I hate audible compression on acoustic guitars

[UstadKhanAli]

Compressors are wave-shaping tools. You can control the attack, release, etc. Isn't that part of compression, regardless of whether we are trying to create more attack or lessen it?

[Kendrix]

Compressors are wave-shaping tools. You can control the attack, release, etc. Isn't that part of compression, regardless of whether we are trying to create more attack or lessen it?

 

I would agree. Took the words out of my mouth.

[Jealousblues]

 

...I am far from the geekiest engineering dude around here, but almost no single recording vice irritates me more than audible compression on acoustic guitar. I sometimes like the sound of audible compression on vox or drums, but on Ac. Guit? Just don't get it. People are too much in love with their LA2As and UAD models thereof. Sure, I'll sometimes use light compression to wedge an acoustic into a busy mix, esp. if the guitar is functioning in a rather "treble percussion" mode, but I don't think any instrument, as a rule, takes compression more poorly than acoustic guitar.

 

 

 

 

I hate the sound of a plugged in acoustic guitar. it just has a pop or sizzle or some weird sound to me. Even in some live stuff.

Like Claptons one more car, one more rider (IF* i remember correctly) and on some comercial right now.

 

the other thing i hate is acoustic guitar mic'ed up so its just the string percussion. that drives me bananas...and its really distracting. like i try to listen to the song...but i keep being drawn to that sound

[Jealousblues]

 

IMHO, an example of a clean guitar that was completely ruined by overcompression can be heard on the intro to the Red Hot Chili Peppers tune "Under the Bridge". It's a cool tune, but the intro sounds so artificial that I can barely stand to listen to it.

 

 

ha, i had never noticed that before (since i hadnt really heard it in years) but now that i looked it up on youtube. It doesnt bother me though

[Jealousblues]

and whats with the errant buzz at 56 seconds and 1:24? and all the string noise

[philbo]

On the compression on acoustic guitars thing -- a little can go a long way. I view it vaguely as I view the use of Autotune. If I don't notice it -- I'm fine with it. But as soon as it becomes an aesthetic issue, I'm troubled. I'll admit -- I'm a bit of a natural guitar fascist in my old age. After decades of trying different boxes and effects on both electric and acoustic guitars I have to say that I'm really only comfortable as a rule (rules are made to be broken, of course, but to do it intelligently, you've got to know the rules in the first place) with naturalistic acoustic guitar sounds. And even on electrics, I'm pretty iffy about a lot of fx. I hate chorus (yet I still like Lesley in very small doses in just the right place for "keyboard part" guitars) and I'm not crazy about heavy distortion. A good wah wah can be magical -- but that's a tiny slice of what's out there. For every Jimi or Curtis Mayfield, there are a thousand people with a "ham-fisted foot." And auto-wah and most envelope following is something that hits the mark so very infrequently as to be almost amazing to me when it actually works. (But, dang, every once in a while it does. So rare. )

 

When I first started playing for serious money (around '77 or so) the first thing old dudes said in the band I was auditioning for was "OK, you got a few licks.. now turn off all those damn pedals so I can hear if you can play or not"

 

It was a great acid test, which I still use now that I'm one of the 'old dudes'.