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New Empress Compressor MKII
- Thread starter crguti
- Start date
Yes please email us [email protected]. I'm not sure exactly what the issue with your replacement is but 99% of problems with be do to the ribbon cable not being properly seated. This could create several issues including the power LED not coming on but would be easily fixed by refastening the ribbon cable. They can be a bit fiddly to get properly seated, but the ribbon cable shouldn't be askew when inserted. The one on the board with the audio jacks can be a little more difficult to get into the connector too.
Again I'm not certain that is your issue but it is worth trying to reinstall it first. When you email, the more information you could give us would be helpful such as whether or not it only happens with certain setups, like other pedals on in the chain, or if it happens no matter what. And if it happens just on its own, are there settings that make it more noticeable. Thanks and we will get everyones bass compressors working properly one way or another!
Thank you for the response. I really appreciate it.
I made sure it was seated correctly yesterday. I even took it out and put it back in to see if I could get it in a little further. That being said, I’ll reseat it again today.
The noise happens on any setting. Obviously, you must push the input enough so it crosses the -3 LED. The noise can barely be heard when hitting a note as it crosses the -3 LED quickly but it is there. Where I really hear it is when I hit a note, let it ring out, make sure the gain reduction crosses the -3 LED and it comes back down through the -3 LED (slower than the transient) it makes the noise every single time with all of my basses.
Hopefully, the cable just needs to be reseated. Otherwise, I will reach out via email. In the meantime, can anyone else (with the cable replacement) try what I described above without a buffer and with a passive bass?
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I just tested with my passive bass that triggered the noise prior to the fix, and did not hear any noise on any LED. Edit: Bass --> comp --> amp, nothing else in the chain.
Same as you, the noise happened on release, i.e. as the LED went out. For me it was -2 and -1 before, but it's quiet on all LEDs now. Sorry you are still hearing it.
Good luck.
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Alright... I just took the cable out, cleaned the contacts with isopropyl alcohol and put it back in snug. I also put a piece of loop Velcro on the inside of the back panel to make sure the new ribbon cable doesn’t touch it. It does stick out a little bit so I took a little extra precaution to stop any potential interference. I plugged it in and heard the noise immediately. I’m going to email Empress and I’ll keep everyone updated.
I just did my ribbon cable replacement, and I’m still hearing the noise once it crosses the -3 LED during the release. I don’t hear it when -1 disappears; only when -3 disappears. It’s very subtle. I only notice it when listening closely through headphones. But for what this compressor costs, that’s not something I want to just live with.
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Yeah. That’s exactly what happened with mine. I ended up returning it for a refund. That being said, I do plan on purchasing another bass comp once the issue is resolved in the future.
I replaced the part and all heard after was unlimited raw power!
My replacement cable arrived today, and as (bad) luck would have it, I'm having exactly the same experience as @kranahan
i.e. still getting noise as it crosses the -3 LED. I've also reseated the cable several times, but the issue persists with all my basses, I'm sorry to say. As I only have passive basses, it's a bit of an issue for me. I might add that I did experiment with using a high quality buffer pedal in front of the Empress, but that didn't seem to help. I've emailed Empress to try and work something out.
Still think it's a great compressor otherwise.
Empress has been great about supporting this issue, many paths forward!
I ended up moving a bunch of stuff around on my board because new pedals and found the noise is nearly inaudible now. I'm not sure what I did other than to put the Bass Comp in it's own loop in the Boss ES-5. Essentially it's buffered on both sides now, where I was previously running it with other pedals in series.
For those of you that are patient and working around the issue (because it's an awesome comp!) it mat not hurt at all to have buffers before and after until we get a fix.
I ended up moving a bunch of stuff around on my board because new pedals and found the noise is nearly inaudible now. I'm not sure what I did other than to put the Bass Comp in it's own loop in the Boss ES-5. Essentially it's buffered on both sides now, where I was previously running it with other pedals in series.
For those of you that are patient and working around the issue (because it's an awesome comp!) it mat not hurt at all to have buffers before and after until we get a fix.
It seems the issue is persisting despite the ribbon cable replacement, is there another fix in the works? I know the reports of persistent noise is still pretty new, but curious if there are next steps to a resolution yet? I wanted to check this compressor out but not while it is having noise issues with passive instruments since I only play passive basses.
To be clear, the issue isn't just passive bass inputs, I've tried it in a bunch of configurations and found the noise with both ribbon cables. Really happy it is nearly gone in my current setup, likely just lucky?
Empress is working on both a fix to these units and an updated design. They are handling users with options to return if purchased direct, working with dealers to return or waiting for one of the fixes to be available.
Empress is working on both a fix to these units and an updated design. They are handling users with options to return if purchased direct, working with dealers to return or waiting for one of the fixes to be available.
Hopefully once the issue is fully resolved, there will be some sort of indication that it's safe to order one from any retailer. I think at this point I'm going to wait it out until totally verified fixed and supply out in the world is all fixed. I've had too many issues with pedals crapping the bed lately (the ES-8 volume drop issue was the last straw for me) that it's just not worth it to bring something in to add to the pile of broken with no fix in sight.
I gotta give it to the faithful though...y'all are the best customers to have. Being really happy that the problem is almost gone is a dream customer for a retailer/manufacturer with a problem in their device.
I gotta give it to the faithful though...y'all are the best customers to have. Being really happy that the problem is almost gone is a dream customer for a retailer/manufacturer with a problem in their device.
I had noise with an active/passive bass in passive mode. But also with an active Lakland 44-02 with Barts. But the fix worked 100% for me, for both basses.
Just a FYI.
Just a FYI.
The noise seems to be hit or miss for people. The noise was heard with all three of my basses before and after the replacement cable. It is very noticeable with headphones. That may be why a lot of people don't hear it through their amps/cabs. I don't know. Buffers seem to help though. Unfortunately, I don't have any that make the noise go away.Hopefully once the issue is fully resolved, there will be some sort of indication that it's safe to order one from any retailer. I think at this point I'm going to wait it out until totally verified fixed and supply out in the world is all fixed. I've had too many issues with pedals crapping the bed lately (the ES-8 volume drop issue was the last straw for me) that it's just not worth it to bring something in to add to the pile of broken with no fix in sight.
I gotta give it to the faithful though...y'all are the best customers to have. Being really happy that the problem is almost gone is a dream customer for a retailer/manufacturer with a problem in their device.
That being said, it was one of the best compressors I've owned. It sounds damn good! It's a shame I had to send mine back but I'll own another one someday. Mitch told me they are releasing a redesigned one in a few months.
Normally I would be bitter about an experience like this but Mitch has made the return process a breeze. They sent a coupon code with the replacement cable, refunded my shipping back to them and will refund the full amount when they receive the pedal. They even offered to exchange for the new product or a similar one (MK II) if I wanted.
Very cool of them. After my experience with the ES-8 and the general attitude of that won't happen to my unit...and then it did...it's just not worth it to roll the dice for me. Buying aftermarket Band-Aids using other pedals to fix the problem isn't really appealing to me either. I'll wait until there is a redesigned one released and it's been in enough hands for enough time to vet out any other potential problems before I check it out. Big bummer that the flex replacement doesn't resolve the issue. I feel bad for Empress...it aint cheap to mail parts out for all sold products, plus then you have people who want straight up refunds and covering the shipping for those refunds aint cheap either.
