Dumb question - what can a compressor pedal do in a gig setting and why would you want or not want to use one?

[cyclopean]

I’ve been trying to use the clean boost at the end of my pedal board as a master volume for the board, and I’m finding it works better for that on some amps than others, and i had a really rough time the last time i played out because i was having trouble getting the amp quiet enough to not drown out the drum machine at a place with an underpowered PA. Would adding a compressor to the end of my board help with this?

 

[Brett Valentine]

I run 2 compressors, an optical comp post gain (into a clean amp, or into an amp sim going direct) just to give me that "pushed" feel to step up any lead (all touch dynamics to the overdrives are maintained). It's set just enough to bring out all the pick/finger articulation (definitely good for "Knopfler-esque" type stuff). I also have one pre gain (but post Timmy) to give me that long, smooth lead sustain. The two together get pretty "in your face" squeezy for funk and country type stuff.

I used to use a Boss compressor as an always on which sucked the life out of much of my playing. I remedied that by turning off the compressor and simply turning up the amp, so I fully get the players who have no use for a compressor. Turn the amp up loud enough and the guitar and amp become one unit that reacts, and a compressor can become pretty superfluous.

 

[WireLine]

I’ve used compressors for 30+ years…some good, some not so good. The trick is to find a sweet spot that only activates when your picking attack dictates.

About a month ago, scored a new Carl Martin compressor that quite easily puts the others to shame. Aside from smoothing things out, finding the sweet spot was an absolute breeze. Just the slightest change in right hand pressure invokes extreme compression or just a touch.

Granted they ain’t for everyone but for me they are a godsend.

 

[NoTeleBob]

Obviously there's a lot of variety to "what do you use a compressor pedal for" because there's a lot of variety in what pedal "compressors" do when used at the guitarist level.

All pedals "compressors" do some sort of compression. But there's a wide variety of features on what's called a compressor and whether they let you control the limit, attack, release, blend, and output level.

Every compressor should have the ability to adjust at least those five parameters above. Few do.

Then, some add in clipping of some sort on many because we guitarists like clipping and put it everywhere. Perhaps some other sound tweaks that don't really belong to a "compressor" but that a guitarist might want and enjoy.

Let's also note that many (most) of those controls end up miss-labelled. "Sustain" is not a feature of a compressor, it's a side effect. But that's what the control is called on some. Etc.

When we're presented with the question "Do you use a compressor and what for" it's tough to answer because we don't even really know what the device the individual is using does.
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EDIT: Here's an article that might explain what a compressor really does better. But the above description might apply better to most pedals - this is more studio compressor oriented : https://producelikeapro.com/blog/what-is-a-compressor-ratio/

 

[bendercaster]

I never cared for compressors, but I also think I didn't really understand how to use them. All the ones I tried seemed noisy too. But, I eventually put a diamond style compressor on my board to help bost my signal going into an EHX organ pedal. What I discovered though is that I really like it as an effect in a band setting--into my Deluxe Reverb it adds an extra jangle and helps my guitar sit in the mix better with the other guitarist. With a chorused pitch shifter in front of it, I can approximate a 12 string sound pretty well too. Saves me from having to drag along a 12 string for just one or two songs.

 

[NoTeleBob]

Pointing at my post just above on what a "compressor" does, I see most guitarists falling into all these categories:

- Players who want that country cluck. The Dynacomp attack.
- Players that want to level their sound for even output
- Players who want long sustain and get it by strongly limiting the peaks and boosting the level back up overall.
- Players that want creamy distorted sustain so they add some clipping to the above limit/boost
- Players that really just use a compressor as a boost and or tone control
- Players that use a compressor, sometimes with some of the above tweaks, to drive the amp front end or another pedal harder.

 

[sinecrafter]

Compressors can be used to do several different things, including expansion—the opposite of compression—depending on how you set them.

I tend not to use compression on electric guitar, because electric guitar doesn’t really have that much dynamic range, to begin with. On acoustic-electric guitar, I consider compression almost de rigeur, as acoustic-electric guitars with piezo pickups have very wide dynamic ranges, and compression and/or limiting can be very helpful in taming inadvertent peaks. On bass guitar, I more often use my compressor as an expander, to accentuate the attack of the note, but I’m also fine without using a compressor on bass.

One of the problems with compression, particularly on bass guitar, is that wideband analogue compressors, particularly of the pedal variety, aren’t well-suited to the wide frequency range. They are better on electric guitar. For bass instruments and mastering, I think digital multiband compressors are much better.

For live audio reinforcement or recording, the more compressors I can get, the better. The best thing about modern digital mixers is having high quality compression available on every input channel without resorting to a huge rack of outboard gear. If I can, I will compress at every stage: input, bus, mains, and mastering, a little bit at each stage, rather than all at once. Compression also tends to work best when you use it subtly, rather than trying to use it like a sledgehammer.

 

[PoorNoodle]

I NEVER use a compressor in my signal chain when playing. I rely on natural compression in the amp (or the acoustic). I ALWAYS use a compressor when recording and/or mixing. For me a compressor comes after the microphone, never before it…

All my recording is digital so avoiding digital distortion is a must when recording, the transient peaks need to be contained. If I was recording to tape it would be a different story.

 

[BlueShadows]

I like to use compressors as a clean boost at the end of my chain. The sustain and attack are set around 11 o'clock and the level and tone are just a notch above my rhythm playing so solos stick out a bit. I feel like with this setup you get some of that added sustain for held notes while maintaining the ability to have dynamics with your instrument, because you are not overly compressed. YMMV.

 

[4pickupguy]

I think compressors can be particularly helpful to Strats on the 2 & 4 positions. Those tones are kind of inherently weak with very rapid decay. Some subtle compression can give them a little more heft and sustain. P90s, humbuckers, and Tele pickups are a little more robust, inherently, so don't need a compressor's help as much as Strats, IMO.

I call this the plinky zone. It can be extremely anemic especially at lower volume. This is where a comp can approximate an amp in compression. Parallel compression makes this feel right by preserving the transients.

 

[teletail]

I just don't really know what it would do or understand how I could use it.

If it aint broke, don't fix it. Too many people run out and buy a pedal because "everybody" says they have to use one. Two of my guitar heros use them, Johnny Hiland and Daniel Donato, use them so I tried them out, getting advice from each of them on how to use one. I finally just gave up because I couldn't make it work for me.

I sure wouldn't take one to a gig if I didn't know how to use it. I don't know what the point would be.

 

[scooter44]

You can manage your sustain to your preference. You can level up soft notes if you miss something. You can keep a ceiling on unintentional loud notes.

And you can give the sound engineer the most consistent output.

Or you can just leave it off and let the dynamics of your playing come through.

 

[Killing Floor]

Or you can just leave it off and let the dynamics of your playing come through.

If you could name a guitarist whose sound has no compression I’d like to check it out. Let me know.

But pro tip, there isn’t a clip that hasn’t been compressed in any media on earth. So you can set your own sound or you can let the tech or engineer or producer choose it for you.

 

[Alex_C]

With immense respect for the folks who play with nuance and dynamics, I get where you are coming from. And I wish that I were a more broad musician. But that just aint me.

I don't play solo, I don't play acoustic (only on the sofa) and as a musician I am always trying to find the spot where I sit in the mix the best. A compressor helps with that.

I think that it takes a long time to learn how to get what you want out of a compressor. The biggest question is where are you putting it in the chain? Next... what do you want it to do?

To me a compressor is a magic problem solving box. But I am not of the "roll back the volume on the guitar guy" I'm a "push the button and get the sound" kinda guy. (FRFR only lately)

I am also a bass player primarily, so for a bass player a compressor is the single most effective tool for playing live. - I will stand by that - I can do any with out needing a preamp, amp sim, EQ or gain of any type. Bass into a compressor and to the board, and I'm good.

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Regarding guitar gigs:
Generally the among the first things that the guitar hits on my board is a compressor and a gate. Both always on. position dependent on application.

For guitar work, my favorite use for a compressor is cleaning up semi gritty rhythm parts while keeping the level of distortion under control (comp into gain).

Comp after the gain pedal can also be really great especially when stacking.

My pedals on the board are mostly bulky and analog. And I like more of them than I need. Knobs fill my heart with joy.
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An all digital board is IMHO almost always a better choice... but it is no fun at all compared to staring at a 16" X 22" board with 50+ knobs, switches, toggles and blinky lights.

All of my sound really comes from gain pedals and stacking. A comp is a great tool when using that approach.

Lately the end of my signal chain is generally a NUX Amp Academy. On the AA I use a single patch, set and forget style. That box polishes the signal with (very clean) amp model filtering, an IR, splash of short room reverb, comp and EQ.

So most boards in my house have at least two always on compressors. And I am really liking one in front of the Walrus Eras pedal lately.

Those "horse" pedals are Joyo designs. Where did your source them? I prefer their knobs.

 

[Twang-ineer]

Those "horse" pedals are Joyo designs. Where did your source them? I prefer their knobs.

Amazon, and they are back in stock. And yes, the form factor is better... less fancy. but better on a board.

 

[D_Malone]

There are a lot of valid arguments for, and against, using a compressor here. I think the old adage “if it sounds good, it is good” applies here.

If you’re on the fence, buy a used compressor pedal. Don’t spend a lot. Try it at home. Try it live. You’ll either ask yourself “how did I ever live without this?” or “why do I need this?”

 

[charlie chitlin]

Much to the chagrin of the likes of Classical violinists, I feel the the electric guitar is the most expressive/nuanced instrument we have.
Why anybody would want to step on a pedal that would flatten out all those beautiful peaks and valleys is beyond me.
I would have lived to have heard Lowell George without it.
Maybe to use it like a wah pedal...2 or 3 songs a night.
It's the Harrison Bergeron of pedals (arcane literary reference).

 

[D_Malone]

Much to the chagrin of the likes of Classical violinists, I feel the the electric guitar is the most expressive/nuanced instrument we have.
Why anybody would want to step on a pedal that would flatten out all those beautiful peaks and valleys is beyond me.
I would have lived to have heard Lowell George without it.
Maybe to use it like a wah pedal...2 or 3 songs a night.
It's the Harrison Bergeron of pedals (arcane literary reference).

The electric guitar, being an electronic instrument, can actually be too dynamic sometimes. And, compression can be used as an effect, e.g. “chicken pickin”.

David Gilmour and a bunch of country pickers may disagree with with you. But then, maybe you’re not a fan.

 

[srblue5]

Thanks everyone for the advice and input!

I ended up trying out the Analogman Juicer at the gig. I only clicked it on for a few songs. Thankfully, it wasn't the disaster that trying out a fuzz pedal for the first time at a gig proved to be (sheesh, I should've mailed apology cards to everyone in my band for putting up with that!).

I found the compressor most useful as kind of a volume boost for leads and picked arpeggio parts that I didn't necessarily want to turn the gain up for. That band and I do some worldbeat-ish sounding song where I sometimes play percussive guitar parts reminiscent of Ray Phiri/Graceland/The Rhythm of The Saints. Unfortunately, when played clean, those can get lost in the mix, but turning up the guitar volume just turns it into a muddy mess. The compressor helped smooth it out and bring up the overall volume (or at least it did to my ears).

I clicked it on a few other times that night but it didn't do anything else that was particularly noticeable or useful to my ears, so I left it off. I tend to be less-is-more when it comes to effects other than overdrive (and even then, if bandmates and sound guys would let me crank my PRRI, I'd be happier).

 

[fretknot]

Of the few pedals I've used, the Dyna Comp was one that was always on in the signal. I got out of the practice of using it. These days I'm not using pedals. I work with what my amp delivers and changes in picking dynamics. Back to the basics.