass frequencies lower than physically present by applying psychoacoustic principles: Even though we can hear a bass guitar from a small speaker, we don't actually hear the fundamental frequency because the speaker can't produce a pitch that low. Instead, we hear the harmonics that the speaker can produce, and this causes the brain to create the "missing fundamental." MaxxBass® takes this well-known psychoacoustic phenomenon to the maximum, giving you the ability to extend the perceived frequency response of a system about two octaves below its physical limitation.

To accomplish this, the signal is split: high frequencies are passed to the output (to be added back to the bass). The bass signal is analyzed and a specific series of upper harmonics are created. Because the dynamics of the original bass are duplicated in these harmonics, the result is the most natural sounding bass enhancement available. The MaxxBass® harmonics and the original bass can be mixed in any proportion at the output.

To provide more control, a high-pass filter can be switched in, allowing the harmonics only to be passed along as an "image" of the original bass frequencies, which is useful when working with a system with known low-frequency limitations to avoid over-excursion of the speaker drivers.

Renaissance Compressor
Designed to provide the classic warm sound of analog compressors, the legendary Renaissance Compressor controls dynamics with studio-style warmth that flatters full mixes, vocals, or instruments. Controls include selection of vintage-style Opto or modern Electro compression, and threshold, ratio, and attack controls. Waves ARC™ (Automatic Release Control) algorithm dynamically optimizes the compressor's release value for a wide-ranging input. ARC™ reacts much the way a human ear expects, and can produce increased RMS level with greater clarity.
In general, the release is faster for peak transients and slower for the overall RMS level. The ARC™ system varies the release time to fit the ear's expectations while increasing RMS, and without creating distracting artifacts. In this way, the Renaissance Compressor can serve as a leveler plus a fast compressor simultaneously.

L2 Ultramaximizer Peak Limiter
Heard on countless hit records and soundtracks, the L2 Ultramaximizer puts sound up-front with breathtaking transparency. The L2 is capable of a very fast, overshoot-free response. Once the limiter threshold has been set, you can define the actual peak level that the processed signal will reach. Once set, limiting and level re-scaling becomes a one-shot process. The L2 can significantly increase the average signal level without introducing any audible side effects. Yet there is plenty of range to recreate "vintage" effects such as level pumping or severely limited dynamic range if you like.

Pristine Sound Quality
The MaxxBCL offers 96kHz, 24-bit resolution with a 48-bit, double precision internal processing path and a dynamic range of ~125dB. The totally passive analog input path to the ADC uses Jensen transformers, while the output path also features Jensen analog output transformers. The unit is galvanic-isolated, which prevents ground loops and allows it to operate in electrically unstable environments. Waves MaxxBCL combines the highest quality converters available with unequalled processing algorithms to offer you astonishing new power in bass enhancement, dynamics processing, and format conversion (analog-to-digital, digital-to-analog, and digital re-quantization).

Versatile Connections
The MaxxBCL supports optical, coaxial S/PDIF, AES/EBU, balanced and unbalanced line-level analog signals. MaxxBCL features a unique set of input and output trim settings: analog input headroom can be set from 9dB above 0dBu to 24dB in six precise steps (using the rear-panel selectors). Analog output level is similarly set with a separate rear-panel trim pot offering you the ability to connect between devices with a wide range of input and output levels.


Waves MaxxBCL Features:

User Interface:

• Clear backlit displays, meters, and buttons are visible in all lighting conditions
• THD + Noise: ? 0.0006 % @ 1kHz @ -1dBFS
• Precision metering with resettable peak hold options (2 sec, infinite)
• Accurate, wide-range metering covering 90dB for input and output and 12dB for compressor and limiter attenuation
• Quick access independent bypass on each processing block
• Tactile feedback knobs
• Four easy store/recall user presets

Input / Output:

• Analog, AES/EBU, S/PDIF
• Independent rear-panel input and output headroom calibration in six steps (+9, 12, 15, 18, 20, and 24 dBu)
• Passive analog inputs to the A-to-D converters using Jensen analog input transformers
• Jensen analog output transformers
• High-performance IDR dithering to 16- or 24-bit output
• Precise input level setting using 1% resistor networks

Processing:

• 48-bit end-to-end internal processing path
• Switchable compressor/MaxxBass® order

MaxxBass:

• Adjustable processor frequency from 25 to 120Hz
• Adjustable harmonic mix percentage from 0 to 100%
• High-pass Filter "harmonics only" option

Compressor:

• Opto/Electro mode selection
• Threshold (0-60dB), Ratio (1:1-12:1), and Attack (0.5, 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, and 50 ms) controls
• Proprietary ARC™ Automatic Release Control
• Automatic gain makeup

Limiter:

• Overshoot-free look-ahead processing
• Adjustable Threshold (0-18dB)
• Adjustable Output Ceiling (0-18dBFS)

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