Aphex Aural Exciter For Sale (Sold)

Want to talk about music hardware or software that doesn't include Reason?
Post Reply
User avatar
ScuzzyEye
Moderator
Posts: 1402
Joined: 15 Jan 2015
Contact:

11 Jul 2015

Aphex Aural Exciter.jpg
Aphex Aural Exciter.jpg (56.22 KiB) Viewed 737 times
http://www.aphex.com/products/exciter/

I'm selling my Aphex Aural Exciter. It's in like-new condition. I have the original box and manuals. It's simply been mounted in my rack (with plastic washers on the screws) for a couple of years; powered off most of the time. After I got it I used it on a few projects, but fell into disuse not long after that. I liked what it did for sound, and if I played out live I'd likely use it, but I have off-line programs that duplicate the functionality.

I'm asking $250 US. I live in the US, but I will ship anywhere (it says 100-240V, 50/60Hz), you pick up the shipping.
Last edited by ScuzzyEye on 03 Aug 2015, edited 1 time in total.

User avatar
ScuzzyEye
Moderator
Posts: 1402
Joined: 15 Jan 2015
Contact:

27 Jul 2015

I put it up on eBay now, if anyone cares to have a go that way.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/-/221838116700

User avatar
Theo.M
Posts: 1035
Joined: 16 Jan 2015

04 Aug 2015

now that this is sold, do you mind if i do a mini hijack as I have never heard the hardware and would like to ask something...

ScuzzyEye, have you tried

1) the waves aural exciter plugin which only models the high end enhancer
and/or
2) the avid plugin which also models big bottom pro?

the reason i ask this as I didn't like the waves plugin at *all* (going to demo the digi one at some point just haven't had the time) - and I am wondering if it's an accurate representation of the hardware - cause i always heard great stuff about the hardware and from the waves, it's either an inaccurate model or i just wouldn't like the hardware either. Just that i am moving soon (just 2 weeks to go) and setting up a little studio room and i have been thinking of buying some cheap hardware up to $1000 total (hopefully a comp, an exciter and a pre) to take some load from the computer and well because i like to fidget with knobs. Very hard for me to get to a store yet the aphex is so cheap - so i am wondering if it would be worth investigating even though I hate the waves.. if not, i might look at a second hand bbe.

TIA ;)

User avatar
ScuzzyEye
Moderator
Posts: 1402
Joined: 15 Jan 2015
Contact:

04 Aug 2015

I've replaced using the Aphex as a master insert, with using Ozone stand-alone as a full mastering process. I've never used the Waves or Avid plug-ins, and don't know how they compare.

The Optical Big Bottom, is simply an optical compressor, behind a low-pass filter, wired in parallel with the dry signal. I could take or leave it. Since it was there I'd use it, but it wasn't the reason I bought the Aphex in the first place. For mastering I much prefer a multi-band compressor, Ozone has that.

I really did like the sound of the Exciter in the Aphex. Again it is parallel to the dry signal path, and is a harmonic generator behind a high-pass filter. It's able to dial in either even or odd (or a mix of both) harmonics. Used sparingly, it adds a nice sparkle to a mix. But Ozone has more saturation model, and they can be applied in different amounts with multi-band filtering. I think what I can get out of Ozone sounds just as good.

The one thing I didn't like about the Aphex, is while it is two-channel, there is no way to link the two channels' controls. Adding a different amount of compression or excitement to one channel over the other would quickly pull attention to one side of the mix. So I always used it as a mid/side insert. That ended up working very well, a little extra low-end compression on the mid, and more harmonic excitement added to the sides. But Ozone also offers M/S processing with it's compressor, and exciter (with the ability to link the controls).

In the end using an external effect was too much work for anything more than one track, so I only used it in mastering, and I ended up preferring a full-on mastering tool.

User avatar
Theo.M
Posts: 1035
Joined: 16 Jan 2015

04 Aug 2015

Thanks for the detailed reply! I have never used the ozone saturator on a full mix, and have ever only used harmonic enhancers of any kind on individual sounds, and only if really needed, and only sparingly. Everything i tried the waves on sounder better without it, so it's probably just a bad emulation then.

re the BB, i had no idea it was a comp, never did. That's really interesting!

User avatar
ScuzzyEye
Moderator
Posts: 1402
Joined: 15 Jan 2015
Contact:

04 Aug 2015

Once I start hearing an exciter, I know I'm adding too much, and need to turn it down. It is a matter of dialing in a little bit, and then turning it off, and back on to compare. With that use, I almost always preferred it on .

Post Reply
  • Information
  • Who is online

    Users browsing this forum: zabukowski and 18 guests