Aphex EX BB 500 - Manual (Page 6)

Page 6
2.1 THE AURAL EXCITER ® AND BIG BOTTOM ®
TECHNOLOGIES EXPLAINED
The Aural Exciter is an audio processor that recreates and restores
missing harmonics. Harmonics are musically and dynamically
related to the original sound, revealing the fine differences between
voices and various instruments. Reproduced sound is audibly dif-
ferent than the original live sound because of the loss in harmonic
detail, often sounding dull and lifeless. The Aural Exciter adds har-
monics, restoring natural brightness, clarity, and presence, effec-
tively improving detail and intelligibility. Using the Aural Exciter
on specific instruments or in the final mix brings life back to the
recording.
The original Aural Exciter patent disclosed a method for generating
sonic harmonics which was amplitude dependent. In nature, gener-
ally speaking, the higher the amplitude, the higher the amount of
harmonics. However, there are instances where there are high level
sinusoidal waveforms, most of which should not have harmonics
added, and other instances where there are waveforms which have
low level transients, which could be enhanced by additional har-
monics. Our latest patent, the Transient Discriminate Harmonics
Generator, can recognize transients (transient discriminate) over a
wide dynamic range and generate harmonics on them. The result
is a more predictable and natural sounding enhancement over a
wider range of inputs.
The Aural Exciter extends the high frequencies, unlike EQ’s and other
brightness enhancers which only boost the high frequencies and
often alter the overall tonal balance. The stereo image is enhanced
with the Aural Exciter, resulting in a greater perceived loudness
without an introduction of noise into the audio path. It should be
pointed out that the Aural Exciter is a “single-ended” process that
can be inserted at any point within the audio chain. “Single-ended”
means that the unit will receive the incoming audio signal, process
the program material through Aphex’s patented Aural Exciter/Big
Bottom technology, then output the effected signal with no further
processing required to achieve the desired aural signal qualities.
Even though the added information is low in level, the perception is
a dramatic increase in mid and high frequencies.
2.0 INTRODUCTION
NEW EXBB500 MANUAL.indd 6 1/12/12 3:31 PM