Members Azz301 Posted August 14, 2007 Members Share Posted August 14, 2007 I've just been truly enlightened about how a compressor works. Its one thing to read it, its another to have a perfect example come from your own finger tips!I play in a metalband, and i play fingers, but bust a little slap now and then... and I'm listening to a song we recorded on the fly for practice, and I was thinking "damn, those pops really slice thru the mix too much, and then just playing fingers isn't loud enough...." then it dawned on me. I need a compressor. My problem now is... what one to pick... how much difference is there between the $50AU Behringer Compressor, and a $300AU onel? There are so many to chose from. I know I want a good one, but is it simply a sliding scale with quality being proportionate to price? Is it just a brand name thing that commands high prices? A few of the aussies on here might know - our Holden Commodore SS is being exported to the US under a Pontiac badge soon, because its got so much for its relatively cheap price tag! The upclass version of the Commodore was rated higher than a 5-Series BMW, based on the fact that it was faster, handled better, had a similar grade of interior, yet was half the price of the BMW badge!Do these examples parallel anything in the bass-compressor world, or is it simply higher price = better ? Do guitar compressors work just as well for bass ones, or should I get a bass specific one? I think I know the answer to this anyway - buy the bass specific one - but i figured I should ask regardless. Thanks guys Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members fretless Posted August 14, 2007 Members Share Posted August 14, 2007 I say no There are many good ones out there , most are multi-use . I tend not to like a gtr specific comp not even on gtr . I will recommend 2 the first is the good old DBX 160a ,http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/dbx-160A-CompressorLimiter?sku=183542 then the Aphex , pretty darn good for a pedal http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Aphex-Punch-Factory-Optical-Compressor?sku=150133 then there is EBS who always make good stuff but I have not used it so I can't truly say about this pedal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members guitargod0dmw Posted August 14, 2007 Members Share Posted August 14, 2007 Do you want a rack or a pedal? Guitar ones work fine, but sometimes they suck all the low end out. The Keeley pedal is a prime example of this. Works AWESOME on guitar, but there are no lows left for the bass. I personally use a Demeter Opto Compulator. It works very well...no lows lost. I've also heard great things about the EBS Mulitcomp. If you want a rack, DBX makes some good units...but it's best to do some research of them since you might not need all of the features they offer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members NeonVomit Posted August 14, 2007 Members Share Posted August 14, 2007 Aphex Punch Factory. All you need. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Azz301 Posted August 14, 2007 Author Members Share Posted August 14, 2007 Ok so the Aphex comes highly recommended from every review i read! It might just be the thing I need to even out my sound, without learning better technique to control the volume myself the DBX rack mount is possibly a shade higher in price than I was thinking, and looks a bit to complex for me too! I'm daunted by the prospect of dealing with the two knobs on the Aphex! Now I just have to find one in Aus that I can play with... any other suggestions? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members guitargod0dmw Posted August 14, 2007 Members Share Posted August 14, 2007 any other suggestions? Demeter Opto CompulatorEBS Multicomp At least try them out if you can find them. They are fantastic compressors. That way you can get a few options... A/B/C them all...Demeter/EBS/Aphex...that's what I did, but I added in the Keeley 4 knob as well. The Demeter came home with me... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members thebeatcatcher2 Posted August 14, 2007 Members Share Posted August 14, 2007 +1 for a DBX rackmount. i use a 266 and love it. it's stereo and i use one channel for my power amp and the other channel as a DI and it works great. but it's rackmount. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bassred Posted August 14, 2007 Members Share Posted August 14, 2007 I love my Punch Factory. It's a set ratio, so all you need to do is set how much gain reduction you want on your hardest hits by slapping the string and turning the knob until it's where you want it, then turn up the other knob for output volume! I keep mine on at all times, nothing drastic, -4dB of cuts on hard hits, maybe a little more if I really dig in..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members D Aussie Posted August 14, 2007 Members Share Posted August 14, 2007 Most rack units will do for you what you want, and 2nd hand ones run at less than AU$150 on ebay or in the trading post. For years I was very happy with using a rack mounted DOD unit, but now I tend only use a compressor that is built in to multi effects or the amp. The compressor in the PODxt would be ok for what you want, and comes with other bits and bobs also, so if you have been hankeing for one of those for a while, maybe look at that. I would stronly recommend avoiding the Boss CS pedals for bass. They work nicely for chickin pikking on geetar but have a real pumpy sound for bass. Same goes with the Comptortion from Tech21. The worst pedal they make. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members MrJoshua Posted August 14, 2007 Members Share Posted August 14, 2007 I keep an FMR RNC in the effects loop of my amp, and it works great. Fantastic compressor for a respectable price. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members justinbass Posted August 14, 2007 Members Share Posted August 14, 2007 Just be careful not to over compress. It'll suck all of the interesting out of your tone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Optimus Prime Posted August 14, 2007 Members Share Posted August 14, 2007 I've always wanted the Punch Factory but never bought one. Is it worth the $99? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members been_effected Posted August 15, 2007 Members Share Posted August 15, 2007 The Punch Factory isn't too bad, I only bought mine the other week and I'm already appreciating it. It doesn't suck lows (one thing i was worried about) and while it does add a trademark "punch" to your tone, it does well to level things out. and godDAMN my slap and pop now kicks ass.... EDIT: just remembered. Only downside? The input jacks are made of plastic, not metal, and if you've read the reviews you would see what people have said about that. You either have to be very careful with how you treat it, or do what I did and mount it permanently on your effects board with all the connections in place so you minimise the amount of wear and tear on the jacks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bassred Posted August 15, 2007 Members Share Posted August 15, 2007 Actually the inputs are cicuit board mounted in a metal housing, so you don't have to baby it... I used mine loose for almost a year before getting my pedalboard. Only downside (besides if you over-do it) is the battery, I use a power supply... otherwise you have to unscrew the bottom of the unit off..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Optimus Prime Posted August 15, 2007 Members Share Posted August 15, 2007 Actually the inputs are cicuit board mounted in a metal housing, so you don't have to baby it... I used mine loose for almost a year before getting my pedalboard. Only downside (besides if you over-do it) is the battery, I use a power supply... otherwise you have to unscrew the bottom of the unit off..... How much harder is it on the pedal if you use it loose? I don't mean like throw it around but just not have it mounted on a board. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members crapo Posted August 15, 2007 Members Share Posted August 15, 2007 I got a compressor a few years ago. It has two channels and each channel has 2 bands (ie treble and bass). I cann't think of the brand, but I have the crossover set at about 800Hz (I scoop the mids about here anyway). The bass (ie 800Hz ) is set as a limiter to stop too much slap/pop/fret noise coming through. This keeps a really good bass tone while keeping the treble in control. I think the brand is Alto. Saw it once at Venue music (Sydney) for about AU$130, so I snapped it up. Never seen them advertised since. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members tylytle Posted August 15, 2007 Members Share Posted August 15, 2007 What do they do to the dynamics of a song? I play softer on verses and harder on chorus and lead rides. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bassred Posted August 15, 2007 Members Share Posted August 15, 2007 How much harder is it on the pedal if you use it loose? I don't mean like throw it around but just not have it mounted on a board. not much, it just means that you'd be plugging it in and removing the cords more. The inputs/outputs are mounted on a curuit board, so they aren't going anywhere... Tylytle, if you don't put a massive compression on you can still have dynamics, I can still control how 'loud' I am by my finger attack, it jsut means that at your hardest you won't be out of control. We recorded live, the bass tracks needed no EQ or compression because I use an active bass (amps EQ is flat) and have a comp in line, take a listen if you want to now these tunes might not have a lot of dynamics in them (can't remember) but that's not because of the comp, that would be how they are played ... again, I an't remember what I play on these tunes right now......( I just got back from the roller rink and my knees are killing me, I fell 4 times... 2 on my own, 2 times to avoid running over downed youngsters....) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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