Question about the Union Lab compressor pedal

[rcmbass]

Recent LAB user here as well. Went through a bunch of comps through the years: Cali76 TX-L, Darkglass HyperLuminal, Cali76 small v1, Diamond. Also doing a lot of studio stuff where I tried multiple outboard and nice plugins.

I got it mainly for my country gigs where I go P-Bass with LaBella IMA -> Comp -> Oracle -> RNDI. I bought it along with the Alma MK2 to compare and sell the other - I expected to like the Alma but Union turned me around. It’s not for every application but it’s very good at what it does.

I would describe its wow factor as having a very soft knee. It’s squashing your whole dynamic range but not like with a 2/3:1 compressor with the threshold low - it seems to have a non linear curve that’s surprisingly musical and natural to the ear. To put it bluntly, playing soft sounds soft but not so low that you don’t hear yourself and playing hard sound loud but not please turn it down loud.

At the risk of sounding technically illiterate or straight out wrong, I’m also hearing it compress differently across the frequency spectrum. I swear it adds more lows but can’t put my finger on it and it doesn’t sound like a multiband comp.

It’s only drawback I could see for some people (but for me is actually a feature) would be the fast attack which results in a softer transient when playing - it definitely takes away bite from any drives you would have after. For me it takes out some annoying string clank and it lets the lows be the star of the show. I guess this is what most people describe as the gooeyness.

I successfully used other comps after to add some snap - the Alma was great for this and actually had an easier job compressing a signal that wasn’t wildly varied in dynamic range.

With my 5 string with rounds? I definitely prefer the Alma as it’s snap when compressing is so satisfying, really can make a bass shine and get in your face with just a bit of compression and EQZ.

Personally I’m probably going to flip the Alma as I’ve got plenty of plugins that can get close to that snap but none that does what the Union does, as much as I love the LA-2A and LA-3A ones.

An excellent review and description of this magic mojo box.

 

[Ben Rolston]

I have a LAB and love it. The simplicity is my favorite part. It adapts to my playing beautifully, and I never feel like it colors my sound or dynamics too much. I'm going tuner -> JHS Double Dragon (cannot believe people are still sleeping on it) -> SolidGoldFX Supefunk Envelope -> LAB -> Earthquaker Blumes OD -> Tech 21 Amalgamation Chorus -> Mantle. I don't use a bass head, just a Straight Ahead 500W mini power amp. For me, less is more with comps, but to each their own. I gig a lot and when I've had comps with more dials and options and switches they always seemed to get knocked out of whack in transport and I'm spending soundcheck trying to get it dialed back in. With the LAB, I know exactly where it should be. Plus, Pino uses one. Hahaha.

LAB after the Double Dragon doesn't freak the compressor out? I just got the Double Dragon and I love it!

 

[BassByBaldSteve]

LAB after the Double Dragon doesn't freak the compressor out? I just got the Double Dragon and I love it!

Nope - tames it really nicely. I do NOT use a lot of comp, though. Usually the knob is set to between 9 and 10 o'clock. DD is killer, bro. The synth tones I'm getting out of it, with the new Amalgamation chorus, SupaFunk Envelope, and Earthquaker Blumes are insane.

 

[wolffire99]

I was really torn between the Lab and Cali76. Had them both for a while but in the end preferred the parallel and hpf side chain options of the Cali because in worship I go from a soft acoustic song straight into heavy pick with drive and fuzz, into a sub octave synth. The Cali covers more styles and the hpf side chain is clutch when running a sub octave first in the chain.

If I was only doing cleaner genres like indie, r&b, or country I’d pick the Lab. It sounds amazing with a P bass.

 

[rcmbass]

I was really torn between the Lab and Cali76. Had them both for a while but in the end preferred the parallel and hpf side chain options of the Cali because in worship I go from a soft acoustic song straight into heavy pick with drive and fuzz, into a sub octave synth. The Cali covers more styles and the hpf side chain is clutch when running a sub octave first in the chain.

If I was only doing cleaner genres like indie, r&b, or country I’d pick the Lab. It sounds amazing with a P bass.

Great feedback @wolffire99

I’ve had the Cali76 Compact Bass, the Union LAB, Source Audio Atlas, UAFX 1176, Walrus Audio Highpoint, and the Empress. I recently got the Becos CompIQ MINI Pro Comp and love it. It checks all my boxes and gives many options. A friend told me about Becos two years ago but I resisted the small format. It packs a punch in a small format. It is flexible for a variety of genres. I highly recommend it. zZounds.com | Musical Instruments Music Store. Shop for Guitars, Drums, Amplifiers and Equipment. is a great place to buy.

ZZSounds