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Should i be interested in a compressor pedal?

Yorin

Yorin

Apr 29, 2015
27
6
33
#1
Dear talkbass,

I was randomly looking for stuff in a musicstore testing pedals and it got me thinking. Should i get a compressor pedal or not? Why should i be interested in one anyways? In a way it boosts your signal giving it a fuller tone and it makes most of your notes more even volume-wise. But considering i only play finger style, will it benefit me? I thought compressors were mostly a thing for slap players... The new Darkglass Supersymmetry got me thinking though ^^. Maybe it's just "try it out and if you like it, buy it" kinda thing? Or is it a bit more necesary than i think it is?
 
#2
I use a compressor because the low notes on my bass are so full and thick that they scare the sound guy into turns g down the fader, which makes my high notes invisible.

Consistent volume from low to high is a good thing, maybe there are some people who can make the adjustment with their fingers, but when I get into a song I want to be able to cut loose a little without feeling like I have a muzzle on me.
 
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#4
So, I too play with fingers and was curious about these too and so I grabbed an Empress on here. Unless you're using it for effect, like a squashed reggae sound, it's subtle, possibly very subtle. The difference in sustain playing lead melodies is pretty crazy. It sounds like ringing a bell. I like how it makes my low mids seem thicker too. Very pleased. It's almost always on now.
 
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#5
I've found that I only need a compressor for slap. It makes it sound nicer. Finger-style you can much more easily control.

Balancing lows and highs can probably be accomplished better by adjusting the pickups or with some EQ (depending on the source of the issue)

But I'm just a beginner...
 
#6
I'd say the first question to ask is "What do I want to accomplish with a compressor?" and that will help lead you to the answer. As you suggested in your initial post, a compressor can be very useful for a slapper, they can boost your overall volume level (assuming your unit has the controls needed to do that), and it an help level out your volume. If those are things you want to do or at least be able to do then, sure, get a compressor. Nshuman already referred you to the Ovnilab site, which is definitely worth reading. There's a ton of great info there!

It seems like most people here put a compressor early in their signal chain and I get the rationale for that. However, I was getting frustrated by the variation in my output level when I had a few pedals on simultaneously and I finally saw a few posts by other TB'ers who put their compressor at the end of their signal chain. That way they can tame the variation in volume level as they turned on and off various pedals. Voila, I finally saw how I could benefit from using a compressor. So I bought and tested two of them and picked the one I liked.

I prefer to think about what I want to accomplish and then get the right/best tool do it, whether it's a compressor or something else. But, as you said, you could get also one and try it out, a lot of people do that. Nothing wrong with that, either approach can work. Whether a compressor is more necessary than you think, I'd say there's no easy answer to that one so I won't bother trying to answer it. :D Many people do amazing things without one and many people do amazing things with one. As for myself, I mostly do mediocre things, with or without one (hence my membership in the Crappy Bassists With Good Gear" club :D ;) ).
 
#8
Thank you all for your excellent responses! I geuss there wasn't an easy answer after all...

Part of me wants to keep experimenting with different pedals and spend more on everything (I guess to earn my membership of "crappy bassists with good gear club").
However, part of me is also lazy enough to just want to plug straight into my amp and not bother with anything else (considering i'm already happy with my sound).

I have some limited knowledge of how studio equipment works. That's why i thought a compressor would work amazingly well with bass.

I've heard of Ovnilabs before and i'll keep reading into it. So many people love the MXR, empress and BCP-1. Most of them are hard to find, especially second hand. I'm secretly hoping that the new darkglass is amazing.

Maybe i'll try to focus on effect pedals which are a bit less subtle, like overdrive pedals, i dunno.
 
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#9
I got my Diamond used in the classifieds for pretty cheap. They crop up with some regularity. The MXR does as well. I've seen fewer empresses. I'm not entirely sure how I feel about the diamond yet, but I've only had it briefly
 
#10
Yorin said:
Thank you all for your excellent responses! I geuss there wasn't an easy answer after all...

Part of me wants to keep experimenting with different pedals and spend more on everything (I guess to earn my membership of "crappy bassists with good gear club").
However, part of me is also lazy enough to just want to plug straight into my amp and not bother with anything else (considering i'm already happy with my sound).

I have some limited knowledge of how studio equipment works. That's why i thought a compressor would work amazingly well with bass.

I've heard of Ovnilabs before and i'll keep reading into it. So many people love the MXR, empress and BCP-1. Most of them are hard to find, especially second hand. I'm secretly hoping that the new darkglass is amazing.

Maybe i'll try to focus on effect pedals which are a bit less subtle, like overdrive pedals, i dunno.
Click to expand...

1) FWIW, the compressor I ultimately kept was the MXR and I bought it used here on TB for a pretty good price. Keep looking, all kinds of pedals pop up in the TB For Sale forum. For someone who was (well, is) new to compressors and pedals in general, I fond that I REALLY liked the LED meters on the MXR. They're very helpful - and it's also a decent and very flexible compressor. I can't speak to the others you mentioned because the only other one I tried was the Wampler Ego (also a pretty nice unit).

2) If you plan to shift your focus to overdrive pedals, prepare to get sucked into a world from which escape is nearly impossible! :D I thought I wanted to add one but I quickly bought five, which I'm now rotating on and off my pedal board in different combinations and orders to find what works best for me. Based on what I read here in the Effects Forum, the fact that I have ONLY five overdrives is almost laughably cute. There are people here who have and use dozens of them - and more. And then if you start branching out into distortions and fuzzes, then things get exponentially more involved. Have fun, but be forewarned. ;) :D
 
#13
dave64o said:
2) If you plan to shift your focus to overdrive pedals, prepare to get sucked into a world from which escape is nearly impossible! :D I thought I wanted to add one but I quickly bought five, which I'm now rotating on and off my pedal board in different combinations and orders to find what works best for me. Based on what I read here in the Effects Forum, the fact that I have ONLY five overdrives is almost laughably cute. There are people here who have and use dozens of them - and more. And then if you start branching out into distortions and fuzzes, then things get exponentially more involved. Have fun, but be forewarned. ;) :D
Click to expand...

I know this rabbit hole well and the closest I've found to one stop shopping has been the JohnK Transboost. It does as mild as I usually use and much heavier than I need and the clipping sounds fantastic when you dig in. The price, though...
 
#17
nshuman said:
Maybe :)

Great resource: Compressor Reviews

This in particular may help answer your current question:

Compressor and Audio Gear FAQ

My opinion: A GOOD compressor can be a great tool, a great tone shaper, a great effect, etc. A BAD compressor will end up in the back of the closet or on craigslist :)
Click to expand...

It's a tool, not an effect in my view. Kinda like tone controls on your amp, a little goes a long way.

If you think of it as an effect you will be disappointed. And if you don't take the time to learn to use it properly you will be disappointed.

If you use it properly, you might never want to play without one again.
 
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#18
tuBass said:
I use a compressor because the low notes on my bass are so full and thick that they scare the sound guy into turns g down the fader, which makes my high notes invisible.

Consistent volume from low to high is a good thing, maybe there are some people who can make the adjustment with their fingers, but when I get into a song I want to be able to cut loose a little without feeling like I have a muzzle on me.
Click to expand...

Probably a good idea to practice without one at least sometimes (to avoid getting sloppy) but it's great live to smooth things out as noted here.
 
#20
Doner Designs said:
It's a tool, not an effect in my view. Kinda like tone controls on your amp, a little goes a long way.

If you think of it as an effect you will be disappointed. And if you don't take the time to learn to use it properly you will be disappointed.

If you use it properly, you might never want to play without one again.
Click to expand...

We are going to have to totally disagree on it not being an effect. It can be a tool or an effect quite easily.

But, yes, you will need to learn how to use it.
 
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