Compressors necessary?!?!

[slapmachine]

Whats the low down with compressors, do i need one? If so can you guys reccomend one that rocks with some thought of price in mind. Tryin to get this money used up as well as i can !

[millerfreak]

I play slap, and in live situation or even recording, I do feel the need of compressor just to even out the dynamics..

I use EBS Multicomp.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDotbYSw_yE

[slapmachine]

Ok, that helps a lot because i slap a ton too lol

[millerfreak]

Yeah. MultiComp is one good pedal. I've tried the Boss LMB3 or Boss Compressor and they aren't good. MultiComp is 2 band compressor, meaning that it separates the high and low freq.. It's got 3 modes. Normal, Tube & MB. Very very good if you don't want to fork out alot of money for rack compressor.

[bongomania]

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

[JimmyM]

i was using one and now i don't. i like not using one better. let the house guy crush my tone if he must, but i like to hear it as is these days.

[crustychef]

I'm diggin' my Aguilar TLC. Not too squishy, not too much tone color, just right.

[Chowowbus]

I have moved away from compressors, I could see using one if i played slap-a-bass but I dont.

[Swift713]

To my ear, my compressor makes my bass sound more electric as opposed to acoustic. It imparts a certain flavor and that's what I use it for. More punch, gloss, tension.

[RickenBoogie]

If you want your tone to sound slightly to heavily compressed, a compressor is necessary. Otherwise....

[FromTheBassMent]

I don't slap... I play fingerstyle exclusively. But compression is my favorite effect for bass. I like my compression transparent for the most part, and am delighted with my EBS Multicomp. I also use a Durham Sex Drive for a mildly overdriven tone, and that has its own compression circuit. Do I run the EBS compression at the same time as the Sex Drive compression? Yes I do! It works on a couple of tunes we do where I need to sustain notes over a full measure or even two at slow tempos. Heavenly.

[plangentmusic]

Both live and in the studio -- too much compression will squash the sound and you lose punch and dynamics.

But a TEENY bit, does even out the sound and controls peaks without affecting the sound too much.

So...I use a TEENY bit.

Pretty simple.

[Jeremy Allen]

If you can figure out how to make it do what you need it to do, a good compressor can be an essential (almost magical) part of your sound. But in my own experience, it can take a lot of knob tweaking (and a lot of thinking "how is this better, or even not worse, than just my unaffected signal?") before you nail it. I'm using an Aguilar TLC right now, and when I get it in the sweet spot I'm in heaven.

[bongomania]

^^^ That's where I'm at too. I have spent enough hours tweaking what I want from a compressor that I am able to stay in the "magic tone sweet spot" where it doesn't negatively affect the sound/feel of my dynamics. But it certainly did take a lot of time and work to get there.

[P. Bass]

Anyone use the dbx 160a compressor? (1/2 rack)
B.

[Chasarms]

I am using the Markbass one right now. Big, bulky and expensive. But, it sounds pretty good.

[m.oreilly]

Originally Posted by Chasarms

I am using the Markbass one right now. Big, bulky and expensive. But, it sounds pretty good.

it's got that through tube comp going on though. my next purchase

[bongomania]

Originally Posted by P. Bass

Anyone use the dbx 160a compressor? (1/2 rack)

The half-rack one is the 163A or 163X. Unless you mean the oldest ones, the 160 with no suffix (sometimes called the 160 VU).

[P. Bass]

Originally Posted by bongomania

The half-rack one is the 163A or 163X. Unless you mean the oldest ones, the 160 with no suffix (sometimes called the 160 VU).

1/2 space rack mount


B.

[bongomania]

That is one full rack space.