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Punch Factory question

B

Basshole

Inactive
Jan 28, 2005
3,558
18
www.marcelogilberto.com
#1
After reading a thread here about "if you could only have 3, what 3 pedals would you own" or something to that effect, where an overwhelming number of people expressed a love for it, I went ahead and threw an Aphex Punch factory on a big order I had with Musician's Friend. I figured with that many fans, the thing has to be da chit, right?

I am now the proud owner :eyebrow: of said stompbox.

Problem is, I find it to be essentially worthless. Its dynamic control seems too subtle, and if I turn up the drive too much, it just gets dirty. I don't find what it does to be all that noteworthy.

Are my dynamics just inherently "too good"? Are my basses "too good"? Did I get a lemon? ...or is this thing really that subtle?

I'm just not feelin' it...
 
#2
i sold mine.

it was extremely subtle. most people say that you've got to leave it on for a while, and then when you turn it off you'll notice its absence; that you won't notice it until it's off. i don't think i gave it a fair enough chance (and like you say, when the effect IS noticeable, it's just farty and distorted), but in the end i figured my tech 21 PBDDI is compression enough. i may still go back and get one so that i can really give it a fair shot, but........
 
#3
the punch factory is a very good compressor, and it sounds like a very good compressor. you should be able to hear the difference in sound, but it´s not as obvious as other fx gadgets. as you turn it up, you should be able to notice the squashing of the initial attack, and that gets more pronounced and way noticeable before any hints of distortion appear.
that said, in the "family" of compressors, it is more on the "nice and unobtrusively" side.
those things are easier to hear in the studio using headphones, through the amp its effect might be more difficult to notice.
if i would want to get very esoteric now, i´d say you can feel the compressor in the way your amplified signal responds to your playing. :smug:

cheers,
lowstar
 
#4
lowstar said:
the punch factory is a very good compressor, and it sounds like a very good compressor. you should be able to hear the difference in sound, but it´s not as obvious as other fx gadgets. as you turn it up, you should be able to notice the squashing of the initial attack, and that gets more pronounced and way noticeable before any hints of distortion appear.
that said, in the "family" of compressors, it is more on the "nice and unobtrusively" side.
those things are easier to hear in the studio using headphones, through the amp its effect might be more difficult to notice.
if i would want to get very esoteric now, i´d say you can feel the compressor in the way your amplified signal responds to your playing. :smug:

cheers,
lowstar
Click to expand...

+1 to what lowstar said. We love the Punch Factory because of its subtle studio-quality compression. There is a noticeable increase in "punch" as well as your other standard compressor features, and it does so to a degree that most other compressors would dramatically alter your signal or distort if they tried to do the same thing. If you were to compare it to another compressor, you'd hear a dramatic difference!

That being said... this definitely isn't one of those "squish effect" kinds of compressors. After using a few other compressors, I've come to appreciate what this little box can do, as I don't need extreme compression - just compression that improves my tone!

It's because of this that not everyone would need it. I'd say give it a try for a while longer, and if you still don't like it, you'd be better off returning it.

You might either be fond of your varied dynamics (which compressors do change), or you may be looking for something more extreme.
 
#5
I really think for the feel that a compressor is doing anything at all you really need to get a more sophisticated piece of equipment. For this purpose I reccomend a rackmount compressor with compression VU and Input Output VU. Also the ability to control attack threshold, ratio, release etc are very essential. Not to mention the ability to control gain and output. I absolutely love my Ashly CG-85 Gated Limiter/Compressor because there are so many different things I can do with it, whether I want to increase punch or increase sustain.
 
#6
I have one, Love it. Took me a while to really appreciate what it does. Like others have said, it works really well at evening out the tones just a little. You can really tell the thing is doing it's job when you record or use headphones. But, I've also found that it helps tremendously live by protecting the input gain from clipping on my Eden head. It keeps the signal nice and smooth, and it doesn't suck all the dynamics out of your playing to do that, unless you want it to, then turn the drive way up.

For me, I set mine so that I get around 6db of compression (as displayed on the LED meter) on my lowest notes, when struck normally while playing. This way, I can still get dynamic attack in the upper register when I want it, and even a little dynamic attack in the lower register. Also, switching to slap from fingerstyle mid-song becomes smooth and natural sounding.

If you're looking for a compressor to use as an effect, the Punch Factory probably isn't for you. But if you want a device that is transparent and refines your signal, it works wonders.
 
#7
The Punch Factory is an outstanding pedal compressor!

I leave mine on all the time. I have tried and owned a few different compressors lately and the Punch Factory is a dream for bass guitar. I am very fussy about my tone and have some very good gear. The compressor in my Eden Navigator is also very good but I don't always get to use my own amp.

This is not the kind of pedal that will give you an obvious difference in sound just by turning it on and off.

But what it does do is really sweet. For me, The Punch Factory has three distinct and very important uses:

1. I like to do some tapping and slapping on the bass and the PF really brings out the highs in my tone and keeps everything even and smooth. When I play some finger taps with the PF on and then turn it off and play the same passage, all the sparke and sheen dissapears from my tone. It really does add punch to your tone as well.

2. At high volumes, the PF does a BEAUTIFUL job of protecting my speakers and my input stage to my amp from clipping. It prevents my low B string to not cause my speakers to fart without altering my overall tone or adding noise.

3. The PF works really well in my pedal board to even out all my fifferent effects and keep my volume from spiking when different pedals are engaged. Specifically, mt EHX Mini Q Tron which has a well knowm spike in volume when turned on. I run the Mini Q Tron and my EHX bassballs before the PF which tames both pedals without messing with the interaction between the bass and the filters. From there, the PF keeps the rest of my pedals sounding even and smooth.

This pedal is a tool which serves several purposes and adds a subtle yet essential element to my tone that I am not willing to be without. It's the first pedal on my board (after my filters) and is never turned off.

10,000 Talkbass users can't be wrong! haha

Crabby
 
#8
I have just got one yesterday, how ur guys setting?
Do you guys often on it? Or just on it when doing some slapping or fingering?

I found that it is cool on fingering, but when slapping it seems cut the low and high sometimes....

Also, whats the different of removing the jumper inside it?
 
#12
Actually, looking at a pic of it, I think I was mistaken. Looks like they use drive to mean "amount of compression", and while that can mean additional distortion, it shouldn't here (at least not at moderate settings). I guess I remembered it having a "drive" knob and assumed it was intentionally associated with clipping.
 
#13
With my thunderbird (high output!!) I also get distortion when I put the DRIVE knob over 6.

Dosn't matter a lot to me really as I like a small amount of compression. The drive is at around 3 and the volume is at about 6 (for overdriving the amp)

It works for me :) keeps my speakers from farting and my notes to be out of the clipping range as I'm a fairly aggressive player :o
 
#14
Um, not to stat the obvious, but where was the volume set when you had the drive on 10??? On my 2 unity volume is about 3 when drive is at 10. Plus you've got to look at the LED line as well. Start w/ drive at 1 and bring it up until you start to get the led travelin' up the line. That's basically light comp. When the led travels all the way, that's when your bassically distorting the unit.

The PF kinda works like this: Your input is boosted, and then run through a comp w/ a static threshold/curved ratio. The more drive you put the less your threshold, and the more your rato seem to be. Drive it too much and you clip the comp.
 

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