So… who’s not using a compressor at all ?

[Planespotter]

I don't use one in band situations. I play finger style rock through a tube amp turned up and slightly overdriven, so it's already compressed enough. My humongous stay at home pedalboard has a comp/limiter though. It's after all the unruly envelope filters and synth pedals that have huge volume spikes.

 

[PennyroyalWe]

I've never used a compressor. Been thinking about it for a while though. I've just always considered unintentional volume changes to be a personal character flaw.

 

[Topkat13]

Me.

 

[Fernando Costa]

I've never used compressors, I don't like it, I don't need it. I agree that it can help some bass players and it can be useful when used correctly, but it's not useful for me. My problem as a session musician is convincing engineers that compressors aren't as necessary as they think, in their boxy heads.

 

[Black_In_Mind]

The only compressor I've tried was the DOD Milk Box after finding one CIB for an okay price. Literally used it a couple times and then sold it after it sat in a drawer for months.

I didn't see a compressor useful enough to keep around for my pedalboard.

 

[Kerem Koseoglu]

I have at least one, sometimes two, compressors on my board.

First compressor (Aguilar DB599 these days) is the first pedal on my chain. I set it to a low compression rate to balance out string-to-string differences, and to add a little tonal magic.

Second compressor (MXR M87 these days) is placed towards the end on my chain. I set it to a high threshold & compression rate to catch spikes. I use it only if I'm going to slap.

Compressors really add value to my sound when used right. I can gig without them, but don't prefer to.

 

[Jazz Ad]

I use one for recording and at FOH when I do sound.
At bass guitar level I pretty much never do, except sometimes heavily as an effect.

 

[Camarillo]

A touch of light, transparent compressor, like an opto, has never harmed anyone.

 

[mouthmw]

I used EBS Multicomp for a few years. It was alright, but anything more than a subtle compression and I hated it. Couldn't stand my dynamics being touched. Since I played in several bands at the time, for one of those bands I didn't use my pedalbord (no room). I mean, I knew that I could do it without a comp pedal, but I guess I was now reasurred by basically playing the same venues with and without one. I took it off my board last year and made room for another effect pedal. I'm just not a compressor guy as far as pedals go.

 

[themickster]

I stopped compressing a long time ago

 

[SonnyBassPlayer]

I use a light overdrive literally all the time so if I play harder it smoothes all with a drop of distortion, I never used a comp.

 

[maxschrek]

Never use one.

 

[gtirard]

I thought I was the only one and I was feeling guilty. I've never used one.

You should add a poll to this thread

I probably don't know how to set it, so either I hear no difference or I don't like what I hear.

Sound engineers probably add one when I play live or record in a studio, it's fine for me.

 

[BasEd]

I sometimes use a compressor for recording to even out the dynamics. I use a limiter for gigs as a "guardrail" for slap spikes. I probably don't need it as I can control the slap volume with my hands but I suppose it does allow me to thump a string hard without blowing a speaker but I rarely do that anyway. It's just on all the time but I could probably turn it off and not notice a difference. Habit I suppose. Getting the settings right on a compressor takes a bit of trial and error and understanding of what each one does. It's not meant to be a obvious effect like, say, a wah pedal. Too much compression will make loud and quiet notes all sound the same which maybe what you want. It may even out the volume difference between strings although that's probably best done via pickup height and plucking strength.

 

[zubrycky]

I never played with a compressor.

 

[soundsupport1]

Don't use one, even though my pedalboard technically has two.
Eden WTDI has a compressor - don't use it at all.
JHS Pulp'n'Peel is combined EQ/Compressor pedal, I use it for slap and pinch harmonics. Neither is a technique I use very often, so most of the time it just sits there, giving me kudos with guitarists.

Peace,
SoundSupport

 

[BlueTalon]

Every time I have used a compressor, I felt like I had to fight my bass to get the dynamics out of it I wanted. And I hate that feeling. So no compressors for me.

If someone else wants to use a compressor on my signal, that's fine. I don't really care. But I'm not going to use one for my own purposes.

 

[theunknowndude]

Every time I have used a compressor, I felt like I had to fight my bass to get the dynamics out of it I wanted. And I hate that feeling. So no compressors for me.

If someone else wants to use a compressor on my signal, that's fine. I don't really care. But I'm not going to use one for my own purposes.

im with you… haven't tried one at all as my cog mini 66 is always on as more of a blended slightly compressed boost and my genz Benz has a limiter off sorts… soundman has probably always added a touch but I always run through all of my effects at soundcheck so they can do whatever they feel like to make me sound good, I don't mind

 

[bobba66]

Spring compressors, ring compressors, air compressors, I use them all!

 

[chadds]

I do use tube preamps so there is natural compression in their behavior.