• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Do most bassists use a compressor/limiter?

#81
I use a compressor both live and in the studio...in fact the only place that I don't use a compressor is when I'm sitting on the couch playing bass to relax or woodshedding some ideas.

For me it's a matter of using a compressor to make sure that I'm giving the band and soundman/engineer a consistent volume throughout the set/session. I use a Markbass Compressore (thanks to Bongo's review!) for a bit of extra tube warmth and to give my playing a gentle floor and ceiling that keeps any bum notes or spikes from coming through. I'd love to get a second compressor to use with my envelope filters in getting a consistent level with my pseudo-Bootsy-slap but that'll have to wait for a time when my wallet is bigger.

bongomania said:
If you check out the "top picks" link at the top of my review page, scroll down and there's a list of my favorites.
Click to expand...

This, this, this!! Read everything you can on bongo's site, donate some cash then go shopping!
 
  • Like
Reactions: Somnambulance
#82
Rib 13 said:
+1



I agree with this but there are exceptions: some people do play well that have a very very hard attack (i.e. Louis Johnson) and have a use for compression live but - for the most part - it can be used live without. I use Compression live but mainly as a Limiter, not as a Compressor, to reign in transients and keep my pops from tearing the heads off of folks. I think any bass player that uses bright roundwound strings and also plays with percussive techniques (such as slap bass or a hard pick attack) should at least use a Limiter, or a Compressor as a Limiter, live for this reason
Click to expand...

I consider myself as a player with a pretty hard attack (pick) and play rounds. How would I benefit from a comp, can you recommend specific settings and what to look for. I have never used one before so I'm basically a complete noob
 
#84
I have no idea about what most people use, I do use one though, as an always on pedal in fact.

An EHX Black Finger tube driven optical compressor, at the very beginning of my signal chain, right after my bass.

What it does beside doing a compressor's main assignment, smooth out my play and prevent sudden spikes, which is more of a welcome side effect to me than the main reason I use my compressor, is that it enhance my tone making it more defined (technically I guess that would be due to the nature of compressors, that they will boost frequencies (harmonics) that are not so present in your tone and slightly lower the volume of more dominant frequencies), also adding a good deal of extra punch, and then further more some undefinable overall niceness, which I guess has more to do with the fact that my specific compressor got a build in tube driven preamp driving the compressor than it has to do with the compression it does as such.

Also I use it to add a slight boost to my signal.

I would rather not be without my Black Finger, as it has become an important part of my tone.

Never used a noise gate though, and have no use since my rig is almost noiseless.

The only reason I can figure out for using a noise gate would be if you had some crappy pedals in your signal chain making a lot of unwanted noise.

What I do know is that every single bass player, or whatever instrument they play, when working in the studio have compression added on their tracks after recording!
 
Last edited:
#85
dnp41 said:
I consider myself as a player with a pretty hard attack (pick) and play rounds. How would I benefit from a comp, can you recommend specific settings and what to look for. I have never used one before so I'm basically a complete noob
Click to expand...

the biggest factor isnt really attack but how consistently alike and evenly you play each note naturally....if you play very consistent, you may want to use the compressor to minimize transients even if you have a different ratio to reflect your harder attack than the attack of a finesse finger player....however, if your note attacks vary in velocity, this ratio setting will be different than what just mentioned.......best thing to do is plug in and play and experiment...for pick/hard attack, i'd start at 4:1 as a ballpark but it could swing a lot in either direction depending on you
 
#86
dnp41 said:
I consider myself as a player with a pretty hard attack (pick) and play rounds. How would I benefit from a comp, can you recommend specific settings and what to look for. I have never used one before so I'm basically a complete noob
Click to expand...
Check out the FAQ linked in my sig. :)
 
  • Like
Reactions: superdick2112, ccbass71 and Fuzzbass
#88
I played without a compressor for years after trying the EBS and finding it made my clean sound worse at every setting except off.

I currently use a Fairfield Accountant near the end of my chain, always on. The main reason is that I use my finger dynamics to drive the sound of my Blower Box, but when playing softly to clean up the sound I want the compressor to help my volume a little bit.

Also, unlike the EBS, I find that the Fairfield sounds good even on a clean signal. I guess I like how it introduces a little bit of distortion.
 
#89
kesslari said:
I can't speak for "most bassists".
I do not use compression when I play fingerstyle - I like exploring a wide dynamic range in my playing.
I recently started using a little compression when I play slap, and I like it in that context.
Click to expand...
That's what I use mine for generally. I originally bought it in the early 90's to increase the gain from my '59 P, and therefore I have used it sparingly.
 
#93
As a rule, any professional rock recording or sound system that you hear has compression. Before I got a compressor, I was in a constant struggle to hear my bass when playing at rehearsals or onstage. I found myself turning up my volume all night. Which of course was unproductive because everyone else would just turn up more. My sound was either overpoweringly loud or constantly getting lost in the mix. I got a compressor (not really knowing what to expect) and suddenly I could hear the bass clearly all night. We can talk about technically how it functions by reducing the dynamic range and ratios and thresholds, but the really important audible result is that the bass sits very nicely in the mix, clearly audible and punchy but not killing the other instruments. Bass lines tend to sound smoother, clearer, and more coherent. For me it's always on.
 
  • Like
Reactions: oysteivi
#94
katonart said:
As a rule, any professional rock recording or sound system that you hear has compression. Before I got a compressor, I was in a constant struggle to hear my bass when playing at rehearsals or onstage. I found myself turning up my volume all night. Which of course was unproductive because everyone else would just turn up more. My sound was either overpoweringly loud or constantly getting lost in the mix. I got a compressor (not really knowing what to expect) and suddenly I could hear the bass clearly all night. We can talk about technically how it functions by reducing the dynamic range and ratios and thresholds, but the really important audible result is that the bass sits very nicely in the mix, clearly audible and punchy but not killing the other instruments. Bass lines tend to sound smoother, clearer, and more coherent. For me it's always on.
Click to expand...
How does it do that clearly punchy and what one do you have??
 
#95
katonart said:
As a rule, any professional rock recording or sound system that you hear has compression. Before I got a compressor, I was in a constant struggle to hear my bass when playing at rehearsals or onstage. I found myself turning up my volume all night. Which of course was unproductive because everyone else would just turn up more. My sound was either overpoweringly loud or constantly getting lost in the mix. I got a compressor (not really knowing what to expect) and suddenly I could hear the bass clearly all night. We can talk about technically how it functions by reducing the dynamic range and ratios and thresholds, but the really important audible result is that the bass sits very nicely in the mix, clearly audible and punchy but not killing the other instruments. Bass lines tend to sound smoother, clearer, and more coherent. For me it's always on.
Click to expand...
You've stumbled onto the great secret regarding compression; used correctly, it does very little damage to dynamics. But it tightens up the frequency response of your bass. That results in a punchier sound.
 
  • Like
Reactions: LiquidMidnight
#96
I'm just headed down the compressor rabbit hole. After playing for just about ever without one, it seems like something new to try, just to see what I can do with it.
bongomania said:
Check out the FAQ linked in my sig. :)
Click to expand...
For what it's worth, I read pretty much your whole set of reviews before buying a Boss LMB-3. I thought about a Milk Box, but a combination of price and wrapping my head around their awful graphics and cutesy control names turned me away.
 
  • Like
Reactions: tfer
#100
I've got one of the MXR Bass Compressors that I put on my board and try to make work every 6-8 months or so...it usually ends up coming off after a few gigs. However, I was playing a big ballroom last weekend with a very washy sounding keyboard player, and every note I played just seemed to drift off into the ether pretty quickly...even with my amp on top of a case at ear level, I found myself wondering if the compressor would have helped, had I brought it...
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back