Compressor Pedals

[BeZo]

Alright, you Neo-Soul fuckers. What compressor pedals are you using to get those blooming clean tones?

On bass I've always used the MXR Bass Compressor because it sounds great and has an LED meter that helps me see when my knobs get bumped instead of having to stop and listen for compression. I'm looking for something on guitar. I have the Earthquaker Devices Warden currently and it's pretty good. What else is out there? Keeley 4 knob? MXR Studio Compressor? Dyna Comp? What do you use?

 

[griff10672]

Alright, you Neo-Soul fuckers. What compressor pedals are you using to get those blooming clean tones?

On bass I've always used the MXR Bass Compressor because it sounds great and has an LED meter that helps me see when my knobs get bumped instead of having to stop and listen for compression. I'm looking for something on guitar. I have the Earthquaker Devices Warden currently and it's pretty good. What else is out there? Keeley 4 knob? MXR Studio Compressor? Dyna Comp? What do you use?

Come to me Bezo .......

 

[griff10672]

I run a Bogner Lyndhurst ......... friggin love it

 

[VonBonfire]

I didn't much care for the Keeley 4 knob comp plus so I sold it. By the time you could tell it was doing anything it was noisy. It has a mix knob but dialing it to where it gave me some extra sustain the compression level was annoying and not really workable for blues outside of full tilt leads.

I'd probably be looking at the Empress if I were compressor shopping today because I'd rather have full control over all the parameters.

Waynzo's Gladio clone has a built in comp, just a mini toggel, and tbh it offers a better compression than what the Keeley did without adding a bunch of noise. I am generally cranking amp at full pedalboard gigs so I do not really use the switch but I found it's low noise and light compression is more or less ideal for guitar short of going full Empress mode for max control.

 

[BeZo]

Come to me Bezo .......

What you makin'?

 

[VonBonfire]

What you makin'?

Your dreams come true, what else?

 

[griff10672]

What you makin'?

let me see what I have available for schematics ... I know I have a Keeley 4 knob ..... I have the EQD Warden .... the original Ross Compressor

 

[phillybhatesme]

Compressor is definitely one of those things that I bought to try/own and ended up never using.
I had a Walrus Mira and a Wampler Ego. Both were great, but not something I needed.

 

[griff10672]

MXR Super Comp , Wampler Ego 76 , JHS Series 3 , DOD FX 84 Milkbox , Engineer's Thumb , Thorpy FX Fat General ...

I also have a schematic for the Diamond compressor that I could throw a guitar / bass switch on so you could have either pedal in one box ...

 

[BeZo]

Compressor is definitely one of those things that I bought to try/own and ended up never using.
I had a Walrus Mira and a Wampler Ego. Both were great, but not something I needed.

I just had a whole conversation with my bassist about this at rehearsal last night. I was showing him how I set up my Echoplex Preamp (the Echoplex Bias from Griffin Analog) as a boost. I had only that running in the chain and was going back and forth on both channels to do the old "eyeglass test". The way I explain it, you don't notice it when it kicks on, but you miss it when it's gone. He was perplexed because it is so subtle, and tried to make the point that it wasn't worth it, considering it isn't doing much. But he came around on it because it does help a little. It sounds weaker when it's off, even if you don't fully grasp what it's doing.

With utility pedals, like EQ, compression, clean boost, or preamps, sometimes subtle is the best setting. If you only notice a comp when you sustain, or your boost doesn't change your tone but increases you input gain to give you a hair more saturation, that's a win. The subtle sculpting to sweeten the tone shouldn't be a wholesale change, but a subtle nudge.

 

[VonBonfire]

I also have a schematic for the Diamond compressor that I could throw a guitar / bass switch on so you could have either pedal in one box ...

This seems like the most promising pathway for BeZo.

 

[phillybhatesme]

@BeZo That was my experience as well. I think compressors can fall into two categories:

1. You're using it to control dynamics and it's a feel thing
2. There is a certain clean tone you're after

For me, I fall into category 1; it's definitely more of a feel thing than a sound thing. To that end, I actually found the compressor to be combat my right hand's ability to control dynamics, which is something I've been doing and "perfecting" in my playing for 30 years. And considering I'm not really going for that compressed clean tone, I just found the compressor to be kind of useless (for me and my playing).

 

[BeZo]

This seems like the most promising pathway for BeZo.

I like the MXR on bass. I won't likely be switching back and forth. The MXR stays on the bass board. I'm looking for something for the guitar board. I want subtle sustain and a little dynamic control. Something to even out my strumming and my picking.

@BeZo That was my experience as well. I think compressors can fall into two categories:

1. You're using it to control dynamics and it's a feel thing
2. There is a certain clean tone you're after

For me, I fall into category 1; it's definitely more of a feel thing than a sound thing. To that end, I actually found the compressor to be combat my right hand's ability to control dynamics, which is something I've been doing and "perfecting" in my playing for 30 years. And considering I'm not really going for that compressed clean tone, I just found the compressor to be kind of useless (for me and my playing).

I come from bass, where slap tone means slap volume, and finger tone seems quiet. I used a compressor as a crutch, but that's how I got the percussive sound without the peaks. Same for guitar (sorta). I just want a little balance and sustain when I don't have gain.

 

[Shreddy Mercury]

It's about time us neo soul brothers get some respect around here!

My lush, 3d tones were coming from my Boss Katana recorded through my 5 year old Samsung phone. While I'm building my pedal board, I'm looking at getting the Keeley Compressor Plus. Dunno if it's any good or not, but I don't know how to use one anyway lol

 

[VonBonfire]

It's about time us neo soul brothers get some respect around here!

My lush, 3d tones were coming from my Boss Katana recorded through my 5 year old Samsung phone. While I'm building my pedal board, I'm looking at getting the Keeley Compressor Plus. Dunno if it's any good or not, but I don't know how to use one anyway lol

It's not any good IME.

 

[Shreddy Mercury]

It's not any good IME.

I may have just picked that one because I was needing a compressor pedal to put on the pedalboard designer to look at space constraints. I didn't really listen to many clips of it. What didn't you like about it?

 

[BeZo]

It's about time us neo soul brothers get some respect around here!

My lush, 3d tones were coming from my Boss Katana recorded through my 5 year old Samsung phone. While I'm building my pedal board, I'm looking at getting the Keeley Compressor Plus. Dunno if it's any good or not, but I don't know how to use one anyway lol

Sounds like you should join me on this quest. Perhaps the real lesson we'll learn is about the friendship we'll make along the way.

 

[Shreddy Mercury]

Sounds like you should join me on this quest. Perhaps the real lesson we'll learn is about the friendship we'll make along the way.

Are you a Saturday morning cartoon?

 

[VonBonfire]

I may have just picked that one because I was needing a compressor pedal to put on the pedalboard designer to look at space constraints. I didn't really listen to many clips of it. What didn't you like about it?

I guess it might work for some guys but it was like a built in Fender reverb. Either it's too much or it's not there. I could never find a sweet spot with it. Aside the too high noise floor these pedal makers are setting attack and release values internally without any possible adjustment and then assigning dumb stuff like "sustain" to a control. For the right player, or for random couch picking moron, it might be great. It was terrible all around for me.

 

[BeZo]

The Keeley 4 knob is all over the place. I think there is one at every music store in a 50 mile radius from me. The Music Go Round across town has two. Maybe I'll pick one up and see what all this hate is about.