'Always on' Effects

therose789

Hi all,

What drives, compressors do you guys use/recommend that you leave on all the time?

I read and see a lot of people who have pedal that claim to 'bring their amps to life' 

What do you use???

Si

monquixote

I have an Xotic SP comp on most of the time. 

I find always on comps only work if you have one with a clean blend. 

Other pedals I can imagine using in that way that I've had include the Hotcake and the Liquid Sunshine.

Kebabkid

Keeley 2 Knob Compressor - sustain at 10 o'clock works well enough so as not to get in the way and suffocate my sound but tightens up cleans and smooths out lead parts.

When I had an Xotic RC Booster, I used to leave that on.

dogload

Sometimes I find I have to have my Nobels ODR1+ on a clean/ slightly edgy setting, on everything to give a bit of poke, but other times I don't. Atmospheric changes perhaps.

At one time I used to have my Boss CS1 compressor on at all times, but these days I find I don't need to do that. 

Drew_TNBD

I don't really have any tbh. I like comp on clean and slightly driven tones, but hate what it does to fully distorted tones. I also really like pristine cleans, so I don't have any distortions that are always on either.

Paul_C

I use an ART TubePac (preamp/compressor) with both acoustic guitar and bass as it does something to that sound that pleases me.

ThePrettyDamned

Used to have a Marshall guvnor maxed out on gain set just above unity volume on all the time. Now looking for something with more gain, probably getting a Duncan power grid.

I don't really use much clean sound, and when I do, I switch off my always on for cleans, I always have the comp side of the route 66 on, with only a little compression and gain. Makes cleans more interesting sounding. I'd also like a chorus, which would be set low and always on, clean, crunch or lead.

EricTheWeary

I am sure there are folks who have reverb or delay always on.

I went through a patch of having my Seymour Duncan Pick Up Booster always on. I think that was my only pedal I was using at the time and was just because I wanted my strat to sound less stratty TBH. I find it quite hard not to have something on between a strat and a valve amp.
A clean boost on but not doing much can be handy on the kind of gigs where all the backline is behind the drums/ bar/ in the snug and you find once the band starts up the balance is shit. It is then easier to bend down and tweak the boost rather than get to the amp.     

mike_l

On my home-board, I have an MXR Micro Chorus on half of my preset dirty sounds, and all my clean sounds.

Other than that, I like the dirty sounds from an MXR Dist.3.

 

But, no, no "on all the time" pedals

not_the_dj

In the past I have used a Suhr Koko boost on all the time. I've just put it back on my gigging board but I need to see how it sounds with my latest set-up.

 

I have just recently got a Catalinbread DLSiii which is on all the time for my regular crunch sound. That's only turned off a couple of times in the set for really clean stuff.

streethawk

A little thing I like to call Mojo, sits just behind Attitude in my always on chain.

(no facepalm button. lol.)

longi

I don't have any "always on" effects other than reverb for my overdriven sounds, I always feel like I'm cheating when I try it. I prefer a straight guitar sound until I get to the solos then ill switch on a bit of delay. For cleans I use a tiny bit of chorus and sometimes delay for a bit of space. Guess I'm a bit boring really! Heh!

EricTheWeary

streethawk said:

A little thing I like to call Mojo, sits just behind Attitude in my always on chain.

(no facepalm button. lol.)

And running Heart and Soul through the FX loop?
|)

steamabacus

EricTheWeary said:

streethawk said:

A little thing I like to call Mojo, sits just behind Attitude in my always on chain.

(no facepalm button. lol.)

And running Heart and Soul through the FX loop?
|)

Don't forget a touch of Turn That Bloody Thing Down! on FOH.

rich75

monquixote said:

I have an Xotic SP comp on most of the time. 

I find always on comps only work if you have one with a clean blend. 

+1 for this: my SP comp stays on all the time and the blend control means the sound doesn't get too squashed and you don't lose all the dynamics.

 

Also used to do the same thing with a Barber Tonepress but I prefer the SP.

Sporky

EricTheWeary said:

I am sure there are folks who have reverb or delay always on.

We refer to such people as "good", "honest" and "morally upstanding".

steamabacus

I have a Rothwell Love Squeeze that's never off. Also, an Arion SAD-1 analogue delay that I've had for years and years and has become part of my sound - set very subtle, but something's missing when it's not on.

JohnPerry

+1 on the RC Booster. The Fromel Shape maybe even edges it for me. A touch warmer. 

ROOG

Flint verb, even if its just a smidge.

I also like my Line 6 Constrictor compressor, that usually seems to be in there. 

dogload

EricTheWeary said:

I am sure there are folks who have reverb or delay always on.

I just assumed that that was a given! 

bertie

nothing