• 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 you use a compressor live?

Do you use a compressor live?

  • Yes

    Votes: 84 73.7%

  • No

    Votes: 30 26.3%
  • Total voters
    114
#41
seanm said:
I really did not expect the results to be so lopsided. I wonder if the fact that I posted in the effects forum skews the results. i.e. People who like effects are more likely to use compression?
Click to expand...

For one, I'm an effects lover, and I don't use compression at all. I got a Zvex Mammoth fuzz, Line 6 FM4, cheap volume pedal, Zoom B2 (modulation efx on the cheap), looper/efx loop blender, and 2 preamps (DIs) on my board.

I am not sure if the following is true but, since I use passive basses most of the time, my instruments dont have as much headroom as say basses with 18V/27V preamps. I'm assuming that I'm less prone to volume spikes since i play with a hard and fairly consistent attack. Again, it seems easier for me since I use passive basses with lower ouputs and lesser headroom. Is this true at all?:confused:
 
#44
seanm said:
I really did not expect the results to be so lopsided. I wonder if the fact that I posted in the effects forum skews the results. i.e. People who like effects are more likely to use compression?
Click to expand...

markjazzbassist said:
yeah, plus most (if not all) of the people who said Yes are effects users live. MANY and i mean MANY bass players just use a bass, amp, and cord for all their gigs. Those people don't respond in the effects forum.

i'm guessing that overall, More people Don't use compression live.
Click to expand...

I guess I will be one who stands apart. I am a BIG TIME effects user and to be honest.....I don't like it.

My best tones have come from bass--->cable---->amp but in the context of my band it was somewhat essential that I use effects when playing covers. Over the years I grew to love various effects EXCEPT compression.

Bottom line, it varied my output level too drastically.

In a live setting, I really did not want to be bothered to infinitely tweak knobs until I found a setting that didn't cut volume or screw with my other effects. I've found on numerous occasions that my compressor would completely cut me out of the mix when engaged or give me a tone I did not like.

Obviously, I voted "no" to using compression.
 
#45
3NotesAbar said:
I am not sure if the following is true but, since I use passive basses most of the time, my instruments dont have as much headroom as say basses with 18V/27V preamps. I'm assuming that I'm less prone to volume spikes since i play with a hard and fairly consistent attack. Again, it seems easier for me since I use passive basses with lower ouputs and lesser headroom. Is this true at all?:confused:
Click to expand...

Not so much, actually. It's all in how you set your levels (including the "level" of your finger/pick attack). You have found levels that work for you and your specific rig; other rigs/basses just require different level settings for the exact same results. "Output level" and "dynamics" are not at all the same thing.

My observation, in experimenting with so many compressors, is that people who complain that compressors kill their tone, cut them out of the mix, screw with their dynamics, etc. either didn't know how to set them up properly, or were stuck using a lame compressor. There really are a lot of comps out there that suck; there are also plenty that require you spend a fair amount of time learning how to use them properly, and understand their specific strengths and weaknesses.

For example, all the time we see posts like "I have a 100W Behringer amp, and I crank it all the way up but it still doesn't sound like JPJ or Geddy, and I can't hear myself over the guitarist... what kind of distortion pedal should I buy?" The real answer is they need to learn a lot more about how amplifiers work, and get the right amp for the job. It's exactly the same with compression- not only do you have to start off with the right tool for the job (i.e. a comp that is suitable for your playing style, and no they are not all the same); you also have to understand what each of the features does, and how it affects your tone, dynamics, and place in the mix.

All of this is by no means to say that everyone should like compressors and use them. But I do feel certain that the people who say "compressors kill my sound" need to (a) try a different comp, and (b) spend some time learning how to get what they want from it. Of course, a lot of people (quite reasonably) don't have the patience for that, or just want to plug and play, and that's fine for them, but it's not a problem with the compressor. :)
 
#48
Of course not. :) Different strokes for different folks.

I have used compression extensively in the studio and whatever the engineer is doing, it sounds golden. I just found setting up compression in a live setting to be more problematic and time consuming.
 
#49
i´m also one of the few (on the fx forum) that don´t use compression live...although i have a some good compressors (carl martin, aphex pf).
i just like the way i can use the whole dynamic spectrum of my db750, plus tubey preamp-stages like the one in the aggie add a tad of compression if run fairly hot...
soundwise, what could sound better than a good bass run straight into the big aggie ? and as a technical help, i don´t need compression for live use...+20yrs of playing definitely help, i adjust my touch accordingly to which string i play and what i want it to sound like...of all the basses i own, i know all their weaknesses and strengths, their deadspots and powerspots, how the low b reacts etc.

for recording, though, it´s a different thing. and for bigger gigs too, but there, they will give you some compression out of their racks anyway, so why compress double ?

maybe i´ll use some compression in the future for a few songs, though, when there is a lot of tapping and chording/harmonics involved.

cheers,
lowstar
 
#52
Sometimes. I use a compressor (and a preamp) on one regular gig where I have to go direct to the board, and because in this case there isn't one at the board for me. Usually, though, I leave that up the engineer. I prefer to use tone control (a little mid when needed) first to cut through /blend in a mix.

The one I'm using in an Aphex Punch Factory. It gets the job done without sounding like a compressor. It has a wide response range despite user reviews I've read. I'm sold on optical now.
 
#53
seanm said:
...I wonder if the fact that I posted in the effects forum skews the results. i.e. People who like effects are more likely to use compression?
Click to expand...
..OR it could be that "people who like to sound like almost ANY single professional rock music recording ever produced in the entire history of the recording industry are more likely to use compression".

Joe
 
#54
lowstar said:
...maybe i´ll use some compression in the future for a few songs, though, when there is a lot of tapping and chording/harmonics involved.
Click to expand...
I've been tempted to start a whole thread about this subject (I've hardly ever started a thread!) because I'd love to see more bassists start tapping - I really think that in the future, it'll be expected that any bassist is at least a little proficient in tapping (and thump/slap, fretted harmonics, plectrum AND fingerstyle, double-stops...).

I don't even know why right-NOW that more 3-peice cover bands (ones who cover FOUR-piece bands, anyway) who are looking for a bassist don't consider tapping skills a 'strong plus', or even require it in an applicant.

~~~~~~~~~~~
What I was thinking of bringing-up is that in my opinion, someone who wants to learn tapping should have - borrow or WHATever - a compressor! I KNOW Pacman doesn't need a compressor - me either, anymore, really - but when learning a whole new technique like that, ya deserve to have a little satisfaction/encouragement along the way, and when I first started, I think I would have given-up (because it would have sounded SO rediculously-BAD!) if I wouldn't have had a compressor helping me to hear that "I actually DID hit that note".

Know what I mean?

Joe
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back