Dial me in a CS-2 on an Empress Comp

[Tigerpig]

Can you recreate this (some would say) 'inferior' compressor on the (most would say) 'superior' compressor? Or a similar action/flavour? I'm not so sure.

 

[Adamixoye]

The Empress is a mostly transparent compressor (I agree with the Ovnilab review on this point), though some people report getting interesting coloration effects at extreme settings. I've never played a CS-2, does it have a particular color to it? I imagine you would be able to get a similar action but not necessarily a similar color (if the CS-2 has one). What settings do you use on the CS-2?

 

[Tigerpig]

The Empress is a mostly transparent compressor (I agree with the Ovnilab review on this point), though some people report getting interesting coloration effects at extreme settings. I've never played a CS-2, does it have a particular color to it? I imagine you would be able to get a similar action but not necessarily a similar color (if the CS-2 has one). What settings do you use on the CS-2?

I've been unable to get a similar sound, just wondered if anybody else had cracked it. I'm currently using the following settings, followed by the slight compression of the VT Bass Deluxe.

Ratio 4:1
Input 12:30
Attack 2 o'clock
Release Noon
Mix 10
Output 8:30

I'm quite happy with this, just coming from cheaper, less subtle VCA flavours it's taken my ears a while to adjust, so wondered if I'd be better starting by mimicking a cs-2/Maxon cp9 type of sound. As you say, the colouration might have been a big part of that. Even the Maxon seemed all at once 'better' but 'less fun' to me. Maybe it's a learning curve for my ears.

 

[Tigerpig]

It's the 'singy' hyped harmonics and tightness I liked about the cs-2, it was a trade off though as I do think retrospectively it was a thinner, more synthetic sound.

 

[petrus61]

I know the feeling. I spent a lot of $ trying to get the tone of a CS out of $200 compressors. The closest I came was with the FEA Opti-Fet, which although it might sound sacrilegious to some, was like having a more controllable, more articulate version of the CS2/3. Alas, I eventually cashed in my chips and wound up back with the Boss. It gets knocked around a lot here on TB but it’s become an integral part of my sound for better or worse. I’m thinking of building another “clean” board...probably just a Keeley Bassist and some type of clean-ish pre to contrast my usual always on CS3/Barbershop/HPF setup.

 

[Adamixoye]

It's the 'singy' hyped harmonics and tightness I liked about the cs-2, it was a trade off though as I do think retrospectively it was a thinner, more synthetic sound.

Yeah seems like you're looking for the coloration, so you might as well stick with what works for you.

 

[Tigerpig]

I'm curious to know what the actual ratios of the cs-2/3 were. I seem to be getting there action wise if not colouration with 10:1, a quicker release and a fully wet mix. If anyone's interested.... Closest so far anyway.

 

[Adamixoye]

It makes a fair bit of sense to me that for sustain the CS-2 has a high ratio...

 

[JohnPativens]

You know what, pedal builders have been reading people wanting "super transparent" compression a la "the best compressor is the one you don't notice when it's on" for fifteen years. They delivered and now that trend inverted.
Those big bucks compressors don't have anything like the coloration of the CS2. The most colored one, yet easy to find, at the moment might be the Diamond BCP.