Uh-oh...compressor...

JimmyM · #1 12-20-2012, 02:23 PM

I'm scared...I busted out my compressor today at length for the first time in about 3 years and I didn't hate it. FMR RNC 1773 for those scoring. I abruptly stopped using it one gig after I got my SVT and B-15 restored when I discovered it wasn't on and turning it on made me not enjoy the sound as much.

Today, I plugged it up through the REDDI and computer interface and listened on headphones...hmmm...not so bad. The difference, I think, is that before I was going for a light compression that you couldn't really hear but you knew it worked. Today I was going for squashier sounds, and I think there might be a place for that in my "sonic palette," as the really pretentious folks say.

Got to do some more experimenting, and I certainly don't see it as being an always-on thing, but maybe I've misjudged compression. Maybe it CAN be used for good and not evil...

Got2SadowskyNYC · #2 12-20-2012, 02:25 PM

You don't go to one show or hear one CD without comp on the bass.

Mine's on all the time.

dmusic148 · #3 12-20-2012, 02:27 PM

Oh man. Next you'll be playing a micro amp. Again.

chuck norriss · #4 12-20-2012, 02:33 PM

The MB Compressore is also nice & subtle in that way. Milk Box needs some taming or it can sound stupid. It's probably a bad habit for me to leave mine on.

JimmyM · #5 12-20-2012, 02:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Got2SadowskyNYC

You don't go to one show or hear one CD without comp on the bass.

Mine's on all the time.

That used to be true, but I find it less true these days. Still plenty of it being used, but I do a lot of gigs with no compressor at all in the PA, and there seems to be more producers these days willing to not compress everything to hell and back. Besides, I never do anything because other people do it

dmusic, hate to spoil the illusion, but my Micro VR gets a good amount of play even though I'm a raging tube snob

ugly_bassplayer · #6 12-20-2012, 02:46 PM

You think you are going straigh to the PA without compression?
I seriously doubt that, the FOH guy is certainly running at least light compression on the bass.

JimmyM · #7 12-20-2012, 02:50 PM

I know for a fact that several of my regular gigs have PA's that don't have compressor one. These aren't small gigs, either...some of them we draw a few thousand people. Granted, they're not state of the art PA's either, but they don't have comps.

ugly_bassplayer · #8 12-20-2012, 02:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JimmyM

I know for a fact that several of my regular gigs have PA's that don't have compressor one. These aren't small gigs, either...some of them we draw a few thousand people. Granted, they're not state of the art PA's either, but they don't have comps.

This might be true but I really doubt it.

bassfran · #9 12-20-2012, 03:13 PM

Nice to see the RNC getting some love around here as it's a highly underrated comp. I'd be using mine now if my amp didn't have a good built-in one already.

JimmyM · #10 12-20-2012, 05:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ugly_bassplayer

This might be true but I really doubt it.

Doubt all you want, but I asked.

**bassboysam** · #11 12-20-2012, 05:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JimmyM

That used to be true, but I find it less true these days. Still plenty of it being used, but I do a lot of gigs with no compressor at all in the PA, and there seems to be more producers these days willing to not compress everything to hell and back. Besides, I never do anything because other people do it

dmusic, hate to spoil the illusion, but my Micro VR gets a good amount of play even though I'm a raging tube snob

Same here, most of the venues we play dont have compressors and there was virtually no compression on the bass, or anything else, when we recorded the last album. a little compression added in the mastering stage but that's it.

JimmyM · #12 12-20-2012, 05:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bassfran

Nice to see the RNC getting some love around here as it's a highly underrated comp. I'd be using mine now if my amp didn't have a good built-in one already.

Yeah, for less than $200 I don't see how you can beat it. Bongomania didn't like it, though, and he's known as the compressor guru on here, so that has brought about some of the underrating. Me, I've heard comps costing way more that I didn't like as much.

bassfran · #13 12-20-2012, 06:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JimmyM

Yeah, for less than $200 I don't see how you can beat it. Bongomania didn't like it, though, and he's known as the compressor guru on here, so that has brought about some of the underrating. Me, I've heard comps costing way more that I didn't like as much.

Yeah, I hear you. I did read through Bongo's site- he seems to really know his stuff. Quite a lot of research there, for sure.

I'm getting used to my new amp (Overton) and its built-in compressor. Have always disliked most onboard amp effects overall.

Old dogs, new tricks?

JimmyM · #14 12-20-2012, 10:39 PM

Well after just playing around a little while and making some AB recordings, I decided I just don't like compression as much as I did earlier today.

First I tried the RNC 1773 again under several clean and dirty scenarios. I like the way the notes jumped out better without it, especially when using distortion. As a comparison, I added a Waves plugin comp to the plain track and tried to squash it, and I didn't like it being squashy, either. These comps just don't like to do the squashy thing, and seem to do better with that subtle type of compression that you can't hear but you know is tightening you up just a little...you know, the kind I have zero interest in anymore

When something screws with the glorious lack of compression in the REDDI and B-15, it kind of drives me batty and did again upon more critical listening. But for that kind of thing, the RNC 1773 and the Waves plugin are great.

So I busted out the Zoom B2 and tried its more lo-fi compressor. First that struck me is how much extra noise it added even when bypassed. What they hey, only cost $100, works in a pinch when I need an effect I don't have a pedal for. Wasn't buying the comp, though. Tried the one in my old Boss ME-33 and it was better, but maybe I'm just not as excited about squashing my signal as an effect as I was earlier today.

Oh well...sounds cool when Juan Alderete does it...just doesn't do it for me.

cheapbasslovin · #15 12-20-2012, 10:52 PM

Jimmy's so fickle.

JimmyM · #16 12-20-2012, 11:00 PM

I am. I get on jags and I'm always changing up stuff on my board. Doing a little readjusting to it tonight, as a matter of fact.

scottfeldstein · #17 12-20-2012, 11:32 PM

I think maybe I'm a careless player with bad technique. If I get a slappin' ... levels are all over the place. If I put on fairly aggressive compression, suddenly things seem so much smoother. Call it a crutch and I won't argue, but I like my MXR compressor.

JimmyM · #18 12-20-2012, 11:35 PM

You're not the first and you won't be the last

Mingus Addict · #19 12-21-2012, 07:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bassboysam

Same here, most of the venues we play dont have compressors and there was virtually no compression on the bass, or anything else, when we recorded the last album. a little compression added in the mastering stage but that's it.

As a sound guy this sounds nightmarish to me. Not for the studio stuff, I completely get that. For live work, I'm miserable if there's no compression anywhere, especially vocals. You should at least have limiters somewhere for speaker protection. Even musicians with the most perfect dynamics are susceptible to dropping a mic and making a loud pop.

I actually compress loud instruments harder in smaller rooms because you're really getting parallel compression due to the fact that you can hear the actual guitar/bass amps themselves.

JimmyM · #20 12-21-2012, 07:17 PM

Well the bands that play in these venues without the comp aren't known for their high volume