Is a compressor something everyone should have?

[collicsws6z28]

Ive seen some bassists use them and others not. Just curious what the overall advantage of using one would be. Havent noticed an earth shaking difference when using one

[Jared Lash]

http://www.ovnilab.com/articles/necessary.shtml

Originally Posted by collicsws6z28

Ive seen some bassists use them and others not. Just curious what the overall advantage of using one would be. Havent noticed an earth shaking difference when using one

[giacomini]

I was reading about this now in this thread, looks like you read my mind!

back to basics! confessions of a once pedalcohlic

[jg919]

Hi!

Good question - I think every bassist should at least TRY one, to see if it is worth getting one - and I mean try one for a month or two at gigs to 'feel' the difference one makes.

That said, everyone has different tastes, so different compressors also act differently - don't get one (possibly a dodgy one, or a good one with a compression-overdose setting) and just try it out in a shop or for 5 mins in your room/practice area - make sure you explore ALL possibilities and effects it creates within your sound.

Even a hint of comression will reduce your dynamic range and make your sound tighter, more fluid - and your playing will FEEL better!

Definiely check out ovnilabs.com - and for starters, possibly try the MXR's, or a DOD. I have a bunch (each used for different playing situations/applications), but I'd definitely start with an MXR for a rock tone, an old DOD Bass Compressor for 'invisible' compression, or the DOD Milk-Box for super-smoothe or even highly-compressed tone (but in a good way!). Rack compressors are a different beast altogether, and mostly need to be used in an effects loop - research this first, because it's easy to be turned off them.

All the best!
JOHN.

[Mark Olson]

I don't think it's necessary. I've never "needed" one. There's a lot of uses for them, but I find I can get all the compression I want from a tube power section, and I already feel I have complete dynamic control with my right hand technique anyhow; I don't feel the need for any further smoothing of things or anything like that.

[ga_edwards]

I agree with jg919 somewhat. I don't think every bassist should have one, but every bassist who is serious about their craft should be familiar with them as at some point there's a strong chance they will end up going through one whether they know it or not.

[Smokin' Toaster]

Originally Posted by Jared Lash

http://www.ovnilab.com/articles/necessary.shtml

Sorry if this is considered a hijack... feel free to ignore or delete it. I just observed a collision of theory and my 35 years of experience with professional and home audio that I have to take issue with.

The referenced article states:

"Clipping also does not fry speakers, that is a myth that gets repeated all the time, even by professionals. The only thing that fries speakers is sending into them more power than they can handle."

To the person wrote that: Let me plug a 50 watt amp into your 500 watt speaker cabinet and turn it up all the way and wail away for awhile. When your speakers mysteriously stop working (according to you, not "fried" so let's just say "rendered non-functional") then you can explain to me how 50 watts was more power than your 500 watt cabinet can handle.

End of rant/hijack.

[collicsws6z28]

The amp I will be using will be an SVT VR going into an 810.

[theunknowndude]

Originally Posted by Smokin' Toaster

Sorry if this is considered a hijack... feel free to ignore or delete it. I just observed a collision of theory and my 35 years of experience with professional and home audio that I have to take issue with.

The referenced article states:

"Clipping also does not fry speakers, that is a myth that gets repeated all the time, even by professionals. The only thing that fries speakers is sending into them more power than they can handle."

To the person wrote that: Let me plug a 50 watt amp into your 500 watt speaker cabinet and turn it up all the way and wail away for awhile. When your speakers mysteriously stop working (according to you, not "fried" so let's just say "rendered non-functional") then you can explain to me how 50 watts was more power than your 500 watt cabinet can handle.

End of rant/hijack.

that doesnt make sense, re read the article... it says the same rating for both head and cab at that ohm level can generate more power in a spike than that rating,... like it says, 300w into 300w doesnt mean it will peak at that every time you send power into it, repeatedly do that and you may have non functioning speaker

[Smokin' Toaster]

I agree with the statement that amps can produce spikes much higher than their rated power. Big, distorted, square wave, clipped spikes.

Maybe I'm the "flat earth" guy, but I'm 99.999999999% convinced that square waves (clipping) turn voice coils into toaster elements... for a very brief period. Until they cease functioning. But I'm open minded... there is 0.000000001% room for doubt in my mind.

[dvh]

Tried it, gave it up, didn't need it......

[Tim Skaggs]

If you play different basses into different amps and play different styles of music, you will find more than a few applications for a compressor. The overall advantage of using a compressor would be elimination (or at least reduction of) those moments when you slap, pop or use some precussive style that might otherwise create that brief moment of distortion you would like to avoid. Also to keep in mind, there are so many different compressors using different methods of signal processing, you may find one you like a lot better than others.

[scotch]

No.

[savinggrace]

Originally Posted by scotch

No.

+1

[Unrepresented]

I use one because I have an effects chain that can be prone to spikes. I use it mostly as a limiter to avoid blowing cones.

[Headless Llama]

I love mine... I'm not sure if you need one, but I will always play with mine!

[bongomania]

Originally Posted by Smokin' Toaster

I agree with the statement that amps can produce spikes much higher than their rated power. Big, distorted, square wave, clipped spikes.

Maybe I'm the "flat earth" guy, but I'm 99.999999999% convinced that square waves (clipping) turn voice coils into toaster elements... for a very brief period. Until they cease functioning. But I'm open minded... there is 0.000000001% room for doubt in my mind.

Hi, for an eye-opener, go over to the "Amps" forum and check the FAQ there for the word "underpowering"; also use the search function in that forum on that word. There you will find loads of substantiation of what I wrote in that article, and loads of proof that the old "clipping blows speakers" myth is just that--a myth.

Here's another article I wrote that goes into a little more detail on the subject: http://www.ovnilab.com/articles/clipping.shtml

[bongomania]

Originally Posted by Smokin' Toaster

Let me plug a 50 watt amp into your 500 watt speaker cabinet and turn it up all the way and wail away for awhile. When your speakers mysteriously stop working (according to you, not "fried" so let's just say "rendered non-functional") then you can explain to me how 50 watts was more power than your 500 watt cabinet can handle.

Also, just on this particular illustration, I will bet you $50 cash right now that the woofer cones of the 500W cab would not get "non-functional" no matter how hard you crank the 50W amp. You might blow a tweeter, because tweeters are usually only rated for a tiny fraction of the stated wattage rating of the cab. In the 500W cab, for example, the tweeter might only be rated for like 80W--and it would blow. But there is no way for a 50W amp to generate 500W, and there is no way the clipping would do a darn thing to the cones. If square waves killed cones, how could we ever listen to a recording of a pipe organ, a synthesizer, or a Jimi Hendrix guitar solo?

[faceinbass]

Originally Posted by scotch

No.

+2

[randall p]

A compressor is just a tool used to perform certain tasks. If you don't need to perform those tasks, then you don't need it.