do i NEED a compressor?

Bjazzman · #1 02-12-2009, 08:38 PM

i tried asking bongo but he never replied.

I run alot of effects. ALOT of effects. Would not running a compressor do damage to my amp/cabinet? Are there certain compressors suited for this very thing? I don't necessarily need a bass specific one but if it works great on bass that can be a plus. I don't really slap or play with a pick. I do sometimes get what i think might be peaks/valleys with the pedals. I thought maybe getting boost pedals where the volume drops might be the solution but i also thought that maybe putting a compressor at the end of my chain and turning up the overall volume might be the better answer.

am i wrong? and what compressors should i be looking at for my situation? the smaller the better for me. thats why i've considered the demeter but i haven't yet tried it out

Bassenstien · #2 02-12-2009, 08:51 PM

I will say this, I run alot of effects and now that I started usin a compressor I dont know how I did without.
As for which ones, I guess that all depends. I dont think the Demeter would steer you wrong

Swift713 · #3 02-12-2009, 08:52 PM

A compressor might be an answer for you. They do tend to even levels out a bit. It's hard to say without more specifics about your signal chain and the issues you're having. Really the only way to know is to try one or two out. Bongo's site has most of the information that can be conveyed in text on the subject. Any of his recommended pedals would give you an idea if compression is going to help you. You could get a used one in the classified and if it doesn't float your boat you could probably turn it over for the same price.

niftydog · #4 02-12-2009, 09:00 PM

You don't need anything, but if you want a compressor it can make a big difference. Only you can blow up speakers - use common sense and there's no number of pedals that will blow up anything.

The Demeter is a fairly 'strong' sounding compressor, more like a compressor "effect" than a level-balancing utility. It also lacks control compared to other compressors. While a compressor with more controls is harder to set, it also lets you fine tune it to your requirements and technique.

I'd suggest you might be after a limiter instead - this will sit idle until you exceed the threshold at which point it starts to act. This affects your sound less than a compressor might and is literally intended to limit peaks.

Bjazzman · #5 02-12-2009, 09:01 PM

i run instruments-mixer-pedalboard-amp i keep most of the effects in separate loops in my true bypass strip. some of the filters/fuzzes are the ones im most concerned about.

right now the chain of effects is octave and fuzz(in a blend loop), filter, phaser, ring mod, filter, filter, echo/delay, sample and hold w/boost pedal. i might be placing the boost before the 3rd filter since that has a volume drop.

Jared Lash · #6 02-12-2009, 09:08 PM

The problem for me is that I love filters, and the filters I seem to like best crank out huge volume spikes (FX25, AF-9, Funk-A-Duck etc) and even the Pigtronix, which doesn't have huge spikes, does have a big volume boost when engaged.

For me I wasn't as much worried about my cab as I was not wanting to pierce my drummer's eardrums since he's usually right next to my rig.

For me I always have some sort of compression for that purpose.

I'm eventually going to a rack compressor, but for the moment I'm using an Alesis Micro Limiter which does a great job of clamping down on spikes without coloring my tone. So far it's proving to be the best $35 I've spent in a loooong time.

Bjazzman · #7 02-12-2009, 09:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by niftydog

You don't need anything, but if you want a compressor it can make a big difference. Only you can blow up speakers - use common sense and there's no number of pedals that will blow up anything.

The Demeter is a fairly 'strong' sounding compressor, more like a compressor "effect" than a level-balancing utility. It also lacks control compared to other compressors. While a compressor with more controls is harder to set, it also lets you fine tune it to your requirements and technique.

I'd suggest you might be after a limiter instead - this will sit idle until you exceed the threshold at which point it starts to act. This affects your sound less than a compressor might and is literally intended to limit peaks.

also, isn't the demeter compulator a limiter as well? how well does it work as a limiter vs. compression?

niftydog · #8 02-12-2009, 10:36 PM

To really use a limiter properly you need to have a threshold control. You could set the Compulator for a high ratio (akin to a limiter), but it will just squash the b'jesus out of absolutely everything rather than sitting idle waiting to catch peaks.

Of course, it depends on what you really want, but to my mind a limiter should be transparent until you peak it, at which time it should act quickly. Threshold, attack and release are useful controls to have when setting up a limiter to do this.

Bjazzman · #9 02-12-2009, 10:42 PM

i have a lead on a cheap micro limiter. what can i power it with since it doesn't have one?

niftydog · #10 02-12-2009, 11:08 PM

The manual says 9VAC 5VA - which translates to about 500mA. Any power supply that meets of exceeds those specs and has the appropriate connector will be just fine.

bongomania · #11 02-12-2009, 11:11 PM

Note: that's 9V AC not DC. (I know you know, nifty, just spelling it out for others.)

BigOldHarry · #12 02-12-2009, 11:17 PM

no one NEEDS a compressor. If you want one, that's different... I have never liked what they do to my tone - make it all... funny sounding. I just had to learn to slap and pop carefully, which is really what a compressor is for when it comes to bass playing.

Jared Lash · #13 02-12-2009, 11:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigOldHarry

no one NEEDS a compressor. If you want one, that's different... I have never liked what they do to my tone - make it all... funny sounding. I just had to learn to slap and pop carefully, which is really what a compressor is for when it comes to bass playing.

I understand what you're saying, and in terms of technique I can agree to a point.

But once you start including effects, it's a whole different ball game. There's no technique or setting you can use to keep a DOD FX25 (or most filters for that matter) from cranking out huge volume spikes. You either compress things or just deal with the ear piercing.