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Looking for my first bass compressor (4 options)

#64
Had a blast last night… This V9 is special…!

F5AB18E8-D5B3-4D21-846F-125337BAF396.jpeg
 
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#66
CoolMcCoolDude said:
Keep us posted..!
Click to expand...
Done my 2 gigs with the Atlas...presets only, it's a keeper.
I confess I am not a fan of compressors live. I only use one because I think it's the responsible thing to do for FOH's sake. Usually if I can feel the compressor messing with my dynamics I will have one or 2 goes at fixing it, then will turn it off.
Having said that, the Atlas is the first compressor that I have actually preferred being on to off. I doubt it's because of the compressor itself, but maybe the way the presets are setup, and also something about the way the effect of each of the knobs can be limited, so rather than compression going from 0 to infinity, it can be setup to go from 1:2 to 1:8 with a full turn of the dial, and attack/release linked and similarly limited.
I haven't even really dug into the editor. 2 gigs, 2 very different (and quite difficult) rooms. Preferred the compressor on both times (a first for me), dialled in light compression, the led indicator is usable. Switching from a passive PJ bass to active Stingray was super easy to handle.
You'd probably find the same ease of dialling in from all of the proposed compressors, people rate them for a reason. However I think the Atlas is 'the one' for me. Aside from it sounding fantastic, I've spent a lot of time in DAWs dialling in compression on my bass tracks with a visual reference, and for me the familiar visual reference in the editor is comforting and a nice sanity check, not that I've used it in anything more than a cursory manner.
FOH guy said my sound tonight was the most mixable he's heard for years. He also correctly identified the different qualities I was going for in the sounds of the 2 basses I was using ('nicer and fat' for the passive PJ, 'much less nice and much more aggressive' for the Stingray...probably wasn't hard but nice to hear someone actually make the effort to say it) and said it was great how he could push them both with confidence it wouldn't cause issues. I attribute that more to the EQ I was using, but no question the compressor made a difference...I could hear it, and haven't had that same confidence in any of the other compressors I've used.
So glad to have found the Atlas...thanks again for the thread.
 
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#67
willddd said:
Done my 2 gigs with the Atlas...presets only, it's a keeper.
I confess I am not a fan of compressors live. I only use one because I think it's the responsible thing to do for FOH's sake. Usually if I can feel the compressor messing with my dynamics I will have one or 2 goes at fixing it, then will turn it off.
Having said that, the Atlas is the first compressor that I have actually preferred being on to off. I doubt it's because of the compressor itself, but maybe the way the presets are setup, and also something about the way the effect of each of the knobs can be limited, so rather than compression going from 0 to infinity, it can be setup to go from 1:2 to 1:8 with a full turn of the dial, and attack/release linked and similarly limited.
I haven't even really dug into the editor. 2 gigs, 2 very different (and quite difficult) rooms. Preferred the compressor on both times (a first for me), dialled in light compression, the led indicator is usable. Switching from a passive PJ bass to active Stingray was super easy to handle.
You'd probably find the same ease of dialling in from all of the proposed compressors, people rate them for a reason. However I think the Atlas is 'the one' for me. Aside from it sounding fantastic, I've spent a lot of time in DAWs dialling in compression on my bass tracks with a visual reference, and for me the familiar visual reference in the editor is comforting and a nice sanity check, not that I've used it in anything more than a cursory manner.
FOH guy said my sound tonight was the most mixable he's heard for years. He also correctly identified the different qualities I was going for in the sounds of the 2 basses I was using ('nicer and fat' for the passive PJ, 'much less nice and much more aggressive' for the Stingray...probably wasn't hard but nice to hear someone actually make the effort to say it) and said it was great how he could push them both with confidence it wouldn't cause issues. I attribute that more to the EQ I was using, but no question the compressor made a difference...I could hear it, and haven't had that same confidence in any of the other compressors I've used.
So glad to have found the Atlas...thanks again for the thread.
Click to expand...

Great info… thanks
 
#69
I want to thank everyone that commented and expressed their views… It helped me a lot.

I will buy both the Empress and the Atlas and see which one stays… I will buy the Cali76 compact if I return any of these two…

I’m starting my first bass pedalboard with these pedals and next in line will be an envelope filter…
I have a few in mind but will do a separate thread for it…

thanks again and see you on the next thread…

Cool
 
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#70
CoolMcCoolDude said:
I want to thank everyone that commented and expressed their views… It helped me a lot.

I will buy both the Empress and the Atlas and see which one stays… I will buy the Cali76 compact if I return any of these two…

I’m starting my first bass pedalboard with these pedals and next in line will be an envelope filter…
I have a few in mind but will do a separate thread for it…

thanks again and see you on the next thread…

Cool
Click to expand...

Empress or Atlas?
 
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#71
CoolMcCoolDude said:
Looking for my first bass comp and have reduced it to 4 models…

1. Empress Bass comp (latest blue one)
2. Source Audio Atlas
3. Cali76 (blue one)
4. Helix floor (all in one alternative)

I’m looking for the overall best between these 4 units. I use passive and active basses. Need to control my attack since I hit my strings hard. Flea (slap) Geddy Lee/Steve Harris (finger style)

I like the HPF on the Cali76 but the Empress and Atlas also have cool options.

I would like to get your opinion so I can start with the right bass comp and build my 1st pedalboard.

Thanks for your help
Cool
Click to expand...
I have both the Atlas and Empress on two separate touring boards. Both have a HPF option and both can do parallel compression. You can’t beat the optical options and flexibility on the Atlas and the Empress is probably the best overall compressor pedal on the market nothwithstanding the Cali76. I got one of those too and it’s in a drawer.
 
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#74
I’ve reviewed more than 100 including every one mentioned in this thread so far I think. I talk about nuances of each of the originals the OP mentioned. Other than Helix, each of the pedals would make a great option depending on what you are looking for and what features are most important.
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