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Post by nickthestick on Nov 26, 2005 12:40:47 GMT -7
hey im thinkin about adding a compressor to my chain.....my question to you guys is what do you use them for exactly, and what advantages do they have?......im lookin at the keeley.....he says that it sounds so good you can leave it on all the time...by the way, i play strats into a carmen ghia
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Post by steveinnashville on Nov 26, 2005 15:12:25 GMT -7
A compressor "squashes" the tone, in a good way. When tubes get hot, they start to compress the sound as well. This is kind of like the sag you get from tube amps, but a little before the sound actually starts breaking up or overdriving. The sustain is increased.
Another facet of compression is what it does dynamically. It brings louder sounds down a bit and quieter sounds up a bit so everything sounds more even. If your compressor has an attack delay control, you can "delay" the compression until after the string attack, so your playing dynamics still come through. I have this turned all the way up and the "sustain" (compression) all the way up as well.
If you use a compressor after a boost pedal, it can bring the boost down... If you have a quiet compressor (some are noisy), you can put it before the booster. I have an Analogman Ross clone (CompROSSor) that sounds great before a Hellbaby booster. Turn the amp up- heaven.
I plugged my guitar into the compressor into my surround sound (quietly! don't blow it up! good bass, tho!)- it improves the sound I think. Into the receiver, I could hear the compressor's subtle cycle... kind of beneath the surface, but there, like a phase... If you play "to it," you can bring out a sound almost like Albert King's phase 90. I think it sounds great, but this is less noticable into an amp.
The other really popular vintage type compressor besides the Ross (used by Trey Anastasio- the Keeley Compressor is also of this type) is the Dan Armstrong Orange Squeezer, which is more extreme. The Ross is smooth, the OS is more nasty. Knopfler used an Orange Squeezer. There are numerous clones of both available, Analogman also makes a bi-compressor that puts both into one pedal- very cool. Tonefactor.com also has a clone of the Orange Squeezer that has a "blend" knob to blend the dry signal and compressed signal- I'm thinking that it is a different way to achieve what the Attack delay knob does- by blending the two, your attack is not compressed. This will obviously sound a little different as well, but is a great idea I think.
Try some out, I think you'll like what it does for your sound, especially blues. Clean sounds are vastly neatened up as well in terms of balancing out the dynamics of your notes- sounds more spiffy and like you're a more even player.
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Post by jzguitar on Nov 26, 2005 15:13:11 GMT -7
Hey
I use an AnalogMan CompRossor (Ross clone). I haven't tried the Keeley, but I've heard that they are very similar. I'll probably get AMan's Bi-Comp eventually (an Orange Squeezer and a Ross clone in one pedal). I run mine before my OD's and I kick it on for some fills and solos - it adds some nice sustain. It's especially nice for slide stuff. It's also great for clean tones - use it with some chorus and delay and it sounds really cool. It's great for country stuff, too. You can set it with the output above unity gain and use it as a clean boost, too. There are some sound samples on AnalogMan's site. I've heard good things about the Barber Tone Press and the Menatone JAC, too.
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Post by garyh on Nov 26, 2005 20:37:17 GMT -7
I have a Homebrew Electronics compressor which is also a Ross clone. I can't compare it to may other pedals that I haven't heard but I'm quite happy with it. It is amazingly quiet and more transparent than something like a Boss(not as squishy sounding). I use it for country leads or to smooth out an overdrive pedal when I want that smoother type of sound. Another use is with a clean sound and a chorus. It adds more presence to the sound. It also helps sometimes with fingerpicking to even out the volume of the individual strings. I also have an old TC Electronics compressor which sounds great but is noisy with my Maz so it might be headed for ebay.
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Post by nickthestick on Nov 26, 2005 22:35:50 GMT -7
sweet guys...thanks a lot....i think i will try a good one out with my rig before i but it to see if it fits my style....very helpful answers though.....thanks
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Post by rrajo on Dec 3, 2005 20:30:03 GMT -7
I use the Aphex Compressor. It really livens up other pedals as well. My only complaint is that it is made with a POS housing. The jacks are cheesy and are hardwired into the board inside. It's only a matter of time before it sh... the bed. I will get another when it does.
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Post by foxx on Dec 4, 2005 9:35:56 GMT -7
I used to have a Barber Tone Press. Mine had a bit of hiss. With the attack past 3:00 there was some serious loss on the attack. I even thought that it was true bypass, it is not. I now have a Am Juicer. It's much better. No tone loss when off. It does what it claims to do, and well. I does add some noise is turned up past 1:00, especially before a fuzz or overdrive. Yet, this turns my sunface into an evil beast, just don't stop playing. It does sound great on it's own and with my clone chorus.
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