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Need advice, quick- Barber Linden vs Markbass Compressore

steve_rolfeca

steve_rolfeca

In Memoriam
Nov 21, 2006
8,774
17,152
London, Ontario, Canada
#1
Looking for something to warm up my modern-sounding rig (Dingwall ABZ 5-string, G-K MB800, AudioKinesis horn-loaded cab) and my DI feed.

I have opportunities to pick up a Barber Linden EQ, or possibly a Markbass Compressore.

My idea of "tube warmth" is not the fuzzy, fat overdrive that a lot of people enjoy. I'm looking for relaxed, thick, slightly compressed clean tones that smooth out fret noise and grind in the rest of the signal chain. Think tube recording channel...

I don't have the money for some of the more obvious high-dollar candidates, but these two look promising.

It's hard to find convincing YouTube or other clips on these two. Anyone care to step up with their personal observations?
 
#2
The Linden is not an OD unit or a compressor. It's a 2-band EQ based on the classic Baxandall/James tone stack, and it can also double as a clean boost. My pal Laurent on here says it's got a little inherent compression, but honestly, I don't hear it, though maybe I haven't listened for it hard enough, and I probably won't because I don't want my illusions shattered ;) No experience with the Compressore since I'm currently done with compressors but I hear it's a good one.
 
#5
I've used a few compressors (Markbass, MXR M87, Aguilar), and I personally love the sound of the Markbass. It definitely has some character, but is also the most versatile of all of them. My main issues with the Markbass is that it's huge and requires a 12V adapter. However, even with those points against it, it's still the compressor I use the most.
 
#6
I would recommend the Diamond BCP-1 for what you're after, it has the thick tone thing going and you can emphasise it with the tilt eq. I had the Compressore for 4 years and it does add some fatness to the low end (slightly wool or blurry depending on your perspective) but the mids and high end almost seems unaffected. The Diamond fattens up across the board without losing definition. IMHO the Diamonds sounds warmer.
 
#7
Interesting. I ordered a Diamond on approval last year, and ended up not taking it. Too thick and chewy for my tastes, and while the simple controls made it easy to use, they limited flexibility.

I just picked up a used Compressore tonight, and based on a short testing session, it seems like it might be just what the doctor ordered. The gain control functions independently of the amount of compression. High gain settings warmed things up without pushing all the way into overdrive, and the compression section was still available to tweak the dynamic response anywhere from subtle to heavy squeeze.

I loved the dynamic response of my Genz Streamliner, but couldn't make peace with the baked-in EQ curve. I love the overall tonal response and flexible EQ of my G-K MB800, must miss the Genz's dynamics.

I need more quality time with it, but the Compressore looks promising. It was hard to tell through the store's chubby-sounding Markbass 4*10, but I think that this pedal might be the missing link I need to tame and smooth my MB800.

Still to come- do I need a Barber Linden as well, for broad-band tone shaping?
 
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#9
Bah. Rehearsal cancelled.

Spent a little time with the Compressore at home. Compared to how I remember my Genz Streamliner, the Markbass is not as clear and sweet in the high end, and the compression/limiting isn't as complex and tubelike.

But it doesn't scoop the heck out of the mids, and plays well with my G-K. Plus, it's a quarter the size, price and weight of a REDDI, very quiet, and extremely flexible.

I've still got to hear it on the gig, but I suspect it will be a keeper.


Sent from my iPad using TalkBass
 
#10
Sorry the Diamond didn't work out for you. We must hear things quite differently because I'd never describe mine as chewy. Punchy & fat yet still articulate is how I hear it. It's much more impressive in the mix than solo'd. Good luck with the Compressore.
 
#12
rmars said:
Sorry the Diamond didn't work out for you. We must hear things quite differently because I'd never describe mine as chewy. Punchy & fat yet still articulate is how I hear it. It's much more impressive in the mix than solo'd. Good luck with the Compressore.
Click to expand...
The other thing about my experiments with the Diamond, was that I was still using EMG soapbars, and that bass had quite a hot output.

It's possible that it would play better with my current, passive basses.

Also, I spent some more time with the Markbass yesterday, and while it's a very nice compressor, it doesn't seem to do the thick yet clear thing either.

Darn FMIC to heck. I can't help wondering whether Genz' next product might have been a Shreamliner (Struttle?), with the gooey goodness of the Streamliner's dynamics and tube DI, but a more neutral EQ curve like the Shuttle .2 series.

That would have been my dream amp/DI solution...
 
#13
steve_rolfeca said:
The other thing about my experiments with the Diamond, was that I was still using EMG soapbars, and that bass had quite a hot output.

It's possible that it would play better with my current, passive basses.

Also, I spent some more time with the Markbass yesterday, and while it's a very nice compressor, it doesn't seem to do the thick yet clear thing either.

Darn FMIC to heck. I can't help wondering whether Genz' next product might have been a Shreamliner (Struttle?), with the gooey goodness of the Streamliner's dynamics and tube DI, but a more neutral EQ curve like the Shuttle .2 series.

That would have been my dream amp/DI solution...
Click to expand...
I hear ya, would have loved to see what GB still had up their sleeve. I love my Shuttlemax 12.2 though I wish it had a bit more girth to it. I tried to used a Tone Hammer but I just kept fiddling with the eq all night. The Diamond works well thickening up my tone with the Shuttlemax to where I'm happy with it and got rid of the Tone Hammer.

My basses are passive but to me the Diamond sounded good with my friends Ritter (though that bass really doesn't need any compression to sound great) and absolutely fantastic with the MM pickup in my friends Brubaker Brute. May just not be your thing with a passive or active bass, we all have our own goals and definition of what good tone is.

I don't know if enough power is going into that tube in the Compressore or even the way it processes the signal lends itself to having any sort of a tube tone.
 
#14
I didn't like the diamond either, though I had high hopes for it. The compressore is EXCELLENT, just get used to it, it has A LOT of swing in the options to tackle.
Honestly, something like the markbass superbooster or anything else with the VLE filter would do a great job of warming you up.

with the markbass, try setting the ratio pretty low but put your signal over the threshold *almost* always. Try everything at noon, then roll the ratio back to about 10 o'clock
 
#15
I did. It's a great compressor, but it didn't give me what I'm looking for. I could get some really subtle, pretty transparent compression out of it, and a really cool heavy squish, but throughout, it never got "tubey" in the way that I envision it.

The Markbass VLE is definitely not what I'm looking for. Warmth and heft do not equate to dark, at least in my vocabulary. I tried to like an LMIII (and a TC Electronic RS450), and couldn't get with that low-passed sound.

The Quad and Macintosh tube hi-fi gear that I grew up with didn't lack for high end, and neither did my Streamliner. In fact, there was something very clear, present and sweet about the highs...

The Barber Linden I was looking at is gone, So I took the Markbass back to my dealer yesterday, and ordered a Diamond again. We'll see how it goes with a more careful evaluation this time.

It's all part of the tone journey, I guess.


Sent from my iPad using TalkBass
 
#17
Didn't dislike it. Like I said, it's a really good compressor.

I have good gear that gives me a clean, accurate representation of my basses, but I'm looking for a larger than life effect that gives a sense of weight and heft to the notes, and a sheen that flatters the treble.

If you've ever played an electric guitar back-to-back through a SS Fender guitar amp and then through an old brown face Vibrolux, or a spiky-sounding CD through a good tube hi-fi preamp, then you probably know what I mean.
 
#19
My Streamliner had "it". But it was too scooped and relaxed in the upper mids to play well with my AudioKinesis cab, which is also uber-smooth.

I tried a Monique through the Demeter Mini at a GTG a while back. Once again, it was a beautiful-sounding rig, but not what I was looking for. Plus, it was totally out of my price bracket. I've got a son with heavy medical expenses, a limited income, and a large mortgage for someone my age. I can't justify slamming down a few thou in search of vanishingly small improvements in tone.

When the Diamond BCP-1 arrives, I'll also take a closer look at the G-K MB Fusion...
 
#20
Diamond BCP-1 came in today. Didn't have a chance to try the G-K MB Fusion at the store, as I was on a tight schedule.

Played with the Diamond and both my Dingwall and the Squier P5. Found good tones with both. 11 o'clock, 10 o'clock, 11 o'clock and 900Hz worked well for the Dingwall (I have a light touch).

That slope control is a touchy little bugger, just like the bass control on my MB800. Still, there's a bunch of useful tone shading there, especially with the switch to adjust the corner frequency.

Too early to tell for sure, but I think that this one is a keeper.


Sent from my iPad using TalkBass
 

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