ViVino

Is the Cali really that much of a step up from the MXR? The Boss LMB3 is just such a tone suck it's ridiculous. It sounds like it also has a low pass filter built in! I'm assuming the MXR is nothing like this. From looking around I really can't justify double the money for the Cali. The MXR will definitely do what I need it to do and I like the idea of visible metering. So next question I guess, where are people putting these in conjunction with other pedals? Do I just pop it through the FX loop or have it first in the chain ? I use an envelope filter and octave and have read some conflicting information about placement.

Wow, what a great website. It has all the information I would ever need ! Interesting stuff, I think I will take the DBX down for practice and see how I get on, and then go from there. I have always had trouble with having a large dynamic ranges and playing with different techniques so I want it just to even everything out. We'll see how I get playing with what I have a then go from there. thanks for the responses!

I haven't been playing live for a while (10 years infact) and recently got myself jamming in a 3 piece and taking things further is on the horizon. For this i'm building a pedal board up, not too much to play with. An envelope, octave and fuzz box. So, the big question, compressors. Which and where? I always had my eye on an MXR M87 over the years, but I'm kinda struck by the Empress or the Cali76. They seem to be the go to now days. However, as all I've ever done over the past few years is studio based playing, i own a DBX 160A sat in the rack at home. This thing is incredible but it comes at a cost. It's rackmount, and it'll have to go last in the chain or in the FX loop. I'd really rather not lug it around if I can find something to replace it. Currently I'm running a Boss LMB3, set up just as a limiter really, before going into my QTron. And then some onboard compression on my amp after, but the Boss just doesn't cut the mustard for me as a fully fledged compressor. Do I fork out for something of higher quality or do I bite the bullet roll with the 160A (it just seems overkill). I really would like to keep it simple, cost isn't so much an issue, but a second hand M87 vs the other options is a big difference if its purpose is the same and the quality is there. Any help, advice and direction would be greatly appreciated. Many Thanks, Nick