Compression revelation

[40Hz]

Surely there's a club for that here!

There is. Just ask any member how to enroll. They’re easy to spot. They’re the guys who are walking around wearing suspenders and a belt.

 

[monti2889]

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I have been playing a for a long time without any effects. Now I found a second hand markbass compressore which I find myself unable to turn off. (Though the picture was taken without power)

Initially I tried a slow attack, slow release and low ratio, which warmed the sound nicely.

Now, with a higher ratio, rather low threshold so most notes are compressed somewhat and a fast release, I found everything just sounds better.

It actually does not sound super compressed, though the lower strings have a nice squash to them. I can definitely hear the tube in the circuit. And I will probably dial back the threshold or ratio a bit.

It might not be a good habit to practice with these settings daily, but I am very surprised at the difference. I am getting more confident at playing and finding that my left hand speed is actually very good, rather that my attack is a bit uneven when playing fast.

The space between the notes is filled out and somehow everything flows together naturally, improving my timing. With these settings I would dare to actually perform on a stage. The improvement is on a level where what earlier sounded empty and thin now sounds ready mixed, like the compressed music you would hear on a cd, much more so than the bass straight into the amp.

Anybody else having the same experience?

Yes, I've had the same, with compression years ago, but more recently with fuzz/distortion. I too, recently purchased a new effect and was pleasantly surprised at the difference and depth it added to the band. I found that with compression your other effects become more lively and usable. you can also control where you sit in the mix much better.

 

[crguti]

Some pedals reacts with your playing dynamics. The most obvious one is the envelope filters, but some overdrives give more saturation if you dig in harder. By placing a compressor before, the overdrive sounds the same regardless of how hard or soft you play. For me it was a revelation to place the compressor (Empress) after dirty.

 

[Zbysek]

I'll look to get a separate comp pedal now. Seems a lot of you like the Compressore, but are there also any other suggestions?

I think you might appreciate EBS Multicomp in "Tubesim" mode with your P basses...

 

[Bassist30]

Cool thread and once again, I learned something very useful from the lot of you. I haven't had success trying to use a compressor...and never really "got it". Messed around a bit this afternoon with my Zoom B3 after reading this thread and viola! Found a compressor type and setting that worked great (160 Comp which must be the dbx I think), put it in the front position in the chain, and wow, what a cool difference! Sounds great!

I'll look to get a separate comp pedal now. Seems a lot of you like the Compressore, but are there also any other suggestions? I mainly play flats on single coil and traditional P basses, along with a couple of Turner Electroline basses with TIJFs. I play a variety of blues, southern rock, motown, classic rock. Thank you!

I personally favor the Empress. Been using it for awhile now and have not had the desire to try any other although I had many before it. You mentioned you tried the DBX, I have the 160A the 163x and the old MC6 I found on ebay. I think you may really like the empress.

 

[cosmicevan]

Some pedals reacts with your playing dynamics. The most obvious one is the envelope filters, but some overdrives give more saturation if you dig in harder. By placing a compressor before, the overdrive sounds the same regardless of how hard or soft you play. For me it was a revelation to place the compressor (Empress) after dirty.

I had the revelation when I put the compressor at the start of my chain. I think the moral of the story is that the desired effects of compression vary from person to person and from situation to situation. I am a HEAVY effects user and I find that compression up front helps me get the most out of the effects that come after it. My chain runs compression > synth pedals then the rest and for me there is no comparison to the power of compression up front. I have been toying with having a limiter at the end to help even things out since when stacking sometimes the gain stages really feed each other depending on the combo of effects.