To compress, or not to compress, that is the question.

[teleharmonium]

There must something special about compressors that annoys people since this discussion comes up again and again. I don't see any other sound processing being debated so hotly (in terms of what is the "correct" use). Surely people are misusing/abusing other effects (chorus, dirt, filters, reverb, etc) just as much, if not more, but there is not the same amount of discussion about that.

Just an observation.

That's true, and not coincidentally, compression is easily the least understood of the common effects.

 

[matthewbrown]

I find I almost never use compression live except when I am slapping, a technique that really almost requires it, I think. I don't play loud much, though. I find at the volume I play in small or medium sized rooms, I don't want to have my attack and decay altered. I just rely on my hands.

 

[kenneffdupriest]

I haven't got to the point of some bass guitarist that have total and absolute control over their playing when on stage.

So I need a compressor in Odd Harmona (passionate music written by passionate ppl) cuz sometimes I lose the ability to reason and when I'm in the moment I jump high into the air, like I'm trying to fly just enough to get away from Eric (who thinks I'm crazy) and back over the rest of the band to where my mic is located so I don't have to skip (yes, I skip, backwards) and when I land I'm fretting E minor and slap it with my entire hand. Sometimes I strum it lika guitar. Sometimes I yell into my pickups(irrelevant) like when I was hollering at Cedric Glover that day @ Mardis Gras. But I digress

Either way it gets rough, not a lot, not all the time but when Walt (percussion) and myself get a little "us time" on stage and I get my foot up on his kick drum (he hates that btw) and I get "head down in the cell phone" and really start digging in on my Stingray(whiff a Delano mind you) I'm playing that thing for all its worth and as much as I hate to admit it, as hard as I can. It happens, it's part of my style and technique or lack thereof and the JHS Lime Aid works great to level out the hard stuff. I've haven't had this comp long, being from KC, JHS pedal are on CL a lot. I used a LMB-3 before.

However, I'm also in a rockabilly band called The Popskull Rebels and I play a Fender P with 5% overwound Lindy's and I don't use the comp for that band at all. The vibe gets out there my friend, way out there but its a more controlled "out there". you dig? Who's with me on this one?

 

[AndyLES]

Like I said in the other compressor thread - I have to PERFORM as well as play. I've played in more than a few metal/punk/hard rock bands, and in those contexts I'm expected to bang my head, run around the stage, throw up the devil horns, etc. The Boss limiter I use helps keep it steady while I interact with the audience members. I also play mostly fingerstyle, thus making note-to-note consistency essential.

It's funny, but in regards to soundmen, I've found they like when I control the compression - "one less meter I have to look at" is what they tell me as they hit their bypass button. Of course, whatever works, different strokes, yada yada.

 

[Mystic Michael]

Hi all, so here's my opinion:

Unless you use a compressor pedal to get a specific sound, in my opinion, you should not use a compressor.
More often than not I see great bass players with crappy live sound because they compress unnececery, ussually reasoning that it's to keep the bass at a constant level.

The first problem I see with that is that it takes away from your dynamics, you can do SO MUCH with your fingers, and a compressor if not properly used, takes that away from you..
the second major problem is that the sound tech will always put a compressor on the bass anyways, so if the signal he gets is already compressed, he will compress it further making the bass much less felt and much less clear.

What is your take on this?

The key phrase in your entire case is: "if not properly used". And in my opinion, making an argument that something should (almost) never be used because in actual application it is usually misused, amounts to a typical "throw the baby out with the bath water" argument.

As (almost) always, the key to using compression effectively is...subtlety. A little dab with do ya. Less is more.

If you load up your roast beef sandwich with horseradish sauce, then of course it's going to ruin your meal. But just the right amount will enhance the flavor, and bring some zing to the entire dining experience.

That said, my own favorite use for compression is to add color to the tone and timbre. As I happen to have pretty controlled and consistent right hand technique, I rarely need to use compression to keep signal spikes under control.

MM

 

[iliachulsky]

The key phrase in your entire case is: "if not properly used". And in my opinion, making an argument that something should (almost) never be used because in actual application it is usually misused, amounts to a typical "throw the baby out with the bath water" argument.

As (almost) always, the key to using compression effectively is...subtlety. A little dab with do ya. Less is more.

If you load up your roast beef sandwich with horseradish sauce, then of course it's going to ruin your meal. But just the right amount will enhance the flavor, and bring some zing to the entire dining experience.

That said, my own favorite use for compression is to add color to the tone and timbre. As I happen to have pretty controlled and consistent right hand technique, I rarely need to use compression to keep signal spikes under control.

MM

What I mean by proper use, is not to use it as a limiter, but use it like you described in your last paragraph

 

[Deleted member 261632]

I use my compressor to get an even and consistent tone which cleans up the whole sonic area and tightens the foundation.

 

[FretNoMore]

I use my compressor to get an even and consistent tone which cleans up the whole sonic area and tightens the foundation.

That's not acceptable here on TB, you should be able to do that with only your fingers.

 

[GMC]

The key phrase in your entire case is: "if not properly used". And in my opinion, making an argument that something should (almost) never be used because in actual application it is usually misused, amounts to a typical "throw the baby out with the bath water" argument.

As (almost) always, the key to using compression effectively is...subtlety. A little dab with do ya. Less is more.

If you load up your roast beef sandwich with horseradish sauce, then of course it's going to ruin your meal. But just the right amount will enhance the flavor, and bring some zing to the entire dining experience.

That said, my own favorite use for compression is to add color to the tone and timbre. As I happen to have pretty controlled and consistent right hand technique, I rarely need to use compression to keep signal spikes under control.

MM

I really disagree with the term "proper use" where pedals and amps are concerned. Really, it's about what sounds nice to the musician and that's the beginning and end of it. If players used their tube amps "properly" then no one would have discovered overdrive, distortion or fuzz. If no one experiments then on one progresses.

A compressor is a box with knobs on, play with them until you get the tone you like. If it's not doing it for you, turn it off and find joy somewhere else. It's quite easy really.

 

[lowfreq33]

I really disagree with the term "proper use" where pedals and amps are concerned. Really, it's about what sounds nice to the musician and that's the beginning and end of it. If players used their tube amps "properly" then no one would have discovered overdrive, distortion or fuzz. If no one experiments then on one progresses.

A compressor is a box with knobs on, play with them until you get the tone you like. If it's not doing it for you, turn it off and find joy somewhere else. It's quite easy really.

Maybe a better way to phrase it would be "knowing what all the knobs do".

 

[el murdoque]

When i'm doing the odd FOH job, i use compression on almost everything - but the compressor is working as a limiter here - on the bass it usually just reigns in the peaks while the steady signal remains untouched.
When i'm playing, i'm using my compressor for entirely different reasons. it has three applications for me:
1. Kill the dynamics if (and only if) they are not what i'm after.
2. get more sustain with a distortion pedal (this is actually my main usage)
3. get the signal to level when using multiple pedals. My OD pedal is set to a boomy sound with a little grind around the top end while my distortion is more centered in the mids. When activating both,
i get a nice sound for the really hard parts, but the bass gets too loud when both pedals slightly increase the clean signal. The compressor will give me a steady output then.

 

[Deleted member 261632]

That's not acceptable here on TB, you should be able to do that with only your fingers.

Nah, toos imple since I'm alternating between fingers and pick :shock:

 

[ddnidd1]

I really disagree with the term "proper use" where pedals and amps are concerned.

The specific reference in this thread is to the use of compressors - NOT pedals and amps in general.

When you have a device that has been used for decades in studios to produce classic bass lines and at the same time we have many folks on TB whose position is 'I'll never use a compressor. I've tried a few and they ALL squash my signal and sound terrible', the obvious conclusion is that the compressor is not being used 'Properly', due to a lack of understanding of how to adjust and apply a compressor to a bass signal.

 

[tkonbass]

I always use compression. It is an indispensable tool in my gear box. I use it to send the best possible signal to the PA that I can as well as to achieve the tone I want on stage. If the sound tech feels additional compression is needed on the bass when he is dialing in the PA I am fine with that. I know how to use my gear and know what sound I want, I assume he does too until proven otherwise. Any sound tech that arbitrarily applies any effect or dynamics processor without taking into consideration what is actually needed aught not be a sound tech. And yes I know there are some out there.

If you don't know how to use a compressor without screwing up your dynamics or tone then either don't use one or learn how.

 

[ddnidd1]

Here's an EXCELLENT read explaining compression and dynamics.

http://www.ovnilab.com/articles/dynamics.shtml

 

[-Asdfgh-]

There are several different use cases for compression, though, from driving other effects in various ways. A valid one is bringing up the volume of low level signals that would be lost in crowd noise to an acceptable level so that you can keep the overall volume of a gig to more reasonable volumes. Too much and the dynamics vanish entirely, though. It's a balancing act but if it means slightly quieter gigs it works for me.

 

[chadhargis]

I use a very small amount of compression in a live situation. Right or wrong, it seems to sound better to me. I've had sound guys ask me what DI I'm using because they are pleased with the signal I'm sending them. Oddly, it's a cheapo Zoom B3 running a DBX 160 emulation and a Fender Bassman head emulation. That's it'. Nice fat, warm tone that's not boomy or farty.

 

[WashburnAB95]

As a player the compression can be annoying. I feel like it separates my fingers from the sound produced. It changes the feel of the bass.


However in a live band situation it can often really help the sound though.

 

[PDGood]

There must something special about compressors that annoys people since this discussion comes up again and again. I don't see any other sound processing being debated so hotly (in terms of what is the "correct" use). Surely people are misusing/abusing other effects (chorus, dirt, filters, reverb, etc) just as much, if not more, but there is not the same amount of discussion about that.

Just an observation.

+1
I love 'em in the studio because they can be applied after the track is recorded and it definitely fattens the track and allows it to move forward in the mix. But playing live I don't like the "feel" of playing through one - it's like wearing three condoms. And many of them mess with the attack.

 

[Freekmagnet]

I've halfheartedly been looking for a compressor for live situations. I had a TC BG250 for a minute, and I would use the onboard compressor when I slapped. I've since bought a MarkBass and I don't feel the need to compress on the songs where I am required to slap. However, since I've started messing around with a BassBalls filter, I'm thinking of looking for a good compressor to put at the end of my chain. That filter gets a little unruly sometimes.

A long time ago, a recording guy I have a bit of respect for explained that in the studio, compression is pretty much indispensable. He claimed expressed irony of compressing the bass in the studio to render a more dynamic and live bass sound.