• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Your Always On Compressor

#341
When I run pedals I like the MXR M87 always on, and set more like a limiter than a squasher (to control the obnoxious low B on my Ibanez BTB). Otherwise I'm a still a Boss GT-10B devotee and really like all the compressors in the unit, although I tend to favour either the Natural compressor or the Limiter. Both work well to either control the low B or even out the sound and control unpleasant resonance you get in some rooms. Not high end or sophisticated but works for me.
 
  • Like
Reactions: tlite
#345
BassTerd said:
I see a lot of keesly and cali76's. I use a spectra comp out of sheer laziness using the tone prints and not dialing in a setting. For those of you who used all 3 what's the difference between the spectra and the other two?
Click to expand...
Ive been using the Spectracomp for a few months, and liek you I'm not in a position to get my hands too dirty with all the programming side. I tend to use just one tone print and adjust the knob a bit if i feel i need something changed. Ive always felt this to be limiting as I don't have any ipad etc with me when playing outside the house, and dont use a rig at home.
So now I have a Cali76 CB, always on, and although ive only used it a few times at rehearsals its a big jump up in terms of getting the tone/effect I want and being able to do it on the fly. The way the knobs interact seem to nearly always produce a usable effect. I also feel the Cali warms things up just a bit more than any of the Spectracomp presets i tried.
It's a lot bigger and heavier, and a lot less versatile (assuming you have the means to tweak it), but for my use it is actually way more versatile as i can now get to the settings i need at gigs and rehearsals, so worth the bag of gold i paid for it :-)
 
#351
dave_bass5 said:
Ive been using the Spectracomp for a few months, and liek you I'm not in a position to get my hands too dirty with all the programming side. I tend to use just one tone print and adjust the knob a bit if i feel i need something changed. Ive always felt this to be limiting as I don't have any ipad etc with me when playing outside the house, and dont use a rig at home.
So now I have a Cali76 CB, always on, and although ive only used it a few times at rehearsals its a big jump up in terms of getting the tone/effect I want and being able to do it on the fly. The way the knobs interact seem to nearly always produce a usable effect. I also feel the Cali warms things up just a bit more than any of the Spectracomp presets i tried.
It's a lot bigger and heavier, and a lot less versatile (assuming you have the means to tweak it), but for my use it is actually way more versatile as i can now get to the settings i need at gigs and rehearsals, so worth the bag of gold i paid for it :)
Click to expand...
so many damn options people are putting up. And the longer this thread gets the more confused i am on what to try out next. hahaha
 
  • Like
Reactions: ToS, dave_bass5, David Jayne and 2 others
#352
BassTerd said:
so many damn options people are putting up. And the longer this thread gets the more confused i am on what to try out next. hahaha
Click to expand...
TB has an expected, and tried system that you should not mess with (very bad karma) Buy them all, and find out what works for you. Do not return the other ones, you will need them someday. You signed a TB policies and procedures agreement, now stick to it.
 
  • Like
Reactions: DirtyDuke, superheavyfunk, kesslari and 8 others
#357
Effectrode PC-2A. It gets me that lovely "coiffed" studio tone I crave without killing dynamics - similar to an LA-2A in the studio. I've never liked pedal compressors and never used one regularly until I tried the Effectrode out. It sounds bloody awesome! It may not be as good as other compressors for specific purposes, like dual band compressors etc., but for the Always On Compressor, this one is it for me.
 
#358
musocat said:
Effectrode PC-2A. It gets me that lovely "coiffed" studio tone I crave without killing dynamics - similar to an LA-2A in the studio. I've never liked pedal compressors and never used one regularly until I tried the Effectrode out. It sounds bloody awesome! It may not be as good as other compressors for specific purposes, like dual band compressors etc., but for the Always On Compressor, this one is it for me.
Click to expand...
This one looks pretty cool. I always dug the LA-2A on bass, prefer it over 1176. Have you had a chance to compar the PC-2A over the 1176 pedal offerings?
 
#359
I have FEA DB-CL and Cali-76CB always on on my two pedalboards and I had tried quite a few others before...

If I would be asked to only keep one of these, that has to be the FEA - dead quiet, transparent, warm. Takes up more space on the pedalboard than the Cali.

Cali adds a bit more of awesome fatness to the sound, which is desirable, unless one has a bunch of other nice fat-adding effects stacked behind it. Mine is also harder to keep "always on" as it resets to "off" every time when the pedalboard is powered. All the jacks are on the top of the pedal = more room left for other toys :thumbsup:

I tried an RMI Basswitch as well and didn't like it. I A/B-d it with FEA and Cali and it was much noisier than either of those. The controls are not intuitive and it has a weird form factor that is only suitable for larger pedalboards - it is simply too long to properly fit onto Pedaltrain Mini of similar boards.
 
#360
I think I already replied in this thread but my gear changes kinda often, so.... My Joe Meek FloorQ is always on, last in my chain before going out to my amp/FOH. I also have a Fairfield Accountant that I use up front but more in an effect-y way than as an actual compressor... I like its grit and the way it squashes, for 80's funk stuff and modern hiphop and reggae. Its not *always* on, but it is on for like 75% of our 4-5 hour long shows.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back