Compressors (again)

Travisthedog · January 2014

Well my board has one awkward looking space on it and its times like this when my thoughts once again to the mystical black arts that are compressors.

I just dont get them - yes I want more sustain, yes i want my sound leveled out, yes i want it fattened. But every Comp Ive ever owned has confused me.

So I shall just keep buying them until i work it out.

And on that note - any rocemmendations for a good bugdet Comp!

monquixote · January 2014

You want an SP Comp or Tone Press.

Don't bother with a cheap one.

mike_l · January 2014

The correct answer (to everything) is more gain.

In all honesty I'd try an MXR, or similarly simple comp. When confronted with more than 1 or 2 controls, esp when you're unsure of what and how to set them it can get really confusing.

monquixote · January 2014

The thing is I tried millions of ross based comps and didn't get them until I tried one with a clean blend. As far as I am aware there are no cheap ones with blend.

Or buy an optical type comp, but there was some talk the other day of them not being legal.

steamabacus · January 2014

If you want a simple two-knob compressor that's simple to use yet sounds superb, I'd recommend the Rothwell Love Squeeze. Not the cheapest but not the most expensive either.

ThePrettyDamned · January 2014

If you did want a clean blend with it, you can make one with a small kit from pedal parts. If you're using a gainy sound, comps can make things sound a bit odd - a lot of stuff I listen to sounds compressed, but more because of gain and processing than it is a compressor.

exocet · January 2014

I have a spare Tone Press, nice and easy to use - £75 posted.

http://www.barberelectronics.com/tonepress.htm

hotpickups · January 2014

This is what I exactly thought Travisthedog

Thats untilI tried the Dinasaural OPTI Compressor. Ive mentioned it here before. A compressor as others but via an internal switch it will give you sustain and also bring some of your amp sound back into the mix. In other words the best of both worlds. Hard to explain really but Dan Coggins will send it to you which you can keep for 14 days and if you don't like it he'll refund you etc.

He uses Facebook now so that's the best place to get hold of him. Just search for Dinasaural and Dan Coggins

Maxi · January 2014

monquixote said:

The thing is I tried millions of ross based comps and didn't get them until I tried one with a clean blend. As far as I am aware there are no cheap ones with blend.

Or buy an optical type comp, but there was some talk the other day of them not being legal.

Not being legal ?
I own two optical comps . They seem to work rather well .

ThePrettyDamned · January 2014

Maxi said:

monquixote said:

The thing is I tried millions of ross based comps and didn't get them until I tried one with a clean blend. As far as I am aware there are no cheap ones with blend.

Or buy an optical type comp, but there was some talk the other day of them not being legal.

Not being legal ?
I own two optical comps . They seem to work rather well .

RoHS

Van_Hayden · January 2014

Anybody done a back to back between the SP and the Wampler Ego?

monquixote · January 2014

Maxi said:

monquixote said:

The thing is I tried millions of ross based comps and didn't get them until I tried one with a clean blend. As far as I am aware there are no cheap ones with blend.

Or buy an optical type comp, but there was some talk the other day of them not being legal.

Not being legal ?
I own two optical comps . They seem to work rather well .

Some designs contain vactrol optoisolators which are banned by RoHS and so can't be sold in Europe.

Maxi · January 2014

Ah didnt know that .
Maybe its not the actual comp thats optical then as its got gates too .

Van_Hayden · January 2014

There's always Origin Effects. If they were just a bit smaller....but they're about as small as they can be!

Heartfeltdawn · January 2014

Travisthedog said:

Well my board has one awkward looking space on it and its times like this when my thoughts once again to the mystical black arts that are compressors.
I just dont get them - yes I want more sustain, yes i want my sound leveled out, yes i want it fattened. But every Comp Ive ever owned has confused me.
So I shall just keep buying them until i work it out.
And on that note - any rocemmendations for a good bugdet Comp!

Get a decent Orange Squeezer clone. It'll fatten it, level it, and it's one-knob simplicity.

frankus · January 2014

I like the Orange Squeezer - I love the Pedalparts clone - but I swapped out the diode for a 1n100 (the original pedal relied on the interaction between the characteristics of a 4558 op amp, 2n5457 transistors and a 1n100 diode to create the sustain.

One of my favourites Compressors is the Guyatone ST-2 as it has a blend option as well as volume and sustain

However, if you're prepared to get down get down, the Rothwell Love Squeeze can do Squash or transparent... in the end I got fed up with getting down and bought a mini bi-comprossor so I can stomp between the two

Bucket · January 2014

Despite what monquixote said, there are some good budget compressors to be had - the Mooer Yellow Comp seems to be the best I've tried. Bought one a couple of days ago and it's made a noticeable improvement to my clean tone, especially with single-coil guitars.

It's also nice and small, which is a bonus.

I tried an MXR Dyna Comp, which was shite. Squashed the sound way too much, it's about as subtle as a brick through the window. The MXR Super Comp wasn't much better. The Xotic SP is superb but costs loads - the Mooer is the best I've found under £100.

monquixote · January 2014

I'm not saying that there aren't good budget compressors around it's purely that many people like the fatness of a Ross type compressor, but can't get on with what happens with your dynamics etc. If that is the case then I think the solution is a compressor with clean blend and the only ones I know of are expensive.

There are other non Ross types which are good, but they don't have that same signature sound.

steamabacus · January 2014

I feel compressors are a lot like overdrives in that opinions end up being very subjective based on personal tastes and usage/rig/etc.

Personally, I like the MXR Dynacomp - I think it's very 'musical' but has a very definite character. That character is unsuited to how I use a compressor (set very subtly, always on for abit of extra body, sustain and 'juiciness') and so I don't have one (I use a Rothwell Love Squeeze).
I do love the sound of a Dynacomp for that chicken-pickin' tele sound, though.

You have to try a few and get to learn how they affect your playing and tone.

One of the first effects pedals I bought many, many years ago was a Pearl compressor. I'd read it 'creates sustain' but when I got it I was severely disappointed - it didn't seem to do very much to my inexperienced ears and so I got rid of it.
All these years later compressors are one of my favourite and most useful effects.
I wish I still had that old Pearl compressor.

frankus · January 2014

Compressors squish OR if you've no soul you can use your compressor to drive a drive pedal a bit more.

That said the Lovesqueeze is the only transparent compressor I've any love for

it'd fit in a 1590a enclosure too -- just sayin'

JohnPerry · January 2014

Van_Hayden said:

There's always Origin Effects. If they were just a bit smaller....but they're about as small as they can be!

I A-B'd my Diamond with the Cali 76 and the Slide Rig for an unhealthy amount of time one afternoon. The Cali was the nicest but it was extremely close. I hung on to the Diamond and never regretted it. The Origin stuff is wonderful. Big, and pricey, but wonderful.

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