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Need new compressor

bdplaid

bdplaid

Supporting Member
Aug 31, 2007
9,451
18,586
florida
#1
Please suggest a compressor. I've been all over bongomania's site and postings, but still... can't really tell from that.

I sort of like the zoom B3 but the whole pedal muddies the overall tone so it's not useful, don't like the M87, don't like the pigtronix, don't like the EBS, kind of like the Boss comp/sus, ... what I'm after:

I'd love to find a pedal that provides ever-increasing compression based on the strength of the input signal - the louder the signal, the higher the comp ratio. light signals = 1:1 or 1:2 or thereabouts, blasting signals = 10:1 or even infinity:1. Never seen one of these. Also would like a tone control, what I like about the Zoom is that it seems to bring out the high end and clarity. but even so, having it out of the mix sounds better overall.

thx,
 
#2
I don't know of any compressor (except perhaps some digital processors) that can do exactly this and it is not needed IMO. The gain reduction is always proportional to signal strength above the threshold anyway. What you may consider is a unit wit selectable soft knee envelope.
 
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#9
The Diamond is simple and excellent. It's a fixed ratio (3:1 I think) and the tone control is very nice and musical. Easy to dial in with no fuss. Adds a nice thickness to the mids while slightly emphasizes the aggressive upper mid character of my J Bass. The FEA DE-CL doesn't have tone control but it has VERY clean/open sound top end with no roll of of highs or lows. The warmth control seems to add a little bottom as you roll it up. Adds some thickness but excels in adding note definition and balancing out the instrument without sounding squashed. I own both and would highly recommend either.
 
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#10
Ricky Caboverde said:
FEA Dual Engine comp?
Click to expand...

That would be my recommendation as well. It kind of sounds like you want a compressor and a limiter. The DE-CL will definitely not muddy your tone if that is what you want. It could keep your clarity, even add warmth if you want, compress within reason so you don't get too thumpy or bordering on the muddy side while still offering a limiter to achieve your goals.
 
#11
Menatone Jac, made Bongo's top picks list! Active led, limits very well. Very clear, transparent tone wise. If comp is rolled all the way off, the jfets actually add some nice dirt, in my version, can double duty as an actually nice sounding overdrive.
IMG_20150516_151532_zpsd4l4nwbq.gif
 
#13
what the OP is looking for is Envelope or ADSR control of the Ratio based on volume/level going into the comp. This might be accomplished with certain multi-fx boxes that allow for control modifiers to be assigned to esoteric parameters such as compressor ratio. Off the top of my head, I'm not aware of a device that does this, but perhaps the Boss series of bass multi-fx will. I own an AxeFxII and it does not allow control modifier access to the Ratio of a comp.

It's an interesting concept to be able to do creative stuff like control threshold and/or ratio based on input level or pitch. Now that i think of it, perhaps the TC Electronic G-Force will do this. Used to own one, but don't recall if it could do this, but if any unit could, it would be the G Force.
 
#15
OP, find a compressor that has a soft knee feature with a ratio set to 5:1. You will need to adjust the threshold for your optimum spot, but it will get you to 90% of what you are looking for. When the soft knee tops out at 5:1 you may find that you don't need the 10:1 or higher ratios.

-Frank
 
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#19
I don't think op is looking for a "transparent" comp based on the info. I'd say if he's liking the CS3 (one of my personal favorites) over the other ones he listed, pristine clarity isn't really in the cards. I would love to have a comp with the tonal qualities and action of the CS3 that tamped down the whole signal but didn't sacrifice lows the way it does, but I think that is against the nature of the design itself...not to mention, one persons "transparency" is another persons wet blanket.

I suppose if the budget and time allow, then explore until you're blue in the face. Otherwise, like anything else it will be a compromise of one facet of compression qualities over another when choosing what works best for your needs.
 

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