Bass note drive on compression

[Ferengo]

Ok so I'm new to buying effects. I've always gone for a stripped back sound but figured after speaking to a bassist about his sound that a compressor was one of the keys I was missing.

I use an Ashdown rig so I thought that the Ashdown compressor might be the way to go. Wrong!!! It arrived and I plugged it in straight away. High notes sounded clear and slightly more lively, but the bass notes sounded muddy as hell, even distorted at times.

I used a thunderbird so I thought I'd try my jazz bass, same problem. I even tried into an amp simulator and the same problem. If I redcud the input to the bare audbile minimum then the drive goes but the tone seems somewhat lost.

I got a refund but the guy says he tried out other compressors in the store and found that all bass compressors do this. That doesn;t sound right to me but I may be wrong. Any advice?

[Kosko]

http://www.ovnilab.com/

[Ferengo]

Originally Posted by Kosko

http://www.ovnilab.com/

Cheers, but I'd been looking on there already. Can't see anywhere where it explains bass notes distorting on dual band compression being the norm.

[camiloochoa]

I´m not a fan of compressors, IMHO i think that compressors are something that sound engineers should take care of, not bass player´s.

[bongomania]

Originally Posted by Ferengo

Cheers, but I'd been looking on there already. Can't see anywhere where it explains bass notes distorting on dual band compression being the norm.

Well, it's not the norm per se... however the earlier-production Ashdown comp is prone to distortion, and even the later ones may distort if fed a very high input signal. Same is true of many other comps, that they will distort if the input is too high. Also for comps that have "release" knobs, setting the release too fast can result in distortion on bass.

Another thing that people often hear as distortion from a compressor is when the signal is being overcompressed, this can result in the signal sounding mushed up or glitchy. When trying a comp, any comp, if you hear any unpleasant artifacts or noise, try turning down the amount of compression. A lot of people just crank it and then they say "compressors suck".

[anthowl]

hm, i certainly wouldn't say all comps do that.
the dude at the shop was probably trying to talk you into shutting up and leaving.
i use an Ashdown rig also with usually a Guyatone BL-2. they're discontinued but one pops up every now on ebay. it's tiny and powerful and goes from subtle to heavy squash.
things can get growly when the threshold is maxed but other than that it's clear and punchy.