Your favorite compressor and experiences
- Thread starter VonBonfire
- Start date
D_Malone
Tele-Afflicted
Boss CP-1X ended my search, and I’ve been through quite a few. It is stellar.
Compression is always a game of trade offs. As you increase compression you are usually adding noise, and rolling off treble. The ones that I have found do the best job of preserving your high end are the Xotic SP, Wampler Ego, and the Diamond.
MXR Dyna Comp for me. For years I thought I needed to hear it working and I was turning the sensitivity up too much. Then I didn’t like it and took it off my board, rinse, repeat…….
I finally learned to keep the sensitivity way down and I have kept it on ever since. It does roll off a tiny bit of the highs, but with my rig it’s no big deal. I don’t really hear it but it does help even my pick hand out for quiet playing. It is very effective at giving my SS amp a more tubey feel.
….. The Dyna Comp has been around for a long time for good reason.
I finally learned to keep the sensitivity way down and I have kept it on ever since. It does roll off a tiny bit of the highs, but with my rig it’s no big deal. I don’t really hear it but it does help even my pick hand out for quiet playing. It is very effective at giving my SS amp a more tubey feel.
….. The Dyna Comp has been around for a long time for good reason.
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I liked the MXR DynaComp but tried the Wampler EGO like Brent Mason uses. It was too noisy. I then tried the Keeley 4 knob compressor and that is on my main board now.
I built a tiny board with mini pedals last fall and tried the Keeley mini, but it was too noisy on that board. I am using a MXR mini DynaComp on it.
I built a tiny board with mini pedals last fall and tried the Keeley mini, but it was too noisy on that board. I am using a MXR mini DynaComp on it.
4pickupguy
Doctor of Teleocity
Ok, looked up the Keeley Compressor Plus and the attack/release is the switch labeled “Single Coil/Humbucker“.
Without hearing I am only speculating that the attack is set too short. Take a look at the “Always on” setting below and see if that gets you closer.
As far as other comps, opticals as suggested above are very smooth (soft knee) and are great for subtle things. the digitals are fantastic at the ‘transparent’ thing and offer features only found on high end studio gear like multi-band and side-chaining options. You can literally have it compress your low strings differently than the lower energy high strings Etc. The TC Hyper Gravity is great because you can simply beam a patch in using your phone and your in business. They are analog dry through. There is a patch (TonePrint) called “Arizona Sunrize” by Johnny A that sounds like what you looking for.
I suggest this only because they are thick as flies and cheap used and very simple to use live (knobs at noon gives you TonePrint as written).
Good luck!!
Without hearing I am only speculating that the attack is set too short. Take a look at the “Always on” setting below and see if that gets you closer.
As far as other comps, opticals as suggested above are very smooth (soft knee) and are great for subtle things. the digitals are fantastic at the ‘transparent’ thing and offer features only found on high end studio gear like multi-band and side-chaining options. You can literally have it compress your low strings differently than the lower energy high strings Etc. The TC Hyper Gravity is great because you can simply beam a patch in using your phone and your in business. They are analog dry through. There is a patch (TonePrint) called “Arizona Sunrize” by Johnny A that sounds like what you looking for.
I suggest this only because they are thick as flies and cheap used and very simple to use live (knobs at noon gives you TonePrint as written).
Good luck!!
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dswo
Tele-Holic
The Boss CP-1X was only my second compressor,* but I too stopped looking after I got it. See Paul White's review for SOS: https://www.soundonsound.com/reviews/boss-cp-1x.
* My first compressor was the Xotic SP, which I still have and use. The Boss pedal is quieter, though, and I like the metering.
northernguitar
Poster Extraordinaire
I'm new to using one. I had a cheap Joyo for years and previously owned a BOSS CS-3. Neither tickled my chin and as a result, didn't get used. FWIW, I was playing a lot of heavily distorted humbucker guitar where compression was already present.
However, since getting a Tele, my playing style has changed a bit and I'm using more clean tones. I scored a used TC Electronic Hypergravity compressor pedal. This is multi-band compression and it's nice and quiet.
However, since getting a Tele, my playing style has changed a bit and I'm using more clean tones. I scored a used TC Electronic Hypergravity compressor pedal. This is multi-band compression and it's nice and quiet.
vgallagher
Tele-Meister
Xotic SP Compressor and AC Boost gets me great tone through my DRRI at any volume level, even "bedroom" volume.
VonBonfire
Tele-Holic
I will give that always on setting a try, thanks for linking. I bought the pedal used off MF and it didn't come with a box or any paperwork so I basically set them all at noon and boosted the tone slighty and started working from there.
As for the hyper gravity, as soon as you started talking about beaming settings in with my phone my eyes started crossing and my mind started blanking out. I'm bad with tech. I got my first smart phone a few months ago because they shut my 3g phone off. while my wife was out of town I was a little mad. I just want my flip phone back. Honestly I liked my 2g blackberry better. I could get the kid to help me but I would need his tech support at gigs if I had issues and I don't always carry a phone. He has stacks of servers in his room and I can't navigate anything without toggle switches and tactile knobs. Sounds interesting, being able to control lower strings differently, as that is mostly where the problem seemed to lie, hitting more than one note at a time and sounding overly compressed. The low strings on a 12 bar blues rhythm sounding too squashed.
northernguitar
Poster Extraordinaire
TBH, I only messed with the toneprints when I first got it. I tweak it by hand, mostly in the Spectra mode.
JL_LI
Poster Extraordinaire
I bought a compressor to even out the loudness between unwound and wound strings. Compression blunted attack. I also lost a little of what I’ll call clarity, but I don’t think it’s that. I think that what happened was that some of the harmonic richness was lost in the compression. That might not matter much with distortion which loses harmonic richness on its own, but I play a clean finger style with the flesh of my fingers, not the nails. I don’t want to lose attack. And I found the loudness difference between unwound and wound strings was a timbre difference, not an intensity difference at all. A delay pedal actually does exactly what I need, and like a correctly set compressor, is almost unnoticeable until it’s turned off. Unlike reverb which makes the sound mushy, delay preserves attack. With the delay I use, a Fender Mirror Image Delay, high frequencies fade a bit more with each repeat. This brings the timbre of the wound and unwound strings closer together, if not in reality, at least perceptibly. They “sound” more evenly one to the other, at least to me. That change in the frequency profile of the repeats is effectively a frequency dependent compression.
I play jazz without the delay. I also turn off the delay when I try to emulate an acoustic with an electric. I’ve found that practice and focus on my playing using the feedback loop built into my brain is all I need to make the wound and unwound strings sound at the same perceived intensity. No matter the tools, tone really is in the fingers.
I play jazz without the delay. I also turn off the delay when I try to emulate an acoustic with an electric. I’ve found that practice and focus on my playing using the feedback loop built into my brain is all I need to make the wound and unwound strings sound at the same perceived intensity. No matter the tools, tone really is in the fingers.
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The Diamond unit is what Johnny Marr was using on his Playland tour. If it's good enough for him it's orders magnitude beyond good in my books. Actually, his rig for that concert made me reconsider a lot of things about life.
I haven't had a compressor pedal in years. Had the CS-2 and CS-3. I liked the CS-2 better. Based on a recent Andy Summers kick, I think I'm going to try a Dynacomp. I've never owned one.
You don’t have to use the app - it has a great stock setting called Spectra.
But if you do, it really is dead simple and you will find yourself chuckling at the ease with which it magically beams new tones into your pedal.
Plus, once you find your fave, it is saved in the pedal and you never have to use the app again.
VonBonfire
Tele-Holic
Definitely will keep that in mind for the future. I can text, dial, take photos and share them with others. That's my current smart phone know-how, lol. But it does sound reasonably easy and the kid could always help me out if I need it. Thank you.
Platefire
Friend of Leo's
I use two compressors right at the first of the chain. First a BOSS CS-3 set to a lite setting to increase sustain at lower amp volumes
that I leave engaged all the time. This is to compensate for the lack of natural tube compression you might loose on a low volume setting like on your Twin.
Secondly I have a Dyna Comp because I like do like squash not only for chicken picking but for rock/blues playing that a lot of sustain and feel burning it up on that big amp at low volume setting and not nailing them to the wall. Platefire
The other solution is a smaller tube amp sized for the room that would allow you a lot of naturaltube compression. I'm thinking a Champ or 5E3 Deluxe. Platefire
that I leave engaged all the time. This is to compensate for the lack of natural tube compression you might loose on a low volume setting like on your Twin.
Secondly I have a Dyna Comp because I like do like squash not only for chicken picking but for rock/blues playing that a lot of sustain and feel burning it up on that big amp at low volume setting and not nailing them to the wall. Platefire
The other solution is a smaller tube amp sized for the room that would allow you a lot of naturaltube compression. I'm thinking a Champ or 5E3 Deluxe. Platefire
I could never dial in my old Boss CS-3. It kind of drove me nuts. I now have a Wampler mini Ego that works like a charm. I haven't found it to be noisy at all, but I also use it sparingly.
Rufus
Friend of Leo's
I never bonded with my old Boss CS-3 Compressor pedal, but I gave the Wampler Mini Ego Compressor a try and really like it.
I found it easier to get the results I wanted.
I found it easier to get the results I wanted.
