Compressor for Sustain?

smo · #1 07-25-2008, 09:43 PM

Hi all,

I'm about to get a new compressor, but due to living in western australia (read: wait awhile) I don't have much on offer to try out in the music shops for bass compression. The ones I have tried (Keeley - DOD and others) aren't really doing it for me.

First off - I've read a lot of the compressor reviews by bongomania (thanks mate) and a lot of the other threads about the quality of compression and noise/hiss artifacts etc. Cheers for all the great info boys and gals!

I play a couple of 4 bangers - active and passive - down-tuned to C, F, A#, D# most of the time. So my strings are pretty loose, and I loose a heap of sustain already. I like fuzz

Generally I play through a soft/leave on fuzz - but this is mainly because it helps with bringing back the sustain I've been losing.
I play stoner rock / heavy rock, and I mainly play with a pretty aggressive finger-style - sometimes a pretty aggressive pick action - but I don't generally slap.

What I'm after is a compressor that not only flattens out my input - but give me back my sustain.... A LOT of sustain on tap.
I've been looking mainly at the demeter compulator and the maxon cp-9 pro +.
How do they fair for this?
Are there any other pedals I should be looking at?

Thanks heaps in advance, smo

fenderx55 · #2 07-25-2008, 10:00 PM

I used to have a HBE compressor retro and I think it pretty much accomplished that. I would check it out.

GianGian · #3 07-25-2008, 10:06 PM

Try a Boss CS-3 if avaliable. I has mixed reviews about its use on bass, but it works maverllously for me.

OtterOnBass · #4 07-25-2008, 10:18 PM

How about turning your amp louder and striking the strings softer. That way they don't die quick, but they feel like they're sustaining forever. That's from Gary Willis. I bought his book.

smo · #5 07-25-2008, 10:24 PM

I don't own a volume pedal - but I already vary my playing intensity in different parts of the songs.

theoldmiami · #6 07-25-2008, 10:29 PM

Hmm... my suggestion for sustain would have been the Keeley (especially since you play 4 and not 5 or 6 string basses)

kozbass · #7 07-25-2008, 10:32 PM

I think the CS-3 would be a good bet, and the modded versions are even better. I've got one that does the trick for me. I think CS-3s are pretty widely distributed. I'd say try one out at a shop to see if it works for you. Good luck..

Thunderscreech · #8 07-25-2008, 11:04 PM

I'd try an MXR DynaComp, if you can find one.

bongomania · #9 07-25-2008, 11:20 PM

The DynaComp is essentially the same circuit as the Keeley he tried, but a lot lower quality.

The modded CS-3 is a good bet. Also, while experimenting with whatever pedals you can find out there, try increasing the level of your signal going into the comp. It causes your signal to stay over the threshold longer, and increases the relative volume of your notes when the compression releases. Of course with some pedals it will cause distortion or just sound crappy, so don't be disappointed if that's what you hear sometimes- just move on and try it with a different pedal. I got fantastic sustain results that way with the T-Rex Comp Nova.

Swimming Bird · #10 07-25-2008, 11:52 PM

BBE Opto Stomp.

Swift713 · #11 07-26-2008, 12:03 AM

I've got a Sabine nex 5400 pedal. It sustains for ever. They're discontinued, I don't think Sabine makes pedals anymore, but you can find them on ebay sometimes. My guitar player gave it to me. It seems very flexible to me, has 5 knobs - threshold, level, attack, ratio, and tone. I don't notice any loss of lows or highs with the tone knob set properly and it doesn't make noise unless it's fairly cranked. It took me quite a while to dial it in but I'm pretty happy with it.

smo · #12 07-26-2008, 11:44 PM

Thanks for the input fella's.

Yeah - the Keeley did well, very nice sounding pedal - but I could really hear a loss of lows, and playing the way I do, it was just a little bit too much to drop the cash on it.

I did manage to try the Boss CS-3 (standard) and it did the job, just a bit too hissy when the sustain was up high. I may just have to bite the bullet on a modded one.

But the main thing I'd like to know - does the Demeter compulator or the Maxon CP-9 pro+ do much sustain?
I'm after a bit more of sustain, but I'll prolly be running WITH some kind of sustaining fuzz also.
Thanks again, smo

PocketGroove82 · #13 07-26-2008, 11:51 PM

I like my demeter because it doesn't really mess with the way my bass sounds or the way the touch of the string "feels", if you guys know what I mean.
So I don't think it would help you in the sustain department, after all it's just two knobs you're working with on that one.

smo · #14 07-26-2008, 11:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bongomania

.....try increasing the level of your signal going into the comp. It causes your signal to stay over the threshold longer, and increases the relative volume of your notes when the compression releases.

Okay - so a boost\buffer or an EQ pedal could do that.
The main problem I have is getting round my wah, it really struggles with a hot active input already. So would I increase the input signal to the Comp, but use a low output?
(Then that would go into a fuzz and the wah etc etc....)

bongomania · #15 07-26-2008, 11:54 PM

Yes, you'd adjust the output level of the comp to whatever level best suits the input of the wah. Then you'd use whatever controls/devices are available to make sure the output of the wah is the right level for the next device in line. And so on.

Note that the Maxon has a pretty high output level, it might get ruled out on that count.

smo · #16 07-27-2008, 12:01 AM

Thanks - so the Maxon doesn't play nice with 9v pedals eh?
Thats okay, cos my main fuzz is gonna be replaced by some Mi Audio fuzz pretty soon, and they're pretty adaptable.

So - does the Maxon run on 9v at all? Or only 18v?
The wah I'm using is the Dunlop 105Q

uaudio · #17 07-27-2008, 12:02 AM

I've owned both the Demeter and the Keeley. I love the Keeley for the sustain, and that's about all I love about it when playing bass. I pushed lots of feedback from my tube amps. I disliked the low end rolloff, but if you kind of think of it as an 'effect' (which I generally think the best compressors - Demeter - are not), then you can get great sustain out of it at the cost of low end. If you're playing

Demeter is my everyday workhorse compressor that does what a compressor is supposed to do. Namely, compress. But it does not do sustain. Its totally transparent, and doesn't color your sound nor does it create things that aren't there. If your bass doesn't sustain for hours, the Demeter won't make it.

bongomania · #18 07-27-2008, 12:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by smo

Thanks - so the Maxon doesn't play nice with 9v pedals eh?... does the Maxon run on 9v at all? Or only 18v?

Power supply voltage has barely anything to do with the strength of your signal level. 9V, 18V, means absolutely nothing in terms of output level.

FWIW though the Maxon runs on standard 9V and converts it to 18V internally.

smo · #19 07-27-2008, 01:23 AM

Okay - cool.
Learn something new everyday.

I'm leaning towards the Maxon - for use just before the amp, mainly cos blasting the slave tube amp with hot signal is really appealing to me. And the Boss - due to the sustain it can achieve, and using it first in the chain.

Hmmmm....more homework it seems. I'm gonna go pedal hunting.
Thanks everyone for your input!

Crabby · #20 07-27-2008, 11:34 AM

I just bought the Diamond compressor and its fantastic for bass. Transparent but has the ability to squash pretty good and no low end loss. The eq control is really cool as you can dial in more low end without losing the highs. Its very simple with only three knobs.