Aphex Bass Xciter

[Randy_Marsh]

I'm thinking of buying this as it sounds like a nice piece of kit, does anyone else have this? and what do you reckon to it?

[Dubs]

Yeah I think a few people have these and there's been similar thread on it - do a search for "xciter" or "exciter" and a few helpful thread will probably come up

I’m considering trying one of these, but I’ll only buy 2nd hand and for a good price

[Randy_Marsh]

same, £85 is a bit out of my pocket atm cheers man

[Dubs]

[quote name='Randy_Marsh' post='408525' date='Feb 13 2009, 01:11 PM']same, £85 is a bit out of my pocket atm cheers man[/quote]

I’m a bit pissed cos a few months ago you could get them for about £60 new. f*** the economic downturn

[Mr. Foxen]

I'm loath to use mine as the sockets are wicked dodge, shame, cause I sold my rackmount one, and still wanted the ludicrous low end presence it gives.

[Happy Jack]

I use mine all the time.

Can't say I've noticed a problem with the sockets, but they're known for having a fragile stomp switch because it's mounted directly onto the circuit board.
Don't really understand why anyone would ever have it switched off, so not much of a problem for me.

If you normally use more in-your-face FX like fuzz or distortion or envelopes, then you may find the Xciter is a bit on the subtle side.

It adds "richness" to your sound in the bass frequencies. Your bass does NOT sound very different, just ... well ... more, yes, "more" is about right. It's like being able to play louder without changing a volume control, but that understates the quality aspect.

The best way to test if it's for you is [b]not[/b] to switch it on and see if your bass sounds better. Instead, switch it on and play for a while, just play. Then switch it off and keep playing. When I do that, I find I don't really notice the Xciter while it's on but by 'eck do I miss it when it's off!

[dandini]

What settings do people use?

Ive got one and it does add that extra something but im curious as o what settinsg peopel have for "their" sound

[Happy Jack]

I don't have "my sound" - I'm quite happy to sound different at different times.

I find the Aphex has the best balance with all four knobs pointing straight up. If you take the settings too high on the Big Bottom it gets overpoweringly bassy, which is hardly a surprise but if that's what you want then you may as well just fiddle with the EQ on your amp.

[Dosi Y'Anarchy]

I liked the sound of my Xciter when i had it, however when i was recording and had my amp really loud i noticed alot of background noise, on trying to discover what it was i found it was the Xciter. Ditched it the day after.

It can make your bass sound both fatter and more 'sparkley' at the same time. From the reviews i've read i understand that many dont trust the DI on it (many believing it to be quite low quality- im not sure of the basis for this assumption tho) and also the jacks are plastic, which many didnt like.

I got mine for £40 used, and for £40 its a great bit of kit.

something to note though, much like the BBE sonic maximizer, this enhancing of bass and treble might come at the cost of mid-range (almost by definition) - sure it sounds great on its own, but you [i]may[/i] loose some presence in a band mix. This is all subjective tho, if you get a chance to get one for around £50 then i say go for it and just sell it if you dont like it.

[Happy Jack]

Yes, I forgot about the DI ... the one time I tried using it as a DI box I was pretty disappointed, because the signal was so weak.

File that feature under "better to have than nothing, but not a good reason in itself to have an Xciter" and then try to find a filetab big enough to stick that label on.

[Hamster]

[quote name='dandini' post='409172' date='Feb 14 2009, 12:13 AM']What settings do people use?

Ive got one and it does add that extra something but im curious as o what settinsg peopel have for "their" sound[/quote]

I don't really have any stock settings, I just leave it at around 6 on each dial and make a minor adjustment for the different rooms i'm in.