Here's what I want. Should I compress?

[MultiScaleMale]

Yeah, I'm thinking Mark Olson too....

 

[Ceez]

Soooooo, what was this thread about?

 

[chessrocks]

Pretty easy to rock the boat around here, I see.

This is going to be a fun place to post.

You're welcome, guys. Always glad to help out.

 

[boomertech]

The point I'm trying to make is that you guys seem to think that I'm annoyed with him.

And I'm not. I'm rather annoyed with you. Because I think people need to give themselves more credit.

We get that you are not annoyed with him and I think I stated that in my previous post. You are annoyed because people want to hear his opinion, to the point that you make snide references about Bongo to discredit his opinion (Pope, God, blessing…). While also inferring that the people who like to read his reviews before a purchase are weak minded or need to grow a set and become more experienced on their own. This is a bad display of forum etiquette and is very counter productive.

You are annoyed with me now… I think it is more like you are frustrated because you continue to think your opinions are all that matters and I and some other members see it very differently and are making a valid point.

I was trying to make a point that there are only one or two guys on this planet that I might lend that kind of weight to their opinions ... and even that is kind of iffy. And I'm sorry if this bursts your bubble, but Bongo ain't in that group. I'm not in that group. And I don't know if there is anyone currently alive and regularly blogging ... who falls in to that group.

Just because you don’t listen to others opinions (except for maybe two people) that you think everyone else should be the same way as you? That’s a pretty arrogant pompous stance, don’t you think? Nevermind.....

And if you're really interested in my no-holds barred assessment of Bongo boy ... I think there's a lot of hit and miss. It's not contradictory at all to say I agree with a lot of his assessments but some of them leave me scratching my head thinking "What-in-the-holy-heck?"

Since you continue to imply that Bongo’s reviews are less than adequate, let me give you my honest assessment of them. I have used many of the compressors that are on his site long before I found his reviews. While there were a few reviews that I wasn’t 100% in agreement with, they were mostly representative of my experiences. Most of his reviews mirrored my own experience 100%. So you may have differing opinions or experiences, but he has proven to me to that he will hit on 95-100% of what I would see with a compressor that he reviewed. It might just be that I don’t have your expertise with compression that makes us see things so differently.

BTW, many people have purchased the M87 already and did not wait for the Bongo review. If you go through the threads you will see that some have been hearing artifacts and some don’t. Now if Bongo was to have found these artifacts he would put them in his review and explained under what conditions that they occur and possible ways to reduce or avoid them and like I said before he would also notify the manufacturer. There have been several other pedal comps that he has found issues with that others have not. Does that make his assessments wrong… Nope! All it means is that the pedal he had, using his testing methods, produced that issue. Now what he sees as an issue, someone else may not see as an issue at all. But the fact is that he pointed out something that may be bothersome to some people. Many people find that to be very valuable information.

If you go through the comp threads and see the people that have purchased a comp on Bongo’s recommendations, you will find that 90+% are very satisfied with what they bought. That’s a very impressive fact that you can not dispute.

So bottom line is ... learn how to listen for compression, and trust your own ears over someone else's. That's all. It's just a really simple message I am trying to pass on to you; which you can take or leave as you wish.

I think that your message is something that we were all very aware of before you announced it. And it is also why so many people flip so many pedals looking for that certain sound. But in a previous post of yours to Scott you admit that reading reviews is a “logical way of doing things.” You really have a poor manner to convey your message.

In pedal format, I would recommend the Joemeek "floorQ" or the Aphex Punch Factory. Reasoning: Both of these brands have moreless specialized in compression through the years; compression is what they do and they rarely screw it up. Guitar pedals are just kind of secondary for them. MXR is another company who have made some stellar compressors through the years, so i don't think you could go wrong there either.

This M87 of theirs will give you control and metering over EVERYTHING, so if you can't make it sound good ... it's probably your fault, because every parameter is under your control. And I don't understand why people feel like they need this "Bongo" guy to bless it, as if he were the pope of compression. Like with anything else, it's audio, and you're either going to like the sound or you're not.

This statement saying that if you can not get a sound you are looking for then you don’t know what you are doing. Really? The MXR has a very fast attack (even on its slowest setting) and for those who like a slower attack this pedal won’t cut the mustard. If you like fast attack or limiters then this pedal may be perfect for you. IMO your suggestion will be wrong for a lot of people.

You also make a blanket statement that you can not go wrong with brands XXX and YYY because they have specialized in compression. That is equivalent to saying “go buy a Ford, because Ford specializes in automobiles and they know what they are doing”… I think the Pinto would make a good analogy here. Most manufacturers do duplicate their quality from their rack units into their pedal units (most of the time the circuits are almost identical), but that isn’t always true.

Pretty easy to rock the boat around here, I see.

This is going to be a fun place to post.

You're welcome, guys. Always glad to help out.

Wow! If that’s your goal then I think that anything else that you have to offer should be considered useless. I invited you to make your counterpoint on the reviews that you dispute in a manner that would be beneficial to all of us. But you continue to say you read his reviews and had *** moments. If you had something constructive to offer I would’ve liked to of seen it, but at this point I really don’t expect much from you.

-Frank

 

[ThudThudThud]

+1 on the Seymour Duncan DoubleBack. It's extremely transparent when set right. I've also been playing for a long time and this did exactly what I wanted it to do - stop the volume discrepancies. The DoubleBack feature allows you to blend in your dry signal. I use the little filter switch to run the mids back through. I absolutely love my pedal. It also has masses (and I mean MASSES - so be careful) of headroom.

 

[chessrocks]

If you had something constructive to offer I would’ve liked to of seen it, but at this point I really don’t expect much from you.

I'm guessing you fall in to the camp of those who really don't get compression, and my comments probably hit somewhat close to home.

If that's the case, then I apologize. If you care to ask nicely, either via this thread or private message, I would be more than happy to teach you how to evaluate compression for yourself; the different types; what to listen for and how to use it for creative dynamics shaping in just about any context. Just let me know, and I will be more than happy to lend a hand in any way I can.

Somehow, I don't really expect that you'd be a very willing or humble student, but I'm certainly willing to give you the benefit of the doubt, and the offer stands.

 

[MultiScaleMale]

I'm guessing you fall in to the camp of those who really don't get compression, and my comments probably hit somewhat close to home.

If that's the case, then I apologize. If you care to ask nicely, either via this thread or private message, I would be more than happy to teach you how to evaluate compression for yourself; the different types; what to listen for and how to use it for creative dynamics shaping in just about any context. Just let me know, and I will be more than happy to lend a hand in any way I can.

Somehow, I don't really expect that you'd be a very willing or humble student, but I'm certainly willing to give you the benefit of the doubt, and the offer stands.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!

Dude, do a little research. Just a little, maybe look at the signature.

I'll help: "Designer/Owner of FEA Labs"

 

[BioDriver]

I'm guessing you fall in to the camp of those who really don't get compression, and my comments probably hit somewhat close to home.

If that's the case, then I apologize. If you care to ask nicely, either via this thread or private message, I would be more than happy to teach you how to evaluate compression for yourself; the different types; what to listen for and how to use it for creative dynamics shaping in just about any context. Just let me know, and I will be more than happy to lend a hand in any way I can.

Somehow, I don't really expect that you'd be a very willing or humble student, but I'm certainly willing to give you the benefit of the doubt, and the offer stands.

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

I'm not sure if you missed the sig or endorsement part of his posts or if you're just trolling, but good god that's funny. To quote behndy...

someday, i'll be a real grown up boy and learn to play bass.

*wistful look*

sigh. SOME. DAY.

also, you are freaking ADORABLE. i wish i could just cuddle you all NIGHT. grrrahh!!

 

[king_biscuit]

I ordered my Diamond bass compressor almost solely based on Bongo's review. Like a lot of people I can't try the Diamond or most of the others compressors Bongo has reviewed locally. Many of us have no choice but to buy first and try later. Thanks to Bongo's reviews I, and many others, can use his experience and knowledge to get it right the first time. Btw, the Diamond comp is perfect for me and I'm totally pleased with the purchase so thanks Bongo!

 

[chessrocks]

It wasn't lost on me that Bongo gives positive reviews to Boomer's pedals ... when he came rushing to Bongo's defense. Whoever said Chivalry was dead?

That's just good business to be good to your reviewers, and Boomer is practicing some good PR.

Hey, Boomer, if you want to hook me up with an eval unit, I would be more than happy to give it a thorough, fair and unbiased review. I'm genuinely interested.

 

[jmattbassplaya]

Funny. The guy has been here less than a week, knows how to multi quote, is well aware of Bongo and how often he's mentioned in regards to comps, AND he has a chip on his shoulder very similar to Mark Olson's.

 

[BioDriver]

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

In the event it is Mark: Get over it.

In the even it isn't Mark: Get over it and allow others to have their opinions.

In both cases: Grow up; "Internet: SRS BZNS" is sarcasm.

 

[chessrocks]

This statement saying that if you can not get a sound you are looking for then you don’t know what you are doing. Really? The MXR has a very fast attack (even on its slowest setting) and for those who like a slower attack this pedal won’t cut the mustard.

And if you understand how compression times work, and the difference between an attack time that swings in the microseconds (limiter territory) versus one that measures in the milliseconds ... you can look at the owner's manual, and make that call for yourself.

I just want people to understand that compression isn't such a huge thing for you to wrap your head around if you take the time to learn the basics and train your ear. You of all people should appreciate this sentiment.

Look, it's cool that you're chiming in here, but it's very clear to me that you're just docking me for style points and the tone of my delivery .... rather than on the substance of the matter. And considering this is a web bulletin board ... that's just kind of an exercise in futility. Not everyone on the internets is going to play nice all the time, so get over it already.

 

[Jazz Ad]

Yep. Bongo is awesome but there are several units about which I don't agree with him.
Which is cool. The point of a forum is to share opinions and points of view to help other members to make their own choice.

What OP wants to do is exactly the purpose of the built-in limiter on his amp. Provide protection for the speaker by eliminating pikes. IMHO no effect is needed in this case.

 

[king_biscuit]

Funny. The guy has been here less than a week, knows how to multi quote, is well aware of Bongo and how often he's mentioned in regards to comps, AND he has a chip on his shoulder very similar to Mark Olson's.

It's like the old regional wrestling promotions I watched as a kid in the late 70s, where a guy would get banned in a looser leave town match and show up the next week wearing a mask.

 

[chessrocks]

I don't know who this Olson guy is, but over time as you form online communities, you realize there really aren't any new personalities out there. Especially when you're talking gear. Every board has it's opinion leader (Bongo), it's vendors (Boomer), and every board has an Olsen.

They also have the comedian, the conspiracy theorist, the photo shop artist, the guy who constantly over-uses acronyms (OMG, YMMV, etc.) .... the annoying multi-quoter (guilty as charged), and the guy with the annoyingly long and verbose signature.

What we could really use right now is a good thread-killer. Every board has them, too, so whoever that is ... please feel free to chime in any second.

 

[scottfeldstein]

HITLER!

Does that work here?

 

[JKos]

> Every board has it's opinion leader (Bongo)

What percentage of players do you think will ever get to touch as many compressors as Bongo has? A very, very, very small percentage. His reviews at least let you narrow down what you might be interested in and what not to worry about.

- John

 

[f.c.geil]

Bongo may not be the be-all and end-all when it comes to compression, but he sure as shooting knows more about it than most people on this board, or anywhere else for that matter. I find his reviews to be informative and quite helpful, which is more than I can say for most reviews, especially those done by people who are supposed to be doing it professionally (magazines). I pay attention to what he says, even though I like to think I have a clue about the subject.

 

[scottfeldstein]

Agreed. Plus, knowing what you're doing doesn't make his reviews less valuable. It makes them MORE valuable.