Do you consider a compressor pedal a "must have"?

[NoiseNinja]

I have mixed feelings. I play at one venue a lot where they provide the pedal board and have everything set how they want ahead of time. I find the compressor sometimes makes it difficult to play dynamics; trying to play lightly results in either no sound, or sound at the same volume as everything else. Same thing with using louder volume to emphasize parts. You dig in really hard and there is little change in volume.

Don't blame compression for a one size fits all approach that clearly doesn't work, even if you would think that should have been obvious to start with for whoever came up with that "bright" idea, but apparently they are deaf and have no idea what they are doing (or just lazy and couldn't care less) since they keep on applying it to everything from what you tell.

 

[Jackfunk1964]

Hi,I rarely post,I hope I'm in the right place.
I have an Empress bass comp and a Walrus audio Mira.Waaay different comps,and both great.However,they are not what I'm looking for.Both of them are said to be transparent,well...they are...in a way,
What I'm looking for is a comp that sounds like my rig,until it compresses,then I love the optical action.I don't really need my dynamics evened out,punch, extra warmth,ect.
I just want to be able to dig in and have a nice natural compression when I choose and my NORMALtone the rest of the time.
What should I look at?You guys are a wealth of knowledge! Thank you.
By the way;Pbass with flats(T.I.)DB751,Berg HS 410.I also have a Markbass comp,q strip and Audio creations Grizzly bass.I am on pedal time out for a while...too much tweaking,lol.
Thank you in advance.

 

[odarellmc]

I personally use a compressor as a effect. Always at the end of my chain to balance every pedal before it. Light compression. I try as much as possible to let my tone and effects to have as much of the dynamic range as possible. My compressor just balances everything out nicely. I never understood why people put a compressor first. Any ratio you set effects the rest of the pedals. Why would you do that. Better imo to use the compressor to glue everything together and utilize the full range of your dynamics, tone and pedals..

 

[Nashrakh]

I personally use a compressor as a effect. Always at the end of my chain to balance every pedal before it. Light compression. I try as much as possible to let my tone and effects to have as much of the dynamic range as possible. My compressor just balances everything out nicely. I never understood why people put a compressor first. Any ratio you set effects the rest of the pedals. Why would you do that. Better imo to use the compressor to glue everything together and utilize the full range of your dynamics, tone and pedals..

I used to think like you until I've introduced pedals onto my board that track pitch. The OC-2 for example works way better for me with some light compression evening out the input signal. So now I have my usual glue comp at the end of the chain and some light comp directly before anything that tracks.

I've also had some drives that were a bit too touch sensitive and only had a small window of tone that I liked.

 

[odarellmc]

I used to think like you until I've introduced pedals onto my board that track pitch. The OC-2 for example works way better for me with some light compression evening out the input signal. So now I have my usual glue comp at the end of the chain and some light comp directly before anything that tracks.

I've also had some drives that were a bit too touch sensitive and only had a small window of tone that I liked.

Well I'm sure it does I'm my opinion technique is a bigger influence than pre compression on devices like octavers. But I can see that as well light compression first then the glue at the end.. works for me.

 

[Jackfunk1964]

Well I'm sure it does I'm my opinion technique is a bigger influence than pre compression on devices like octavers. But I can see that as well light compression first then the glue at the end.. works for me.

I used to think like you until I've introduced pedals onto my board that track pitch. The OC-2 for example works way better for me with some light compression evening out the input signal. So now I have my usual glue comp at the end of the chain and some light comp directly before anything that tracks.

I've also had some drives that were a bit too touch sensitive and only had a small window of tone that I liked.

 

[Jackfunk1964]

I've been interested in trying the OC but I've spent a lot of$on comps lately.Dont get me wrong,the Empress bass is fantastic,but it's a little too energetic for me,if you know what I mean,the Mira is probably my fav,but seems I loose some bottom even with the hi pass.I always blend and use the hi pass but the hi pass is most important to me.I can buy a blender.In fact,I think I might like that
better.
For now,at least for a little while no pedals for me.
My rig sounds great for me as is,and I can actually practice instead of obsessing over tweaking knobs.lol.IfI still used an SVT,I don't think I would even need/want one, because of the power tubes.
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

[MatBassMelb]

I used to think like you until I've introduced pedals onto my board that track pitch. The OC-2 for example works way better for me with some light compression evening out the input signal. So now I have my usual glue comp at the end of the chain and some light comp directly before anything that tracks.

I've also had some drives that were a bit too touch sensitive and only had a small window of tone that I liked.

I'm in the same camp as Nashrakh. Compression helps my Octaver track much better, and helps my Envelope Filter behave a lot more consistently. Inconsistencies in either my Octaver or Envelope Filter become particularly noticeable when I introduce Fuzz or Phasers. So for me, Compression (then EQ) is an 'always on' pedal to both tighten up my sound and more valuably make the rest of my pedals behave consistently. I use the Empress Bass Compressor and Source Audio EQ2.

It's not necessarily 'right', but it's what works for me.

 

[Intrepid]

Hi,I rarely post,I hope I'm in the right place.
I have an Empress bass comp and a Walrus audio Mira.Waaay different comps,and both great.However,they are not what I'm looking for.Both of them are said to be transparent,well...they are...in a way,
What I'm looking for is a comp that sounds like my rig,until it compresses,then I love the optical action.I don't really need my dynamics evened out,punch, extra warmth,ect.
I just want to be able to dig in and have a nice natural compression when I choose and my NORMALtone the rest of the time.
What should I look at?You guys are a wealth of knowledge! Thank you.
By the way;Pbass with flats(T.I.)DB751,Berg HS 410.I also have a Markbass comp,q strip and Audio creations Grizzly bass.I am on pedal time out for a while...too much tweaking,lol.
Thank you in advance.

That would be more of a settings thing would it not be? Like put in a low input/high output so that it’s relatively difficult to trigger the compressor until you’re going ham on your bass. Maybe combine it with a semi high ratio if possible though 4:1 might be adequate.

 

[halcyo]

Think of every killer bass line you’ve ever listened to on a recording. 99% of them were compressed, often as an individual track AND the overall mix was likely compressed again.

Compression has nothing to do with fixing bad technique. It brings out punch, attack, sustain, tone, etc. The right comps will make the notes feel like they’re jumping off the strings when you play, and when you dig in or do fast attacks on notes, you can have the comp subtly squish or crunch in just a certain way that is literally part of the tone of some of the best bass lines in history.

It’s really more about punch and presence, if I had to simplify the explanation down to one sentence.

 

[Kerem Koseoglu]

On my board, I have my Cali76 CB always on early in the chain. I use it for slight compression though, nothing extreme - low rate, medium HPF, some clean blend, slow attack. That approach evens things out nicely without sounding unnatural or killing dynamics. I subjectively prefer that over a raw sound.

But is it a must? Absolutely not. On most tours / abroad gigs, I only bring my tuner + VTDI with me; to travel light. No sound guy / band lead ever complained about my missing compressor pedal.

 

[Sascha Erni]

Hi,I rarely post,I hope I'm in the right place.
I have an Empress bass comp and a Walrus audio Mira.Waaay different comps,and both great.However,they are not what I'm looking for.Both of them are said to be transparent,well...they are...in a way,
What I'm looking for is a comp that sounds like my rig,until it compresses,then I love the optical action.I don't really need my dynamics evened out,punch, extra warmth,ect.
I just want to be able to dig in and have a nice natural compression when I choose and my NORMALtone the rest of the time.
What should I look at?You guys are a wealth of knowledge! Thank you.
By the way;Pbass with flats(T.I.)DB751,Berg HS 410.I also have a Markbass comp,q strip and Audio creations Grizzly bass.I am on pedal time out for a while...too much tweaking,lol.
Thank you in advance.

Opening a new thread with a specific title might be more sensible than adding on to this discussion, but for what it's worth:

I like optical compressors for that utility, and put them after any dirt and behind the preamp. The Ampeg Opto Comp would be a low-priced tool for the job. Your existing Empress could probably pull off a similar effect with loads of tweaking (and as said, putting it at the end of your chain) if you don't want to invest anything at all. Personally, I went with a Diamond BCP-1 and a Broughton Omnicomp for my main compression needs, but they are comparatively pricey. The TC Spectracomp is a lot more affordable, but might ask for tinkering with apps as it's sort-of a compressor modeller – which means you can get pretty much any comp effect out of it, if you're patient enough.

 

[moon-bass]

Compression has long been a staple of recording and live performance. It's essentially a sub-science and there are literally volumes written on their application(s). It's not a must-have but a decent compressor in the right hands can do some wonderful things.

Riis

I couldn't say it better than this. I was a no-compressor guy for years, but when I finally found a good one it was a great thing. Don't listen to the ppl that say it squashes your signal or kills your dynamics. If used correctly it literally improves your dynamics. Plus, great tone sweetener.

 

[corvette_br]

My 2¢: not a "must-have" at all, but I for one really like it for tone enhancement - girth, punch and sustain. As other have said, to me it's not mainly about evening out or making up for technique flaws (not that they don't abound, mind you).

 

[Solude]

Must? No.
Preferable? Yes.

1176 type set for .8ms attack, 50ms release, 4:1 ratio and about 3dB compression, 1.5dB makeup is awesome