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Compressor before or after Fuzz?


Frank Drebin

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In my mind I think compression should come first in the chain...because you want to squish your original guitar signal...but then again some fuzzes ain't keen on being anywhere other than first... so ??

 

 

FWIW...the fuzz I have in mind is the MXR Classic 108 with a Keeley Comp.

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Might be able to pull it off with the MXR because of the buffer. So the comp might be able to go first. I went through this with a Route 66 od/compressor, and ran a fuzz face before it and it was horrible, and even after it, it didn't seem right. I got rid of both pedals. Back to a Classic 108 now myself. Haven't tried it with my comp, maybe I should see how it goes. But no room on my board now.

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Might be able to pull it off with the MXR because of the buffer. So the comp might be able to go first. I went through this with a Route 66 od/compressor, and ran a fuzz face before it and it was horrible, and even after it, it didn't seem right. I got rid of both pedals. Back to a Classic 108 now myself. Haven't tried it with my comp, maybe I should see how it goes. But no room on my board now.

 

 

 

Cool, thanks. I may just have to try a few different ways. But I do know that nither one will be absolutely first in my chain. it just can't happen due to like you said, room on my board issues. My wah will be first, followed by tuner, volume, boost and then either fuzz or comp.

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Just try it both ways, see which way you like it. Compressor after fuzz could be interesting, because fuzz tones change with your dynamics. With comp after fuzz, you could change the fuzz sound by altering dynamics without altering volume.

 

 

this is a good point.

 

for this reason, i nearly always put my compressor (Boss CS-2) after all of my dirt pedals.

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compressor should always goes first because they were designed to be controlled by the strings and pups,nothing else.they also raise the noise floor, so the noise produced by whatever comes before them,especially something as noisey as a fuzz pedal,will be amplified. I used to run a Dynacomp before a Fuzzface with great results.

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compressor should always goes first because they were designed to be controlled by the strings and pups,nothing else.they also raise the noise floor, so the noise produced by whatever comes before them,especially something as noisey as a fuzz pedal,will be amplified. I used to run a Dynacomp before a Fuzzface with great results.

 

 

like i said above, i usually run my comp after my dirt. none of my fuzzes or overdrives are set for very high gain so i don't have much noise. and even then, my comp (itself set quite low) doesn't seem to boost any noise by very much.

 

if a compressor should always go first, what happens if you have an auto-wah or envelope filter (or similar) which responds to input levels...

having a comp before that type of effect would lessen their usefulness.

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compressor should always goes first because they were designed to be controlled by the strings and pups,nothing else.they also raise the noise floor, so the noise produced by whatever comes before them,especially something as noisey as a fuzz pedal,will be amplified. I used to run a Dynacomp before a Fuzzface with great results.

 

 

My compressor is after all my dirt/fuzz and before my mod/delay.

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rules are for fools,peeps can put them wherever they want,I just thought I'd mention the intended standard for the cleanest quietest traditional performance,that's all. what I like about guitar is you can do whatever you want,try plugging a crybaby wah in backwards sometime.

 

 

This is wise.

 

wah backwards: love that sound. Echoes by floyd!

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compressor should always goes first
because they were designed to
be controlled by the strings and pups,nothing else.they also raise the noise floor, so the noise produced by whatever comes before them,especially something as noisey as a fuzz pedal,will be amplified. I used to run a Dynacomp before a Fuzzface with great results.

 

 

I'm sorry, but that's an awful reason to do something one way.

 

Using musical devices in ways they weren't designed for is the mother of musical invention.

 

This is an FX pedal board, half of the FX we love come from using things in a manner they weren't designed for.

 

Pushing amps meant to stay clean into distortion, touching your finger to a tape reel to create flanging, etc.

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I'm sorry, but that's an awful reason to do something one way.


Using musical devices in ways they weren't designed for is the mother of musical invention.


This is an FX pedal board, half of the FX we love come from using things in a manner they weren't designed for.


Pushing amps meant to stay clean into distortion, touching your finger to a tape reel to create flanging, etc.

 

I couldn't agree more,although I don't see a compressor as an effect to make much of an anarchistic statement with,my sound engineering background has engrained compressor apps. into my brain and that's why i put them at the front,no biggie,to each his own.

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I couldn't agree more,although I don't see a compressor as an effect to make much of an anarchistic statement
with,my sound engineering background
has engrained compressor apps. into my brain and that's why i put them at the front,no biggie,to each his own.

 

 

Then you will know that compression is often applied to a guitar signal post fuzz, post amp, post mic.

 

in fact this is the way you as a sound engineer would apply it in tracking, the mix down or mastering.

 

Billy corgans guitar rig on Meloncolie mostly consisted of pre-amp > compressor > power amp.

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so subjective and fuzz dependent there are no rules.

i run my comp/sonuus voluum before fuzz because i don't ride my volume knob in front of a fuzzface.

i'm able to set my fuzz's starve/gating/sputter much higher and ride the expression pedal to interact with it, much fun to be had

 

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