Boss CS-3

[Thunderbroom]

I borrowed a Boss CS-3 from someone to try it out with my bass. I know what I want it to do (give me a nice smooth tone that cuts through like I heard in the studio this past weekend) but don't know how to do it. It also seems noisy.

 

It's got Level (Min/Max), Tone (Lo/Hi), Attack (Min/Max) and Sustain (Min/Max) knobs.

 

Well...at least I didn't spend any money on it.

 

Or am I missing something?

[RyCLB]

Originally posted by Thunderbroom I borrowed a Boss CS-3 from someone to try it out with my bass. I know what I want it to do (give me a nice smooth tone that cuts through like I heard in the studio this past weekend) but don't know how to do it. It also seems noisy. It's got Level (Min/Max), Tone (Lo/Hi), Attack (Min/Max) and Sustain (Min/Max) knobs. Well...at least I didn't spend any money on it. Or am I missing something?

I could be wrong, but didn't you say you used some sort of a Groove Tubes preamp and/or compressor in the studio? If so, it's going to be hard to get that sort of tone out of a Boss compressor pedal (that and i think the CS-3 is geared towards gu*tar, not bass). You might want to look into a Presonus BlueMax or one of those FMR RNC compressors. Neither are terribly expensive, both are easy to use, and they sound really damn good when used live or in the studio.

 

I had a session when I first started doing studio work where I was run through a Manley pre and a Manley leveling amp (like $5,000 worth of gear). The tone completely knocked me out, and I went on a mission trying to get that tone live. For the $$$, the BlueMax got me pretty damn close.

 

Hope this helps!

[Thunderbroom]

Leveling Amp?????

 

Is this the same type of thing?

 

The Really Nice Levelling Amplifier (RNLA) is a compressor, of sorts, with a character that works well with vocals, bass guitar, acoustic guitars and two-mix sources. A friend describes the RNLA's tone as "thick and gooey". Some very well-outfitted RNLA users report that even with a full complement of expensive, vintage levelling amps/compressors, the RNLA still fills a niche that the others don't!

 

The sonic performance of the RNLA harkens back to the Really Nice Compressor's (RNC's) origins. The original RNC was, in fact, based upon an optical gain element that was ultimately rejected (and tucked away) due to its imparting of a sonic signature (i.e., "color"). However, just like trying to throw away a ball of adhesive tape, this one has also stuck with (to?) us! What's the old saying? What's old, is new again? The implementation is a little different (i.e., no opto) from the 1984 version, but the final sound is eerily similar...

[RyCLB]

Yep, except these were the ones I used:

 

 

May have to ask the Recording Forum guys, but I think a compressor might suit you more for live use, rather than a leveling amp.

 

This is the FMR compressor I was talking about:

 

 

You can get it for about $175, I believe.