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Best Compressor For My Application

Destroyer661

Destroyer661

Oct 4, 2018
139
267
39
Bakersfield,CA
#1
So, I play in a death metal power trio and am looking for a compressor to even out my tone. I play through an M6 Carbine pushing a Mesa PH1000 and that setup slams, but I'm looking for a way to just I guess round off the edges and keep me from peaking. I'm completely and utterly terrible at explaining what I'm looking for really. Basically playing with a guitarist that plays through a Triple Rectifier, he has the OD handled by himself his tone is like a buzzsaw it's murderous and I don't want to muck up the mix by adding more distortion. I run my tone basically to be clean and dry like a hardcore bassist would, I just need something to fatten and polish the edges I guess. Open to any suggestions that won't break the bank since the wife is already at my throat about the recent M6 purchase.
 
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#7
Jantelagen said:
The Smoothie seems to be held in high regard around here and I'd like to try one too. I've had luck using a Seymour Duncan Studio Bass for heavier stuff. I've also used the Keeley which is a really good compressor and can't really wrong there
Click to expand...

There seems to be a lot of gear held in high regard here that I would have never thought to look at. The only reason I even ventured to ask the question is due the fact that, although there are a ton of threads about compressors there are very limited responses from anyone playing heavy music. I don't disregard what anyone with experience has to say regardless of what genre they play, but I feel like sound I'm looking for is blasphemy to what they've been told or know. One of my best friends is a killer jazz bassist and he tries to help me with questions I have about tone. He sounds amazing for the music he plays, but he can't wrap his head around shaping a bass tone for metal.
 
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#8
el murdoque said:
Put on your reading glasses, cancel all appointments for today and turn your attention towards Compressor Reviews

I've spent about a week on that page to create my shortlist.
I am looking for effective peak limiting without dip&swell
and I'd prefer a narrow pedal with topmounted jacks.
So it'll most likely be the cali76 compact bass.
Click to expand...

I've been reading this off and on for about a month, but still am lost in the wilderness as to what I want/need.
 
#9
Kerem Koseoglu said:
Although I don't play metal, I use MXR Bass Compressor with satisfying success to control the peaks - like a limiter. Details: How I Use Compressors

I would use a distinct EQ pedal for tone shaping.
Click to expand...

Honestly this may be the only pedal readily available at the shop here in town so I'd be able to play around with it and the Keeley together and see which my ear prefers.
 
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#10
Every Rig is different. Different strings(Flats Vs. Rounds) have a huge impact. It's is so hard pick a compressor based on other peoples experience because of all the variables at play.

Then consider adding Overdrive/Fuzz or other effects. No 2 rigs are alike.

For me, In general, I like the Doc Lloyd Photon Death Ray with passive basses and especially with Flats.

For my monstrous active bass, I am loving the MXR-M87.

I am sure the Keeley would work nicely too but the MXR should be all you need.
 
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#11
I own both the Keeley Bassist and the Smoothie.

Either one will provide you with peak limiting. The Keeley will do it without altering your tone and be more surgical in its action. It’s very much like a studio compressor in that regard.

The Smoothie will do excellent limiting and sustain. But it’ll also add a little special sauce to your sound. It’s not as transparent (by design) as the Keeley. But that’s no flaw since the coloration it adds is really nice.

Can’t really go wrong with either.
 
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#13
el murdoque said:
Put on your reading glasses, cancel all appointments for today and turn your attention towards Compressor Reviews

I've spent about a week on that page to create my shortlist.
I am looking for effective peak limiting without dip&swell
and I'd prefer a narrow pedal with topmounted jacks.
So it'll most likely be the cali76 compact bass.
Click to expand...
or more updated, Testing Compressors: Cali, Smoothie, Empress, Diamond, Keeley, FEA, Darkglass, Doc Lloyd, JHS & more
- from this list, and if you're looking for clean-ish punch, it sounds like the SD, the Photon, Taurus Tux
 
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#15
I’ve been using a Wampler Ego for a while, IMO it’s a great comp for heavy music. The wet/dry blend is really nice, it lets you keep some hint of dynamics so that you don’t get that weird oversquished sound that some comps have. Having said that, $80 is a hell of a price for as well regarded a compressor as the Keeley. You may want to try that while you have the opportunity to do it that cheaply.
 
#18
Destroyer661 said:
So, I play in a death metal power trio and am looking for a compressor to even out my tone. I play through an M6 Carbine pushing a Mesa PH1000 and that setup slams, but I'm looking for a way to just I guess round off the edges and keep me from peaking. I'm completely and utterly terrible at explaining what I'm looking for really. Basically playing with a guitarist that plays through a Triple Rectifier, he has the OD handled by himself his tone is like a buzzsaw it's murderous and I don't want to muck up the mix by adding more distortion. I run my tone basically to be clean and dry like a hardcore bassist would, I just need something to fatten and polish the edges I guess. Open to any suggestions that won't break the bank since the wife is already at my throat about the recent M6 purchase.
Click to expand...
I have nothing to offer in terms of advice, but I can relate to almost all of this (other than that I often, but not always, dirty up my tone), right down to the Mesa and the spouse, haha.
 
#19
Just to muddy the waters some more, keep an eye out for a Rane DC-24 (if you can handle rack units). Having the crossover means you can really dial in what part of your signal you want to compress or limit. It's very much a surgical tool though and not a tone changer (although you can boost or cut the crossover bands if you do want to crank the lows for example)
 
#20
Define breaking the bank.

$80 for a Keeley seems like a worthwhile shot. I haven't played one, but like what I've read.

By "founding the edge off" do you mean the transients and dynamics, the tone, or both? The Smoothie is nice for several applications, but I wouldn't use it for a metal project, It felt too subdued for my industrial tastes. I couldn't get it to have any teeth at all. If you want to round off the tone of an overly bright rig, it's worth considering. If you want a brighter sheen to the tone, I'd look elsewhere, if I were doing this.

I've been pretty happy with the Seymour Duncan Studio Bass. I went through several compressors, and found it the right blend of compression and tone, for my needs. I wasn't looking for much tone "sauce" enhancement, but more transparent performance. The Duncan delivers that. The controls are easy, with a decent range of adjustment. The feature that wins me over is the "Blend" switch, allowing you to select a dry blend with full-range, lows only, or mids only. I find that helpful when searching for different sounds. I do wish it had a meter on it, to observe the amount of compression triggered, but that is not a feature. Pricing on the used (and even new) ones is pretty reasonable. Not $80, but not far away.

The Darkglass Hyper Luminal looks nice. The price is high. They have some bugs they are working out with certain power supplies not being compatible (a very small number of the supplies have issues delivering enough juice). The mA draw is around 250-300, IIRC. Make sure you have a supply with enough mA on tap, if you go with DG. I haven't heard the Bus or FET settings in person. The Sim (Super Symmetry) is going to be dark/warm sounding. I wouldn't use it for your application, having owned a Super Symmetry, unless you have an overly bright rig. However, the other settings seem to have nice potential. I'm considering checking one out.

I've had good luck with a Diamond. Again, not a cheap option (might break your bank, but might not). It has a distinctive polished vibe to it (smooth and glassy). I ran one with a Mesa M6, and was satisfied.

I'd rank your option and my suggestions:
1 - Keeley - Good reputation at a hard to beat price
2 - Duncan - It works (for me), it doesn't alter your tone as much as some pedals. Decent range of adjustments and a unique blend control. The price is nice.
3 - Darkglass - If you can afford it, it seems like a winner. It's new, so used ones are not plentiful.
4 - Diamond - Nice, but not cost effective, and a limited range of adjustments. Nice if you like what it does.
5 - Smoothie - Nice compressor, but too polite for metal (unless you were looking for a softer/darker Doom type sound), and not cheap enough to make it a budget friendly option.
 

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