whats the point of compresor pedals

Barney · February 2014

ok ...got your attention now

...iv never used them cos i always thought they take away the dynamics ...so whats everybodies views on them ....and what do they do apart from compress the signal so it lack dynamics.....im not knocking them ..its a serious question cos i dont really know..?

d8m · February 2014

I've played a couple but they take to much of the dynamic away for my liking(I know that's what they do!)

Never really been my cup of tea as my playing hasn't really warranted one.

I guess they are a bit like musical marmite, people either love or hate them.

Lixarto · February 2014

Vital for bass, acoustic guitar and vocals.

Not really necessary for electric - pace country.

Barney · February 2014

d8m said:

I've played a couple but they take to much of the dynamic away for my liking(I know that's what they do!)

Never really been my cup of tea as my playing hasn't really warranted one.

I guess they are a bit like musical marmite, people either love or hate them.

yeah thats the way iv always looked at them...just thought i was missing something..

Ché · February 2014

Look into parallel compression, blending in the compressed signal with your uncompressed tone as opposed to killing all your dynamics. It's a technique more common in mixing but it can work wonders if regular compressors are too heavy handed for you. The Barber Tone Press is a great example of a stomp box adaptation, you can really tailor the compression to add just the right amount of sustain and clarity.

JDE · February 2014

If you're losing all your dynamics, you're using too much compression. Unless you're using one as "an effect" - massive sustain for slide, poppin' squash for country picking - most compressors sound better as a subtle polisher. They even the volume between the strings, make chords sound more defined, and limit the overall sound to avoid any unwanted peaks. In my experience, people don't like them because, on the whole, nobody likes subtle pedals, and because a lot of pedal comps are noisy shit. If you look at them in the way a sound engineer would - more a tool than an effect, you'll appreciate them a lot more.

BadlyDrawnBoy · February 2014

I actually use my comp a lot for late night low volume playing! I mostly turn on my xotic SP for subtle uses as mentioned above (and for that, a comp with blend/mix really is great). But sometimes you may want to deliberately avoid those high peaks in the sound, like when you hit the strings harder. I guess acoustics get this kind of treatment normally, but I use the concept at home for my electrics, like a medium comp setting, high blend and low output.

stickyfiddle · February 2014

They're excellent for jangly clean chordal stuff, precisely to avoid the peaks when playing a really clean rhythm part.

viz · February 2014

Am I the only one to use them on heavily distorted signals to add yet more compression for that metallic cathedral-like sound on flashy solos up at the top?

nickp · February 2014

viz said:

Am I the only one to use them on heavily distorted signals to add yet more compression for that metallic cathedral-like sound on flashy solos up at the top?

yep!

actuall I have no feckin idea at all.

i use mine on the strat as a bit of a volume boost and to give it a little more sustain and "life" but without it being significantly noticeable

JAYJO · February 2014

If you dont have one then you need one! cos thems the rules! everybody knows the rules....durhh hello !! Wake up and smell the coffee! You need em all and more! 321 your back in the room.

ROOG · February 2014

Use sparingly for extra bit of sustain, when playing quietly at home.

hugbot · February 2014

They're useful in a large ensemble band, if you're playing say tight like say, funk or jazz or something you dont want your guitar jumping out over everything else.

They can make for some nice clean sounds.

Extra sustain for solos.

If you're using a gainy amp at all you dont really need one, since distortion adds natural compression.

p90fool · February 2014

Bron_Yr_Aur · February 2014

I think this gives a pretty good impression of what a good compressor does to your tone. Comparisons are from about 3:30 onwards...

frankus · February 2014

Orange Squeezer -(Mark Knopfler)subtly emphasises the twang on sultans of swing.
Dynacomp/Ross -(Nile Rodgers) Funk chord playing - subtly robs the playing of some of it's dynamic, that can be predicted and incorporated into playing.
Dynacomp/Ross - (John Frusciante) squashing the dynamics and giving a rounder tone in Under The Bridge.
Ross in the effects loop - (Andy Summers) give rhythm playing a cool sort of uniformity.

... and that's just used on a clean tone.

The Zendrive has a natural amount of compression as does a valve amp...

Rothwell Love Squeeze - like a proper mixing console balances the volume of the strings to provide a great balanced sound.

RocknRollDave · February 2014

A compressor CAN "take away the dynamics" ..if used on extreme settings. This can acutally be the desired effect (Funk, some Country picking styles) but I prefer to see compression more as taming the dynamics, rather than eliminating them.

I used a pretty average solid state amp that has an OK but not brilliant clean sound - compression takes away some of the harshness and evens the cleans out with the effect of making them smoother yet still punchy.

I think of it almost as another tone or EQ knob rather than an "effect" as such.

Majorscale · February 2014

Bron_Yr_Aur said:

I think this gives a pretty good impression of what a good compressor does to your tone. Comparisons are from about 3:30 onwards...

I have a Pale Green Comp, it really really enhances my tone without unnaturally squashing the notes to bits. As Bearfoot says, its the compressor for people who don't like compressors! Had it briefly listed for sale last week after a pedalboard rejig before quickly coming to my senses and realising that its an essential! Pete Thorn's demo really captures what it does well.

mike_l · February 2014

ROOG said:

, when playing quietly

Does not compute........

ESBlonde · February 2014

If you can hear the compressor working you might have too much set. Also compression naturally takes a little bit of top end off the tone. Any kind of overdriven sound already has some natural compression going on, also some loudspeakers (i.e. greenbacks etc.) also have a non uniform response to power input and compress the sound as you drive them harder (which is one of their desirable characteristics). It's almost certain that any recorded guitar you listen to has had some compression added (even just a smidgeon). Having a thorough understanding of the tool helps to know when and how to use it.
There is plenty of good information on the interwebs
http://music.tutsplus.com/tutorials/the-beginners-guide-to-compression--audio-953
https://www.soundonsound.com/sos/sep09/articles/compressionmadeeasy.htm
http://www.doctorproaudio.com/doctor/temas/dynamics-processors-compressors_en.shtml

If you want a good small fully adjustable dynamic controller then you could do a lot worse than the Really Nice Compressor on your board or in the loop.
http://www.thomann.de/gb/fmr_audio_rnc_1773.htm

fretmeister · February 2014

I love compression. Whether its natural from an amp overdriving or an outboard unit... I LOVE IT!

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whats the point of compresor pedals

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