Tone hammer with compression live

[BigRedFenderJ5]

I just got the tone hammer and I absolutely love it's capabilities. I play country and rock styles up to 4 nights a week and I like a tight punchy bass sound. My rig is an active jazz with a GK head and ampeg 1540. On my board I'm running a compressor and the tone hammer. When I'm running the compressor in the mix I feel like I lose myself in the mix, even with it at a low compression level.

Does anyone have any recommendations to keep that compressed sound without getting lost in the rest of the bands mix?

Tonight I will try to boost the levels on the tone hammer and keep the compressor at the same level, I would appreciate any suggestions on tweaking my tone.

Thanks TBers

[GrowlerBox]

Try boosting the mid-level a bit and sweeping the mid-frequency control through the low to middle range until you find the "punch" you want. A little of the AGS helps, too.

[testing1two]

If your GK head has an effects loop try running the Tone Hammer into the loop return instead of the input (this will bypass the preamp section of the GK) and see if that keeps things more focused.

[Eublet]

Tell me more about the compressor. What model is it, and what are the settings you are using? If you set it up carefully, a compressor should really fatten and enhance your live tone.

[JimmyM]

a lot of cheap compressors really suck, and imho, you're better off without compression if you can't use a good one.

[BigRedFenderJ5]

I'm using a boss compressor. I hear diamond makes a good one?

[TimmyP]

Try the compressor both pre and post EQ, as it sometimes makes a big difference, depending on the boosts and cuts you make. Of course most of us FOH guys want your DI signal Pre EQ, so keep that in mind. Of course one hopes that the rig has a compressor available for the bass channel(s).

[Killspringer]

Originally Posted by TimmyP

Try the compressor both pre and post EQ, as it sometimes makes a big difference, depending on the boosts and cuts you make.

+1

a compressor will flatten out all the nice eq'ing you did, so it's probably best to have the compressor before any other effects, that way it's not squashing anything but the original bass tone. are you running the tone hammer after the comp?

[Eublet]

Originally Posted by Killspringer

+1

a compressor will flatten out all the nice eq'ing you did, so it's probably best to have the compressor before any other effects, that way it's not squashing anything but the original bass tone. are you running the tone hammer after the comp?

This isn't necessarily the case IME. A good compressor should even out the entire signal, and NOT affect EQ, at least ideally. Some compressors have a voicing in how they work though, so they do alter tone, whether it's pre or post EQ in the chain.

Also, putting a compressor before other FX pedals changes how those work. If you are using a filter or overdrive, then the compressor will soften the spikes so that those FX don't respond the same. That's not always desirable. Putting the compressor after those FX can work to smoothen the output withotu changing how eveything responds.

There is no right or wrong answer here. You just have to experiment. However, having a good compressor is necessary. I've not tried them all, but I've tried the ones that most people rave about the most, including the Maxon CP9+, EBS Multicomp, Demeter Compulator and Aguilar TLC. I've tried other pedals that really aren't worth mentioning IMO, along with some nice rack compressors. For pedals, nothing I've tried beats the TLC, and I highly recommend it for bass guitar use.