Compressors.....with Poll

Do you use Compressors....

  • Always

    Votes: 15 51.7%
  • Sometimes

    Votes: 10 34.5%
  • Never

    Votes: 4 13.8%

  • Total voters
    29
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Steve Gregory
I have a Markbass Compressore and I leave it on almost all the time. It's pure tone magic with my P-bass. Sometimes I turn it off if I'm playing my sixer and I really want that low B to throb. I've also been known to turn it off when using dirt, depending on the settings.
 

DiMarco

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Have a look at the Cali76 compact bass if you want compression with the six string too. Its hpf made me switch. I owned the compressore, Aguilar TLC and Darkglass Supersymmetry before settling for the Cali.
 
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Interesting. I just did a bit of reading on it. That HPF seems like a good idea. I do really love the tone of the Compressore, but the size is a bit of a bummer; sometimes I wish I could free up some of that real estate.
 

Hardy

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ebs multicomp - always on

idiot proof controls :)

well I am a bass player :)

I‘m using this one too, but only in TubeSim mode. Warms up the tone in the right way. Lets my Ampeg BA-108 sound much better!

C64BDC68-5AE8-4817-B2F3-651B7F9EAF9D.jpeg
 
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Augie

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I think I will go for an MXR soon, it seems to be good limiter, compact and not 400 bucks!
 
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One of the few things I'm thinking about buying is a SpectraComp. Can you give a brief description of how it performs?

Well first things first it is very small at only 3 and 3/4" in height . Although it only has one knob which sets the amount of compression applied to the signal, don't be fooled in thinking that you cannot adjust the parameters because you can, and you can adjust them more than any other Bass Compressor on the market. To do this you need to download TC Electronics Editor which lets you change the ratio, attack, release, threshold etc and also knee, blend, gain and crossover settings which you won't find on the majority of compressors out there.There are also Toneprint presets that you can use from known bassists, and those can be beamed to your bass pickups via a mobile app.
What I like about this Compressor is that it is a tone shaper and it can really transform the sound of your bass, it can also be transparent like the MXR 87 or the Cali 76 but I use it mainly as a tone shaper for those old school type buttery tones which I love.
All items have pros and cons and with the Spectracomp the con is that you cannot access the editor via your mobile if you are playing in a live situation unless you take your laptop with you. So basically you would have to load the tone you want before the gig and stick with it. For the majority of people this would not be a problem, and for me it is not a problem, and you can still set the amount of compression with the knob and beam presets from your mobile so its no real biggie.
If you are new to compression then the Editor might be somewhat daunting but TC Electronics have a downloadable PDF manual that explains everything clearly.
I have tried quite a few compressors in my time and currently have three other compressors,but the Spectracomp is my favourite by far So if you are looking for a compressor that will change your tone and also do the basic job of controlling your peaks then the Spectracomp is a good choice. I use the Spectracomp at the start of my chain with the MXR 87 at the end as a limiter and get great results.
 
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Do you have a passive bass strung with flatwounds?

If so try the Diamond BCP-1
 
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What is special about Diamond, @Foal30 ?

I don't know
But it is very good
It makes the bass sound better , it's both wider and deeper.
Fundamental great tone

It is not a "clear" or "transperant" compressor IMO
 

Jay2U

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I always use compression, as it makes the life of a bassist easier. I use two types of compressor, depending on which pedal I use. If the DigiTech BP90 is the pedal of choice, I use its compressor as well. While using other pedals I tend to use the Boss LMB-3, which does the job almost unnoticed.
BP90-3-4_original.png
151397000000000-00-500x500.jpg
 
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The Boss LMB-3 is very good.
Sometimes I read "Boss is shit" but seriously rate this pedal.
Put it on the end of your board
 
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Phew ...always using a comp here.

Owned these:

Boss LMB 3
EBS Multicomp
Diamond Bass Compressor
MXR M87
DG Super Symmetry
Cali76 Compact bass

The Diamond was one of my favorites actually, but ditched it because the difficulties it had with active basses (at least, that was my issue)

Happy with the Cali now...the feel is way more noticeable then the SS , came to the conclusion that I actually like compressor sound coloration
 

DiMarco

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Hehe I had the opposite feeling. The SS made my bass tone more mellow where the Cali is barely noticeable except when I dig in.
 

XXL

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I sometimes use compression.. mostly for tone sweetening but sometimes for utility, like softening the initial attack on the Pitch Fork for when I go with low tuning.


I really like the Wren and Cuff Gold Comp because its fun to run dirt pedals into, it can be used like a preamp in a way and with the warm germanium transistors, it just sounds so so good.

gold_comp_1k.jpg



The main comp I use though is the Doc Lloyd audio Photon. Its an Opto based comp and has some very nice features. The best bypass switching system in the pedal biz! This is the comp I use for the Pitch Fork and I run it early in the chain (only the tuner is first) I like running it at 18Vs for that extra headroom bass sometimes needs. Clean blend, comp ratio from 2:9 to 8:1. Threshold switch for passive or active basses and a very interesting EQ sidechain.

Here is the info on the sidechain from the builder: "The integrated sidechain EQ is also something of beauty and what makes this compressor so exciting. It is designed to mimic the equal loudness contours of the human ear. That’s right. This compressor is listening carefully and knows just how much compression to apply. No more blindly squashing low notes into oblivion like so many other compressors."

One of my favorite new pedal purchases!


1_COMP_FACE_480x480.jpg
 
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Here is the info on the sidechain from the builder: "The integrated sidechain EQ is also something of beauty and what makes this compressor so exciting. It is designed to mimic the equal loudness contours of the human ear. That’s right. This compressor is listening carefully and knows just how much compression to apply. No more blindly squashing low notes into oblivion like so many other compressors."

Wow. Very interesting.
 
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