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Diamond Bass comp versus Empress compressor

#21
I'm really happy with my Empress. The Mix knob is a great feature not many comps have. I have also inserted a GEB-7 into the side chain and the results I get by cutting the 120Hz band are just impressive. It sound much nicer and tighter than my Trace Elliot SMX Dual Band comp.

What I like the most about the Empress is how transparent it is. I prefer that over other comps, that tend to color the sound because I use a Tube amp and an Empress Multi-Drive. If I were using a SS or Digital amp, then I maybe would go for a Joe Meek or Cali76 which have definitively a voice of their own.
 
#23
bongomania said:
So, Pawlee, let's talk turkey.

You have posted the same message about a dozen times in many different threads, and at least one of those threads had nothing to do with your issue.

So obviously you know to use the search, because you searched out all those threads. But you didn't take the next step and read them.

There are hundreds of posts about the FEA, Empress, and the other pedals you mentioned. There are threads expressly about each of them. There are posts from users, and posts about all their different features.

You mention wanting to use the pedal in the loop of your amp, like the dbx. But most pedals won't work well in the loop, they aren't designed for that.

You mention having tried the MXR "once or twice" and being disappointed. It is not an easy plug-and-play device. You have to learn how it works in order to get much out of it. It won't work in the loop, and the attack knob may not be related to what you think it is, based on your comment about it affecting the tone.

Check out the FAQ linked in my sig. It has articles that explain how to use the fx loop on your amp, and pedals vs rack, and what all the knobs do.

After that, check out my reviews page for commentary about the qualities of each pedal.

It will help you if you take a minute to write down exactly what you want from the compressor. For instance, maybd you need something really simple to use. Or with the fx loop idea, write down WHY you wanted to use the loop, because that will help you and us find a better answer.

Hope this helps!
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Wondering if the loop is ok for the 160A?.. seems to work fairly well and the dbx unit has trs in and out(s).. should I not be using this compressor in effect loop as You stated to not do with the mxr m87 pedal (which I returned)
 
#24
PawleeP said:
Does the Diamond have level LED's? Hellbastard? Have You Tried an Empress Bass Compressor, I have read that them and the FEA Optical Copressor are good too.. P
Click to expand...

No metering on the Diamond. It's your simple, basic 3-knob comp pedal, but with Cadillac components. Very different approach to the FEA and Empress, which pack most of the controls of a rack compressor into a pedal format.
 
#25
PawleeP said:
Wondering if the loop is ok for the 160A?.. seems to work fairly well and the dbx unit has trs in and out(s).. should I not be using this compressor in effect loop as You stated to not do with the mxr m87 pedal (which I returned)
Click to expand...
None of this has anything to do with TRS connections, which your 160A has, and the Ampeg doesn't.

Simply put:
- Pedals are designed to be used with guitar-level signals.
- Rack units are designed to be used with line-level signals.
- The effects loop on your Ampeg is closer to line level, and will possibly work better with a rack compressor.

Compression is usually put at the front of an effects chain, because it tends to amplify the noise from anything in front of it.

The Diamond, FEA and Empress are whisper-quiet because of excellent design and expensive components. They will sound best in front of your amp, because that's where they're designed to go. Ditto for the MXR, which is basically a budget version of the others.

The DBX is somewhat different. If you don't use other effects, then it might sound OK in your amp's effect loop. But if you use a lot of effects, then you could expect a ton of noise with a compressor in the loop.

Think about it: all the hiss from the various OD and distortion pedals, the swoosh from your modulation effects, etc. summed together, amplified through your SVT's preamp, and only then fed into the front end of your compressor! Bad news all 'round.
 
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#26
steve_rolfeca said:
None of this has anything to do with TRS connections, which your 160A has, and the Ampeg doesn't.

Simply put:
- Pedals are designed to be used with guitar-level signals.
- Rack units are designed to be used with line-level signals.
- The effects loop on your Ampeg is closer to line level, and will possibly work better with a rack compressor.

Compression is usually put at the front of an effects chain, because it tends to amplify the noise from anything in front of it.

The Diamond, FEA and Empress are whisper-quiet because of excellent design and expensive components. They will sound best in front of your amp, because that's where they're designed to go. Ditto for the MXR, which is basically a budget version of the others.

The DBX is somewhat different. If you don't use other effects, then it might sound OK in your amp's effect loop. But if you use a lot of effects, then you could expect a ton of noise with a compressor in the loop.

Think about it: all the hiss from the various OD and distortion pedals, the swoosh from your modulation effects, etc. summed together, amplified through your SVT's preamp, and only then fed into the front end of your compressor! Bad news all 'round.
Click to expand...

Great, to hear back on this.. I do have a q-105 wah wah, a sem-cheesy ibanez PD7 dist pedal(temporary), a nano small stone & a EH Bass Balls (Usually in that order).. that I some times maybe use 2 or 3 of these pedals at a time all these are on a Furman Pedal Board which has a nice power supply array and of course are not in the effect loop.. I am slowly gaining knowledge on pedals/compressors etc. In part due to You people.. The double click I can see and hear at the pre-amo/out - pwr amp in on back of 06 svt CL and Peavey BAM head I sometimes use led me to believe that these were TRS-Bal/Unbal in/outs and were possibly a quiter way to run the 160 with its bal trsin/outs.. to rub the compressor in front of all this would require adding 2 15-20 ft. unbalanced 1/4 cables to make this happen. wouldn't this also possibly add noise? I assume so and that is probably why from what You have stated that I would be better off with a Pedal Compressor, However one or 1 or 2 bassists from some of the other threads I have Read stated that they used compression at the end of the effects chain to minimize noise spikes when activating their pedals, Guess they may be mistakin, as am I. Wondering where in the Chain a compressor should actually go now? Before the Wah Wah & Dist Pedals? Thanx for the info Steve.. I really needed the help You Gave
 
#27
As You Stated, The Noise did Seem a little excessive with my set-up at times , mainly when using the distortion and one or more of my other pedals.. This compressor in the loop May be a big part of the amplification of the noise from the pedal(s)
You Rule Steve.. will report Back when I try your Ideas..
 
#28
bongomania said:
Double-check whether the SVT fx loop is balanced. I think it is NOT--which means using a TRS cable will not reduce noise. If 'm wrong, and the loop output (send) is balanced, then let me know and I'll recommend some comps with balanced connections.
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Was thinking that If I hear 2 clicks as I do on the peavey bam and 06 svt cl that this meant trs/bal.. however I am slowly learning that this isn't necessarily the case.. not sure how to find out.. also Steve from another Compressor thread recommended that I put the compression at the beginning of my Pedal Chain to keep a leash on the noise.. Thanx again Bongo.. I will get this eventually.. I have no choice, I demand a good sound/tone and the cheesy pedals (pd7, nano small stone etc) will go eventually as well.. Not even sure if I am crazy about the wah q-105 (seems noisy sometimes) however this could be in part due to having the 160 in the wrong spot , according to Steve R.. Will Keep Ya'llz posted on my progress when I relocate the compressor layout.. Will just have to add 2, 16-18' cables to route DBX unit in front of the pedal chain until I can afford a decent pedal compressor, such as the Diamond, FEA or Empress bass unit.. PP
 
#33
steve_rolfeca said:
No metering on the Diamond. It's your simple, basic 3-knob comp pedal, but with Cadillac components. Very different approach to the FEA and Empress, which pack most of the controls of a rack compressor into a pedal format.
Click to expand...

I stand corrected. My Diamond came in today, and the Green status LED is multi-coloured. It turns red according to how much gain reduction is happening.

Not as useful as proper metering, but it does give you a rough idea of how hard your signal is being squashed.

Great-sounding compressor, by the way. Definite thickening effect, although you can moderate it with the EQ control. The EQ is a pretty cool feature, too. Especially with the 250/900 switch, which gives you two different flavours of tone control.

It worked well with my very loud active bass. No farting out, nicely chosen attack and release values.

Still not what I'm looking for, though. Even with the compression turned down all the way, it had a stronger effect on the note envelope than I'm looking for.

I did make one unexpected discovery today, though: the store had a couple of new pedals I hadn't seen before, and one of them was the new Zoom MS-50G. I had been reading about the MS-60B, which is the bass version, so I thought I'd give it a go, just to see what the user interface was like.

To my surprise, there was no low-end rolloff, and the effects were quite believable. Except for some of the amp sims and distortion pedals, there was very little noise. With the threshold and ratio controls backed off almost all the way, the "rack compressor" model worked better for me than the MXR Bass compressor! I was equally impressed with many of the other effects, including the autowah and the extremely fast and accurate tracking of the octaver.

After realizing how many goodies were packed into such a small, inexpensive box, I ordered an MS-60B, sight unseen. If nothing else, it will give me a nice little gigbag companion for occasions when a random effect is called for.
 
#34
I owned and loved the Diamond but my Empress is really transparent and easy to tweak to perfection without having to be a studio engineer!

P1040647_zps0ef4b939.jpg
 
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#35
Update: after being dissatisfied with the Diamond, I grabbed a Zoom MS-60B Multi-Stomp, just for giggles.

To my surprise, the 160 Comp model does exactly what I want. Full controls (attack, release, threshold, ratio, level, and a clean mix), and great converters.

A couple of the other comps are nice, too. Killer value for the compressors alone, at only $100.

My inner gear snob suspects that the Empress might sound a hair better, but the band and I are happy, so I think I'm going to save the money for something more important. Like lessons...
 
#36
I have the new version of both. The Empress is cleaner and has a tone switch that adds a subtle but clear distortion, very very nice. The full palette of compression controls makes the whole thing easier to understand and modulate (sort of).

The Diamond is visually gorgeous. It colours the tone, a lot. Darker fatter a little more muddled. The eq section is fun to play with.
 
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#37
Thank you for reviving this thread- it’s interesting to look back ten years!

Interesting fact- Although I switched to the Zoom for a while, the Diamond was too good to let go.

Here I am, 10 years older and a lot worse for wear, and the Zoom is long-gone.

But that original Diamond BCP-1 made it back on my board, and never left. It’s still a staple of my sound. It’s not always on, but the only pedal I own that gets more use, is my Turbo Tuner.

This is why it’s good to unvest in quality gear…
 
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#40
butterfingers1 said:
Always fun talking about the Diamond, and also the BetaV bass preamp. Both are made by SolidGoldFX here in Montreal. The BetaV almost complements, it adds back the ooomph (a lot more as desired) that the Diamond sort of absorbs.
Click to expand...

Passive Bass, Flatwound Strings, SGFX Beta V, Diamond Bass Compressor....very nice thank you.

I’d assume SGFX spent some time teaming up the Beta V and the new BCP/EQ before the release. An excellent combination
 
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