Jump to content
Why become a member? ×

Looking for a compressor for bass


Jamie Snell
 Share

Recommended Posts

Hi all

I’m considering adding a compressor to my setup, it doesn’t need to be anything particularly flashy or amazing and ideally it should be 1U rack mountable as I have a spare space in the rack - plus I don’t use pedals!

Just wondering what people would recommend?

There’s some good deals to be had on eBay at present including a Behringer Composer Pro MDX 2200, Citronic CL22, a Behringer Autocom Pro XL MDX 1600, and a DBX 266XL.


Look forward to your help and advice!

Cheers

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 minutes ago, Jus Lukin said:

Based on my nerdy Googling, has the MDX2200 been discontinued?

The 2200 is obviously still available from vendors, but the MDX2600 is a cracker. I currently have one running between my TV and speakers, and one attempting to make my wife's insurance customer service quality calls more listenable. It's as full featured as they come, and can run at mic/inst level- I may have been drunk at the time, but I tested it, goddamit!

Yes I think the 2200 is discontinued. The one I’m watching is about £35 delivered and at that price I don’t think you can go wrong!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I can see a few Behringer MDX2200s and dbx266XLs on Reverb with seller in the UK, and also a Yamaha GC2020b.

Thomann has the Behringer MDX4600 in stock, 4 channels in 1U for €111, though that could be a bit too much ..?

PS: checked Gear4Music out of curiosity, they have the usual suspects, but they also have this, a full channel strip (preamp, compressor, EQ) in 1U for £100.

Edited by bnt
Link to comment
Share on other sites

12 minutes ago, bnt said:

I can see a few Behringer MDX2200s and dbx266XLs on Reverb with seller in the UK, and also a Yamaha GC2020b.

Thomann has the Behringer MDX4600 in stock, 4 channels in 1U for €111, though that could be a bit too much ..?

PS: checked Gear4Music out of curiosity, they have the usual suspects, but they also have this, a full channel strip (preamp, compressor, EQ) in 1U for £100.

That “Recording Strip” looks interesting although I’ve not heard of SubZero.

Given their low prices I am going to explore the Behringer and DBX ones as I don’t need anything expensive or amazing.

Has anyone had any direct experience with either or both of them?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Jamie Snell said:

That “Recording Strip” looks interesting although I’ve not heard of SubZero.

Given their low prices I am going to explore the Behringer and DBX ones as I don’t need anything expensive or amazing.

Has anyone had any direct experience with either or both of them?

I had the Behringer 2200 and 2600 and they were perfectly alright for what little I paid, but one side of the 2200 just randomly stopped working and neither unit sounded wonderful. I binned the 2200 and replaced the 2600 with a DBX 166xs, which I really like. It looks much less like a seasonally decorated tree, is easier to dial in and sounds generally better to me. I recall reading that the cheaper 266 is a different circuit design and isn't as well suited to bass as the 166, but I've not got one so can't offer personal experience there.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

7 hours ago, Ed_S said:

I had the Behringer 2200 and 2600 and they were perfectly alright for what little I paid, but one side of the 2200 just randomly stopped working and neither unit sounded wonderful. I binned the 2200 and replaced the 2600 with a DBX 166xs, which I really like. It looks much less like a seasonally decorated tree, is easier to dial in and sounds generally better to me. I recall reading that the cheaper 266 is a different circuit design and isn't as well suited to bass as the 166, but I've not got one so can't offer personal experience there.

Hi Ed, thanks, very useful insight. For £35 the Behringer 2200 seems like a good deal. If it turns out that it’s not great or isn’t very effective then I can just flog it on.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

41 minutes ago, Jamie Snell said:

A friend of mine has also recommends the DBX166, but does anyone know what the difference is between the XS and XL models please?

Ignore me - I’ve just found something elsewhere online which says the only difference is the look and packaging!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Edit!!! : Oh, well, just realized that you were looking for a rack unit, not a pedal format compressor, nevermind... :facepalm:

 

I can warmly recommend the fully customable 3 band TC Electronic SpectraComp compressor.

In my opinion it does require of you to take the time to dial in exactly what you want from it via the Toneprint editor.

At least I found non of the pre-made templates or artist toneprints to my liking, but on the other hand you can really get it to work just about however you like it to using the Toneprint editor.

I don't consider my self nowhere near a compressor expert but still I got it to work exactly like I wanted, so with some trial and error and careful dialing while listening to the result of the adjustments made, and then re/fine-adjusting accordingly it isn't exactly rocket science to dial in a compression matching exactly what you'd like to hear, you just need some patience, even if the huge amount of parameters available for adjustment in the editor might seem overwhelming at first, and in my opinion the result is well worth the extra work required for you to get there.

Edited by Baloney Balderdash
Reading the OP properly through before replying is always a good idea... *DOH!!!*
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yeah, that was where my research got me with regards the XL vs XS thing, too - cosmetic differences only.

The other compressors I use are DBX 160A (for vocal tracking), Markbass Compressore (for bass tracking away from my home setup), EBS MultiComp (on my main pedalboard) and Boss BC-1X (on my 'other' pedalboard), and the 166 doesn't disappoint up against any of them. Your friend speaketh the truth 🙂

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...