I decided to go buy a compressor pedal

nboyer941 · #1 02-06-2009, 09:06 PM

So I got to the store and I tried the mxr dyna comp m102 pedal and the boss limiter/enhancer pedal.

I thought I wanted something that would compress to the max so that all of my notes would be squished to the same volume. So, I decided to go with the mxr m102.

I got it home and realized how much of a tone sucker it is. My amp sounds like crap now. Also, I think I'm realizing that I don't want the compressor to be as sensitive as I thought I did. A little more range in there is a good thing for dynamics.

So, I'm thinking about going to exchange it for the boss enhancer/limiter because I know that it actually makes the tone better, it just doesn't compress as much. (probably a good thing)?

Do some of you run a compressor like this and add a different pedal for tone?

any advice for a newb?

nboyer941 · #2 02-06-2009, 09:24 PM

umm ok I think I fixed it. I had my compressor first (closest to my bass) and my boss tuner second (closest to amp). I switched them around and now it sounds better but still takes away from the tone.

JimmyM · #3 02-06-2009, 09:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nboyer941

any advice for a newb?

Yeah. Quit cheating and work on your technique. Compressors make your bass sound like crap when you squish the sound so much. So all your notes are even but nobody wants to hear it because it sounds like a big rubber band.

Work on making every note sound even as you play it, then maybe later on add a slight bit of compression just to tame the occasional peaks and valleys. Or if you want to make it sound like a rubber band as an effect, slam it on now and then. You should never use gear to solve technique problems. Yeah, I know, I'm an old fart totally unused to you young folks' modern ways. Back in the day before the wheel was invented, we had to make do with practicing.

secretface · #4 02-06-2009, 10:24 PM

I like compression for real low volumes cause it kinda sounds like when you have your amp kranked. I mean the string response or balance in volume between strings is less noticeable at 300 watts as opposed to like 20 watts (using same amp). So compression for me works in that setup at low volumes.

phatbass · #5 02-06-2009, 10:34 PM

The MXR (I have an old block logo) is, in my opinion, more of an actual effect. As you've discovered, it squishes the bejesus out of the signal and totally destroys your dynamics. I use it when I want a hellacious heavy, but non-distorted sound.

The Boss (I also have one and use occasionally) is more an actual compressor and is mu preferred pedal compressor of choice.

nboyer941 · #6 02-06-2009, 10:45 PM

phatbass, does that boss make your tone sound better overall? That is what it seemed like at the store.

bongomania · #7 02-06-2009, 10:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nboyer941

umm ok I think I fixed it. I had my compressor first (closest to my bass) and my boss tuner second (closest to amp). I switched them around and now it sounds better but still takes away from the tone.

Please read the FAQ linked in my sig to learn how a compressor works and should be used.

There is no way on earth switching it around with the tuner fixed anything. That just doesn't make sense. You probably just turned a knob without realizing it.

The Boss Limiter will sound like butt if you use it badly. Same is true for any compressor.

nboyer941 · #8 02-06-2009, 10:52 PM

My compressor only has two knobs....sensitivity and volume. My sensitivity is all the way down. How else is there to use it? I'm reading the faq now.

lovenotfear · #9 02-06-2009, 11:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nboyer941

umm ok I think I fixed it. I had my compressor first (closest to my bass) and my boss tuner second (closest to amp). I switched them around and now it sounds better but still takes away from the tone.

i have my mxr super comp as my first pedal before my tuner, and it works great, the trick is to not turn your bass volume all the way up, bring it down some and your compressor will work better, also you have to play with the volume on the compressor, to little and it sounds cruddy, to much and it distorts, so it is a balancing act between your bass volume and you compressor volume, at least it was for me, now i love the pedal, at first i hated it until i figured out how to apply a compressor properly, I took bongomania's advice on how to use a compressor, before that i totally had the wrong idea of how a compressor should be used.

donstrenz · #10 02-07-2009, 05:17 AM

For my style of playing, if I actually hear the compressor working, there's too much compression. Playing solo, there's little or no need for compression because you can hear every note. To experiment, try playing along with CDs and see how changing the controls makes the bass blend. Listen to the sound as a whole rather than focusing on the bass.

Swift713 · #11 02-07-2009, 04:14 PM

I think compression is one of the most difficult effects to get a feel for. Your average chorus or overdrive are pretty straight forward but compression is a subtle balancing act. Some comps are much harder to set than others. It's also very flexible, at least a good one can be, and can do a number of different things for you. You can limit peaks, squash the whole thing (IME MXR comps are good at this), firming up, punching up, etc. If you can find a balance either with the threshold or some combination of volume knobs you can play the compressor like an envelope filter and really develop a feel for the action.

rosstanium · #12 02-07-2009, 04:18 PM

listen to JimmyM.

bluewine · #13 02-08-2009, 12:28 PM

Yeah, the whole compresssion thing is probably harder to undestand and aply than it sould be.

I recently purchased an ebs multicomp. It 's easy to use and it did what I wanted it to do without a lto of hiss within the first 15 minutes of setting it up.

blue

pbass2 · #14 02-08-2009, 12:55 PM

Ditto on listen to Jimmy. Unless you're really trying to tame some unruly peaks from slapping, or maybe use it to help control level changes due to other effects, the occasional compressed boost for solos or what have you, or possibly use it really slammed for a specific extreme compression effect, there's no point in running a compressor stomp, it just becomes a tone-sucking, noise-inducing, technique-inhibiting crutch. Let the FOH guy compress as needed for the house. If your sound is "uneven" coming from your rig at rehearsal or onstage, check your technique first, set-up(pickup height, etc.) and learn to EQ your rig for the room you're in and the stage you're on. Do some homework into how bass frequencies behave, and why certain ones might be jumping out, and learn to zero in on the problem. If "your tone" is dependent on a compressor, ESPECIALLY, a stomp, I guarantee it will backfire on you down the road, especially in the studio. The first thing a real engineer or producer is gonna want you to do is yank that thing from your signal path.

SteveC · #15 02-08-2009, 01:00 PM

If you want subtle compression, you won't get it with the MXR. I use a BBE Opto Stomp and find I still have dynamics, but it does help "even" tings out a bit.

Although with my new Modulus bass, I find I maybe don't need it as the bass is so even on it's own.

katri · #16 02-08-2009, 03:23 PM

I have only played with compression with my band a few times and I have found that it really helps to tidy up my technique, which, I know is lazy of me but when I'm playing live and hitting the hell out of my bass it really does help, I tend to kick the comp off for quieter bits and build ups becuase it means I have full control over dynamics.

bongomania · #17 02-08-2009, 06:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pbass2

Ditto on listen to Jimmy. Unless you're really trying to tame some unruly peaks from slapping, or maybe use it to help control level changes due to other effects, the occasional compressed boost for solos or what have you, or possibly use it really slammed for a specific extreme compression effect, there's no point in running a compressor stomp, it just becomes a tone-sucking, noise-inducing, technique-inhibiting crutch. Let the FOH guy compress as needed for the house. If your sound is "uneven" coming from your rig at rehearsal or onstage, check your technique first, set-up(pickup height, etc.) and learn to EQ your rig for the room you're in and the stage you're on. Do some homework into how bass frequencies behave, and why certain ones might be jumping out, and learn to zero in on the problem. If "your tone" is dependent on a compressor, ESPECIALLY, a stomp, I guarantee it will backfire on you down the road, especially in the studio. The first thing a real engineer or producer is gonna want you to do is yank that thing from your signal path.

Just for clarity's sake there is some truth in here but there is also exaggerated opinion. The illustrations here describe a poor-quality stomp compressor used badly. It is very common for someone who is not compressor-savvy to put one in their signal chain, get sucky results, and then go around for the rest of their days saying compression sucks tone, kills dynamics, and is just a crutch. The actual truth is that they didn't know how to use it properly.

If the tone is good, the "real" producer or engineer will recognize that the tone is good. They will only "yank it from the chain" if the tone is not actually worth recording. Then they will apply their own compression to the clean track. Fact.

pbass2 · #18 02-08-2009, 08:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bongomania

If the tone is good, the "real" producer or engineer will recognize that the tone is good. They will only "yank it from the chain" if the tone is not actually worth recording. Then they will apply their own compression to the clean track. Fact.

I know what you're saying, but what I mean is, in the case of using a compressor on bass in the studio for the typical kind of dynamics application(as opposed to as an "effect"), nine times out of ten, the studio is gonna have something much better suited to the task than a stomp compressor, even a nice one, and generally speaking, you don't wanna be tracking with much compression on anyways as you diminish your options when it comes to mix time.

double_stop2584 · #19 02-08-2009, 08:23 PM

I'm gonna come in from another angle than some of the other posts. Maybe you're not looking for a way to squeeze all the sound because of your technique, but because you're playing live and you find that some notes are clear, and others just feel buried in the mix.

I originally started looking for a compressor pedal because I was having the problem of dead spots in rooms - for example, the 5th fret on my Fender Jazz. I figured that squeezing the hell out of my signal would make everything totally even and solve everything. It didn't.

Make sure you're taking into account the room, how boomy or thin it is, and your EQ. Low mids can help you control a lot of your volume, without having to blast the bass frequencies and muddy it up a lot. High mids can help you to dial in enough definition and "growl" if you like that, and help you hear your notes really well.

However, my search for squeeze led me to purchasing the EBS MultiComp, which I keep on for the entire show, because it helps me get the sound I wanted from my bass. And I'm just gonna throw out a thank you to Bongo for reviewing it and helping me find my tone!

ALSO - if you play loud music, or play small stages where you stand near the drummer - PROTECT YOUR EARS. I find that if I don't wear earplugs when we're all close together, my ears respond by getting rid of the low end first.

nboyer941 · #20 02-08-2009, 09:49 PM

I decided to exchange it for the boss limiter/enhancer. I keep the enhancer knob down and I took bongo's advice from his sig and figured out how they work. It is working good and I really like it. A few different people have mentioned this but I would agree that if you're noticing it working, it is too much.

The boss pedal offers plenty of compression, but gives enough user control to adjust what you need. Vs the mxr dyna comp only has volume and sensitivity.

thanks again everyone.