I don't get compressors - what am I missing?

[Carl E]

I use and have used various effects - distortion, overdrive, wah, chorus, flanger, etc. but I don't get how a compressor is used to improve my sound. I have an Aphex punch factory, not a boutique pedal, but not junk, either. I get that it evens out the sound, making the loud parts quieter and the quieter parts louder, but I don't know why I would want to do that. I want to play with full dynamics, be able to play real quiet when it is called for, real loud when needed. When I strum hard with the compressor on the sound is squashed - I guess that is what it is supposed to do but it does not sound good to me. I don't need endless sustain, and I can cut through the mix with the right eq, don't need any help there. The only real use for it I have found is as a boost pedal for solos, but even there it alters my tone a bit, and not in a good way. Sooo, what am I missing? Is there some application where a compressor will help me sound better, more musical? Is it just a matter of taste? Is it supposed to be used in conjunction with other pedals to make them sound better? BTW, I play in a band that does mostly older classic rock (Buddy Holly, Elvis, early Beatles and Stones, etc.), generally clean with a bit of light dirt now and then. Help me decide whether to love it or leave it!!!

[vjf1968]

Honestly, if you really think your tone is better without it than don't use it. I use a Tone Press and I do like the way it sounds when I am playing clean using quickly picked notes. They just seem to pop out better. But it really is a matter of taste.

[Ormond]

I only find it essential for solo work or Country lead type stuff especially with a hot bridge pickup or with the Strat O-O-Phase sound. It gives the notes great pop or a snap. I only have the Boss CS 3 and I have to turn it up to almost 3/4 of the way to get a noticeable pop through my big Dr. Z amp. I only have to have it up about half-way to get the same effect when I use my practice amp - a solid state Roland AC60.
I don't do much chording anymore, so I have the compressor on all the time. I do not even like the sound of my Tele without it anymore.

[ibobunot]

Originally Posted by Carl E

Is there some application where a compressor will help me sound better, more musical?

Chicken pickin', funky 16th note rhythms...

Some people just don't like compressors you might be one of them.

[johnnylaw]

Trust your ears.

Also, not all compressors are created equal. As with everything else in your signal chain, the "color" of your sound is likely to change with different pieces of gear. You might have to try several to get that "ah ha moment". Or, it just may never happen.

Also I believe that the compression from a good tube amp covers a lot of ground and may negate the need for a pedal. I really appreciate compression pedals in a solid state rig (which I don't own).

Well, actually, I do have a Pignose. But that's more of a lifestyle than a rig!

Twang on...

[FirstBassman]

Originally Posted by Carl E

I don't get compressors - what am I missing?

Plug an electric 12-string into one.

You'll get it immediately.

[Ormond]

Hmmmmm....I have an Taylor 12 string with a pickup in it. Have not played it in 5 years...you just gave me a reason to get it out.

[baseggio]

Originally Posted by FirstBassman

Plug an electric 12-string into one.

You'll get immediately.

I'm with the original poster. I've tried compressors, and usually it just feels like they dull the sound a little bit. I've even tried it with my Tele XII because it sounded wrong before I got someone to set it up, and I don't think it caused any magical difference.

[davidge1]

Buddy Holly, Elvis, early Beatles and Stones

None of them used compressors when they played live... they didn't have compressor pedals back then. If you want to emulate the live sound of these artists, I'd leave the compressor out. When your amp is turned up to stage volume, you're already getting a fair amount of compression naturally... so I wouldn't say they're essential for anything other than recording.

[B Valley]

It may just not be your taste. They're essential for certain guitar styles and sounds, but not essential to your style perhaps. Used by itself with no other effects, the sound is certainly different. It will add punch and sustain giving you more of a staccato sound when you want it. It will smooth out lead lines and bring up the volume level on harmonics.
Almost indispensible for country, I would think.

[mojoming]

I find them essential for Country stuff. The snap and pop in chicken picking just does not sound like county picking without one to my ears.

[davie blue]

I have used a Boss CS-3 for a few years and have mixed feelings about it. For weeks after I first got it I was scratching my head ... if I turned it down I couldn't tell any difference at all, if I turned it up it sounded nasty to me. When I got into a country band I figured I was SUPPOSED to use a compressor, so I dialed it in pretty subtle - I could hear a change but it wasn't heavy squash territory.

I dunno. Maybe the Boss is a crappy unit, I could probably spend $300 on a boutique compressor and like it better. But it never really did much for me, and I don't play super clean most of the time anyway. To each his own, that's my 2c.

[franchelB]

If you don't notice a difference, then you don't need a compressor. I've had a Boss CS3 and I have an MXR Dynacomp. Even though the Dynacomp has been modded, I STILL can't tell the difference.
I'd get rid of it, but I'm tired of losing money...

[Del Pickup]

You either love 'em or hate 'em. There doesn't seem to be any middle ground in opinions on these pedals.

I tended to dislike them until I read the reviews on the Barber Tone Press. So I bought one and found that it's one of the truly indispensible pedals on my board now.

It doesn't colour the tone and is also great to use as a booster pedal.

When I'm playing at home at quieter levels I use it just to give the tone a bit of a tweak and add the compression that the amp won't give at lower levels. It's as silent as a mouse.

I am a convert!

[superhand]

Compression is like chili powder. It can be good, but a little bit goes a long way, too much can be worse than none.

[JayFreddy]

Originally Posted by Carl E

...I want to play with full dynamics, be able to play real quiet when it is called for, real loud when needed. When I strum hard with the compressor on the sound is squashed - I guess that is what it is supposed to do but it does not sound good to me. I don't need endless sustain, and I can cut through the mix with the right eq, don't need any help there. The only real use for it I have found is as a boost pedal for solos, but even there it alters my tone a bit, and not in a good way. Sooo, what am I missing? Is there some application where a compressor will help me sound better, more musical? Is it just a matter of taste?...

Replace the word "compressor" with "distortion" and the rest of your paragraph still works. You don't really "need" any effect. Some people consider electric guitar to be an effect...

I like the chili powder analogy, a little goes a long way, but you need to know where to use it too. Chili powder on peanut butter sandwiches isn't bad IMHO, but it's probably not for everyone.

I like compression a lot when using solid state amps, it sort of mimics the "bloom" of a tube amp turned up loud.

I didn't care for compressors when I first tried them, then I got a good deal on a TC Electronic compressor that opened my ears to some of the possibilities, most of which have already been covered previously in this thread.

The TC sounded great, but like most vintage TC stuff, it no longer works, and I've since been able to coax tones I like out of the stock Boss CS-3, so that's what I use now.

A lot of people like to use their compressors as a clean boost in front of the signal chain to help drive the other pedals.

I actually prefer the sound of compression after the preamps and distortions but before my time based effects (reverb, delay, chorus, phaser, etc.) In this sense, I can use it more as an envelope filter, kind of like an EQ, where it shapes the overall tone.

When using the comp as an envelope filter, a volume pedal after the compressor but before the time based effects gives control over dynamics, but allows you to retain a consistent tone too.

Of course, sometimes you want the tone to get thinner when you roll back the volume knob on the guitar, or thicken up when you turn the guitar volume back up. In that case, I just turn the compressor off.

Compression can be a very subtle effect, but most people just throw it in front of everything else and judge it in that one application. It can do a lot more than that when used in combination with EQ, etc.

However, it's possible that you simply don't like the sound of compression. I personally don't care for flanging and most chorusing, but I like phasing and tremolo. Some people don't like distortion. As with any effect, it might not be for you.

I wouldn't throw the baby out with the bath water just yet.

[ibobunot]

Originally Posted by franchelB

I have an MXR Dynacomp. Even though the Dynacomp has been modded, I STILL can't tell the difference.

Wind up the MXR Dynacomp in front of a Big Muff and hold on to your hat.
You should notice a difference...

[Grandma's Tele]

I like my EHX Black Finger because, at least, at bedroom volume, it helps me shape the sound when used with my overdrive/distortion pedals!

[polishcomedy]

Originally Posted by mojoming

I find them essential for Country stuff. The snap and pop in chicken picking just does not sound like county picking without one to my ears.

+1

[polishcomedy]

Originally Posted by davie blue

Maybe the Boss is a crappy unit

this. and it's noisy

[Carl E]

Thanks for all of your comments and suggestions. Since I use a tube amp, don't play any country (the only chicken-pickin' I do is at KFC after band practice), and don't otherwise really like the sound I get, it sounds like a compressor may not be for me. I only bought it because I heard other folks say they really liked what one does for their sound. Maybe I will sell it and buy an analog slapback delay, something I don't have now.

[castpolymer]

My Keeley is truly the only pedal I have that makes my hack playing sound better.

[FirstBassman]

Originally Posted by baseggio

I've tried compressors, and usually it just feels like they dull the sound a little bit. I've even tried it with my Tele XII because it sounded wrong before I got someone to set it up, and I don't think it caused any magical difference.

Well, of course different strokes for different folks and if you didn't like it, that's fine.

I can't speak for a Tele XII specifically but "dull" is probably the last word I would ever use to describe an electric-12 through a compressor.

It does the exact opposite. It brightens the sound, makes the strings articulate more and gives it more presence.

If it helps I would offer a couple of suggestions from my experience - I find a '12' through a compressor sounds better if the tone dial is turned up on the treble side and the mix of bridge to neck pickup be somewhere around at least 70 -30.

[Astro1176]

Different compressors usually sound very different, and in particular the Boss is very different from MXR/Ross compressors. So maybe you have the wrong type for your taste, but if you love the sound without it, that's great.

Compressors reduce the difference in volume between loud and quiet notes, not eliminate the difference. For many genres of music, the difference in volume needed for a guitar to be expressive is tiny compared to the range in volume a guitar is capable of making, and a compressor allows you to play more dynamically, with more control, to end up with the desired range in volumes.

You are also allowed to turn the compressor off if you have a section that requires a lot of dynamics, and turn it back on for the parts that want to be more consistent.

Also a compressor works within each note, and has an effect on the attack, body and sustain of the note. It has a more severe effect on the loud notes than the quiet notes, meaning that your dynamics can affect the tone of the note in a different way than without a compressor. I think for many, the way it affects the quality of each note (and thus affects the apparent tone and character of the sound) is one of the most important benefits of a compressor and the reason why people love one model over another.

Greatness of compressor does not mean you have to spend $300 either. Maybe for some people that $300 compressor is the only thing that does it for them, but there are a lot of great much cheaper units of various flavours around too.

[Jammin'John1]

Originally Posted by Carl E

Thanks for all of your comments and suggestions. Since I use a tube amp, don't play any country (the only chicken-pickin' I do is at KFC after band practice), and don't otherwise really like the sound I get, it sounds like a compressor may not be for me. I only bought it because I heard other folks say they really liked what one does for their sound. Maybe I will sell it and buy an analog slapback delay, something I don't have now.

I'm with you.
Tube amps give me all the compression & bloom that I need.
I do like my Maxon AD999,analog delay.

JJ

[ggiacomini]

I play bass, and for bass it is a great tool, beacause you get it to eliminate most of the string to string difference caused by the different string tensions (much greater in bass than guitar). For tone purists (any instrument) it will always change your tone in a bad way, but it will help when a song calls for it... Like when I played in a Pink Floyd cover band, our guitar player had a MIA Strat (stock pups) and had to sound like Gilmour on EMG's, so his compression sustainer was on almost all the time.
I had a Boss limiter/enhancer for bass but it just sucked... No matter how low was the setting, all the notes I played hard were squashed by the thing. Got rid of that and borrowed from my studio a dbx 160A mono compressor, and it never left my rig since then! I wouldn't really use it on guitar unless I had to play some hi gain leads that would call for a comp, but for bass I agree it is a great tool. Many pro bass players use compressors to even out their signal, as well many say that they wanna play with full dinamics all the time, but you don't have to use it in the highest setting! You lose dinamics when your ratio/theshold is set too high, and this is the problem of the stomp boxes... Usually (like in the boss model) you have a level (which is a mix knob), a tone, an attack and a sustain knob. The ratio/threshold relation is controlled by this last knob, what gives you a bad control over those parameters. The compressor I use I set the ratio to 3:1 or 4:1 and low the threshold to a gain reduction of -10dB. When I want to go overboard I set the ratio to 6:1 and the thresholf to -25dB (this way I get things squashed in a bad way). And if I want it to limit my output I set the ratio to 10:1 or more (the dbx goes up to infinity:1 compressing and -1:1 when it is set to work as an upward expander), the knee shape I set to hard and the treshold to a level it won't squash everything.
In conclusion, compressors are an useful tools sometimes, but the stompboxes suck at it. If you want to use it and have a decent control over what you're doing to your sound, do like the pros: get a rack version of it. Or try different brands to see wich one have the fixed values that will work better for you.
Almost forgot it: comps are good too when you use effects that track your input to generate other notes, like octavers and pitch shifters. So you put the comp in the chain before that effect to give it a more stable signal to shift the pitch or to "create" the octave sound.

[Tremolo7]

I bought a Keeley Compressor (4 knob) couple months ago, thought I had lots of use for it. Today I ended up selling it (like most of my pedals lately)...
It was OK, but I like my tone better without it. Hmm.. maybe I should try Barber's Tone Press next, because of the blend knob...

[eddie knuckles]

Originally Posted by Carl E

I use and have used various effects - distortion, overdrive, wah, chorus, flanger, etc. but I don't get how a compressor is used to improve my sound. I have an Aphex punch factory, not a boutique pedal, but not junk, either. I get that it evens out the sound, making the loud parts quieter and the quieter parts louder, but I don't know why I would want to do that. I want to play with full dynamics, be able to play real quiet when it is called for, real loud when needed. When I strum hard with the compressor on the sound is squashed - I guess that is what it is supposed to do but it does not sound good to me. I don't need endless sustain, and I can cut through the mix with the right eq, don't need any help there. The only real use for it I have found is as a boost pedal for solos, but even there it alters my tone a bit, and not in a good way. Sooo, what am I missing? Is there some application where a compressor will help me sound better, more musical? Is it just a matter of taste? Is it supposed to be used in conjunction with other pedals to make them sound better? BTW, I play in a band that does mostly older classic rock (Buddy Holly, Elvis, early Beatles and Stones, etc.), generally clean with a bit of light dirt now and then. Help me decide whether to love it or leave it!!!

I give you Germandude!!! This is wonderful.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7erub...eature=related

[jmwjjmwj]

Originally Posted by mojoming

I find them essential for Country stuff. The snap and pop in chicken picking just does not sound like county picking without one to my ears.

The use of any effects is a personal preference but, I've done my share of chicken pickin' and never had a use for a compressor - they kill too much of the dynamics. Plus, two of the greatest chicken pickers on the planet (Steve Morse and Albert Lee) don't use compressors live... unless you count the natural compression from a cranked tube amp.

[Scotland]

Originally Posted by jmwjjmwj

The use of any effects is a personal preference but, I've done my share of chicken pickin' and never had a use for a compressor - they kill too much of the dynamics. Plus, two of the greatest chicken pickers on the planet (Steve Morse and Albert Lee) don't use compressors live... unless you count the natural compression from a cranked tube amp.

Last time I saw Albert Lee play live, he was using a Keeley 4 knob. He said he had been using it for around 3 months and loved it.

[jmwjjmwj]

Originally Posted by Scotland

Last time I saw Albert Lee play live, he was using a Keeley 4 knob. He said he had been using it for around 3 months and loved it.

Another great one has crossed over to the dark side.

[DavidLopezJr]

I used not to understand as well. Then I played one.