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Compressor or not?

Nic Olas

Nic Olas

Aug 11, 2023
23
45
60
East Kansas
#1
So, I just bought a Fender Rumble 500 V3, I have a Fender J-Bass and I play mainly blues, jazz/fusion, and rock.

Question: Do I need a compressor? And if so, which one would be the best choice for my rig and music styles?

I read (some of) the very HUGE thread with a shootout of bass compressors, but wanted to get more specific to what I have and play.

Also, I understand the compression concept (I am mainly a guitarist and have a Keeley Pro on my board) so I don't need a crash course in general compression, just how it relates to bass and my particular setup.

Thanks!
 
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#3
You don't *need* a compressor.
Many excellent bass players play with one as part of their rig.
Many excellent bass players do not.

I'd suggest you try one - get a good one (Empress, Alma, Becos, there are many from which to choose) or try your Keeley (also a good one) and play around with it. If you prefer it, you're set. If you don't, you're also set.
Buy used and you can recoup your costs if you decide you don't prefer it.
 
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#4
There’s no best compressor. But there are hundreds of good ones. And the truth is setting it correctly for your environment is more important than picking a perfect model.

That being said, you have never in your life heard music via radio, satellite, phone, or physical media, or live in any large commercial venue that wasn’t compressed by some method. So if you want the honest answer,
Your compressor allows you to choose how your bass is compressed, “no” compressor is you ceding your compression to others.

And like the above, I love the Alma and Cali76 but there is no best.
 
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#5
Nic Olas said:
So, I just bought a Fender Rumble 500 V3, I have a Fender J-Bass and I play mainly blues, jazz/fusion, and rock.

Question: Do I need a compressor? And if so, which one would be the best choice for my rig and music styles?

I read (some of) the very HUGE thread with a shootout of bass compressors, but wanted to get more specific to what I have and play.

Also, I understand the compression concept (I am mainly a guitarist and have a Keeley Pro on my board) so I don't need a crash course in general compression, just how it relates to bass and my particular setup.

Thanks!
Click to expand...

Sure you do! No reason you can’t experiment with your existing Keeley Pro. Betcha it will sound great with a little finagling.

Riis
 
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#6
All my years I never used one for live shows. But when I got an Aguilar 599 I keep it on all the time. Very simple to use, basically one knob, and it just add’s enough of….. to make me like it. Worth a try. Return if it doesn’t work for you
 
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#7
Many who don't "need" compression still use it because of the many advantages it can bring when used correctly. That includes top pros.

As others have said, try your Keeley for starters. You're comfortable using it with guitar, and you'll likely find a good setting for bass. Should you decide that the Keeley isn't quite what you need for bass, I'd recommend a compressor that has a clean blend -- the technical term for mixing compressed and clean signals is "parallel compression". IME the parallel feature isn't a necessity, but does offer an easy way to dial in that "just right" amount of compression.
 
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#8
Nic Olas said:
So, I just bought a Fender Rumble 500 V3, I have a Fender J-Bass and I play mainly blues, jazz/fusion, and rock.

Question: Do I need a compressor? And if so, which one would be the best choice for my rig and music styles?

I read (some of) the very HUGE thread with a shootout of bass compressors, but wanted to get more specific to what I have and play.

Also, I understand the compression concept (I am mainly a guitarist and have a Keeley Pro on my board) so I don't need a crash course in general compression, just how it relates to bass and my particular setup.

Thanks!
Click to expand...
Forget about compressors. They're more for guitarists that go between chords and lead breaks.
 
#12
compression is not necessary for you/us to jam and/or rehearse etc, but maybe on a gig, depending on room, you may need it. Compression simply put makes the loud parts more quiet and the quiet parts louder...it can provide punch, definition and overall tone control....or it can kill dynamics and blow speakers if used like a novice. All the songs we hear have compression on tracks, then compression on the whole song, then the radio station adds more compression...so its there, believe me its there. Us bass players can utilize compression via pedal, rack gear, .....or natural tube compression in our amps, and then dynamics can be all in our hands...no right or wrong answer I just think the mystery of compression is not that mysterious...It really can help, and if you are playing a show with other people doing sound, they will use it on you:)
 
#15
Deciding to use a compressor or not and then choosing the right compressor for you are very "personal" issues, in terms of playing bass. I didn't get compression right until I got the Keeley Compressor Pro (which I'm assuming is the one you have), but that might not work for everybody. I currently use mine on the auto setting, with thresh at -10, ratio at 4:1, gain at unity, with knee switch at soft. If I switch the auto off, attack is at 150ms (max'd) and release at .15s (min'd).
EDIT: both settings give me a 3db reduction.

My profile shows the previously used comps. I really wanted the generally well-liked MXR M-87 to to be the one and had 3 different units over the years, but never could get it to sound right for me.

The shootout thread is a really good one, this link also contains useful information. YT demos can also he helpful. In the end, you might have to try a few comps before deciding (1) you need one and (2) which one.

Compressor Reviews (ovnilab.com)
 
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#18
This makes me think. When playing gigs with a FOH the sound guy will most likely put compression on your bass. When you also use a compressor pedal yourself it would be double compression. Isn’t it better to leave the compression to the sound guy alone? He can better judge how the bass sounds in the mix than the player on stage. What do you think?
 
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