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Tubes and natural compression

kirkm24

kirkm24

Jan 1, 2007
2,331
51
Columbus, Ohio
#1
I know that tubes provide some compression on their own without the aid of an actual compressor. My question is how much? I've never been a fan of squashy compression for bass. I like the EBS multicomp set at about 9:30-10:00 or if I use another compressor, I go to about a 3:1 ratio, with attack and release settings at 9:00 or less. Would an amplifier with a tube preamp offer a level of compression equivalent to those compression settings? It would kind of make sense to me in that I've never seen a player using SVT-CL rigs using a separate compression unit (they might just not like it or whatever). Anyway, if anyone can shed some light on this, let me know. I know Bongomania is the compression guru so maybe he can assist. I am considering getting the GK Fusion head when it comes out and was wondering if its 6 stage tube preamp would offer compression equal to what I get in my MultiComp. I love the multicomp but I hate having lots of extra accessories. If I can eliminate something, that would be great.
 
#2
It varies depending on the specific circuit design, and how hot you drive the tubes. On average though, I would think that at low drive, there would be something like a 3:1 ratio, but only above a relatively high threshold. The hotter you drive the tubes, the lower the threshold, and (possibly) the higher the ratio... again, depending on the circuit design.
 
#3
I would usually keep a clean tone so I don't think I would be driving the tubes too hard most of the time. I'll just have to try it out and see how it works. The only thing I really like compression for is to bring out the high strings in the mix and control the low strings a little. I notice when my MultiComp is off, the high strings can get lost in the band mix but when engaged they come "out front" a little more noticeably. This is the only real "effect" I wish to achieve with compression. I'll have to try out a tube head and see if the same effect is achieved. My SVT 4 Pro has some built in compression and I notice that my bass shines through pretty nicely with that but I don't know what it's ratio or built in settings are.
 
#4
My understanding is that the "compression" is a result of the tube reaching the limit of it's capabilities. That is to say, it tends to be noticed first when the tubes are being slightly over-driven. So, unless you're after that tube-grind sound...

The benefits of a real compressor are numerous, controllability being the main advantage.
 

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