krispn

I'll chime in that if you can experiment on a DAW where there may be instrument specific presets and lots of graphs and visuals to aide your ears as to what is happening. It can be fun mucking about with tacks, looping a phrase and applying different comp etc.

I’ll bite.... depends on what you want to achieve as with any effect or tool. Onvilabs is a great resource but doesnt have all the answers but a PC-2A is a wonderful simple comp which certainly works on a p bass. Possibly more vintage sounding. A Cali76 CB will do the quicker FET thing and have more control. FEA Labs stuff is highly regarded but difficult to get over here but grinds in the USA could help. Talkbass classifieds and a USA shipping address would make that easier. I’ve used the PC-2A and the Cali and both are good at different thinks. It’s like asking which is the better distortion rat or muff? They’re different and the application would influence the answer. I know not helpful 😀

I mean 'don't get it' in why do we need it we sound fine without it not in you don't understand the principles I was talking in general about comp/eq what can benefit one instrument can benefit a band. Your original post was about compressing the bass live. Without revisiting d.i., tube amps etc etc and every type of compression being generated by all the pieces of the signal chain..The whole band will be compressed live if the sound man has a capability or capacity to do so as it will make the mix better. If you want to do it at 'stage level' it's down to the band and players. In my choir band we have compression going on - me, the guitars, the fiddle all via their fx boards/pedals- not very much but enough to season the mix. Let's the cleans sparkle a bit, tightens up the drive, keeps acoustic guitars in check (though that's usually via di to the desk with...yup.. comp). We all noticed when the fiddle player got a new Zoom unit and the fiddle just sat better than the previous set up. With the new unit she sounded like she was part of the band 'in the mix' not on top of the mix. Hard to quantify but it was audible in the room. If you guys want individual compression you'd have to supply yours via pedals individually or via out board etc for the band. You could hook up a comp to aux on your desk but a universal setting wouldn't cover the individual needs of each channel i.e. what works for acoustic may not be useful for vox. Our desk is a Presonus 16.0.2. If you guys are upgrading in the future and they're pretty reasonable second hand. Certainly worth a look down the road. A band volume is usually dictated by the drums. If the guitar is louder than the drums then maybe the guitarist should rethink his eq and volume. If the PA is only for vox/acoustic then it again should be set to match the drummer and blend in with the whole mix. We never really need to be as loud as we think we should. I've done numerous gigs where the guitarist has had a Blues Jr 15w on stage and it was plenty with decent monitors. We can all take responsibility for our own sound be that with or without a comp on the board. A good sound man may have less to do if he's getting a good source to begin with - from me it's normally a straight d.i. - FOH is his business, on stage with the band mix is mine.

This thread should be renamed Dr. Sound or: How I Learned to Stop Increasing Volume and Love Compression. @Al KrowIf you don't get compression or see the need for it that's OK. You guys sound good in the tracks I've heard. My thoughts on comp/eq/live sound: A few dB of tasteful eq and comp is like salt and pepper to your mix Compression is about allowing the whole band to breathe as a unit and the 'sympathetic' use of comp along with the 'sound reinforcement' application of EQ allows everyone to hear and be heard - it doesn't have to sound fake in the process or too bloody loud! If I go to a gig or I'm gigging I want the band to have a decent sound, room permitting, regardless of the venue or if the punters know us or not. The world of mixing and sound is a wicked mistress!

Baz I notice you guys run via a desk for live. If each vocal has some appropriate comp and eq they will sound great. The purpose is to provide a consistent good tone to prevent spikes in the audio mix and glue everything together coming out the speakers. We use comp live on out desk for vocals, Guitars, Drums as well as some hpf to keep everything clean and uncluttered. You can bump mids or eq and if that works for you then you guys are doing it right. Understanding eq and comp and using them appropriately and sympathetically to support you sound is the key. Let’s everything sound right and in its place. If you guys want a consistent mix comp and tasteful eq will help in that goal.

All solid advice. Cab placement can have massive impact on low end but it think mic’s feeding back due to proximity to speakers is a simple fix which doesn’t require and trickery other then turning the buggers away from the mic. Using a HPF can have similar complexities in how we hear or perceive it...it’s similar to how Simon described compression. Removing a portion of the lows which aren’t doing anything ‘useful’ creates some space and tidiness in the subs/lows and by the time we are hearing it work it’s probably too much reduction/cut. Proximity effect on a mic can benefit from a little hpf etc. On our desk live we have hpf going on to some degree appropriate to the instruments natural voice/range. It’s something I notice more doing recording where you want space for everything and maybe not as noticeable down the dog and biscuit. If those issues of low end mud or inarticulate mids arises it’s good to have an idea of what to do to mitigate or fix them. A compressor may not be the silver bullet in this scenario ?We can agree on that ?

To explain the top letter is the note and the one below the 5th often a tricky harmonic which can feedback. The numbers are the corresponding freq (approx) for each note. I started the b at low b on bass but you can see the pattern pretty easily if you need to dial out higher freqs for feedback.

Yup it’s interesting and clearly shows I have too much time on my hands! Night shift can get boring!

I have my little frequency chart with me in the gig bag which is very simple but handy in a pinch. It’s not compression related and may have a typo but it’s a general guide. I should have recommended compression ratios on the back for various instruments too now I think about it .

This is why I suggest folk have a listen to some studio engineers and recording/advice on you tube...yeah it can be hit and miss but there are some great sources out there.Then via DAWor an fx processor if you have one play along to tunes with headphones and experiment with settings. To preface this my singer/guitarist in the pub band is a sound guy..claims to be anyway...we had a terrible feedback from a fiddle (an electric fiddle mind not an acoustic) on a gig and at the half time break I asked him about eq- he hadn’t a clue what he was doing...I asked him if he was using a compressor.....he hadn’t a clue. I mitigated the issue and vowed to learn a bit more about eq. I kinda knew about freqs and mids and a little bit of knowledge on compression and it got us by, found the offensive freq and dialed it out. Since then I’ve been picking up bits and pieces and now he has actually listened to me and allowed me to eq the drums and do a bit more in getting a nice mix for his in ears, using hpf on some channels etc. The only real way to figure this stuff out is to do it in some capacity and try it live when you can.

Yup that’s my take on the Cali 76cb. The tonal color from the Cali is more that it enhances the presence of the overall sound with out adding an eq type color as it were. It has the effect of creating a ‘mixed’ feel to the bass within the band. You too can sound like a semi pro!

So I went over and checked it out today..... I liked it. Nice neck feel which is similar to the Jack Cassidy if memory serves. Nice feel in the hand and not slim like a jazz. Pick ups were great - both on and/or neck only would be the sort of tones I'd gravitate towards. Nice tone played with a pic too, not something I normally do but it would rock out all night long if that was yer thing. I could see myself playing the Ivory one (maybe fashion a tort guard just because) and for the money a great bass for any level of player looking for something familiar but different - I know an oxymoron but you know what I mean...right?

Might check it out tomorrow in Edinburgh - keen to hear the pick up's especially for that 'p position' tone. It's a solid looking wee bass!

I’m away to read my gear manuals and give a good once over to all the kit I own just to make sure some feature I want isn’t already a built in feature! ?

Some albums I like: Rage Against The Machine - well the first couple just sound great. Locked in riffing, the bass sounds massive with a great clean/dirty blend and some mad filter tones. Prince - Musicology I really enjoyed this album nice bass tones which can go from finger style thick to slapped and funky in one track. Early Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings. I found her vocal kept doing the same inflection thing on later releases but the early stuff grooves along nicely. By no means exhaustive but some albums I enjoy which will probably not get a mention

That should be quite involved ???

@tredders is selling a PJ which is pretty much the same as the black/RW bass with the exception of the switch which would be a simple DIY job.