Diamond Compressor vs. Demeter Compulator - Worth a change? Your experience?

zippydog · #1 11-29-2008, 10:09 PM

I've currently got the Demeter Compulator and overall I've been pretty happy with it. I use it as an "always on" effect to keep my signal smoothe and punchy. For the most part, I'm a happy clam.

OK, now that that's out of the way, I've read great things about the Diamond Guitar compressor pedal and have some heart to try one out.

Based on a little research, I've learned that for active basses the Diamond is better at 18v than 9v to avoid clipping. (My basses are both Musicman Bongos, so those preamps are hyperactive!). Read another Bongo owner saying he had to "dime" the Diamond at 9v to match his Bongo output with pedal off, so another point for 18v operation of the Diamond.

I have a Dunlop Brick on my board, so 18v is no problem for me if I were to try a Diamond.

That said, can anyone share experiences comparing the Diamond with the Demeter? How do they differ? Is making a change worth the fuss?

Thanks in advance!
-Paul

FreaqyFrequency · #2 12-04-2008, 02:28 PM

Bump, for I too am curious.

afroman · #3 12-04-2008, 05:14 PM

I am absolutely subscribing to this thread.
I love my Compulator but as GAS never stops, and reading good things about the Diamond compressor, I'm very curious.

I also read about having to power with at least 18V to get proper headroom (it takes from 9V-24V from what I remember).

You could always buy it, compare them and let us know

zippydog · #4 12-04-2008, 08:21 PM

Quote:

You could always buy it, compare them and let us know

And so could you!

afroman · #5 12-04-2008, 08:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zippydog

And so could you!

I'm thinking about it, trust me!

zippydog · #6 12-22-2008, 09:13 PM

Diamond should arrive tomorrow.
Unfortunately the Demeter's gone so no A/B comparison.
First impressions to follow.

Crabby · #7 12-22-2008, 09:39 PM

I have had my Diamond since the summer and just love it. I have no issues whatsoever with using 9v and I have pretty hot basses (Stingrays) The Diamond comp works so well to even out my tone and give me a sense of comfort when pushing my rig as i know I wont overextend my speakers.

My tone stays pure and true and there is no loss of lows, highs, or added noise. Its a sweet little comp and much more tweakable then thePunch Factory I had before. Never tried a Compulator so i can't compare, but the Diamond has worked out very well for me.

afroman · #8 12-22-2008, 09:41 PM

Let us know!

The Universe · #9 12-23-2008, 07:32 AM

One more positive review, and I'm buying one.

FreaqyFrequency · #10 01-03-2009, 06:58 PM

Do you have it yet Zippy? What do you think?

zippydog · #11 01-13-2009, 08:41 PM

Well,
I've been hanging back from posting some thoughts while waiting for more info. from Diamond, but since I don't yet have it...here goes.

First, important to share how I use a compressor in my rig:
Compressor is the first FX in the chain -all others follow. I use compression to smooth peaks and add a bit of sustain. I don't use a heavy compression and expect a "neutral" tone coming from my compressor (tone in = tone out). That qualifier out of the way...here goes:

My MEMORY of the Demeter was that its compression effect was subtle but effective with a bit of "warming" coloration to the overall tone. Operation was quiet and neutral to the noise floor, but effective in smoothing out my overall sound.
As mentioned before, I no longer have the Demeter, so I've got to post this based on memory, NOT comparison to other pedals. I had no issues with the Demeter. The only reason I parted with the Demeter was to see what other compressors might be like.

Currently, I'm in the process of comparing the Maxon CP9 Pro+ compressor to the Diamond optical compressor.

Initial thoughts...

Maxon CP9 Pro+...
The Maxon is very flexible and an amazing compressor. It delivers a very neutral sound and compresses as much or little as you choose with great control ability. It does add a bit of hiss to your signal chain (please know that I've observed this by practicing under headphones. In a live setting, I'm not sure this would matter much, but the hiss is there...even with gain on the Maxon set at 8:30). Tone coming out is same as the tone going in...just what you would want...allbeit a bit of a clinically precise sound. I won't use the word "sterile" but this pedal truly adds NOTHING to your sound. If that's your thing, this is your compressor. Note: because this compressor steps 9v up to 18v, I had power problems with it when powering up my Dunlop DC Brick power supply. The Dunlop would not power up with the power draw of the Maxon, but would run OK if I powered up my pedal board first, then plugged in the Maxon. This might be OK for you, but I found it to be a P.I.T.A. and a disappointment for such an expensive pdeal.

Diamond...
Waaaayyyy clean sound with almost ZERO noise added under headphones and in live operation (much less than the Maxon...but again, these are small degrees of difference but be assured that the noise floor here is absolutely lower!). Easy to dial in compression to taste and the EQ sweep knob is excellent to ensure that you get the tone you want. I should note that the Diamond EQ does alter the sound (vs. dry) somewhat by adding what sounds like a band of low/mid boost, but I found the small add to low/mid freq. to be a good add...you may not. If you don't like it, you can disable the tone knob via. a toggle switch inside the pedal. Either way, you can adjust for this with the tone controls on your bass or amp. From a little compression to a lot, this compressor gets it done in a very clean and quiet way and the dual LED light is useful in telling you when the compressor is engaged. This pedal is nice for smoothing the sound for sure (my primary application). I found this pedal best at 18v operation for my (very hot) Bongo bass preamp vs. 9v....YMMV, but 9v wasn't as "clean" a sound overall. My one issue with this pedal is a very slight low frequency "suck" on my E and B strings (worst on "B"). This is slight and most noticeable under headphones. When I play live, I don't miss a thing.

The good folks at Diamond have a bass mod they'll do for you to eliminate the low freq. loss I note above. That mod will run you $50 U.S. plus return shipping.

Hope you found this useful.
Cheers!

P.S. I'm also going to post this in a seperate thread.

FreaqyFrequency · #12 01-13-2009, 09:14 PM

Sounds great zippy! I'll be waiting for more news on that bass-exclusive compressor.

How would you compare the noise from the Demeter to the noise from the Diamond?

-Sean

zippydog · #13 01-14-2009, 09:26 AM

Sean,
Without having the Demeter to A/B with Diamond, I'm going from memory. That said, I'd put both at an equally low noise floor with no added hiss. Very quiet. Both definately quieter than the Maxon. Important to note that your mileage may vary depending on where you put gain levels. For me, with a very active preamp, I can keep pretty low.

Toasted · #14 01-23-2009, 04:39 AM

Fresh juice from Toasted.

dannybuoy · #15 01-23-2009, 04:51 AM

I've been meaning to experiment with mine using FDeck's RTA software to see how flat the response is, how much it rolls off the lows, and if the EQ jumper removed is the same as having the dial in the middle....

Couldn't see that pic on the WTDP site Toasted, is it just the standard comp with the bass mods done and a sticker whacked on the top?

micahbell · #16 01-23-2009, 07:40 AM

I have never played the Demeter, but I love my Diamond Compressor is my favourite compressor stomp box I have tried.
I am very, very interested to see what the Bass Compressor is like...

dannybuoy - on Jan 5th Diamond mentioned on their site that they were bringing a Bass Compressor to NAMM, so I am assuming that picture is a prototype.

zippydog · #17 01-23-2009, 08:54 AM

Quote:

on Jan 5th Diamond mentioned on their site that they were bringing a Bass Compressor to NAMM

I'm very interested in this and when it may start shipping. They told me in an email the bass compressor was going to NAMM due to high interest in their existing unit from bass players.

I'm going to hold off on getting the $50 mod. on mine for now cuz if they launch the new one soon, I'd rather just have that - assuming it addresses the small low end concern noted above.

Nothing on their site yet about it. Hoping for a return email from them. Will share if I learn any more (please do the same).

bongomania · #18 01-23-2009, 09:38 AM

I will wait too, since I have "owed" them a review for a long time, and knowing in advance the original would lose a bit of low end kind of dampened my interest in paying too close to the "new" price for one.

Guess I'll email them and ask for a demo model to review.

dannybuoy · #19 01-25-2009, 02:11 AM

I got this reply from Diamond when I asked about modding the original for extended low end response:

Quote:

The change is just a couple of caps, we can do that in our shop. Please email aimish@diamondpedals.com and he can work out all the logistics. The mod does give flat response down to 20 Hz.

Also, we have a dedicated version coming out very soon as the 'Bass Comp'. This will come standard with the extended low frequency response, as well as some new additions such as a toggle switch to change between two different voicings of the tilt eq, and the inclusion of an 18 or 24V adapter supply for additional headroom (you can still power from 9V battery as in the original if desired).

Thanks for your support!

Cheers,

Michael Knappe
Diamond Pedals.

zippydog · #20 02-26-2009, 08:27 PM

Well, gang if you stop by the Diamond web site, you can see they've added the bass compressor. Aimish there tells me that they were going to ship by late March and that timeline may have slipped a bit due to other projects.

Watch this space...hoping there will be more news soon!!