tell me about compressors please -and if you know about it specifically the marshall

nickp

I don't know much about them - i've been using the one on my boss GT8 to give a volume boost to my strat and also guarantee the sustain on the LP for certain songs

i'm slowly putting together stomps so I can sell the GT-8 and there is a marshall compressor for sale at a tempting price.

1. should I buy it?

2. what is the "knowledge" about compressors - how do you use yours to get key sounds n stuff, as I dick about with mine but don't get any good results other than what I said above 

thanks v much - as usual

cheers

Nick

bertie

you can pick up a used "Ed the comp" - which is what I assume you're talking about - for £25 or less on evil bay........ I had one for a while and they're pretty good....(dilbert's got it now)..... an external stomp with "proper" controls  lets you experiment better/quicker/easier  for sure.  

Ive no idea what the "golden rules" are with regards to attack/sustain/sensitivity etc but there are plenty of webpages about it  - the only thing I do know is the can make things NOISY......especially with the sustain up

Ive got through quite a few comps - not boutiquey, except a Carl Martin I had - and ended up with a custom jobbie from a guy on another forum  for £40..........and its pretty darn good.  

If you're about today,  come over and have a play if you like (waaay hay mrs !!!      )

nickp

@bertie - ta.  at £25 delivered they are tempting

did Mrs Bert get in touch with Alison at the wine bar?  If so, let me know when she is due to play and we'll try to get there and heckle

We are playing the saltford sports club on Saturday and then that's it, as no other bugger in the band has booked any gigs and I'm too tied up with family problems to sort out any more at the moment.

:x

dogload

I think that Marshall's Ed is one of the better ones I've tried, and I used one for a couple of years till I got a replacement Boss CS-1, which is my comp of choice. 

The Ed is quite versatile, but you need to experiment with the settings. I found it necessary to change the settings from guitar to guitar, which I wasn't used to(!) and that it tended to be a bit over-squishy. 

I would hazard a guess though that if you are used to the one on your GT-8, you might prefer a Boss pedal, in which case I'd guess that the CS-2 might be the external equivalent of what's in the GT-8, age-wise. I am probably wrong here! Anyway, if you are just experimenting, the Marshall is a decent cheap pedal; the Boss ones tend to be a bit more expensive.

nickp

@dogload - i'm guessing the one on the GT-8 is probably a bit pants.  I don't "like" the compressor on it - it just does a job, sort of thing - acceptably, although i don't like the effect on the tone of the guitars.

getting closer to pressing the buy button on the marshall......

dogload

nickp said:

getting closer to pressing the buy button on the marshall......

Go for it- for 25 quid you can't get vexed!

The Marshall has a sort of filter control that allows you more flexibility than the Boss. BTW, Don't forget that with humbuckers and a clean sound, a compressor will make the guitar sound well, odd!

monquixote

The Ed is very well thought of and good value.

I find compressors are much improved by a clean blend, but none of the cheap ones seem to have one. 

ragingben

I find compressors to be one of those effects where you really do get what you pay for. A shite compressor can sound awful. I have a G-Lab BC-1, was after a Diamond Compressor for ages but in the end went for the G-Lab. It's a great compressor and I really miss it when it isn't on. I find the the non-optical Ross style compressors to be just a bit too much for my tastes, they take away too much from the dynamics for my tastes. The Mooer yellow comp looks like a diamond clone, could be worth a look. I have no idea about the Marshall though.

Check this page for individual compressor reviews and opinions - it's a great resource:

http://www.ovnilab.com/

nickp

@ragingben - that's a bonkers review site....talk about obsessive GAS.

I've just bought (well agreed to buy the marshall) as it will get me into a proper compressor and then maybe upgrade a little later as swapping from the GT-8 to stomps is getting costly and I still need a volume pedal, power supply and some form of modulation (thinking about the nova mod pedal to cover lots of bases in one)

thank god I don't feel the need to buy drive pedals as the amp is pretty good

Nick

nickp

@monquixote - have a wisdom for approving of my recent (seconds ago) purchase 

Drew_TNBD

I did respond to your PM Nick

You wont be disappointed with the Ed Compressor. It is a REALLY good compressor pedal. If you don't like it, then chances are you don't like compression on your guitar - which is the case with me, hence the sale!

maltingsaudio

Put simply a compressor squeezes the signal to give it more energy. The attack is where it starts squeezing so playing softly it doesn't squeeze  the sound play more agressively and it starts squeezing. The Ratio is by how much it squeezes adjust to suit but if you dial in a ratio of infinity ie top of the range it stops squeezing and just makes things quieter ie becomes a limiter ( I use this on dj's they can get so loud then no more)  The release is the opposite to attack but simply is how long it squeezes the signal once the attack has told it to. I've not seen it on a pedal but on a rack unit you may also have a makeup gain at the end of the chain. This is there because too much squeezing can reduce the overall level of the signal so its effectively tighter but quieter so in order to maintain the signal level you can add a bit more to it after compression.

nickp

@maltingsaudio - ta muchly

just noticed that you are local - are there any pubs/clubs that our (rock) covers band can approach for a gig your way?  I'm just compiling a list of venues to go and hassle for a gig

ta muchly

Nick

ThePrettyDamned

Love the ed my favourite compressor is the visual sound route 66, but it has been known to be picky with power supplies. When I got a decent one, it was silent the ed was probably a close second, sounded as good as or better than some horrendously expensive booteek ones.

I agree that a clean blend really can make an average effect sublime - I only use compression on cleans because it adds a bit of sparkle and makes it sound... Better. Rather than the squishy, country players stuff. If I was into that, I'd probably look at more expensive ones with a clean blend to stop me sounding completely cliché. Luckily, I can't play country to save my life!

bertie

nickp said:

did Mrs Bert get in touch with Alison at the wine bar? 

 no mate, they're having trouble finding the phone number,  cos the place doesnt exist on t'interweb.  ( Bar 1-9 ? right ?)

 If so, let me know when she is due to play and we'll try to get there and heckle

on your head,  not many live to tell the tale if they do.  One guy up at Lawrence Weston thought he was a bit of a joker,   got an ice bucket tipped down the front of his trousers, another particularly acrid one at W-Bassett had a speaker dropped on his foot  -  Shes a Lockleaze girl,  she doesnt suffer fools

Last time mrs bert was at Saltford club (down by the river ?? that one ?)  t'was run by a lady....... and Ive a feeling there was a falling out over mixed up dates..........that must be over 4 years ago now tho....back when she was going out on her own

nickp

@bertie

i've pm'd the wine bar contact details

ok i'll come along and watch quietly!

it's not down by the river but in a cricket/tennis club right behind the saltford community hall.

maltingsaudio

Annie used to run the Riverside Saltford had a great Jam night but thats going back a fair few years

ToneControl

The Joyo JF-10 Dynamic Compressor is supposed to be the clone of the MXR Dyna Comp.

I bought one, it's as good as any non-boutique one I've tried - & doesn't trash the tone

£30 delivered. At that price you can have 2, with different settings, it's true-bypass as well.

UnclePsychosis

Pretty much all you need to know:

http://www.ovnilab.com/

markslade07

nickp said:

@maltingsaudio - ta muchly

just noticed that you are local - are there any pubs/clubs that our (rock) covers band can approach for a gig your way?  I'm just compiling a list of venues to go and hassle for a gig

ta muchly

Nick

@nickp
Hi Nick, I believe you're Keynsham way....if you want gigs around Wiltshire way, I have a list I could send you if you're interested. We're in a similar boat to you in that we've just started gigging and I've been making a list. Not played at many of them, but they may be worth a shout if you want to head this way. PM me your email address and I can send it over.

nickp

@markslade - brilliant thanks.

i've done a list of bristol ones by stalking other bands on the internet and listing where they are playing

could swap

i'll pm you

nick