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Post by premiumplus (Dave) on May 11, 2022 7:45:43 GMT -7
I've got a couple of compressors, a Boss and an old Ibanez "9" series red one that's real old. Got it in a pawn shop years ago.
I never have used one live on my board. Last night at Big Band rehearsal I was struggling to get my rhythm volume vs lead solo drive levels to work together. The output of my drive pedals are so sensitive that a little bit in the wrong direction either blasts or goes unheard.
Would a compressor help, and how would you set it up...before or after drives? I posted a couple of years ago about that issue but my notes were only about home studio use, not live. I need a reliable solution that will work for me without having to blast my bandmates during setup. Is a compressor the answer?
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Post by nick0 on May 11, 2022 8:00:05 GMT -7
What's your board look like? How do you get your volume boost for leads now?
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Post by premiumplus (Dave) on May 11, 2022 9:14:50 GMT -7
I just put this together yesterday and I'll thin the drives out as I find what works best. Or leave it as it, for different amps/guitars. Order of signal is Tuner, Wah, Clarksdale, Super OD, Blues Driver, Smallbox, Drive In, J. Rockett El Hombre, Tremolo, Phaser, Chorus, Delay, Volume pedal, out.
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Post by nick0 on May 11, 2022 9:41:27 GMT -7
Nice! How do you approach changing volume levels? In other words, what do you have on for rythem tones and what do you change to get lead tones?
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Post by doctorice on May 11, 2022 11:45:32 GMT -7
Dave, check out these from TPS as a start
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Post by premiumplus (Dave) on May 11, 2022 12:10:38 GMT -7
Nice! How do you approach changing volume levels? In other words, what do you have on for rythem tones and what do you change to get lead tones? Well, last night I set the drive pedal for more than I needed and pulled the lead volume back with the master volume pedal. Then I left the drive pedal on but backed off the guitar pickup volume for a nice raunchy rhythm and turned back up to 10 for solos.
Ideally I'd like to have one drive set for rhythm and a second set for lead. Or maybe goose the drive with a boost for solos. I need a lot of different sounds for this band. Motown funk, ballads, or classic rock. Everything from Sinatra to Creedence to blues to rock. Ergo the 6 drive pedals!
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Post by Mark (Basement Enthusiast) on May 11, 2022 16:09:06 GMT -7
Dave, check out these from TPS as a start Wow! Now those are some CLASSIC, OLD "That Pedal Show" episodes..! (Well, relatively speaking here--I mean, the internet ain't that old.)
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Post by smolder on May 11, 2022 16:22:34 GMT -7
There is a Keeley 101 video on YouTube that finally helped my to much better understand compressors.
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Post by premiumplus (Dave) on May 11, 2022 17:41:54 GMT -7
I watched the first two videos, and played around with the Boss compressor today. Not sure if it's gonna have a home on my board yet, but I did change up the drives a bit. The new order is: Tuner, Wah, Barber Gain Changer, Super OD, Wampler Euphoria, Smallbox, Drive In, J. Rockett El Hombre, Tremolo, Phaser, Chorus, Delay, Volume pedal, out. I think I'm going to move the El Hombre earlier in the chain; it sounds like it might be great for base dirt rhythm, then driving another pedal for leads.
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Post by LT on May 11, 2022 19:42:49 GMT -7
Dave.....for me, I use a comp before my drives and it's always-on. For many years that comp has been the Cali76 compact. I just got a Carl Martin Honey Comp and it might just give the Cali a go. We'll see.
The key for a comp IMO is a blend control, which your Boss and ol' Ibanez does not have. I tried countless comps without blend controls and never bonded with any of them. The first one I knew of with a blend was the original Barber Tone Press which I had on my board for years.
As for drives, I only use two on a pretty clean amp platform. One is almost always on (low gain) and the other is for solo tone.
My band is a variety cover band that will do Country to Big Band to old Soul to Classic Rock. For me, the simpler rig works best (also note that I sing lead or backup on most of our tunes).
Keep us informed as to what you decide on for this gig.
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Post by nick0 on May 11, 2022 20:20:19 GMT -7
In my experience, if you want a compressor at the end of the chain to squash the signal enough to even out different drives, it will change the feel and dynamics way too much. Getting drive pedal levels set properly can be hard. It's not just a volume thing, it's a frequency thing as most drive pedals cut and boost specific frequencies. Then apparent volume changes in a mix when the entire band starts playing. So a lot of times it requires a quick bend down to nudge a dial while playing to get it nailed down. My suggestion is to start with three drive pedals that can work individually or stacked. Use one as a clean boost after the firt two. Then you have a combination of three different drive tones with the first two. You will also have the ability to bring the thrid pedal in as a boost. Giving you 7 drive settings and a clean with only three pedals to worry about. I also 100% agree that blend control on a comp is clutch.
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Post by premiumplus (Dave) on May 12, 2022 0:18:34 GMT -7
Thanks a million, fellas. It looks like I may have to try a compressor with a blend control. I agree that it sounds better before the drives.
And brother Lou...totally agree about the simpler the better. It's hard to tap dance on a complex board during a gig!
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Post by premiumplus (Dave) on May 12, 2022 8:46:56 GMT -7
So I've got a Carl Martin Honey Comp inbound. Thanks again, fellas!
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Post by loucardguitar (Johnathan) on May 12, 2022 17:13:42 GMT -7
Dave.....for me, I use a comp before my drives and it's always-on. For many years that comp has been the Cali76 compact. I just got a Carl Martin Honey Comp and it might just give the Cali a go. We'll see. The key for a comp IMO is a blend control, which your Boss and ol' Ibanez does not have. I tried countless comps without blend controls and never bonded with any of them. The first one I knew of with a blend was the original Barber Tone Press which I had on my board for years. As for drives, I only use two on a pretty clean amp platform. One is almost always on (low gain) and the other is for solo tone. My band is a variety cover band that will do Country to Big Band to old Soul to Classic Rock. For me, the simpler rig works best (also note that I sing lead or backup on most of our tunes). Keep us informed as to what you decide on for this gig. Concur on the blend control. I use the Cali76. Never thought I would use a compressor until I tried it. I set it up fairly transparent, which the blend control allows you to get. It doesn't sound too squashed. Just evens things out, gives a bit more sustain and just gives it a little bit of that "special sauce". I have my compressor before the drives but after Fuzz. And don't really care for the compressor on with the fuzz, but is usually always on otherwise.
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Post by premiumplus (Dave) on May 14, 2022 14:12:15 GMT -7
Well, talk about fast...I ordered the Carl Martin Honey Comp two days ago and it showed up at my house today! It's already on my board, and now I start learning how to use it. I can tell already it is going to be cool. I think I like this thing; it's way, way different than the Boss or Ibanez that I tried.
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