whats the point of compresor pedals

ESBlonde

I've been running an old BOSS RCL10 last in chain for so many years now it's just a part of my sound (mainly commercial covers, funk, soul and pop etc.). I must buy a backup in case it dies.

57Deluxe

This demo describes it loads....

samzadgan

i use compressor all the time...and i play heavily distorted or fuzzed tones. I dont use it for compression as i do for sustain. I know it takes away a bit of dynamic, but not enough for me to be concerned with.

Bucket

I like compression a lot for clean sounds - especially with single-coils. Evens out the dynamics obviously, but also boosts the signal a touch which is useful for single-coils. I don't have it set to the point where it's audibly squashing the signal though, I prefer it to be more transparent in sound but to give me a little extra volume.

I've got a Mooer Yellow Comp (apparently based on the Diamond Compressor beloved of Johnny Marr) and it's perfect for my needs - good subtle boost, able to squish a bit should you be after that sound but best at being fairly transparent. And for £59 and barely any space taken up on my board, I'm pretty bloody happy with that. It's a keeper.

thecolourbox

I use a compressor deliberately to kill my dynamics, and also as a boost. I quite like it for when I'm playing Strokes kind of stuff, sounds quite mechanical and interestingly different. Definitely something you should inly apply subtley for the more expressive styles of playing, as stated above, can take a lot of tweaking to get the less "in your face" squishy settings

Kebabkid

I leave my Keeley on all the time and works nicely on both overdrive and clean stuff. I certainly couldn't do without it on clean and funk stuff, but if I had an clean amp that sounded naturally and suitably compressed, I'd probably use less from the pedal. It thickens things up, evens them out, obviously and just allows you to get a percussive or chimey sound that I like.

This is a great example of something, wonderfully in my opinion, compressed to buggery - Dave Williams on "Billie Jean" and listen from 3mins for that riff. You probably couldn't get that without a compressor. -


Here's Michael Thompson - top session guy and one of my favourite guitarists -doing a compressor shoot-out -

I must say, I've yet to try the Xotic SP but it appeals and gets good reviews.

ThePrettyDamned

My one (vs route 66)set the way I like it doesn't take any dynamics out at all, it just boosts the highs a bit and gives a bit of boost to the clean sound.

It can be set to be more squishy, but as it is, it sounds more like a slight clean boost. It works great for arpeggios, and I add more compression in for tapping chord progressions in the clean channel to get less dynamics.

d8m

I've never been much of a compressor fan but reading the comments here is giving me an urge to build myself a nice orange squeeze clone!

bigjon

I use my Boss CS3 on nearly all the time on a pretty extreme setting - volume 7, tone 5, attack full, sustain full. Rhythm and lead, clean or dirty, stick a shedload of compression on that's my philosophy. I nicked the idea off Nick Mellor (google him, he's a fantastic player) who used Strat -> CS3 with those settings -> Tubescreamer -> Fender Twin in a blues band I was playing in and generated an awesome tone.

JohnPerry

Johnny Marr recommended a Diamond Comp, on all the time, compression set low. Being unable to think for myself i followed this slavishly and exactly, and he wasn't wrong. Makes everything sound better, drive pedals included. Sublime compressor. Get another one if you want squish though...not really its forte. I have also tried the origin cali 76 and it was fractionally nicer than the diamond. In the end, inevitably, i will have to have one.

ROOG

I've been looking for the Xotic SP compressor circuit, I'd like to give that a try.

Gassage

I'm a Demeter man through and through. Great comp, but then so are the Diamond, Wampler and Keeleys

I never ever turn mine off.

Danny1969

I use a bit of compression on clean stuff when playing live, and shed loads of compression when mixing guitars. I think sometimes the controls you get on a stomp box compressor are too simple, to get where you want you really need 

Threshold, ratio, attack time, release time    oh  and some indication of gain reduction is nice. Nice use of compressors of the top of me head, either printed or post  would be

Under the bridge RHCP   .... and loads of other Chilli songs

Another Brick in the wall, all rhythm guitars are squashed nicely and the solo is squashed to death but how else would you get what's essentially a cleanish guitar sound to sustain like that.

Is this Love, Whitesnake, ah yes that lovely eighties chorus with compression on the clean bits

monquixote

Paul Jackson Jr + Xotic SP = Win

Very good explaination of what you can do with a good comp

ThePrettyDamned

monquixote;167180" said:

Paul Jackson Jr + Xotic SP = Win

Very good explaination of what you can do with a good comp

That's exactly how I use mine with a qtron. Basically gives you the tones without shredding your ears on those big peaks.

menamestom

I like compressors for funky clean stuff, people talk about dynamic range as always being a good thing but if you level the volume and take it out of the equation you can focus more on the rhythmic side of things.

As a compressor effect is applying Dynamic Range Compression to give it it's full title, you can't really plug one in and then complain that it robs dynamic range because that's what it's meant to do!

frankus

d8m said:

I've never been much of a compressor fan but reading the comments here is giving me an urge to build myself a nice orange squeeze clone!

It's a great build, but I'd recommend getting 1n100 diodes (as in the original pedal).

The Orange Squeezer seems to work simply because of the way the 1n100 and the 4558 interact.

HTH

siraxeman

Definitely on nearly all the time with single coils. Its one of those subtle effects that's like at first "is it doing anything?" ...then when you turn it off you really miss it and notice just what it was adding to your sound.

Branshen

@monquixote, you sold me on an SP comp. 

Kebabkid

monquixote;167180" said:

Paul Jackson Jr + Xotic SP = Win

Very good explaination of what you can do with a good comp

Excellent demo there from a wonderful player- nice one Nick.
The other thing to add about compression is that you can actually feel it under fingers as well as hear it.
Note to self....My Keeley is fine. I don't need the Xotic SP! My Keeley is fine. I don't need the Xotic SP!