Compressor before pre amp or after??

[mrkreuzschlitz]

There's no one magical answer for this question. Depends on the sound you want, and your playing style.

 

[wildhorse]

Perhaps I should clarify the purpose behind my reaction. The OP was clearly asking for the advice of those who had experimented with compressors both before and after the preamplification stage of the signal chain, and you had nothing to add to the conversation but "Sorry don't use one." I may have taken your intent incorrectly, but it seemed no different than marching in here and announcing that your signal chain is Bass-->Cable-->Amp-->Cab, or marching into basses to proclaim that you despise double-necked 7-string basses. It added nothing to the discussion.

That is all.

And neither did your reply. This is suppose to be a place for people to share not a place for arguments and putting others down.

 

[wildhorse]

You kinda got a funny way about getting what you want out of people.....

Amazing.

 

[franchelB]

I run mine in the effects loop...

 

[JustDavid]

Putting a compressor after an eq just fights the effects of the eq (you boost a certain frequency, then tell the compressor to turn it back down?),

No.

EQ will shape the relative values of fundamentals & all the overtones in a signal, not just the fundamental. Compressor (well, most compressors) will affect the entire frequency spectrum in the signal presented to it.

 

[Way Off Bass]

I think this is a "which signal do you want compressed" question

 

[Guiseppe]

lol. I'm glad someone else had that response... I didn't want to post it first. A good compressor can be a bassist's best friend!

5sg.

I still teach aspiring young bass players that aside from their hands, a compressor is one of their best friends. I gigged for YEARS with a compressor being my only pedal.

 

[Guiseppe]

Unless you depend on tubes in a preamp to saturate your peaks. If you bear down to get distortion, a comp limiter in front won't let you do that, so you need to put it in the amp's FX loop. But, if you want a nice smooth tone and signal, put it up front, first in the chain.

Personally, the only time I deviate from having my compressor first is if I put my envelope filter before it. But that changes at times, too - this is ALL a subjective argument because I would bet you hear things differently that I do based on your ears and your tastes.