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Best Compressor Pedal

#62
cnltb said:
is there one out there which one'doesn't hear' when it's engaged but notices the absence of when turned back off?
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The FEA comps are typically very transparent IMO, so you don't really notice the difference until you turn it off and you can tell there is no more compression on your signal. The 3Leaf PWNZOR is also pretty transparent.

For the sake of the greater "best comp" conversation, I'd offer the following...

I'm a HUGE fan of the Cali76TX, the 3Leaf PWNZOR, FEA Opti-FET (or DE-CL). I also really like (surprisingly to me) the Analogman Orange Squeezer clone, called the Juicer - it's so simple with just the one knob (volume) and I like the stock settings alot, it sounds great to me. All have served me very well. However, full disclosure: I happen to like some coloration on my signal, I also like some extreme squash on hand for when I want it. Also, I typically have two compressors in my setup so that I can have two variations on tap.
 
#63
I haven't tried many... just a few... and I've been happiest with the simple two-knob Demeter Compulator.

It allows the subtleties in everything I play to blossom, while keeping the unweildy peaks at bay... and it takes absolutely nothing from away from my core tone.

I also love the fact that it has a small footprint and it's super easy to adjust on the fly... even in the middle of a song.

There are definitely some other compressors out there I would like to try with way more features and bells and whistles, but I honestly get everything I need out of this one, so my motivation in that regard hasn't been very high.
 
#67
Compressor request: a comp that can function as a limiter after my filter so when I crank the resonance to self-oscillation for sound experimentation I don't have to worry about adjusting the volume.

Note: I am definitely picking up a Line 6 M9, if the compressor on there is decent enough to do hard limiting like that, please let me know!
 
#68
I was keen for the FEA, but given the limited availability I borrowed a friend's Carl Martin C/L and wound up playing bass for the rest of the day. Man, that thing kicks butt - and it's not "true bypass" so the signal passing through it gets a lovely treatment the TB pedals don't allow.

Of course http://www.ovnilab.com is the best resource for compressor research.
 
#70
funnyfingers said:
I like the MXR M87. I think the only negative thing people might not like is that it is transparent and doesn't have a compressed sound, but you can see it works by looking at the LEDs. I played it through a few basses at a store.

http://www.ovnilab.com/reviews/mxrbass.shtml
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Had one for a few days.. the attack didn't seem to make much difference to me.. works ok considering price
 
#71
Okay I will be the first to admit that when I was 19 I could not hear nor understand the subtleties of compression...spend some time in a studio and that changes fast... fast forward to now... I am looking at the mxr m87... however I expect a compressor to offer "compressed sound". while the metering is awesome and is steering me towards that pedal, at 20:1 compression/limiting, I should be able to hear what it's doing. On the other hand, it's a lot of money to spend just for auto volume normalizing. I'm thinking I'm gonna experiment with whatever is at guitar monkey. It would be sweet if I could use a comp after (before?) my OC-2 to get some more sustain out of it.
 
#73
I've been eyeballing a Markbass Compressore. I saw 2 or 3 posts on here about it but other than that, there hasn't been much love shown.

Is the Compressore that uncommon? Or does it suck?

Just wondering why so many people have used the MXR and other pedals and only a couple guys tried the Markbass. They're expensive for me so I really want some opinions before I run down to GC or wherever a waste and hour fooling with one.
 
#74
totallyfrozen said:
I've been eyeballing a Markbass Compressore. I saw 2 or 3 posts on here about it but other than that, there hasn't been much love shown.

Is the Compressore that uncommon? Or does it suck?

Just wondering why so many people have used the MXR and other pedals and only a couple guys tried the Markbass. They're expensive for me so I really want some opinions before I run down to GC or wherever a waste and hour fooling with one.
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I've heard good things about that pedal. I think a lot of people are picky about bigger pedals that take up space, so a "big-ass compressor" pedal is going to take a back seat normally. The Cali76 is freakin' huge. But it's probably the closest thing out there to a studio-quality compressor that we can put on the floor and step on, so it's sort of to be expected that it's big. Go fourth, check it out, report back your findings.
 
#76
totallyfrozen said:
I've been eyeballing a Markbass Compressore. I saw 2 or 3 posts on here about it but other than that, there hasn't been much love shown.

Is the Compressore that uncommon? Or does it suck?

Just wondering why so many people have used the MXR and other pedals and only a couple guys tried the Markbass. They're expensive for me so I really want some opinions before I run down to GC or wherever a waste and hour fooling with one.
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The MB Compressore is a standard pedal on this forum and a favorite of Bongomania, the local compressor guru. Yes, it is very big and that can be a dealbreaker for some. It is nice and transparent, a tube in the circuit, both gain and volume to help add apparent level to a signal, and the standard attack, threshold, release, and ratio. The only thing I would want to add to it is a blend knob, and how many compressor pedals do you know with a blend?
 
#77
I like the sound of the Demeter and the Okko Coca as they seem to shape quite a bright ringing response, from the online demos I can find (White Horse only had one poorly made demo for bass which sounded awful).

Does anyone know which of the first two provides more harmonic ping and breakup/warmth when chording? I'm guessing the Demeter as the Okko has no ceiling?
 
#79
Tractorr said:
Since we are talking about compressors.

Does anybody have any suggestions for an aggressive sounding compressor pedal? Not aggressive compression but a pedal that gives an aggressive tone.
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IMO, the diamond can be set to sound aggressive & the EMMA transmorgrifier can too.
 
#80
Tractorr said:
Since we are talking about compressors.

Does anybody have any suggestions for an aggressive sounding compressor pedal? Not aggressive compression but a pedal that gives an aggressive tone.
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Check out the link for "dirty" comps amongst my reviews. The Seymour Duncan is good for a clean, undistorted brightness that will cut.
 

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