Members CoolDrum3 Posted March 13, 2006 Members Share Posted March 13, 2006 I was thinking about doing this, just leaving it as a permanent fixture in front of my Mesa Nomad. Does anyone else here do this and is there any real disadvantage to doing it? I'm thinking it will make my cleans really sparkle and help bring out the tone of my overdrive channels. Any problems that might happen with chording? P.S.- I'd be using a dbx 166XL. That way, I can also have a noise gate all the time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members raggydoll Posted March 13, 2006 Members Share Posted March 13, 2006 i'v done this at some gigs depending on how my sound is at that venue.they only disadvantages would be noise, but if you say the noise gate takes care of that then its fine. too much compression on a clean guitar gives you that quacky sound which sounds {censored} and on distortion can sound too thin and shimmery. if you set it right and you like it then do it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members sub rosa Posted March 13, 2006 Members Share Posted March 13, 2006 I leave my Maxon CP101 on all the time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members threm Posted March 13, 2006 Members Share Posted March 13, 2006 Said about the Diamond comp by a Gearpager "I'd given-up on pedal comps until I heard the Diamond. I was putting together a new countrified act, and really wanted a comp for some of the stuff. Bought the Diamond, and it will be a cold day in hell when that leaves my board (same with my Memory Lane)! All the good comp stuff, none of the artifacts. Eric" The Diamond is so unobtrusive and musical in its character that it might be on all the time Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members chrispy108 Posted March 13, 2006 Members Share Posted March 13, 2006 My Toadworks Mr Squishy is always on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members threm Posted March 13, 2006 Members Share Posted March 13, 2006 Originally posted by chrispy108 My Toadworks Mr Squishy is always on. I can see the Mr Squishy as a `enhancing` always on pedal but I see it more as a limiter than the typical compressor. Overlooked pedal btw. The Analogman Juicer and Pedalworx McSqueeze can also be always on pedals as the both have internal trimmers for softening the compression ratio. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members puritycontrol Posted March 13, 2006 Members Share Posted March 13, 2006 Carl Martin Compressor/Limiter is always on Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members endo23 Posted March 13, 2006 Members Share Posted March 13, 2006 I leave my compressor on at all times -- either an Analogman Comprosser, or Way huge Saffron Squeeze-- very similar pedals, just depends on my mood, I guess. This adds a bit of noise, but when I'm playing, it's inaudible, so it makes no difference to me. Just roll my volume off b/w songs and nobody knows the difference. A lot of guitarists do this and swear by it, but it really depends on your particular tastes and the style of music you play. I know some folks-- probably many here-- HATE the sound of compressed guitar, but I can't live without my comp. Keeps all my levels in check no matter what I'm stomping on in the rest of the signal path, and gives my overdrive a richness and clarity that it doesn't seem to have without it. Perhaps that makes it a crutch? I don't know, I suppose it's debatable. I do know that I get a lot of complements on my tone... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ZJD Posted March 13, 2006 Members Share Posted March 13, 2006 My Keeley is on all the time and I'll adjust the sustain with my foot if I need it for solos. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members booher Posted March 13, 2006 Members Share Posted March 13, 2006 I can't see a compressor adding sparkle to your tone. It makes everything roughly the same output level... If you really want sparkle, I think you'd have to turn it off. maybe an EQ pedal would help you get more sparkle going on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members CoolDrum3 Posted March 13, 2006 Author Members Share Posted March 13, 2006 Originally posted by booher I can't see a compressor adding sparkle to your tone. It makes everything roughly the same output level...If you really want sparkle, I think you'd have to turn it off. maybe an EQ pedal would help you get more sparkle going on. Well, sparkle isn't really the term I'm looking for. More clarity, more note definition... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members endo23 Posted March 13, 2006 Members Share Posted March 13, 2006 I disagree with your sparkle comments-- it really depends on your personal style and tastes, though. If you listen to Big Star and think of that clean tone as "sparkly," which I DO, a compressor will help you NAIL that sound. (In fact, I think it's essential.) The fact that a compressor "levels things out" means that your high E string rings out as loud as your low E when you strum a chord. To me, this makes chords and single note runs sound more present and thus more "sparkly." But it's subjective. I'd say try one and see what you think... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members threm Posted March 13, 2006 Members Share Posted March 13, 2006 If the compressor is before other drive pedals/boosters and set a little above unity level it may very well bring out a little sparkle from within the other pedals down the line or from the amp by driving it more. The McSquishy will add a little sparkle by itself and the Diamond can do a similar thing by using the EQ knob. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members booher Posted March 13, 2006 Members Share Posted March 13, 2006 Originally posted by CoolDrum3 Well, sparkle isn't really the term I'm looking for. More clarity, more note definition... you're aware of how a compressor works, right? because by what you're looking for, it doesn't sound like a compressor is really going to do it for you. Compressors just take all the frequencies and all of that jazz and basically make it one volume. When you play a chord versus a note on your guitar, the chord is louder because there is a lot more vibration going on. The compressor will make it so your chords will have the same volume as your notes. I'm not so sure that it'll really add definition to them, though. I still think you're looking for more of an EQ pedal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members endo23 Posted March 13, 2006 Members Share Posted March 13, 2006 Maybe CoolDrum could give us a reference point-- are there some guitarists/recordings whose sound you are aiming for, even if you're not trying to emulate them exactly? Because these words we're throwing around seem to mean different things to different people. I hear my compressor as adding clarity because it makes single notes/high strings the same volume as chords/low strings... other people hear this as muddy. So what kind of sounds do you like, song or artist-wise? I think compressors are great for jangly pop, e.g. Big Star. Also good for liquidy leads a la Santana/Phish/Gilmour, whathaveyou... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members CoolDrum3 Posted March 13, 2006 Author Members Share Posted March 13, 2006 I definitely like the liquidy lead sound. I'm not trying to emulate any one guitarist really. Putting a compressor in front of an overdrive just seems to make the overdrive that much better...more punch, more definition. As far as the cleans, I like the compressor for the reason mentioned above, it tends to bring out the higher strings as much as the lower ones, making everything less bottom heavy. Originally posted by endo23 Maybe CoolDrum could give us a reference point-- are there some guitarists/recordings whose sound you are aiming for, even if you're not trying to emulate them exactly?Because these words we're throwing around seem to mean different things to different people. I hear my compressor as adding clarity because it makes single notes/high strings the same volume as chords/low strings... other people hear this as muddy.So what kind of sounds do you like, song or artist-wise?I think compressors are great for jangly pop, e.g. Big Star. Also good for liquidy leads a la Santana/Phish/Gilmour, whathaveyou... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BelTom Posted March 13, 2006 Members Share Posted March 13, 2006 Originally posted by endo23 ...The fact that a compressor "levels things out" means that your high E string rings out as loud as your low E when you strum a chord. To me, this makes chords and single note runs sound more present and thus more "sparkly."But it's subjective. I'd say try one and see what you think... That would only be true in case of a multiband compressor, no? A simple compressor isn't frequency-conscious, it 'levels things out' in the time domain, not the frequency domain.What a compressor also *can* do is make notes snappier, that is if the attack and release time can be adjusted individually so that the transient of the sound is accentuated. BTW, I don't have a compressor on my pedal board. Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bbrunskill Posted March 13, 2006 Members Share Posted March 13, 2006 My Keeley is never turned off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members freeRadical Posted March 13, 2006 Members Share Posted March 13, 2006 Keeley is on all the time. Not heavy compression but it's there. No problem with noise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members endo23 Posted March 13, 2006 Members Share Posted March 13, 2006 I didn't say the compressor was frequency conscious, just that PRACTICALLY speaking, you hear an evening out of the high, middle and low strings. I don't even pretend to know how this happens, but I know from experience that a low E won't dominate a chord, as everything rings out (more or less) equally. I really like this consistent quality-- it pleases my ears. And I agree that a comp before overdrive totally enriches said overdrive. I've A/B'ed all my dirtboxes with and without the comp, and I just like 'em better together... overdrives sound more raspy and raw without the comp, and I'm sure some people prefer that, but it's not my bag. BTW, anyone ever compared the Keeley to the Analogman? I feel like my AM is kind of noisy. But it does have an extrenal Attack knob, which is nice... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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