omni-present compression

[christoph h.]

Hi Justin!

I couldn't think of a good title for this thread, but here's my question:

Do you think that people forget about the fact that a lot of bass-tones we hear are actually compressed, sometimes very heavily?

There's alot of discussion about how certain heroes get their tone, etc. but I think there's not much emphasis put on the fact that people like Nathan East, Will Lee, Lee Sklar, Neil Stubenhaus, even Anthony Jackson, you... well, probably every "recorded" bass has been run through a compressor. If not at tracking, then probably at mixdown. Then probably some more at mastering or at radio and TV-stations.

Even live at the "medium" to "big" gigs, the FOH guy will almost certainly compress the bass.

Maybe it was no coincidence that even you joked about the Aguilar TLC making you "sound like a pro".

Don't get me wrong, I'm all about dynamic control and getting tone from the hands. I own a Demeter compressor pedal but have only used it very seldomly during recording.

But why aren't compressors more present at the "small gigs" through the personal amp and more recognized as a "fact of life" for getting a bass to sit in a mix? The "reference bass sound" we have in our head from listening to music is very likely a compressed sound.

I chose to ask you specifically because you don't seem to use compression in your personal rig but it's very likely that everytime I have heard your playing, your bass has been compressed in some form.

So, any input on this question is welcome!

Thanks for your time!

-Christoph

[jmjbassplayer]

I don't like lots of compression. It's gotta be light. I tried it for a minute w/ Beck, having a Distressor on the road. But I pulled it after a few shows. Very simply because I have a very hard time playing one thing with my hands and hearing another come out of the speakers.

That Aguilar pedal can be very smooth and non-intrusive, yet help out with peaks. Hence it's pretty useful, depending on your taste.


Sure, I've been compressed like crazy in a final mix. But while I'm tracking, I don't want to hear it. It simply interferes with my dynamics too much. So it ends up being highly subjective and highly personal.

Best,
JMJ

[christoph h.]

Hm, just to round this off:

I tried compression on a "live" gig and I didn't like it at all. I will give it another try with different settings, etc., but this first experience wasn't satisfying.

You sit in the mix very statically and can't really work with dynamics in a way that "feeds back" to you so you get inspired by what you're playing. Making fills or certain notes stand out becomes much harder. I felt not "connected" to my playing at all, as if was listening to someone else playing.

And as far as I know I didn't even compress very much. Demeter Compulator "compress" set at 10:30, there was no pumping or choking.