Quick Compressor Question

I put my compressor in the effects loop, in between the preamp and poweramp.
The reason for this is that you may want a louder signal for the compressor to function properly.
That's what the owner's manual of my dbx 160A says, anyway.

supernaut_1 said:

what i do:

bass > input of compressor (left/mono) > output (left/mono) > input of amp.

is this correct?

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That's what I did. Try it that way and through the loop and see what you like better. I think it's better to do it this way.

supernaut_1 said:

hmm, so i guess it just depends on what you want eh?

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I don't think so. The specs that are published on that link pretty clearly put it across as a line-level device (100K input impedances and "Operating Level +4/-10dB Selectable").

When it comes to output voltages, basses have pretty hot outputs - in the 'line level' range - but a 100K input impedance would surely 'drag-down' a passive bass considerably; I dunno about actives, but I'd imagine it could reduce battery life, at least. I think that a 'normal' amp inuput (I mean 'what a bass expects to see') is more-like 1M (or 1000K) - this means that the Presonus asks for ten-times the current from your bass,than a 1M input would.

Im pretty sure the BLUEmax is supposed to run in your loop!

Also: it was cool of you to provide a link to the specs like that, to help techs more easily answer your questions. I hope it serves as an good example for others.

Joe

+1 to Joe. It may work OK to plug your bass in direct, especially if it has a very hot output, but really the Bluemax needs a preamp in front of it in order to work its best. The onboard preamp of an active bass may be sufficient, but again as Joe said the batteries may get drained more quickly. So, go loop!