Compression

[JuliusGroove]

I'm not overly sure how compression works. Is it like cutting out certain frequencies to boost a more pure signal?

I've been advised by a few people a compressor would be great for my tone but I have no idea about them. Any tips on what they're used for and which one you'd recommend?

[HowieBass]

A compressor works by reducing the dynamic range of the signal coming from your bass; it limits the highs and boosts the lows (that's volume not frequency); there are usually a number of parameters (control knobs) common to bass compressors; expect to see things like Threshold, Attack, Release.

This is probably THE best resource on the subject [url="http://www.ovnilab.com/"]http://www.ovnilab.com/[/url]

Edited October 25, 2014 by HowieBass

[Annoying Twit]

[quote name='HowieBass' timestamp='1414232130' post='2587269']
This is probably THE best resource on the subject [url="http://www.ovnilab.com/"]http://www.ovnilab.com/[/url]
[/quote]

I just read the section on 'punch'. I think it's very well written and conveys a lot in a small amount of readable text.

[uncle psychosis]

[quote name='JuliusGroove' timestamp='1414231385' post='2587262']
I'm not overly sure how compression works. Is it like cutting out certain frequencies to boost a more pure signal?
[/quote]

[i][color=#000000][font=Verdana]Picture the scene. Sicily, 1947. A monkey. With a volume pedal. He has tinnitus, so he doesn't like loud noises, but needs things to be a certain volume level in order to hear them, poor little mite. He is wearing headphones. When you play, if it's too loud, he turns the volume down a little. If it's too quiet, he turns it up. He can do this quite quickly if he wants, but there's a big dial in front of him, telling him how fast he's allowed to turn the volume control. [/font][font=Verdana]There's another control that determines how loud his headphones are compared to your guitar.[/font][/color]


[color=#000000][font=Verdana]Pop the little chap in a box and paint it (traditionally) blue and off you go. Oh, it might be a good idea to replace him with some sort of electronics gubbins, to save his poor hearing.[/font][/color]


[color=#000000][font=Verdana]Some compressors allow you to have a little effect loop in between your guitar and his headphones, so that you could (for instance) have him only listen to the bass part of your guitar sound, but work the volume control according to that.[/font][/color][/i]

[color=#000000][font=Verdana]Can't take the credit for that---it was written by Andi Allan at MonkeyFX. [/font][/color]

[Noisyjon]

[quote name='JuliusGroove' timestamp='1414231385' post='2587262']
I'm not overly sure how compression works. Is it like cutting out certain frequencies to boost a more pure signal?

I've been advised by a few people a compressor would be great for my tone but I have no idea about them. Any tips on what they're used for and which one you'd recommend?
[/quote]

In the olden days compressors were also known as levellers, which to me is a more descriptive and useful name.

Basically they automatically turn down the louder parts of the sound so that they match the quieter parts of the sound and can do this quickly or slowly and by how much. Those parameters are all be set by the controls.

In bass guitar terms this is the volume balance between the strings.

My advice is the MXR Bass Compressor and a good read of BOD2's thread on this topic: [url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/337-compressors-and-limiters/"]http://basschat.co.u...s-and-limiters/[/url]

All the best,
Jon

Edited October 25, 2014 by Noisyjon

[deepbass5]

Hi Julius
You are showing you have a Carvin R600 in my view still a creat amp despite modern trends, these have a compressor built in with threshold - the point at which you want comp to start being effective and a Ratio - the amount of [b]squishing[/b] you want to do. 3:1 was often used as a good start position for bass. But depending on the material played for recording you need gentle comp for live slap pop quite a lot.
before buying a pedal for other amps try and get an idea with the Carvin. may be it will get the gig in future.
You can read up on soft knee and hard knee, and how many milli seconds of the attack to let through on programable compressors but you will just disapear up you jacksie, In live situations a 1 knob or two knob built in comp is fine.

[xgsjx]

Compressors are meant to be an effect that you don't know when it's on, but do know when you turn it off.
Getting that right usually requires a meter.
Some folk use the compressor to squish their sound, making it more synthetic.
Me, I couldn't get on with the compressors that I tried (EH White Finger & Boss CS-? ). The Boss raised the noise floor significantly too.

Edited October 25, 2014 by xgsjx

[JuliusGroove]

[quote name='deepbass5' timestamp='1414237391' post='2587350']
Hi Julius
You are showing you have a Carvin R600 in my view still a creat amp despite modern trends, these have a compressor built in with threshold
[/quote]

Ah I don't use that anymore as it's a bit big, I use my trusty mark bass combo!

Thanks for the advice, I'll check out the mxr one

[Bassnut62]

I like compression as an effect as well as a tool.
Just check out the heavy squich use of compression by Doug Wimbush on Rapper's Delight by the Sugarhill Gang, then compare it to Bernard Edwards sound on the original Good Times by Chic.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1WHelVsu9x8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTusMLs9SJE

of course you could just enjoy the Sugarhill video....!

[mcnach]

[quote name='uncle psychosis' timestamp='1414235102' post='2587326']
[i][color=#000000][font=Verdana]Picture the scene. Sicily, 1947. A monkey. With a volume pedal. He has tinnitus, so he doesn't like loud noises, but needs things to be a certain volume level in order to hear them, poor little mite. He is wearing headphones. When you play, if it's too loud, he turns the volume down a little. If it's too quiet, he turns it up. He can do this quite quickly if he wants, but there's a big dial in front of him, telling him how fast he's allowed to turn the volume control. [/font][font=Verdana]There's another control that determines how loud his headphones are compared to your guitar.[/font][/color]


[color=#000000][font=Verdana]Pop the little chap in a box and paint it (traditionally) blue and off you go. Oh, it might be a good idea to replace him with some sort of electronics gubbins, to save his poor hearing.[/font][/color]


[color=#000000][font=Verdana]Some compressors allow you to have a little effect loop in between your guitar and his headphones, so that you could (for instance) have him only listen to the bass part of your guitar sound, but work the volume control according to that.[/font][/color][/i]

[color=#000000][font=Verdana]Can't take the credit for that---it was written by Andi Allan at MonkeyFX. [/font][/color]
[/quote]

[uncle psychosis]

[quote name='mcnach' timestamp='1414624679' post='2591671']

[/quote]

You might like the other ones:

The “Monkey Explains it All” FX guides were created by Andi Allan ([email protected]) as a response to a request for a simple explanation for how an envelope filter works, posted on the Harmony Central forums (acapella.harmony-central.com). Due to enthusiastic response, they grew quickly to the format you see now, i.e. very scruffy indeed.

Feel free to quote the FX guide anywhere you like, as long as the first two paragraphs are included and the original text is not altered in any way.

[b] Envelope Filter:[/b]

Envelope filter is a bit like an automatic wah (not to be confused with auto-wah). Imagine that you have a wah pedal and a well-trained monkey.
When you hit the strings hard, the monkey pushes the rocker pedal forwards. As the volume decreases the monkey pulls the rocker pedal back. So the volume envelope of the guitar signal determines the position of the pedal, via the monkey. Now imagine that the monkey is a tiny monkey hidden in a pedal, and that the rocker pedal is a rocker pedal hidden inside your stomp box. Then it's a simple step to imagine that there's actually no monkey or rocker pedal, and that it's all done in electronics.
So basically, if you hit the strings hard you get a treble boost, and as the signal from the strings dies away the boost fades. If you regulate how hard you play, you can get a similar sound to how many people use wah, emphasising the upper frequencies as you hit the strings.
[b] [/b]
[b]Harmoniser:[/b]

A harmoniser is a specialised pitch shifter. I'll break out the monkeys again for an analogy-rich description, if I may.
Imagine that there is a well-trained monkey. This monkey has a pair of headphones on, through which he can hear what you're playing. He also has a guitar that sounds just like your one. There's a dial on the front of the box where you choose what key you're playing in, and another that lets you choose what interval you want (e.g. a fifth, a major third or whatever else). The monkey looks at what you've chosen on the two dials, hears what you're playing and plays a note at that interval in the scale you've chosen. His signal and yours are mixed together and fed back out.
As in previous analogies, imagine that the monkey is inside the pedal/rack unit, and is tiny, with a tiny guitar and a tiny pair of headphones. Then simply imagine that there isn't really a monkey, and that it's all done with some very clever electronics. Ta da!

[b] Analog delay:[/b]

Imagine a line of laid back, hippy monkeys, each with a guitar just like yours. They're sitting on little stools in a cunning arrangement such that each monkey can only hear the monkey sat before him. The first monkey hears what you played, turns to the next monkey and plays it back to him. He then turns, and plays to the next monkey. At each stage, little mistakes are introduced due to the hippy monkeys' inherent laid-back-ness. At the end, the last monkey plays, and his guitar is connected to the output.
The monkeys are in a big big circle, and the first monkey, as well as hearing what you're playing, can also hear the last monkey - but not very well. There's a baffle between them, which cuts down how much he can hear. The first monkey plays both what you're playing and what he can hear of what the last monkey is playing, and this is passed on as before.
Now imagine the monkeys are tiny, as before, with tiny guitars and tiny stools and a tiny baffle. They're in a box. A knob labelled “feedback” controls the baffle. Then, kapoosh! The monkeys disappear and are replaced by a Bucket Brigade chip, and off we go.
[b] [/b]
[b]Digital delay:[/b]

Exactly the same as analog delay, but there are many more monkeys, and they're all actuaries and very precise. Some people miss the laid-back-ness of the hippy monkeys, but many like knowing that little actuary monkeys are taking very good care of what they're playing. Some of the monkeys know special tricks, like making what they play come out of the output even though they're not the last monkey.
[b] [/b]
[b]Chorus:[/b]

Thousands of monkeys are sat on stools in a large hall. Each has a guitar like yours (getting repetitive yet?). They are all sat at different distances from you, and hence hear what you're playing at different times. As soon as you start to play, they all copy what you're playing. In an analog chorus, laid-back hippy monkeys ([i]see analog delay[/i]) are used; in a digital delay straight-laced actuary monkeys are used. Because they are all playing just slightly out of sync with you, it gives a much richer, fuller sound. In most types of chorus, the monkeys are actually sitting on an old-style fairground carousel, and therefore each gets nearer and further away from you, hence playing with a different delay as the carousel turns and giving a warbled sound.
Yada yada tiny tiny monkeys yada yada. Nice knob controls how fast the carousel spins. Ta da!
[b] [/b]
[b]Phaser:[/b]

Similar, overall, to chorus, but there are only, typically, 2, 4, 8, or maybe 12 monkeys in total. Phaser gives a sucked, whooshing noise.
[b] [/b]
[b]Flanger:[/b]

Two monkeys. One has a guitar just like yours, but with a tremolo bridge (if yours doesn’t have one). He plays the same notes as you, but the other monkey is quite mischievous and is constantly wobbling the tremolo arm up and down. When the sound of the first monkey’s guitar is mixed with yours, the subtle pitch differences create a whooshing, almost jet-like sound. Some flangers use several teams of monkey guitarists and tremolo wobblers.
[b] [/b]
[b]Compression:[/b]

Picture the scene. Sicily, 1947. A monkey. With a volume pedal. He has tinnitus, so he doesn't like loud noises, but needs things to be a certain volume level in order to hear them, poor little mite. He is wearing headphones. When you play, if it's too loud, he turns the volume down a little. If it's too quiet, he turns it up. He can do this quite quickly if he wants, but there's a big dial in front of him, telling him how fast he's allowed to turn the volume control. There's another control that determines how loud his headphones are compared to your guitar.
Pop the little chap in a box and paint it (traditionally) blue and off you go. Oh, it might be a good idea to replace him with some sort of electronics gubbins, to save his poor hearing.
Some compressors allow you to have a little effect loop in between your guitar and his headphones, so that you could (for instance) have him only listen to the bass part of your guitar sound, but work the volume control according to that.
[b] [/b]
[b]Pitch Correction:[/b]

So, there's this monkey, goes into a bar (stop me if you've heard this one before), and he's got a little guitar just like yours with him. He also has a fancy Strobe tuner, and makes sure that he's perfectly in tune, and a music stand and the tab for your set. When you start playing, he unplugs you from the amp, sticks the cable into an A/B box, and plugs himself into the A/B box and then that into the amp. Both of you then start playing at the same time. If you go a little bit out of tune for any reason, the monkey carries on playing, and because of his shiny strobe tuner, he's always playing the right notes. He hits the A/B box pedal and plays until you get your act back together.
Just occasionally, you really muff up your lines. When this happens, the monkey throws his guitar to the floor in disgust and jumps on it, with bizarre noises as a result. He then quickly pulls out another guitar and carries on playing. But you know there'll be trouble later.


[b]Solid State overdrives:[/b]
Take an infinite number of monkeys, each with a guitar. The first is a third the size you are, and plays notes at 3 times the pitch of yours. The second is 1/5th the size of you and plays at five times your pitch, and the third is 1/7th the size of you and plays at seven times your pitch, and so on for the rest. The smaller monkeys are quieter than the larger ones, as you’d expect. They all play along with you, and the sound from each guitar is added into your signal. This gives quite a harsh fuzzy sound.


[b]Tube overdrive:[/b]
As above, but now the monkeys are different sizes. The first monkey and guitar are half the size of yours, and therefore play an octave higher than you. The next is a quarter the size of you, and plays two octaves higher, the next 1/6th the size of you and plays at 6 times your pitch and so on. Again, this gives a fuzzier sound, but one that's much smoother and easier on the ears than the SS overdrives.


[b]Fuzz:[/b]
Essentially the same as solid-state overdrive, but the monkeys play louder, with the end result that the sound coming out is very very messy indeed. The monkeys particularly like this, because they get to play good and loud and generally make a racket. Fuzz monkeys are generally fed the most bananas.

[b] Boutique FX:[/b]

Boutique FX function in basically the same way as non-boutique FX, with the following differences:
1) They only use free-range monkeys, who are very well fed and trained and love their work.
2) They are almost exclusively made with analog, hippy monkeys.
3) The monkeys, instead of having stools, have comfy designer chairs to sit on. Lay-z-boys are particularly popular. The boxes they live in are also brightly decorated, which the monkeys love.
These factors combine to make many people think that boutique FX produce better sound, due to the happier monkeys. However, these monkeys are very expensive to raise, and so the boutique FX tend to cost many more bananas to buy. There is much debate as to whether it's worth it.
[b] [/b]
[b]Univibe:[/b]

Again, a monkey sitting on a stool. He plays the same thing as you, but there’s another monkey spinning the first monkey’s stool rapidly. This makes the first monkey dizzy, and the sound his guitar makes is therefore rather warbly. It’s like a combination of flanger and chorus. Univibe is seen as rather cruel to the monkey on the stool, and therefore many guitarists prefer the sound of a Leslie speaker cabinet, in which a speaker (or two speakers) is/are rotated by a motor. Many say that the Leslie is much superior in sound as well, but they’re bigger, heavier and more expensive than even a boutique monkey based univibe.

Edited October 30, 2014 by uncle psychosis

[51m0n]

I'd suggest you read this fine article off our old blog, that no longer exists:-

http://web.archive.org/web/20130215154741/http://blog.basschat.co.uk/setting-up-a-compressor/

[funky8884]

Ahhh the missing Blog , I have been waiting for this to turn up again.

Thanks

[vailbass]

I would recommend not using compression while playing, only after the fact on a recorded track during mix-down would it be appropriate. Using one live is a crutch best left alone

[51m0n]

That's nonsense, there are many reasons to use a compressor live, it certainly isn't a crutch at all.

If you play with a dynamics heavy band and use a compressor for what it gives you in terms of how it changes the envelope of your bass on louder passages, then you have to be more overtly delicate to achieve the correct level in quieter passages.

It's all very dependant on what you use the compressor to achieve live. And that determines how it is set up.

Recording is different to a degree, for sure, most of the time anyway.

[elephantgrey]

And to add to 51m0n, compressors can also be used to add another layer of control to other effects. I use mine at the start of my chain, and it helps me have more control over my dirt pedals. After dirt pedals they can be used to let you up the gain of them, and pull back the volume after. They can also be used to tweek envelope controlled effects, or to reign in delay/verb pedals.

[Prime_BASS]

[quote name='vailbass' timestamp='1419921011' post='2643921']
nah, compressors don't do any of those things...it's a terrible crutch that is never advisable. Now the sound engineer may use a limiter to good effect on the mains or a mix engineer will use compression after the fact on a recorded track and that won't affect your playing. Using a compressor in your signal chain that you hear while playing will take much (if not all, depending on the settings) of the control out of your hands and put it in the electronics; hence the "crutch". If you can play proficiently (and that should always be a goal) you will never want, much less need, a compressor in your signal chain.
My advice to all my students is to develop control over your instrument so that electronic 'aides' will not be necessary. Best of luck to you! :-)
[/quote]

That's some backwards dark ages opinion you got there brother. You are entitled to it, but you might find that majority will disagree with you here.
I do agree that one should develop technique however you seem to be neglecting the hundreds upon thousands of players in pub bands that might not have a tech savvy engineer and PA at every job, or even record a CD. And if the they do and the audience hears a nice compressed signal why are we the players not entitled to hear that sound?
If you think you've lost control by using a compressor then you've used one wrong.

I tell all my students, as long as you play comfortably and you like the end result it doesn't matter what goes on from point A(your hands) to point B (your ears)

Edited December 30, 2014 by Prime_BASS

[mcnach]

[quote name='vailbass' timestamp='1419921011' post='2643921']
nah, compressors don't do any of those things...it's a terrible crutch that is never advisable. Now the sound engineer may use a limiter to good effect on the mains or a mix engineer will use compression after the fact on a recorded track and that won't affect your playing. Using a compressor in your signal chain that you hear while playing will take much (if not all, depending on the settings) of the control out of your hands and put it in the electronics; hence the "crutch". If you can play proficiently (and that should always be a goal) you will never want, much less need, a compressor in your signal chain.
My advice to all my students is to develop control over your instrument so that electronic 'aides' will not be necessary. Best of luck to you! :-)
[/quote]

Well, you're entirely entitled to hold that opinion... but my opinion of it is that you're sounding like you have barely experienced with any decent compressor and/or only at extreme settings.


I do find it a bit ridiculous. But that's just my opinion.

[mcnach]

[quote name='Prime_BASS' timestamp='1419926036' post='2643944']
That's some backwards dark ages opinion you got there brother. You are entitled to it, but you might find that majority will disagree with you here.
I do agree that one should develop technique however you seem to be neglecting the hundreds upon thousands of players in pub bands that might not have a tech savvy engineer and PA at every job, or even record a CD. And if the they do and the audience hears a nice compressed signal why are we the players not entitled to hear that sound?
[size=6][b]If you think you've lost control by using a compressor then you've used one wrong.[/b][/size]

I tell all my students, as long as you play comfortably and you like the end result it doesn't matter what goes on from point A(your hands) to point B (your ears)
[/quote]

+1

[JTUK]

[quote name='vailbass' timestamp='1419659939' post='2641646']
I would recommend not using compression while playing, only after the fact on a recorded track during mix-down would it be appropriate. Using one live is a crutch best left alone
[/quote]

I'd go with this... a good player who has his dynamics well sorted doesn't need one live
within his own domain but you'll get the FOH and studio engr use them. I don't have a problem
with that for their purposes but I don't need them for mine. IMO.

[51m0n]

[quote name='vailbass' timestamp='1419921011' post='2643921']
nah, compressors don't do any of those things...it's a terrible crutch that is never advisable. Now the sound engineer may use a limiter to good effect on the mains or a mix engineer will use compression after the fact on a recorded track and that won't affect your playing. Using a compressor in your signal chain that you hear while playing will take much (if not all, depending on the settings) of the control out of your hands and put it in the electronics; hence the "crutch". If you can play proficiently (and that should always be a goal) you will never want, much less need, a compressor in your signal chain.
My advice to all my students is to develop control over your instrument so that electronic 'aides' will not be necessary. Best of luck to you! :-)
[/quote]

Ooooh you're funny!

We'd best be telling Tony Levin he was doing it all wrong when getting monster bass tones with massive compression on them for his entire career. I'm sure he'll realise the error of his ways .

Good luck getting a bass tone with the same envelope without twatting the hell out of a compressor though, let us know how you get on with that .

Sometimes a compressor is not necessary, sometimes it is. To suggest that using one is always a crutch that shouldn't be there just suggests you don't know how to use one well IME.

Never mind.....

[mcnach]

[quote name='vailbass' timestamp='1419988159' post='2644716']
well, this is actually just like 'talk bass'; neophytes with closed minds and a "string 'em up" attitude toward someone with a different and far more experienced view. I didn't use a compressor on any of the Herbie Hancock tours I did, nor the Whitney Houston sessions, Stevie Nicks, Kenny G, etc., etc., etc., etc. I've played through (and own most of) all the classic compressors. Have a look at my 8078 in my profile pic. Compression while you are tracking a bass part is a crutch, get better and be done with the training wheels, fellas! :-)
Like I said, I use them after the fact in the studio and house engineers use them live to good effect;
[/quote]

Didn't you tour with Inti at some point?

[mcnach]

[quote name='vailbass' timestamp='1419988655' post='2644720']
I have some things to share that will certainly go against what many of you think is true. I only want to help, I have played for millions of people around the world and still tour extensively; more than 100,000 flying miles per year for the last 30 + years; thousands of shows, many sessions when I am home. If you guys want to stay in your little internet 'bubble' fine, I will leave and go about my business of playing bass for the masses. If anyone wants to hear from someone who has clearly 'done- it- all" with a bass guitar then I'd be happy to answer questions. BTW Chick Corea loved my sound too, un- compressed. No compression on any of my 6 solo CD's while tracking. What do you think of the sound of my bass??
www.vailjohnson.net
[/quote]


It's not what you tell "us" (whoever us is), but how you tell us, friend.

It's the attitude of the "I've seen more, therefore I'm right so shut up and listen to me" that grates me, personally. If I did that to my students in the lab I'd be considered an arrogant pillock. My students raise good points regularly. If I acted condescendingly, they would not say a word and we'd all miss out.

So you are quite happy not using compressors, fine. You give a list of credentials, cool, so you're not a weekend bar player, you probably have a lot of stuff that if you'd like to share would be pretty cool to hear. Now, if I find an equally successful professional bass player who loves his compressor... what would you say to him/her? "MY way is the ONLY way"?
I very much doubt it, you would not be as successful as you are with that sort of attitude. So, why do you act this way here? Really, what do you get out of it?
Is that really interesting to you? I know it wouldn't be interesting to me if I acted that way in a forum about my field of study.

You're clearly experienced... I wish you cut down the Holier Than Thou attitude and really shared, if you really want to. I'd listen. I'm just an amateur who loves music and has a lot of fun playing with a couple of bands in front of an audience 4-5 times a month who secretly (well, not so secretly ) envies the likes of you who had the vision to dedicate themselves to music and make a living playing music. I know it's not all roses, but it still sounds pretty interesting to me. I love my job too, don't get me wrong... I've lived in different countries, study in a foreign language, earned a PhD ans subsequently had to reinvent myself a few times, changing fields and adapting to the ever changing world of science. Some look at me and my colleagues and say "wow, what you do is really cool!"... and sometimes all I want is for Friday to arrive so that I can get in my car, drive to a music venue and play for 45 or 90 minutes or however long we've been booked for
So, I'm interested in your knowledge and stories, but without the attitude. I've got no time for that, even if you were Einstein.

[vailbass]

[quote name='mcnach' timestamp='1419991460' post='2644727']
It's not what you tell "us" (whoever us is), but how you tell us, friend.

It's the attitude of the "I've seen more, therefore I'm right so shut up and listen to me" that grates me, personally. If I did that to my students in the lab I'd be considered an arrogant pillock. My students raise good points regularly. If I acted condescendingly, they would not say a word and we'd all miss out.

So you are quite happy not using compressors, fine. You give a list of credentials, cool, so you're not a weekend bar player, you probably have a lot of stuff that if you'd like to share would be pretty cool to hear. Now, if I find an equally successful professional bass player who loves his compressor... what would you say to him/her? "MY way is the ONLY way"?
I very much doubt it, you would not be as successful as you are with that sort of attitude. So, why do you act this way here? Really, what do you get out of it?
Is that really interesting to you? I know it wouldn't be interesting to me if I acted that way in a forum about my field of study.

You're clearly experienced... I wish you cut down the Holier Than Thou attitude and really shared, if you really want to. I'd listen. I'm just an amateur who loves music and has a lot of fun playing with a couple of bands in front of an audience 4-5 times a month who secretly (well, not so secretly ) envies the likes of you who had the vision to dedicate themselves to music and make a living playing music. I know it's not all roses, but it still sounds pretty interesting to me. I love my job too, don't get me wrong... I've lived in different countries, study in a foreign language, earned a PhD ans subsequently had to reinvent myself a few times, changing fields and adapting to the ever changing world of science. Some look at me and my colleagues and say "wow, what you do is really cool!"... and sometimes all I want is for Friday to arrive so that I can get in my car, drive to a music venue and play for 45 or 90 minutes or however long we've been booked for
So, I'm interested in your knowledge and stories, but without the attitude. I've got no time for that, even if you were Einstein.
[/quote]

it's not "my way", bro. It's the way it's done in the high- end pro world. I didn't invent the idea, I was just looking to help guys avoid mistakes that will prove harmful; most pros don't want to take the time to share with less experienced guys but I would like to. The notion that I have an "attitude" is silly. When I just stated some facts about how it's done in the real world of professional music- making, I was greeted with crap like "you must not ever have used a good compressor" or "you obviously don't how how to use it". Would you expect a super- successful business- person to coddle a beginner that questions/ berates their ability or knowledge they're trying to share?....You've lost an opportunity to gain knowledge...good- bye..

[Prime_BASS]

[quote name='vailbass' timestamp='1419997733' post='2644739']


it's not "my way", bro. It's the way it's done in the high- end pro world. I didn't invent the idea, I was just looking to help guys avoid mistakes that will prove harmful; most pros don't want to take the time to share with less experienced guys but I would like to. The notion that I have an "attitude" is silly. When I just stated some facts about how it's done in the real world of professional music- making, I was greeted with crap like "you must not ever have used a good compressor" or "you obviously don't how how to use it". Would you expect a super- successful business- person to coddle a beginner that questions/ berates their ability or knowledge they're trying to share?....You've lost an opportunity to gain knowledge...good- bye..
[/quote]

The very nature of all your replies thus far have been condescending, supercilious and down right offensive in some instances, weather they are meant to or not.
What you tell us is a lot of conjecture based on what you've experienced, you've experienced a very small part of the world and just because you were paid to be on someone else's CD one time (or many) doesn't give you right of passage to beRate and belittle others, which is what you have done.
(BTW that was supposed to be condescending, isn't nice right?)
And honestly I could care less what you have done in the past, I've never heard of you so all that name drop was for nothing.

Not one post was about helping anyone, but your ego. Not one post contained anything constructive, not one post was inquisitive as to why some use compressors. It was "if you use one you are crap", in a few more words granted but you can't polish a turd.

Btw, I don't use a compressor.

To add something constructive to the OP, things that can help even out volumes and string tones I find are the pickup heights being fine tuned, a decent setup and a set of balanced tension strings, for me they make a huge tonal difference, each string feels a little more equal. Also I've had great results with graphite necks in terms of evening out things. But I do love the warm grainy sound of a tube compressor, some really bring out harmonics and overtones that you just can't coax out with your hands.