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Best Compressor Pedal

#81
slipitin said:
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?
Click to expand...

Honestly it sounds like you want a very light overdrive, not a compressor. I understand that the White Horse demo video stank, but that pedal might be one of your better bets. It uses the exact same flavor of opto circuit as the Demeter, plus an OD.
 
#84
Thanks Bongo for your advice, you were right, but with your other, earlier suggestion.

The Seymour Duncan Double back ends my search for exactly what I wanted. I'm now looking to get a s/h one as a back up. If anyone has one they don't want, please message me.

I tried the White Horse but have decided maybe I just don't like optos at all, it got returned.

Out of the few I have tried, from least to most favorite, it goes like this:

EHX Black Finger
VFE White Horse
Boss LMB-3
Boss CS-3
Boss ME50b (Natural)
Seymour Duncan Double Back...I'm over the moon with this one. :)
 
#85
I would suggest that you get a Zoom MS-60B from MF and try it out .. it has several comp models in it.. and if you do not like it you can return it.. I have a Punch Factory and I just got a B3 and the PF is history.. The B3 and MS-60B use the same processor.. and have the same comp effects. For $100 .. and with the amp modeling and some of the other effects .. like OD and some other stuff you cant beat it. It is amazingly clean.
 
#86
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.
Click to expand...

read ovnilab review
http://www.ovnilab.com/reviews/markbass.shtml

i have compressore, but do not have mxr and can not compare. MB is european company and is easier to find and cheaper here [se europe]. got mine for less than 150EUR - a month of markbass gear discount in local store. mxr was never on sale discount.
compressore is built like a tank, quiet, has very precise controls. the thing is - it has it's own, tubey sound. it's not that transparent. i find it an asset not fault. ymmv.
 
#87
I tried many compressors in the studio and found out there are a few things that I didn't like with most of them.
*real low end is rolled off
*level doesn't really become even note to note
*some frequencies are ignored and sticking out (too much color)
I found that DBX 165 is the one of the very few comps that doesn't roll off the bottom end, level is dead even and very transparent. After DBX165, use EQ to boost 50-60 Hz just little and WOW you get a great bass sound. And it works every time too.
I wish I can find the comp pedal to do the same but I think it might be hard to find.
 
#88
No personal offense intended (though I'm sure some will be offended) but I can't see how anyone can recommend a 2 dial compressor as the "best compressor". I have very limited experience with compressors and even I understand that those units simply don't give you enough control. Granted, at this time I'm using a Boss LMB-3 (which as 3 compression controls and one EQ adjustment) but I certainly wouldn't classify it as my choice for "best compressor".

Your 2-knob unit might sound good to you in your set up but with such limited control (and the inherent compromises forced on you), I don't see how it could be taken seriously as a "best compressor" recommendation.
 
#91
The consideration should of course be based on the needs of the person asking, not your own definition of "best". ;) This is where a lot of recommendations go completely wrong in online discussions, a beginner asks for the best bass and people recommend a super expensive custom built bass for instance. If a one knob compressor does exactly what a person needs, maybe it is the "best". But lets not argue, I think we may both have a point. :)
 
#92
mowmwbass said:
I tried many compressors in the studio and found out there are a few things that I didn't like with most of them.
*real low end is rolled off
Click to expand...

According to Ovnilab.com, many compressor pedals are Ross clones, which supposedly suffer from this problem. That said, my guitarist is a pro sound engineer, and he loves the Keeley (a Ross clone) on bass. His top pick for bass is the Joemeek (not a Ross clone, AFAIK). But I'm completely satisfied with my Markbass Compressore, which he also likes.

Here are some reasons to choose the Compressore:
-Full featured (DON'T be afraid of the knobs, LEARN to use them).
-No loss of bottom; in fact, has a very warm and full bottom end (I like my comps like I like my women :D)
-Has an indicator light that shows when the comp is kicking in, which many of you have stated that you like about other comps.

Here are some cons:
-The thing is friggin HUGE. Not pedalboard friendly. I do have it on my pedalboard, but recently balked at a VERY good deal on the Markbass Synth pedal, because there was no way I was going to have two of these monstrosities on my board.
-The power requirements all but force you to use the Markbass power supply, which is not particularly well-made. The cable is quite flimsy, and I could see needing to replace it from time to time. And if MB ever goes out of business, you'll have a hard time doing that.
 
#93
I have a feeling that if you tried the Diamond BCP-1 that your opinion on this matter may be changed.

totallyfrozen said:
No personal offense intended (though I'm sure some will be offended) but I can't see how anyone can recommend a 2 dial compressor as the "best compressor". I have very limited experience with compressors and even I understand that those units simply don't give you enough control. Granted, at this time I'm using a Boss LMB-3 (which as 3 compression controls and one EQ adjustment) but I certainly wouldn't classify it as my choice for "best compressor".

Your 2-knob unit might sound good to you in your set up but with such limited control (and the inherent compromises forced on you), I don't see how it could be taken seriously as a "best compressor" recommendation.
Click to expand...
 
#95
totallyfrozen said:
I figured some 2-knobbers would be offended by my opinion. I'm not saying you can't like it. I'm just saying it can't be the best compressor pedal on the market. It just doesn't offer enough parameter control.
Click to expand...

No offense taken. Have you tried the pedal though? It seems reasonable to base goodness of the effect based upon how it sounds as opposed to the number of knobs it has. If you haven't tried it, give it a shot. If not, no worries, but be fair and don't draw conclusions where you generalize your experiences to everyone else. I've had compressor pedals with "lots of knobs" and ones with "few knobs". Both have sounded great, which to me shows that knob number doesn't matter.
 
#97
totallyfrozen said:
I figured some 2-knobbers would be offended by my opinion. I'm not saying you can't like it. I'm just saying it can't be the best compressor pedal on the market. It just doesn't offer enough parameter control.
Click to expand...

Attack and release are related to frequency and your attack envelope. Bowed violin needs very different settings from slapped electric bass, for example.

But most bassists could get by with just a couple of A/R settings at most. If the Diamond preset is well thought-out, it could be perfectly acceptable. And it is a bass-specific compressor, after all...

I'm more concerned about this fictional idea of a "best" compressor.

The Diamond is a warm, fat-sounding optical device. No matter how you twist the knobs on a compressor that uses a different circuit topology, like a Keeley, you'll never get it to sound like a Demeter or a Diamond. Even if it has a half-dozen controls.

People new to compression can save a lot of time and money by reading the ovnilab materials. Buyers need to choose which kind of squash they want before they choose a family of compressors to evaluate. No one pedal can do it all...
 
#98
slipitin said:
The Seymour Duncan Double back ends my search for exactly what I wanted.

Seymour Duncan Double Back...I'm over the moon with this one. :)
Click to expand...

A big +1 to this. I know SD are not a fashionable pedal manufacturer, and this pedal is not very small, or user friendly with the connectors not on the side. But I was astounded with it.

I use a dbx160 in my main rig, but i wanted to put a pedal board together that had the same elements as my rack for small gigs or when using IEM. the Double back surpassed my expectations.

This compressor shines with fretless when dialling back in a hint of the uncompressed mid, or a burpy jazz bass sound in general.

I believe Bongo states that this compressor is now discontinued, which is a shame. A great product that didn't get enough love and may well get forgotten.
 
#100
So I have a DOD Milk Box, a Diamond BCP-1 and am waiting on an Aguilar TLC.

The Diamond has been an excellent compressor. Bongo's review was right on. With my Sadowsky RV5 into the Diamond into the Aguilar Tone Hammer I get a warm, punchy tone with lots of bottom end. Likewise my Lakland DJ5 with singles sounds great with this compressor engaged.

But I've notice that for my MM SR5, when I get the perfect tone dialed in, then engage the Diamond, the magical tone that the Diamond imparts changes the original tone too much. I've tweeked the EQ, but I find that I loose some of that MM tone I love - the Diamond seems to push the eq in the lower mid range.

So the Aguilar TLC is coming to visit. From what I've seen, this should not color the tone and provide the "just a little" compression I use to make the MM SR5 tone stay true.

Anybody use the TLC with the MM SR5? Am I setting myself up for disappointment with the TLC?

Thanks.
 

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