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Let's talk about compressors

The Warm Audio WA76 will get you there at 1/4 the price.:thumbsup:

-Frank

Absolutely.

All of the Warm Audio stuff is really excellent; I do wish they'd added an attenuator to their Pultec EQ to allow you to remove the 6dB bump and leave the gain staging unchanged, but after using a bunch of their stuff lately I only have glowing praises for them.

Not quite pedalboard sized...but still ;)

Even their Neumann U87 clone is quite close to the original for around 1/20th the cost of a vintage one.

Apologies to the thread for feeding the troll...I should have stopped a few pages ago when he suggested that classical music was a good example of modern music with electric bass and no compression :roflmao:
 
Apologies to the thread for feeding the troll...I should have stopped a few pages ago when he suggested that classical music was a good example of modern music with electric bass and no compression :roflmao:

Here's the actual dialogue:

Every single album you have ever heard does have compression regardless as to whether it was added on purpose or not since recording audio with a Mic and pre to tape naturally compresses the signal a bit (especially since pre and amp were all tubes back then)......

FYI There happens to be modern music made without compression. Let's start with Classical.

How is it recorded without natural compression happening in the signal chain? Are they using magic? Also, I am willing to bet even classical music is mastered with some sort of limiter on the stereo mix.

Because the entire signal path (Mics, Pres, ADC) has a very high dynamic range. There's no magic there. What in that chain do you believe is acting as a compressor or limiter?

Based on what you wrote, you are having trouble following the conversation Josh and I had.
 
Here's the actual dialogue:


Based on what you wrote, you are having trouble following the conversation Josh and I had.

You literally said that classical music is an example of modern music made without compression in the above text.

In a thread asking for compressor suggestions.

In the electric bass forum.

You've said nothing of any value to the OP's query, yet continue to post with the intent to be argumentative: that's the definition of trolling, and the last bite from me you'll get today :thumbsup:
 
That's why they made the Cali76...still bit spendy, but not nearly as bad ;)

Good to know, thanks for the hint!
However, it seems it doesn't have the "All Buttons Mode." I dig that very much. If it had that, that'd be an awesome pedal - for that price... OK, that's unfair and asking too much, but it would be cool :D
 
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You literally said that classical music is an example of modern music made without compression in the above text.

In a thread asking for compressor suggestions.

In the electric bass forum.

You've said nothing of any value to the OP's query, yet continue to post with the intent to be argumentative: that's the definition of trolling, and the last bite from me you'll get today :thumbsup:

Rather, Josh wrote "Every single album you have ever heard does have compression". With that statement, our dialogue expanded to albums. In response, I pointed out that was not true and cited Classical recordings as the prevalent example. I posted the dialogue with enough context for a reason.

I'm spelling all this out but I really shouldn't have to…
 
I don't currently own a compression pedal, but I'm looking to add one to my board. Anyone have any recommendations? Also, what are your favorite settings, especially for playing live? I know how compression works, just looking for a starting point. Thanks!
This may not be ideal, but I actually use the compressors in the Zoom MS-60B. It's not a bad choice is you're new to compressors. In those emulations, I prefer the OptoComp and a few others for differing reasons. You can sort of A/B different types side by side.. and once you get a hang of how they generally react and the tones you like, get a hardware version. Plus it's only $99.
 
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Anyway, the OP wanted to try a compressor.

Bongomania, our long suffering, compressor fount of knowledge, and most energetic compressor reviewer, as well as all round nice guy, has spent a little time thinking about what makes a nice comp.

He's provided a very nice place to learn about what compression is and isn't, and which ones do what.

And, after a bit of thought, he developed the Ovnilab Smoothie.

I think it's a winner.

I'll also throw out a suggestion to meet the OP's desire to try compression in a few flavors for under $200: a used Zoom B3. Maybe even a new old stock , since the newer version is out.

It's a Swiss Army knife for bass. Tuner, di, interface, metronome, drum machine, looper, and of course, tons of effects including models of most popular compressors. And the list goes on. Excellent headphone sound for keeping the peace on the home front.

Interesting thing to note, is how many "artist" preset patches include compression, (and reverb) as part of their sound. As a starting place, these are useful for deconstructing tones.

The free editor software makes it easy to tweek sounds on your computer screen. Drag and drop effects and amp sims.

My point being, you could learn a lot about effects and compressors on the B3 for cheap, and it's a great tool. I spend 90% of my time practicing with the B3 hooked up to my Mac, with headphones. Mine was $150 used.
 
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I don't currently own a compression pedal, but I'm looking to add one to my board. Anyone have any recommendations? Also, what are your favorite settings, especially for playing live? I know how compression works, just looking for a starting point. Thanks!

If you use a lot of distortion, OD or fuzz you may find a compressor kind of redundant. Although many have used compression with their dirt pedals for some really nice sounds.

If you use filters with huge resonant peaks, then a compressor placed after them can be really handy in taming those levels.

-Frank
 
Rather, Josh wrote "Every single album you have ever heard does have compression". With that statement, our dialogue expanded to albums. In response, I pointed out that was not true and cited Classical recordings as the prevalent example. I posted the dialogue with enough context for a reason.

I'm spelling all this out but I really shouldn't have to…
I should know better than to fan the flames.....but this side debate is waaay off topic, does not help the OP nor address his question. Can we please table this or continue it in another thread?
 
Wow! Darkglass gets a lot of love on this forum, but the Super Symmetry isn't getting any mentions. I personally use an MXR M87, because I think it does it's job.

I believe the Super Symmetry is above the OP's budget of $200. I'm sure the SS is a great comp, but I already owned the Empress and a Cali76 G-P when it came out.


Empress compressor.

looks silly but works a charm.

The orange lettering on blue paint is practically unreadable :facepalm:, but the input/output metering is the best ever on a comp pedal (best I'm aware of, anyway).

The Empress is also above the OP's budget brand new... but maybe used ones come in at $200?
 
Wow! This is a treasure trove of info and you guys rock... having a forum to talk about stuff like this is why I joined TB in the first place, after lurking for a long time.

Hearing a lot of love for the Diamond and the Demeter pedals... I checked out some videos, and they seem to add a good bit of click... since my main gig is reggae, that's not really what I'm looking for (though I haven't played around with them in person yet.) I'm a professional musician and studied music in school, so I'm super confident in my right-hand technique, but I'm positive that there's something to be gained from compression. Any recommendations for settings or videos that really demonstrate a thick, balanced sound out of your amp? I'm sure the sound guy will be happy with compression on my signal, but I also want to sound nice and thick in my stage mix.

Thanks, all!
 

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