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Why did you stop compressing your live rig??

Do you use a compressor live or stopped using one??

  • Yes, I usually compress my live rig

    Votes: 112 65.1%

  • No, I stopped compressing my live rig (please explain)

    Votes: 60 34.9%
  • Total voters
    172
#121
I use one in live and recording. An original UA1176 in the studio, a barber tone press for live. Getting close to pullin the trigger on the origin cali76 compressor for the pedal board. unfortunately its a big step as thats a pricey pedal to put in the line of fire(water) at the pubs!!

Its a great dynamic tool to use. its subtle variations to your tone can sometimes be over looked, but to each their own! I use mine as a last line of tone clean-up, slight boost for the low volume sections so i dont get lost in the mix, and some sustain that gets lost as well. I feel that ive got a decent technique that may not require it, particularly when using the B15, but its a necessary tool when im using a solid state rig.
 
#122
jbd5015 said:
I use one in live and recording. An original UA1176 in the studio, a barber tone press for live. Getting close to pullin the trigger on the origin cali76 compressor for the pedal board. unfortunately its a big step as thats a pricey pedal to put in the line of fire(water) at the pubs!!
Click to expand...

Pull it.

I recently started using the tx variant. Very versatile tool.
 
#123
No, I never did compress live. I compensated by adjusting my pickups so the volume across the strings was relatively even on my live instrument/s. I would chug my low E (tuned to drop C) heavy, then adjust the pickups on the D and G accordingly. I never played overly heavy. Studio work would require a different setup if I wanted to use the same bass.
 
#124
I've personally never heard a difference in my playing when using or not using a compressor, besides my high end maybe getting tapered off a hair. In a live setting, I just don't hear the difference.

I've used the Aguilar TLC and MXR Bass Comp.
 
#129
I used a compressor in my live rig for a period of maybe ~6-7 years. Two things happened that caused me to stop using one though:

- 1) The 1980s ended, and with it, the demand for obligatory slap'n'pop bass playing. For normal finger- or pick-style playing I was usually only dialing in a few dB of compression (4:1 ratio) but for the thumb stuff the meters would be tickling over 12dB of gain reduction. When the need for slap diminished, so did the need for compression.

- 2) I started playing a lot more nuanced music that required a much more precise command of dynamics, music that explored the extreme ends of the dynamic spectrum. The compressor was basically fighting all my efforts to be in complete control of dynamic range. Taking the compressor out of my rig allowed me to be a more musical bassist.

I still own the compressors, but they live in the studio control room full time now.
 
#130
I always use compression in my live rig, but have a very low ratio.
It is there to even out slap, envelope filter etc, I really don't notice much difference with straight finger style.

from reading this thread it gave me the impression that many who don't use compression, found that when they did use compression it was really affecting their dynamics.
To me this indicates that a too higher ratio was used.
Just my thought.
 
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#132
Brad Johnson said:
Anyone try this?
Click to expand...

Yes I did, and it takes years. Thanks for getting me sucked into an old thread, Brad!!

To contribute: I vacillate. I think a compressor can make you sound louder without being louder. If you can do that, combined with playing with a light touch, it doesn't matter whether you use one live. I like my Markbass Compressore but don't bother bringing it to rehearsals. I do turn the volume up and try to play softly.
 
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#133
andruca said:
Normally the people I hear claim they don't need/want a compressor are the ones that need it the most (and just ignore how to use one -MOST bassists don't know what a compressor is meant for, some even claim it does nothing as it doesn't change timbre, go figure out-). You always need a compressor on bass (or a preamp that compresses, most of the ones that allow for some crunchy drive these days do). The assumption that you lose dynamics is relative while the claim that you lose "expression" is totally wrong. I mean we all normally pluck harder in that certain passage we want the bass to "shine". With proper compression (not extremely squashy or unnatural of course) you might not sound louder in terms of plain "voltage measurement", yet the TIMBRE of the bass changes a lot from a soft to a harder picking/plucking, becomes more middy the more you dig, so perceived volume/presence/cutting power is definitely increased, resulting in that "starring role" bass moment you need. There's your expression and (altho' not electrical, still psycho acoustical) dynamics.
Click to expand...


Plenty of exceptions to these generalizations. You may always need compression, no disagreement there. The idea that that's an overall truth couldn't be more wrong.
 
#134
sears said:
Yes I did, and it takes years. Thanks for getting me sucked into an old thread, Brad!!

To contribute: I vacillate. I think a compressor can make you sound louder without being louder. If you can do that, combined with playing with a light touch, it doesn't matter whether you use one live. I like my Markbass Compressore but don't bother bringing it to rehearsals. I do turn the volume up and try to play softly.
Click to expand...

The light touch thing is often misunderstood. Think of it as a more refined touch as far as physical movement. I can pluck as hard as I'd like... it just doesn't look like it because I accomplish it with less motion.
 
#136
I remember reading that advice when it was first posted years ago and took the advice to heart. It is now natural for me to play softly. That didn't happen overnight. Thank you, Brad.

I have used a compressor live to get a beefier tone. That was a couple years ago. It worked, but the advantages were outweighed by my desire for simplicity live.
 
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#137
Xandrell said:
I use compression for everything. Either a distressor hooked in to a SVT-2 Pro or just a SansAmp Bass DI into the distressor for recording.

Live I sometimes use just an old TLA tube preamp/compressor that has an instrument input going to the board with IEMs.

I guess you could say sometimes I only use a compressor.
Click to expand...
The distressor is quite a versatile and IMO a great sounding compressor
 
#138
I gave up ALL effects.

My tone comes from my fingers, strings, amp & speakers.....only.

Speakers are fEARful 1561 and 15sub.
...when I hose up, it's immediately evident.

There is NO hiding in the mix with a fEARful cabinet.

This alone has made me a more precise, technical player...
 
Last edited:
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#139
i might be the other way 'round, i just started using a dedicated compressor!

i run a sansamp BDDI as my primary preamp, set with enough grit to have a bit of its natural compression going on. that was always plenty of "smoothing" when i was just hearing myself through my amp, especially with a pick.

i just recently joined a band where i'm like 95% fingers and everybody used IEMs, my first time using them for bass (have used 'em and loved them with guitar for many years). i was finding that i had a hard time setting my bass to the right level in my mix; either it was a little too loud and masked the other parts, or i was finding myself digging in too hard fingerstyle to hear it, feeling hand fatigue after a few minutes.

i scrounged around in my guitar pedal collection and came up with a carl martin comp, an excellent hi-fi compressor pedal that i used to use for solo boosts on my acoustic guitar gigs. i set it in front of my little pedalchain, adjusted for fastest attack, mild ratio and high threshold, so it just gently evened out the peaks. (it has a "busy" light so i can see when and how hard it's squashing, very useful for setting a minimal and transparent comp level.)

i've been very pleased with the result, it lets me relax my right hand for fingers and still get a fat, sustain-y bass note, and it keeps things under control when i go for the pick and start rocking out, all while still sounding "natural".
 

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