Do I need 2 compressors? 3? Maybe 4?

[Banana_phone]

Hi there!

I have an active ESP LTD D-4 and because I slap that thing on some songs, I decided to buy a compressor, the BBE Opto, but here is the thing:
- Now that I have the money for the BBE, I get into tapping and incorporate it into a music. Because my tapping technique is not yet very strong, I see the need for a compressor whille tapping. The Question is:

- Can I use the BBE compressor for slapping and tapping? And if yes, with the same settings? If not, what compressor would you recomend for tapping?


Thanks in advance for the help (I hope to see the bongosmania invisible ship land on this thread ).

[whoatherechunk]

why would you need four compressors?

[Banana_phone]

Originally Posted by whoatherechunk

why would you need four compressors?

I was just being a di*k head.

[whoatherechunk]

haha! good deal. i wouldn't see why tapping would affect your compressor tone/overall tone. just adjust the levels.

[Banana_phone]

You mean, I just raise my volume right? (with a volume pedal, or bost pedal thats after the compressor)

[bongomania]

IMO the low ratio of the OptoStomp is better suited to evening out the tapping rather than limiting peaks from your slapping.

If you go through radically different dynamic styles, and if you have not yet mastered consistency just with your hands, then yeah I could see having two comps, only one engaged during the tapping segments, only the other engaged during the aggro slapping, and both engaged when you're Tony Levin. Or you could set up the limiter one (for the slapping) with a very high ratio and threshold such that it doesn't do anything to your non-aggro signals, and leave them both on. But note that at the lower budget range, you can expect some dulling of your overall tone (and increased noise) when running two comps "on", even when their thresholds are not yet crossed. So really I'd only recommend two at once with a more high-end system.

[Banana_phone]

Soo great-guru-of-compression Bongomania, would you advise me to set my BBE for tapping evenness and get a Boss LMB-3 seted up for slapping purpouses?
The most "Levin" situation I can think of is when I do my sort of rasperado technique while fretting chords (yes, it can get somewhat messy) in wich I would then leave both the BBE and LMB on.

PS: Your ovnilab site is a great resource, thanks for putting that up!

Ohh, another thing, by high-end systems do you mean bass head and bass or the compressors themselves? I have a Shuttle 6.0.

[bongomania]

Originally Posted by Banana_phone

would you advise me to set my BBE for tapping evenness and get a Boss LMB-3 seted up for slapping purpouses?

Yes, that would work fine.

Originally Posted by Banana_phone

by high-end systems do you mean bass head and bass or the compressors themselves? I have a Shuttle 6.0.

I meant the comps themselves. The Shuttle is a great amp, nothing lacking there. It's just that with many compressors, even "good ones", the noise and signal coloration of running two in series can be too much sometimes. So for that I would recommend a really good rack unit like the Ashly CLX-52 or the dbx 1066 or the Rane DC24, something along those lines.

But if you are just mostly going to use them one at a time, then ordinary good pedals are fine.

[jufros]

I thought about adding a second compressor but my first one is a rack. I thought it might be nice to add one before my stomp boxes but I'm not sure it's worth the hassle.