Sneak preview: new FEA opti-FET compressor!

[BaileyMan]

Only from the pedal to the head...

I figured a cable was a cable and that what really made a difference was the gauge of the cable and the shielding...is there really that much of a difference?...hopefully a momentary threadjack is OK... I still think that cable was bad. It was a bit crackly when fidgeting with it.

EDIT: Found Link Removed online. Apparently instrument and speaker cables are totally different inside. I had no idea...You'd think after 20+ years of playing I would have learned this by now.

 

[ryansalmond]

 

[boomertech]

Only from the pedal to the head...

I figured a cable was a cable and that what really made a difference was the gauge of the cable and the shielding...is there really that much of a difference?...hopefully a momentary threadjack is OK... I still think that cable was bad. It was a bit crackly when fidgeting with it.

EDIT: Found Link Removed online. Apparently instrument and speaker cables are totally different inside. I had no idea...You'd think after 20+ years of playing I would have learned this by now.

Happy to see that you have located the noise issue!

-Frank

 

[Chris Fitzgerald]

Just got a used Opti-FET from another Tber this afternoon and have played with it for about a half hour. I'm looking for subtle effects, setting the threshold high and the ratio low, and so far the compression part of the chain seems to smooth out the sound nicely and add a little weight to the upper strings. This is exactly what I had hoped for!

As far as the sidechain EQ, I'm still trying to grok what I'm hearing. I read through the thread a couple of times, and I think I understand what's written below regarding the EQ in the sidechain:

Yes, the EQ only has affect only upon the compression. If you were to increase the level of bass there would be more bass energy crossing the threshold. The result would be a greater amount of compression applied to the entire signal. The opposite is also true… if you decrease the level of bass, less compression would be applied to the signal, resulting in more boom in the bottom end. I guess the best way to look at the EQ would be the opposite of how the EQ section works in your amp. Think of it as, “where do I want more or less squeeze applied”.

So if I'm reading this right, the part about the sidechain functioning opposite of how a regular EQ section works would mean that by turning the bass control clockwise, you're actually getting less bass because this tells the compressor to squash the bass more. So less is more? Does this mean that all three knobs full counterclockwise represents "flat", or basically an unaffected signal? Just trying to understand what I'm hearing and develop a relationship with this cool little unit.

 

[boomertech]

Just got a used Opti-FET from another Tber this afternoon and have played with it for about a half hour. I'm looking for subtle effects, setting the threshold high and the ratio low, and so far the compression part of the chain seems to smooth out the sound nicely and add a little weight to the upper strings. This is exactly what I had hoped for!

As far as the sidechain EQ, I'm still trying to grok what I'm hearing. I read through the thread a couple of times, and I think I understand what's written below regarding the EQ in the sidechain:



So if I'm reading this right, the part about the sidechain functioning opposite of how a regular EQ section works would mean that by turning the bass control clockwise, you're actually getting less bass because this tells the compressor to squash the bass more. So less is more? Does this mean that all three knobs full counterclockwise represents "flat", or basically an unaffected signal? Just trying to understand what I'm hearing and develop a relationship with this cool little unit.

Hi Chris,

Here are the EQ curves for the Opti-FET:

OF HIGH EQ.pdf

OF MIDS EQ.pdf

OF LOW EQ.pdf

The EQ controls are cut and boost, so the center 12:00 position is flat. I refer to the EQ controls as threshold modifiers... so, if you increase the lows by +6dB, the threshold for the lows will be +6dB more sensitive, causing more compression that's triggered by low frequencies.

-Frank

 

[bongomania]

Right, turning up the bass EQ means more bass goes into the compression sensor, which means more compression whenever you play notes with lows in them. Turning down the bass EQ means the compression sensor hears less bass peaks, meaning less compression even if your notes have big lows in them.

 

[Aidenn7]

I my optifet and growler.. it's my core sound!

 

[Chris Fitzgerald]

Hi Chris,

Here are the EQ curves for the Opti-FET:

OF HIGH EQ.pdf

OF MIDS EQ.pdf

OF LOW EQ.pdf

The EQ controls are cut and boost, so the center 12:00 position is flat. I refer to the EQ controls as threshold modifiers... so, if you increase the lows by +6dB, the threshold for the lows will be +6dB more sensitive, causing more compression that's triggered by low frequencies.

-Frank

Thanks for the info... that helps! I'm going to do some more reading regarding the difference between applying EQ before the pedal, inserting it into the sidechain, or applying it after the pedal. Also obviously some experimenting as well.

 

[Feral Feline]

@Chris Fitzgerald
Are you using it on slab or your DB?

 

[Chris Fitzgerald]

On slab so far. May try it with the DB at some point, but I'm pretty happy with my sound there, so...