Hi folks,
How do you use your compressor?
I use mine as an always on effect with light compression, like o tone enhance (EBS multicomp). Either I use it in the beginning of the chain or, like it is now, on the end, compressing some distortion, octaver or a synth from a source audio c4.
Ultimately I was thinking that a light compression on the beginning of the chain and a strong limiter on the end would be ideal, both always on.
But now I am thinking that using the compressor as an effect, switching it in an out would also be cool, like using it to transform a bass with a strong attack to a bass with a more sustained tone character or the opposite.
What do you think? How do you use yours?
Thank you?
I'm pretty much a "plug in and play" kind of a bass player. I do have onboard compressors on four of my amps and on my WTDI (stompbox DI with built in adjustable compressor). I am one of those lucky ones who doesn't need a compressor to add sustain to his sound. I have a all maple-necked '82 Jazz with 70's era pickup spacing (4" center to center). It's a bit brighter than my 1965 Jazz that I bought in 1966 and was stolen in 1976. And it has a LOT more sustain. If I'd had a compressor back in the 60's and 70's, I would have constantly used it to add some more sustain to my '65 Jazz.
I have an onboard compressor on my DNA-800 amp that has adjustable threshold and ratio controls. I've played around with it a bit but only use it when we do that Cyndi Lauper song "Time After Time". Actually the song sounds fine without using the compressor on that song but the original sounds like it's using a lot of compression or perhaps keyboard bass and it sounds good, so I'll use it there. My WTDI also has a single control onboard compressor so I'll turn that up when using it for that sound. So I guess I would say that i primarily use it as an effect as opposed to using it to add sustain.
I have a three Eden amps that sound great and both of them have an auto-compressor. When the compressor is turned on, you can adjust the threshold by raising the gain to trigger the compressor more quickly. The one in my Eden Nemesis RS400 and also in my Eden WT500/800 is pretty harsh and has what's called a hard knee. It clamps on hard as soon as the threshold is exceeded and it drops hard when it goes back below it. It works fine for slap, but I hardly ever slap, and it just sounds too harsh to use when playing any other method.
I also have an Eden TN226 (225-watts rms into 4Ω) and I found out quite surprisingly that it is a very usable and musical auto-compressor. It has a softer knee so it both engages and releases much more smoothly and musically. I normally use that amp with a 112 cab at a small brewpub where we've hosted Open Mic Nights 40+ Fridays a year.
Our 5-piece group got more than a little loud there one night and next thing I know the power clipping light is flashing a lot! That's a very bad thing because if you don't fix it right away the protection circuit will activate and turn the amp off. Dropping the Bass EQ didn't help but turning the master down stopped it from flashing. Problem with that was that then you couldn't hear me. So I gave up, turned on the auto-compressor, and turned the gain up to make sure the compressor engaged, and then turned the master back up.
Surprise, surprise, surprise! I was able to play at the level that had previously caused power clipping in the amp and I still had plenty of attack and dynamics in my playing. It was basically compressing the peaks in my signal just enough to keep the amp out of clipping, yet virtually sounded the same as it did with the compressor turned off. After we finished that song I told everyone we needed to turn down. They all agreed and we did.
So in that case I was using my compressor to protect the amp itself.
