EBS and Diamond Compressor

Jaydin Nathan · #1 08-31-2008, 03:49 AM

I've searched and read, but I can't seem to find if the Diamond Compressor is good for a slap tone (mainly because it is a guitar-oriented pedal). So, for anyone that has used it, or has it, well, is it? And how is the fingerstyle tone?
I bought an EBS MultiComp the other day, and I love it. The tone is really good, how it lets your initial dynamic spikes come through, BUT, there is always a hiss, and the louder your amp goes, the louder the hiss gets, which is a problem at gigs. Also, I leave the active/passive switch on passive all the time, because active does nothing but make the hiss louder. Has anybody else had this problem?
SO, is there a way to fix the MultiComp (I've only had it for a week), or should I get my money back and spend it on a Diamond compressor, keeping in mind that I live in Australia and cannot try most things out here

Thanks,

Jaydin

**5stringwonder** · #2 08-31-2008, 05:05 AM

Ever since Crabby posted pics of his Diamond compressor, I've been gassing for one...must be the bright yellow

Marill · #3 08-31-2008, 07:49 AM

the hiss maybe coming from other parts of your signal chain, not necessary the compressor itself. the compressor tends to make it more noticeable.

or you just got a defective unit.

I had this problem once and I isolated to an effects pedal that was using power supply on the daisy chain, once I removed that, the hiss was gone.

so the possibilities are that

1. the hiss comes from somewhere else, the compressor just makes it more obvious.

2. you got a defective unit.

Chickencha · #4 08-31-2008, 10:01 AM

I picked up a MultiComp recently and find it to be very quiet. Sounds like there's a problem somewhere (whether it's the MultiComp or something else).

i2k · #5 08-31-2008, 02:50 PM

Never had any hiss problem on mine. Check your chain and power supply.

Jaydin Nathan · #6 08-31-2008, 02:54 PM

The hiss does stop when I turn off the effect though.
Where else would it possibly be coming from (I run straight from my bass, a Yamaha BB615, to the MultiComp, powered by a battery, and into my amp, a Genz Benz Shuttle 3.0, which goes into a Hartke 2.5XL)?

agedhorse · #7 08-31-2008, 03:16 PM

All compressors will increase the noise level by exactly the same amount as the gain reduction in dB occurs (plus any self-noise of the compressor). This is due to the increased overall gain required for appearant average playing level.

If the compressor can operate with true line level signals, the effects loop is where it belongs.

irvinz · #8 08-31-2008, 03:30 PM

i've got my barge concepts volume up pretty high tho, dead silent =p

JohnDavisNYC · #9 08-31-2008, 07:41 PM

my bet is on some mystical combination of 'slapping', compression, active EQ (in the yamaha, no doubt with the treble cranked for said slapping), and a tweeter (likewise cranked for slapping)....

do your amp or bass settings affect the compressor's hiss?

does the compressor hiss when it is plugged into the amp with no bass plugged in?

try to isolate the part of your signal chain BEFORE the comp that is creating the hiss.

if it is indeed the comp itself hissing, by all means return it.

john

nemo · #10 08-31-2008, 07:49 PM

Electronics on Yamaha basses are known to be hissy. MultiComp only amplifies it.
You have Yamaha BB615, I had TRB 5 that hissed and I guess the guts are the same.

Try set the switch on MultiComp from TubeSim to Normal. This mode is quieter.
Otherwise try not to crank highs on the bass preamp but rather on the amp.

rochishin · #11 08-31-2008, 10:11 PM

Have you tried changing the battery or are you using a ps?

Jaydin Nathan · #12 09-01-2008, 12:05 AM

I leave all the electronics on the Yamaha flat at all times. The back (jazz) pick up is a bit more hissy, but I don't use that.
I do all the EQing on the amp, and my tweeter (the 5 inch speaker in the Hartke) is not adjustable. I use a battery and not a power supply.
I am going to try determine if it really the comp this afternoon (by not plugging in the bass), and then I will try change the battery.
Also, I heard Bongo mention something about one of his pre-amps, and that was the reason the MultiComp was hissing. Is it possible this is what's happening with me?

bongomania · #13 09-01-2008, 12:31 AM

It's always possible that there is a bad ground somewhere; even when every piece of gear is top-level professional quality, different pieces may have different grounding schemes, and not all grounding schemes are compatible. I think it's highly likely that there is a ground loop or floating ground somewhere in your rig. The trouble is finding it.

agedhorse · #14 09-01-2008, 08:23 AM

Ground loops, floating grounds, multiple grounds, inadequate grounds etc. are not the cause of excessive hiss. They will result in hum and buzz problems.

bongomania · #15 09-01-2008, 08:39 AM

Agedhorse, there's a first time for everything, and this one time I disagree with you. I have had concrete experiences with grounding conflicts causing hiss- and that specifically includes with the EBS. It was not the typical grounding-buzz-noise that you may be thinking of, it was something about the EBS circuit specifically that hissed when plugged into a preamp with a floating internal ground. I did multiple experiments with that same preamp and that same pedal in different rooms, with different instruments and amps, and got the same results- yet both items work perfectly, with zero hiss, when connected to other pedals or preamps.

scotch · #16 09-01-2008, 08:44 AM

I've used my EBS MultiComp in a variety of studio & stage environments and have yet to hear any "hiss".

okTem · #17 09-01-2008, 09:12 AM

Hey Jaydin what cables do you use mate?? Use good ones I'd say.. one day at a sound check there was this terrible hiss buzz what ever you'd call.... just so nasty that drove me crazy.. I wire everything up with planet waves.. and guess what: the cable had one sealed end. and i just switched the end into the amp and into the effects chain... bingo everything dead silent!!

It's most probably not your EBS multicomp though. Somethin' else..

Jaydin Nathan · #18 09-01-2008, 03:39 PM

Well I use a one-side right-angled, and the other side straight-jack Planet Waves cable (the classic one). I plugged in the effect without the bass, and all I could hear was the static from the lead just being in thin air (which was about the same level as when I play with the MultiComp).
I'm gonna swap 'round the lead today.

Crabby · #19 09-01-2008, 09:44 PM

I can say with confidance that the Diamond comp is the quietest comp I have ever used that actually does something appreciable to my tone. I say this mostly in reference to my Aphex Punch Factory that ZI used for years. It was very quiet but was so subtle that it really couldnt give me any amount of audible compression.

The Diamond is so quiet but adds so much punch and sparkle to my bass tone. I'm not even using the eq control of the internal controls. I can't turn it off! Its just fantastic and highly recommended. Price was very reasonable too for such a nicely built "boutique" pedal.

dannybuoy · #20 09-02-2008, 12:17 PM

My Multicomp used to hiss like a sack full of pissed off rattlesnakes, which was the main reason I sold it. I loved the sound of it otherwise though. Either some of them are defective, or some people just don't hear the hiss becuase they're playing with no tweeter. Mine used to hiss even when turned off, and even when it's the only pedal in the chain. But I now have the Diamond in the post on it's way over to me so hopefully this will provide what I'm looking for!