Compressor advice/recs

[getBAK]

For live gigs, the Keeley Bassist is king. It's simple and just works. It's really hard to get a bad tone out of it

 

[KenD]

I recently acquired this one from Effectrode and couldn't be happier:

PC-2A Tube Compressor - Effectrode

Two knobs on the face (gain and peak reduction) and interior trimmers for additional setting of attack and knee. In compressor mode it can be as laid back and unobtrusive as you want it to be and then in limiter mode it adds some thickness and punch (which I use with my 5 string fretless).

 

[oranje]

The original Empress is a gem, transparent and way easier to use than it looks. The LEDs are very helpful. Love the Diamond as well, but it’s a big, fat, wonderful crayon.

 

[pfschim]

Cali76 compact or compact bass. Not much coloring at all.

IDK, I've used my Cali76CB for live work and sessions for the past 5 years and am very happy with it, but it definitely has a color to it ... a very musical upper mid brightness to my ears. Of course the Cali76 is modeled after the UA 1176 which also has a distinct color to it too. I love what it does, but IMO/IME it is not exactly a transparent comp if thats what the OP is seeking.

as always YMMV

carry on!

 

[JeezyMcNuggles]

I have just been through the same search. I ended up with a Boss BC-1x. I feel it’s very transparent. It might ad a bit of sparkling to the sound. I had a preconceived perception of Boss pedals, but I’m happy I’ve got pass that and tried that pedal. It’s fairly easy to find at music stores, you should try one out.

Yours isn't noisy?

 

[Rayjay]

Here’s something I’ll advise with compression; it might or might not be helpful as far as your experience and lack of satisfaction. Please take with a grain of salt since you said your new (ish) to using them.

Compressors, no matter what level of coloration, will expose your playing. I’ve found I need to be a bit more confident and deliberate with my note choice. A good part of this is because when you get shy (like when the song is unfamiliar and you’re finding your way), I tend to play softer- and the compressor enhances these notes (often the wrong ones!) Conversely, when I’m confident I play harder and compression will attempt to shave a few dB’s off.

I prefer to set my comps so that I get more “thump” and this seems to be my sweet zone. Also, I like when it grabs onto long sustained notes.

All that to say maybe you’re just getting used to the feel of comps. Respectfully I hope that helps.

 

[el murdoque]

My two cents (and two tips) on the topic:

1. Keeley Bassist. One of the most transparent comps out there and a very capable limiter. Simple design, easy to set. Does what OP asks for.
2. Empress MkII. To my ears, it's not as transparent as most people perceive it, I find it lends the tone some aggression that suits some players fine. However, the Empress has, hands down, the best metering there is.
For someone who is still struggling to get to grips with the whole compressor topic, this is a valuable feature because you can actually see what is going on in the unit - a tremendous help when trying to set it right.

 

[Winton]

For the price, Joyo’s Scylla is pretty darn good. It works well for me and you can find many good reviews on YouTube. Check Amazon to get a hold of it.

 

[GrayGoesBlack]

I use a Boss Limiter Enhancer. With the enhancer turned off it is uncolored and smoothes out the spikes. It can also be set as a compressor for added sustain. The ENHANCER scoops things out and can create a descent slap tone with a p-bass. Behringer makes a knockoff that sounds and operates identically but is cheap plastic and probably won't take much abuse.

Yeah, the Boss LMB-3, I assume? I'm using this one as well, as an end of chain compressor/limiter. I do use it as always on, because I tend to vary in dynamics and switch between effects in every song we do (there's a lot of room for improvisation). As long as I keep the Enhancer all the way down, I don't really notice it's on, except that my overall sound is more even. And it is cheap and readily available second hand.
I've had the Empress, but it coloured too much, which wasn't bad on its own, but I just couldn't really get it working right in my chain. Of course that is my inability to work with compressors, but I also don't really wanted to put in the time to learn it. The Boss LMB-3 is dead simple and just works for me.

 

[_Tay_]

Cali76 compact or compact bass. Not much coloring at all.

Interesting to hear. I actually got rid of my Cali and sold it because of the colouring it did to my tone.

@Parzival the battalion compression is based off the EHX preacher. The preacher is a decent transparent compressor and can pick them up used for very good prices too.

 

[smo]

If you want clear - Empress.
Saturated? Something with a transformer.
Warm/Treble cut? Super Symmetry.

 

[EmaTheMirror]

For subtle, transparent compression... I'd say the CS-3 Compression Sustainer!

Just kidding, though I think it has its uses - mostly as an effect that also acts on dynamics - and it's not as drastic as usually described with "sustain" set on the lower side. But no, it has a fixed threshold set rather low, don't go for it, taking your OP into account.

Jokes aside, I read some quality stuff (on the expensive side) as suggestions. I was wondering if someone could give some feedback about the SpectraComp by TC Electronic, speaking of stuff that's rather accessible yet could serve as a versatile handy swiss army knife, given its tweakable nature.
Good option? Underwhelming baked-in tone? I've never tried it, just wondering.

I have a couple of Toneprint pedals and I quite like what you can do with them when you get nerdy: I've fine-tuned and filtered out a few pesky frequencies on my SubNUp and Infinite and now they do a good job without messing up my tone at loud volumes.

I wouldn't be surprised if you could achieve good, subtle results with a SpectraComp just spending a bit of time tweaking stuff under the hood.

 

[Alper Yilmaz]

Further to @superheavefunk's post, I agree that you should maybe first decide on the topology. It is not an easy decision without trying different comps, yet looking into iconic studio compressors like 1176 (FET), LA-2A (Optical), dbx 160 family (VCA), and Manley's Vari-Mu (tube), you can familiarize yourself with how each of these can be used. Then, of course, you need to figure out which comp in pedal form is likely to get close to these.

When it comes to VCA-type compressors, I recently bought a Carl Martin Honey-Comp and love it; highly recommended. I did not know it was a VCA-type compressor when I bought it, but learned it after the fact. The good thing about Honey-Comp is it enables parallel compression which I prefer. And it is very easy to use. It is definitely worth giving it a try...

Rather than make any particular suggestion, I’m gonna say that it sounds like you’d be more interested in a VCA type compressor than any of the other types (optical, FET, Ross, etc).

 

[Alper Yilmaz]

I love the PC-2A as well. However, for me it was a bit too squishy even at very low Peak Reduction levels (at the Compressor mode), so I started using it with a blender pedal for parallel compression with the inside-the-box trimpot controls of Knee and Attack maxed out, and it sounds great now.

I recently acquired this one from Effectrode and couldn't be happier:

PC-2A Tube Compressor - Effectrode

Two knobs on the face (gain and peak reduction) and interior trimmers for additional setting of attack and knee. In compressor mode it can be as laid back and unobtrusive as you want it to be and then in limiter mode it adds some thickness and punch (which I use with my 5 string fretless).

 

[Rib 13]

Both myself and this unit both may be old, but this is still the best compressor for bass I have ever used. I still have mine, although I am now using a DBX emulator in my Zoom B6. Before my Zooms (B3 and now B6), this unit (always "On") would be in and out on my pedalboard because it is so great but removed it each time for space. I used a MXR M87 as well, which was a very decent substitute. I never used a Keeley so I have no frame of reference. Just like P-basses, the beauty of the dbx 163x lay in its simplicity

 

[lomo]

MXR, Keeley & Empress would be my honourable mentions for transparency unless you want to deep dive the Atlas.....and IMHO the best bargain in this category is the Guptech Squeezer. It's a Warden clone. It can be mildly coloured or as transparent as the others, is relatively ridonculously reasonably priced, has top jacks (unlike the Keeley, Atlas and MXR if you care as I do) .....and as a bonus from where I sit, it's a Canuckland/ Quebec product from a small builder.

 

[Zooberwerx]

I have used fairly recently the Niche Humboldt and Lusithand Alma.

I will say, probably the compression that worked the best for me was the one knob compressor on the EHX Battalion. . I have heard the compression in the Battalion is based on the EHX Bass Preacher, but can't be for sure.

TIA for any and all suggestions.

Yep, the Niche Humboldt has a transformer-driven density which adds all sort of character. Sorry it didn't work out for you.

Here's bongo's review on the EHX BP. There are noise concerns but shouldn't be an issue give your stated settings / application. E-mail EHX and ask about the BP / Battalion relationship...guessing the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

Electro Harmonix Bass Preacher

Support - Electro-Harmonix

Like you, I've become a fan of the better "one knobby-jobbies", specifically the resident comps on any number of amp heads, preamps, and multi-FX. In my situation, that would be a BBE BMax, EBS Reidmar 750, Tech 21, and Zoom B3n. I'm getting (got?) old and the less I have to haul around, the better.

Riis

 

[ok-djmiller]

I’ve used the Boss LMB-3 and the Keeley Bassist and been happy with both for easy, transparent compression.

 

[Matt Morgan]

Another recommendation for the Keeley Bassist. I use it as a limiter for big peaks and it is a complete "set and forget" unit.

 

[Parzival]

Thanks everyone for the input. I have revised and am going to try out one by one until I find the right comp for me.

Rothwell Love Squeeze
Carl Martin Honey Comp
EHX Bass Preacher
Keeley Bassist
BOSS LMB-3
Empress Bass

and I’ll give the Scylla a go since it would be a very easy pain free return on the Amazon.