What's your favorite Compressor Pedal...

[Cinzel]

Always On!

 

[Doner Designs]

Markbass doesn’t seem to be very popular but it’s superb. Dead silent, uses a tube to do the compression and is extremely flexible (five knobs). Highly rated by the talkbass compressor guy. Omnilabs or something like that.

 

[bongostealth]

I also really liked the Ebs multicomp, especially coupled with the Markbass

By "coupled" do you mean that you use them both at the same time?

 

[iunno]

The only other compressors I've tried were the Boss CS3(crap, kills bottom end) and the Markbass Compressore (very nice but expensive), but I really like my Electro Harmonix Bass Preacher.

 

[bongostealth]

Becos Comp IQ StellaPro. It's like the Keeley on steroids...

How would you describe the tone of this Becos compressor? It looks awesome! Is it transparent, or does it impose color into the mix?

 

[HolmeBass]

Cali 76 Compact Bass. The first pedal compressor that I don’t just turn off at a gig. Love it so far.

 

[TonyP-]

MXR
I really like that one...

 

[Susqmike]

Love the Keeley Bassist!

 

[Raw N Low]

I'm using the Doc Lloyd Photon Death Ray and love it.
But there are a TON of great compressors available. I'd love to try the Becos, the DG Hyperluminal, and several others...
See this thread for serious GAS: Testing Compressors: Cali, Smoothie, Empress, Diamond, Keeley, FEA, Darkglass, Doc Lloyd, JHS & more

I don't know yet.
Have owned a bunch to include the Dimaond, Compressore, Maxon, Duncan, Opto Stomp, FEA DECL, ancient MXR143 and others.
Still prefer my dbx 160 but not into rack gear these days.

I'm moving toward simple as the subtle differences that are so important to a studio recording become mostly lost in a live enviornment. I'm basing this on rehearsing (ad recording) the same song with different FEA settings. Sometimes not audible and other times not that big a deal. As an ex-engineer I find it distracting when m,etering is not what I wanted to see (and hear) and loose focus on playing.

Seems like Becos, Bassist, Ovnifex, and maybe the Love Squeeze might be worth a try.

Anybody have any strong opinions about the Doc LLoyd now that you've had some time with it?

I've been using the Doc Lloyd for about 5 months and love it. Simple, fast, and doesn't get in the way. It's going to be a mainstay for a long time. I had the Markbass Comp and loved it. However, the power requirements, size, and settings became too much for me.

Highly recommend the Doc Lloyd.

 

[Frank77]

For the first 12 years of my playing career I've never used pedals but have recently put together and buying some really nice pedals. I'm still new to Compressors but I wanted to start a thread and see what everyone likes and uses for their compressor Pedals? What style do you play and how often do you use it? I have purchases the TC Spectracomp, Cali76, and now have a Darkglass Hyper Luminal on the way. The Cali was my favorite for Praise and Worship style music and stayed on all the time so it's my favorite but I'm looking forward to trying the Darkglass.

I really like my FEA Labs Opti-FET, seen here on my big board which has since been upgraded (or downgraded? depends how you see it) to a Nano+ for live use (w/o fuzz, chorus and the Q Strip which these days I only use when recording). It beefs up my bass nicely and adds just a bit of warmth (or a lot, depends how you set the internal DIP switches). The sidechain EQ is the special ingredient.

I'd like to try the Smoothie when the next batch comes out, too.

I briefly had a SpectraComp but returned it - I absolutely hated it. The ready-made toneprints were not doing it for me, and the editor was just a mess.

 

[Blue Swede]

By "coupled" do you mean that you use them both at the same time?

Exactly, multicomp first, both knobs at 12 o’clock in dual band mode, followed by compressore in limiter mode (max ratio) wih slowish attack and threshold high enough that it only takes the peaks. Tightened things up nicely while keeping highs open and “airy”

Got annoyed by compressores size and power plug though.

 

[Tom Bomb]

I like all three of mine, for the stuff I play, eclectic but on the cleanish, softer side, mostly. All are versatile, uncomplicated, easy but robust. But the gong goes to the Pine Green — it's the only one that really went through the roof before I even got it through the front door of the shop

 

[Killens84]

I’ve owned or used the Diamond BCP-1, Whirlwind OC Bass, Cali76-CB, FEA DE-CL, Empress, OVNIFX Smoothie, and Darkglass Hyper Luminal.

For me, the Smoothie wins out of those, and it’s the only one I still own and use. The DE-CL was a very close second, and probably would’ve even been my favorite, but it was noisier through my Mesa WD-800 than the Smoothie. I also really liked the Empress. If I wanted neutral and uncolored compression, the Empress would be my choice. The Cali76-CB was good, but had too much bite going on in the high end for my taste. The Smoothie is it for me.

 

[Michedelic]

Yes it is a little large, but I keep mine on my amp along with my Fdeck HPF and both are always on. The Cioks is interesting, but too rich for my blood.

Well, there’s always used ones out there; I’ve been done with wall warts a long time ago, and Cioks leaves Voodoo Labs in the dust with their versatility. The Eventide/Cioks Powermax, the white one, rules the universe for me with the four way assignable voltage for each out, the morphing MA supply, AND the USB out as I use my Iphone for set lists and lyric/chord chart cheat sheets. Buy the best, and cry only once.

 

[bongostealth]

Exactly, multicomp first, both knobs at 12 o’clock in dual band mode, followed by compressore in limiter mode (max ratio) wih slowish attack and threshold high enough that it only takes the peaks. Tightened things up nicely while keeping highs open and “airy”

Got annoyed by compressores size and power plug though.

Interesting! But I like it! Any noise issues when running both simultaneously?

 

[BurtMacklinFBI]

Broughton Apex. Simple, more or less transparent, and thanks to the side chain it doesn't squish my lows.

 

[Blue Swede]

Interesting! But I like it! Any noise issues when running both simultaneously?

I found the Ebs a bit noisy in between songs, but to be fair I was daisy chaining it and a few other pedals so the problem was most likely created by me to start with, and I have heard that the newer models are a bit better anyways. I haven’t had that combo for over two years though so my memory of it might be different from reality.

 

[Matty Koff]

+1 on the Compressore, my only beef is the amount of space it takes, and that it runs on 12V, but Cioks has come to the rescue.

Yes it is a little large, but I keep mine on my amp along with my Fdeck HPF and both are always on. The Cioks is interesting, but too rich for my blood.

So.. I don't know if they existed when I first started building my pedalboard years back.. ultimately I went with a CIOKS Chocolate.

but https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/EmPowerMod--emerson-custom-power-module

With something like that you could power both a less expensive power brick and use the original power supply for the MB Compressore.

 

[Alex_H]

I finally got my TC HyperGravity to work. It's an unsuspecting looking pedal with four knobs on the outside and a programmable three band compressor inside.

The Boss BC-1C would be my next choice, but luckily I got my HyperGravity to compress the way I like it. The boss sadly lacks a blend knob. And there is no software to configure one.

I heared really good things about the Pumpernickel. If you are looking for a more old school compressor, that thing could be an option.

 

[Frank_Raider]

Keeley Bassist works just great. It's what I'm using right now and couldn't be happier. Transparent, simple, versatile, non-obtrusive, small footprint, 9v. I also really like de EBS Multicomp, but it's less trasparent, less versatile, and less adjustable on the fly. The Aguilar TLC it's a good option, but I still prefer the other 2 over it.