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POLL: Do you use a Compressor live?


acidbass

Do you use a Compressor for live gigs?  

80 members have voted

  1. 1. Do you use a Compressor for live gigs?

    • Yes - it’s always on
      54
    • Yes - but only sometimes
      6
    • No
      20


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Hey all

Simple really - do you use a compressor for your live gigs, either in pedal format or as part of a preamp on an amplifier etc?

I get the theory behind it but I’ve never felt I needed one.

Looking forward to your responses :)

Danny

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Yes, always on - TCE BH250 with Spectracomp only at about 9 oclock to just give that extra bit of fullness to the sound. Sort of thickens it up.

Now there's a metaphor - thin gravy, nice but better when you add a bit of cornflour to thicken it up. Perhaps not.

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1 minute ago, grandad said:

Yes, always on - TCE BH250 with Spectracomp only at about 9 oclock to just give that extra bit of fullness to the sound. Sort of thickens it up.

Now there's a metaphor - thin gravy, nice but better when you add a bit of cornflour to thicken it up. Perhaps not.

Yes - great metaphor. Uncompressed sound being where you don't mix the cornflour and end up with some water thin parts and some great blobs of thick stuff.

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20 minutes ago, acidbass said:

Hey all

Simple really - do you use a compressor for your live gigs, either in pedal format or as part of a preamp on an amplifier etc?

I get the theory behind it but I’ve never felt I needed one.

Looking forward to your responses :)

Danny

I do now. I didn't for years because I thought it killed the dynamics in my playing. Loosely translated to bad compressor, badly used. The more sensitive you are to the nuances of how you play, the more you notice the effect of a compressor. The more you care about the way you sit in the mix of all the other instruments, the more you notice the effect of a compressor.

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Being in a British punk covers band (and in my mid 50's), I was starting to get hand and arm cramps during gigs as I play finger style.

the revelation came last year when I put a compressor into my board, which meant i didn't need to play so hard to get the same volume/tone (not much dynamics needed in my playing).

Hey presto, I can play faster lines a lot better now, without the aching arm and hand.....works for me!

Edited by mikebass456
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7 minutes ago, PaulWarning said:

I answered no, but I do use a bit of overdrive all the time, which, I believe, acts as a sort of compressor

Me too. I’ve got a compressor on my board, but it’s just there to compensate for changes in signal level when changing pickups/basses.

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5 hours ago, stewblack said:

Yes - great metaphor. Uncompressed sound being where you don't mix the cornflour and end up with some water thin parts and some great blobs of thick stuff.

. . . . . . . . but if you mix cornflour properly you don't get lumpy bits.

 

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My MXR M87 arrived today. I’ve put it through it’s paces with a few basses, with both headphones and small amp (I’m at home and there are limits). It’s interesting to see the difference in output of two basses that, to my ears, sounded the same level (the VU is super useful). The M87 sorted out the levels of all three, even bringing a particularly hot, active piezo under control without killing the natural sound and needing to use the active pad on the amp. It’s certainly less squashy than the limiter circuit on the amp (although it can be if you want). I’m impressed and this will now be on all the time. Voted.

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