Does anyone NOT use a compressor? (... and why not?)

[SV777]

I started using an MXR bass comp and found the LED gauge really helped to solidify in my mind the effect each knob has.
How easily it kicks on (threshold )
How quickly it kicks on when threshold is reached ( attack )
How long it effects the note for (release)
Now I can add smoothness , gating , punch, or sustain by quick adjustments.

That being said I have mine set with a slow attack / quicker release/ threshold to kick on with harder slaps or plucks.
I can hear my initial transient yet compressor limits peaks and gets out of the way quickly. It really does clean up slapped or plucked ghost notes.
However in real life playing with a drummer I dont feel it's a must to use.
Sometimes I just hate all the extra plugs and cables and bags even two or three pedals require.

 

[Sgt. Rock]

I started using an MXR bass comp and found the LED gauge really helped to solidify in my mind the effect each knob has.
How easily it kicks on (threshold )
How quickly it kicks on when threshold is reached ( attack )
How long it effects the note for (release)
Now I can add smoothness , gating , punch, or sustain by quick adjustments.

That being said I have mine set with a slow attack / quicker release/ threshold to kick on with harder slaps or plucks.
I can hear my initial transient yet compressor limits peaks and gets out of the way quickly. It really does clean up slapped or plucked ghost notes.
However in real life playing with a drummer I dont feel it's a must to use.
Sometimes I just hate all the extra plugs and cables and bags even two or three pedals require.

That LED meter was invaluable to me in learning *how* compression works. It's a GREAT feature and the main reason if someone wants to try a compressor, I recommend the M87. That and the adjustability of the pedal in general have turned it into an essential component for me. I run two in stereo and love them.

Plus, you are using it exactly how it was designed to work. Let me guess...you read the manual, right?

 

[sharkbait130]

Does anyone NOT use a compressor?-----------Me
And why not?----------Tubes

 

[Fuzzbass]

I've always hated compression . It robs all the nuance and dynamics out of what you are playing. People claim it smooths everything out-so what- that is why you practice,to get an even attack. It is an attempt or shortcut to sounding good but all it does is give a blah,uniform sound.

Seriously, you and most of the other haters who have piled on this thread have no idea what the hell you are talking about. Compression has many many uses. Heavy squash is just one of them, and it's rarely used (though I will note that heavy compression was used on McCartney's bass on Beatles albums).

It's fine to not use compression, but there's no need to insult it with untruths. Compression is used (particularly on bass) on nearly every recording -- including those which are non-blah and non-uniform.

I don't often use compression live, but I don't feel the need to feel superior about that. Many top pros who don't "need" it still use it -- in varying degrees, for various reasons.

 

[SV777]

That LED meter was invaluable to me in learning *how* compression works. It's a GREAT feature and the main reason if someone wants to try a compressor, I recommend the M87. That and the adjustability of the pedal in general have turned it into an essential component for me. I run two in stereo and love them.

Plus, you are using it exactly how it was designed to work. Let me guess...you read the manual, right?

Yes stupidly enough I did read the manual lol. I just started asking myself what I wanted it to do for me and through trial and error ( mostly over doing the threshold ) and the LED "coach " I figured it out.
Sonically it's easy to get lost without that visual early on.
It is a great choice for players dipping their toe in the compression pool.
I would like to try a Diamond and EBS sometime too just for fun.

 

[Sgt. Rock]

A compressor makes a performance dull and without nuance and is a crutch for poor technique the same way that distortion drowns out the actual note and turns the entire signal path into a wash of un-listenable white noise. In other words, if that's what the effect is producing, you're doing it wrong.

 

[Basshappi]

I avoid them like the plague. I do not like how they affect my dynamics. Even when recording, I allow only the absolute minimum needed to get the track to sit in the mix.

 

[blindrabbit]

'no effects' trolling in the Effects forum

After a number of recent incidents we have to post this reminder that really shouldn't need posting.

This is a forum for discussing the usage of Effects on bass. By definition the people posting here use and love effects. Coming into here and saying that effects are useless or unneeded is as dictionary a definition of trolling as there is and will be dealt with as such.

Note, this is different from explaining in an intelligent manner why you don't use effects in response to a question: "I can't really find a use for a ring modulator in my church band" for example. But statements in the spirit such as: "effects suck", "they are for guitar only", "I only need my fingers" will be considered as trolling and subject to warning / infractions.

Any threads started with titles such as "why do you use effects?" will be closed as even if started with good intent, which is hard to discern, they always attract the trolls and go downhill.

If you must start a "what effects do I need?" thread, the title is a red flag to trolls, name it better such as "what effects would work well for my bhangra / death metal / reggae band?"

 

[4Mal]

Always in studio, never on stage.

that's what FOH is for.

...for the win...

I went back and forth a long time. Tried a bunch. Some good ones, some cheapies. Floor boxes like the Compulator (kills on a Tele or Strat). Rackables ... Just decided after all that it wasn't adding anything. Particularly after going to the MB-Fusion 500 head. The front end can be set pretty soft and a comp just muddies things up...

Just for reference... I'm a finger style for the most part. I do some popping but no slap and two handed tapping ... Not in my genre if I wish to remain employed... Fearful 12/6, Lakland 44-01's. Flats and rounds, fretted, fretless. Another player, on other gear might find it all very different and that a decent comp was just the cream in his coffee...

 

[40Hz]

I'm a compressor noob, and any time I've ever tried to use the effect there has been that overdrivey kind of coloring.

What compresors compress without coloring the tone like that? I really would only want to use one to even out the peaks and valleys without coloration?

Usually the ones that are billed as a "limiting amplifier." I very much can recommend the Keeley Bassist for that purpose. It adds no coloration and isn't at all effect'y. Very much like the type of compressor you'd run into in a recording studio. If a clean and uncolored compressor primarily intended for electric bass is what you're looking for, this pedal is it. And it's affordable too.

There's been a lot of love for this pedal on TB. A search will net you a bunch of other comments about it.

 

[Smallmouth_Bass]

I like the idea of compression and my problem is that I don't like too much squish and then if I use a one that is "transparent", I think to myself, if I can't hear a difference, what's the point?

I recently picked up an Empress, and I use it in such a way that I can hear its effect, but it's not squishing the sound. So, I think I have found the happy medium. I think that having control over the mix (or blend) is really helpful in keeping some of the dynamics while still getting the benefits of the compression. It's subtle, but noticeable.

 

[LiquidMidnight]

"Utility effects" such as compression and the Thumpinator aren't always the most fun things to play around with, but they are sometimes the most useful in solidifying a great final tone.

 

[40Hz]

"Utility effects" such as compression and the Thumpinator aren't always the most fun things to play around with, but they are sometimes the most useful in solidifying a great final tone.

This.

Electronic guru Don Lancaster once said that there's many times that a thing that seems totally pointless and unintuitive turns out to be incredibly useful - once you put the time in to really get it nailed down.

Compression is like that. It's not necessarily an "always on" sort of device. Nor is it glamorous like a modulation effect. Used correctly it's more subtle and behind the scenes. And it definitely takes more than a hour of noodling around and twisting dials ("just to see what they do") for most people to figure it out. But it's time well spent for the people that do make the effort. At least IMO.

YOMV.

 

[Sgt. Rock]

"Utility effects" such as compression and the Thumpinator aren't always the most fun things to play around with, but they are sometimes the most useful in solidifying a great final tone.

That's why compression is tricky. You step on distortion, you hear distortion. Step on a compressor, and you don't hear much of anything. Especially if you're dialed in correctly.

For many years I thought "what's the point in buying an effect that I can't even hear?" I never had a real problem blending dynamically with drums, guitars, keyboards etc. just using my hands. Then a couple years ago I heard Billy Sheehan describe how and why he uses compression in a YouTube video and it just made sense (admittedly he uses a *lot*). I went and read read the ovnilabs compressor FAQ and something just clicked, so I decided to give them another chance. And I'm very glad I did, as compression has become a key component in my tone, and helped to resolve some other issues in my signal path.

Frankly, my ears at 40 are more sophisticated than they were at 20. I understand music differently now. I play differently. I expect a different tone and blending of sound from myself and my partners. No doubt others here have had the same experience. My listening experience is not necessarily "better", but definitely different. When I listen to recorded material now, I hear things that I definitely would have missed when I was younger. As a result, I'm pickier about my sound, so much so that I built a Franken-Precision to get it. It still isn't exactly what I want. LOL.

Don't expect to "arrive" at the first compressor you try. Just like any other effect you need to try out a few, all with different features, and really give a critical listen to what they do to your sound. Once I found what I was looking for, it was a "where have you been all my life?" moment. One of the reasons I'm excited about my next project is to really implement good compression for the first time in my playing career. It can make that much of a difference...IF you find one that works for you (if at all).

 

[Liam Wald]

That is exactly its purpose.

I think that it is more a case of compensating for a lack of hand dynamics.

 

[TonyP-]

I use it just about %100 of the time.

Live I use %100 of the time.

I'm posting on here not to argue but to let some players know that do not worry affecting your dynamics.
I can play softer and have that same vibe come across that way with no issue what so ever. I mean ever...

Someone on here said the plus out weigh the negatives and I agree with that %100.

Personally I think the compressor is the best tool to use for bass hands down (but that is just me).

All I'm saying let your ears be the judge..
I come in peace.

 

[AshInAmsterdam]

I think that it is more a case of compensating for a lack of hand dynamics.

It's purpose is to remove dynamics or at least to reduce them. People say the same of distortion. A bad player can hide behind it. But rock music wouldn't be the same without it.

 

[Sgt. Rock]

I think that it is more a case of compensating for a lack of hand dynamics.

Again, if someone is using a compressor for that purpose, they're using it incorrectly. Obviously technique comes first.

Bass guitar puts out an *extremely* wide dynamic range. Left unchecked (by a compressor or otherwise), this will detract from its ability to sonically blend with other instruments. When used correctly, a compressor is the perfect tool to narrow that range down while actually enhancing (not suppressing) expression.

I can play softly and get whisper-quiet passages, or I can attack my strings aggressively and get a roaring loud response. Using compressors doesn't prevent that. In my case, it just makes the notes sound more tonally pleasant and easier to blend in a mix.

 

[Ellery]

I've always hated compression . It robs all the nuance and dynamics out of what you are playing. People claim it smooths everything out-so what- that is why you practice,to get an even attack. It is an attempt or shortcut to sounding good but all it does is give a blah,uniform sound.

I understand, I too often see bassists cranking up the compression too much, to make it easier to tap or do sweeps; after observing their use in the studio for mastering final mixes, I don't believe that's what compressors are actually for. I intentionally set mine to act only as a peak limiter (low compression, high attack, low release), which helps the TONE better than an EQ pedal, and still reveals inconsistencies in playing, allowing me to express with my hands as you described.

 

[Panther]

I use it just about %100 of the time.

Live I use %100 of the time.

I'm posting on here not to argue but to let some players know that do not worry affecting your dynamics.
I can play softer and have that same vibe come across that way with no issue what so ever. I mean ever...

Someone on here said the plus out weigh the negatives and I agree with that %100.

Personally I think the compressor is the best tool to use for bass hands down (but that is just me).

All I'm saying let your ears be the judge..
I come in peace.

I use it 100% of the time too. Ant it's not because 'bad technique' myth that seems to be a theme here