Quietest Compressor Pedal

[LKNJ]

I'm sort of re-discovery compressors after years of not using them. I have a couple and have tried others, and here's how I would describe my experience:

Keeley Compressor+: the noisiest (of the ones I have experience with), and makes a pronounced popping noise when switched on and off. Otherwise, sounds excellent and has a nice playing feel. I would use this always if not for the hiss.

Keeley Tone Workstation: the compressor on this thing is supposed to be based on the regular Keeley Compressor, but it sounds and feels nothing like it. Sure, it's noisy, but it also has incredibly uneven attack to boot. Definitely not for me.

Seymour Duncan Visegrip: less noisy than either of the Keeleys, and has a nice sound to it. Doesn't quite do the country bend thing (EQ-wise) as well as the Keeley + (it's not meant to). Definitely smoother sounding, though. Footswitch makes a very slight pop when engaged/disengaged.

Wampler Ego Mini: Closer to the Keeley in sound and much less hiss than any of the others. Very noticeable pop when engaged/disengaged, but not as bad as the Keeley. I'm actually very surprised and impressed by this pedal.

I've also owned some vintage MXR pedals back in the day, but it's not really a fair comparison since those tended to distort with heavy picking. Technology seems to have come a long way. In fact, the older MXR is probably why I stopped using compressors in the first place.



So, how does your experience stack up, especially with respect to noise? Any compressors you are particularly impressed with?

 

[Squawker]

Standard answer is Mooer Yellow Comp (Diamond clone). Cheap, quiet, subtle and always on

 

[8trackmind]

Xotic SP in the low or mid setting.

 

[funkysoul]

EBS Multycomp Guitar Edition and EHX Tone Corset

 

[jondanger]

I’ve had Dyna Comp, Custom Comp, Xotic SP, Analogman Bi Comp, and Diamond Comp.

the Diamond was the quietest.

 

[mjstamos]

There are a lot of good options, I use a PettyJohn Crush with parallel compression and a killer tilt EQ that's my fav and I have tried quite a few. Oh and noise and headroom is as good as I have tried.

 

[LKNJ]

Has anyone tried the Rockett IQ? Seems kind of interesting with its integrated graphic EQ.

 

[artdecade]

My Keeley Plus is not hissy.

 

[LKNJ]

My Keeley Plus is not hissy.

what's your secret?

 

[dswo]

I only have two, like 'em both. The Boss CP-1x is quieter than the Xotic SP.

 

[11 Gauge]

I got a Biyang CO-10 Compress X quite a few years ago, simply because it had a reputation as being a good sounding Dyna Comp clone with a stupidly low price.

I'm not a big compressor user, but IMO the Comp X does do the DC thing (more than sufficiently for my modest needs), with decent lower noise.

 

[Edgar Allan Presley]

The best compressor I've used was a Barber Tone Press, and if I remember right, it was quieter than most compressors. But some noise in an analog compressor is inevitable unless it is gated or masked by rolling off high end.

 

[Rolling Estonian]

I've got an old VS Rt 66, love that comp.

M

 

[4pickupguy]

TC Hyper Gravity is pretty darn quiet. SP is not quite as quiet but I like the sound for some things. I bought a Origin Effects Cali ‘76 and haven’t heard it yet, but I understand they are pretty quiet. Many comps get a bad rap as they are designed to make quiet things louder. If you have a noisy power supply arrangement, for example, then when you kick on a comp, you will hear it. The trick to any quite signal chain is good clean isolated power.

 

[soundchaser59]

CMATMODS Deluxe (4 knob)
Barber Tone Press

 

[schmee]

Mine's really quiet, it's been sitting on a shelf for at least 5 years and I haven't heard a peep out of it!

 

[jamesepowell]

Love my Boss CS-3. No hiss.

 

[Guitarteach]

My lexicon rack Fx compressor patch is lovely, but no ones want to hear from an old 80’s throwback.. its all pedals today

i was giving my old 12v MIJ Boss CS-3 a lot of hammer tonight in the home studio.. i can’t say there was any obvious hiss but I was mainly light limiting with it rather than heavy sustain. Its got a huge range from light to unsubtle and a nice tone control which is not too common but really useful to round things out or add some sparkle.

i have been looking at the MXR Studio/Bass compressor. So I am personally interested in any comments on that.

 

[jayroc1]

I love my compressor with overdrive but the noise level is sometimes crazy

 

[MilwMark]

Everybody has a different rig, touch, expectations and context. One person's quiet is another's waterfall of noise. What is heard in the bedroom at whisper volumes disappears in stage din. Impossible to answer.