The old Empress compressor doesn’t turn on when it’s by itself powered by Strymon Zuma. As soon as I daisy chain it with another pedal then it can be turned on.
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Empress Bass Compressor vs Origin Cali76 Compact Bass
- Thread starter green3101
- Start date
Hey there, what a strange symptom! You have me curious. Reach out to us at [email protected] and we'd be happy to repair your unit!
Wow! That’s some customer service!
Between the empress bass and the Cali bass which one runs quieter? I want to run one in a parallel compression, but I don’t want a lot of hissing.
many thoughts?
many thoughts?
Didn't tried the Empress but did used the Cali67. I bet on Empress.
I tried the silver (non bass) Empress compressor yesterday and OMG I was impressed! I’ve never been happy long term with any compressor I’ve owned (Wampler Ego, Keeley Compressor Mini, MXR dyna comp). The Empress was next level for me.
I have only played the Cali76CB once, and it was over a year ago, but I remember being just as impressed. I remember the Cali76 adding something very nice. But I’ve had bad experiences with the “sauce” that my previous compressors have added… it was often in the way or unwanted. It makes me worry about the Cali76’s special sauce, even though it’s a great sounding sauce.
I do run the Origin Bassrig 64 Black Panel and the Jupiter FX Jive on my board… just curious if the Cali76 or Rmpress would be a better fit.
I have only played the Cali76CB once, and it was over a year ago, but I remember being just as impressed. I remember the Cali76 adding something very nice. But I’ve had bad experiences with the “sauce” that my previous compressors have added… it was often in the way or unwanted. It makes me worry about the Cali76’s special sauce, even though it’s a great sounding sauce.
I do run the Origin Bassrig 64 Black Panel and the Jupiter FX Jive on my board… just curious if the Cali76 or Rmpress would be a better fit.
No special sauce for me, although the Empress Bass Comp does have a "special sauce" switch. I like the EBC, so when it came time to upgrade the comp on my guitar board, I went for the Empress MKII. With guitar, I'm more picky about subtleties, and the MKII nailed what I was looking for. I like that both of these compressors can get completely out of the way, other than doing some flexible compression.
FWIW, both the EBC and the MKII are available in blue or silver. They look identical except for some of the labeling on the pedals.
Slight zombie reanimation here. Great thread, thanks to all for replies. I had the Empress before, switched to another comp, and now I'm going for round 2 with the Empress in a trade. Since I've switched to five string basses, I'm finding the need for HPF and dry blends in my comps.
Since both the Cali76-CB and the Empress have both of these features, can any five-string wielders comment on how those features compare to each other please? I dig comps that have mojo and aren't too transparent. (The T+C switch on the Empress used to be always on for me.)
Thanks!
Since both the Cali76-CB and the Empress have both of these features, can any five-string wielders comment on how those features compare to each other please? I dig comps that have mojo and aren't too transparent. (The T+C switch on the Empress used to be always on for me.)
Thanks!
I’ve gone back to the Cali CB (at 18v). I miss the great monitoring of the Empress and it is a bit easier to dial in, but I prefer the sound of the Cali. The overall tone of the Empress is more neutral, but the compression itself is more pumpy/poppy and to my ear it always sounded obviously compressed. The Cali sounds more muscular, doesn’t have a poppy attack, and I can compress the heck out of the signal without it sounding obviously compressed.
They are the two best I’ve tried, but for me the Cali won out.
They are the two best I’ve tried, but for me the Cali won out.
Thank you, @smeet , that's really helpful. I might try swapping the Empress for the Cali. There's a reason I didn't keep the Empress before, but, now that I'm using a Smoothie, I'm finding it tough to dial in for five-string.
TLDR: I own the Empress and play a 5 most of the time. Big thumbs up from me but can’t comment on the Cali.
I play a 5 pretty much most of the time. The Empress is my first real dive into compression and for me it’s a “makes everything sound a bit better” device (including focusing the low B a little more).
I umm’d and ahhh’d about the Cali vs the Empress and made my choice based on better monitoring, separate controls for attack and release and the with / without mojo option.
It like we maybe want slightly different things from compressors (at least from a mojo standpoint) but the Empress with a 4:1 ratio, slow attack, fast release -8dB compression and plenty of dry signal has helped my low B.
Thanks for your reply. Yeah I'm with you on that. I had similar settings when I used it before, with the T+C fully on. I'll put it through its paces again and will probably try a trade fo the Cali76-CB if I reach the same place I was before.
i love my Cali76 on my passive 4 strings, but having trouble getting it dialed in for my active 5
May pick up an Empress
May pick up an Empress
How about the new version Diamond Bass Comp EQ? Definitely coloured, warm thick tone. EQ section very effective and fun to play with.
I also have the Empress Bass Compressor. Great controls. The tone switch and the subtle bright distortion it adds is almost worth a pedal in itself.
Broughton Omnicomp, very classy, comparable to the Empress without the tone switch. Doesn’t need it, nice “just right” tone, whereas the Empress with tone switch off sounds “dusty”, not good.
I’ve been curious about the the Origin Effects Cali76, as well as the OE amplifier simulator Bass Rig pedals.
I also have the Empress Bass Compressor. Great controls. The tone switch and the subtle bright distortion it adds is almost worth a pedal in itself.
Broughton Omnicomp, very classy, comparable to the Empress without the tone switch. Doesn’t need it, nice “just right” tone, whereas the Empress with tone switch off sounds “dusty”, not good.
I’ve been curious about the the Origin Effects Cali76, as well as the OE amplifier simulator Bass Rig pedals.
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Sorry for the resurrection! I'm really trying to decide between these the Empress and Cali76 and this thread has been very informative. I've used the Keeley for the past 5+ years at the end of my pedal chain to tame the volume spikes from some other effects pedals (envelope and phaser). Very similar settings to yours, just as a very transparent limiter. Now I'm looking for more of a detailed compressor to go in front of my recently acquired tube DI's (Khan and Noble, depending on which band I'm with).
Did you ever "upgrade" from your Keeley to the Empress or Cali76? If so, what did you find?
Funny (or sadly) enough, I picked up the Khan and Noble to play side by side and decide which I liked better with the intention to sell the other. But I like them both so much I can't bring myself to sell either one. I'm afraid of buying both the Cali76 and Empress BC and having the same result!
For what it's worth, I love the sound samples of the Effectrode LA-1A over most compressors, but need something in a Cali/Empress sized box for pedal board mounting.
Wow, this does go back a bit! I did upgrade to the Empress but sold it as it just had so much more than I needed. I wound up buying single knob compressor from TC that I use. So much fiddling. I'm thinking of ditching the pedals altogether and just going straight to the amp and DI out the back for live shows. I just don't think the juice is worth the squeeze these days.
I had the Cali and the Empress. Both are excellent however I chose to keep the Empress and sell the Cali.
Same. Except, while I would say the Cali was “excellent” in general, it sounded bad when playing certain combination of notes (a.k.a., chord, that is in various songs that play, not just made up). I recorded the issue and it was confirmed by OE as expected/normal for the pedal. Thus, I sold it.
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