Vin Venal Posted February 14 Share Posted February 14 I don't really understand compression, and you can't really go by demos, cuz compression is more of a thing you feel imo. I've used two compressors, one was the Aguilar TLC which I hated cuz it had too many knobs which confused me, and when it was on it made my sound worse. The one I'm using at the moment is the behringer CS-9 which is based on the ibabez CP-9, but has better bass response. I like the way this sounds, and I don't have to think about what the knobs do too much cuz it sounds OK with them all pointing straight up, but it's cheap and not at all vibey. So what I want is: Something that sounds gentle, like it's just softly smoothing everything out and making everything sound subtly better. Reasonably priced - around 100 quid used or new is fine. Simpler the better. I don't want a lot of control, that gets me into trouble. Preferably not a bass specific pedal, cuz I have an aversion to that. Vibes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lidl e Posted February 14 Share Posted February 14 Going by your needs, i think the TC Electronic spectracomp is for you. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lidl e Posted February 14 Share Posted February 14 Although i suppose that might be considered bass specific... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vin Venal Posted February 14 Author Share Posted February 14 Only thing that worries me bout the spectra comp is the app based stuff, like will it need updates, will I need to plug it into my phone to make it sound good, cuz I can't be arsed with that stuff. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lidl e Posted February 14 Share Posted February 14 1 minute ago, Vin Venal said: Only thing that worries me bout the spectra comp is the app based stuff, like will it need updates, will I need to plug it into my phone to make it sound good, cuz I can't be arsed with that stuff. Yeah. Toneprint has it's good and bad points, but if you look around most people use the default and are very pleased with it. Im a fan of TC and the toneprint ecosystem. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
northcountrybob Posted February 14 Share Posted February 14 i love the fairfield accountant. Super easy to use. sounds great. You might be able to get a deal on one second hand. It's not around the £100 mark new but thought I'd throw it out there. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lidl e Posted February 14 Share Posted February 14 The lowest cost compressor that people seem to mention in the same breath as empress and cali is probably that Seymour Duncan one, but again that is bass specific. You'd find a used one very close to 100 quid. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MartinB Posted February 14 Share Posted February 14 2nd hand Keeley Bassist. Only three controls, and one of them is just output volume. Automated attack and release times. Does everything from the mildest squish to full limiting. Nice and transparent. If the name bothers you, the Keeley GC-2 is essentially the same thing - it just lets a little more low-end through. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itu Posted February 14 Share Posted February 14 (edited) MXR Bass comp is also available as Studio comp. The same unit, only different graphics. Spectracomp is most likely your thing. I have Hyper gravity (several, to be honest) which was sold for g-word, but is essentially a Spectra with four pots instead of one. It certainly isn't bass specific. Sound on Sound has good articles about compression, and www.ovnilab.com is a must to anyone about to buy a unit. Edited February 14 by itu 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Downunderwonder Posted February 14 Share Posted February 14 You might find a used Trace SMX compressor pedal for £100. Can't get any simpler for having three knobs. One for highs one for lows and the EQ balancer. Subtle as a subtle thing until you crank on it and then you know what you did wrong. Dood does a really good demo of the one in his TransitB which gives you a good idea what it is about. You could do worse than a couple of pedals gone byebye and go with the TransitB. Unity gain distortion is the holy grail. Never go for the overdrive and blow out the room again. They seem to be going around the £200 mark. Friggen bargain. 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StingRayBoy42 Posted February 14 Share Posted February 14 Following as I'm also interested in a simple compressor. I quite like Bass-specific stuff though. There's an Aguilar DB599 on marketplace OP - two controls AND it's fetching shade of hideous yellow. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bolo Posted February 14 Share Posted February 14 DOD compressor 280 might be just what you're looking for. Bax seems to have one. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassAdder60 Posted February 14 Share Posted February 14 Ampeg Opto Comp Low cost and simple and sounds warm and tube like 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vin Venal Posted February 15 Author Share Posted February 15 5 hours ago, Downunderwonder said: You might find a used Trace SMX compressor pedal for £100. Can't get any simpler for having three knobs. One for highs one for lows and the EQ balancer. Subtle as a subtle thing until you crank on it and then you know what you did wrong. Dood does a really good demo of the one in his TransitB which gives you a good idea what it is about. You could do worse than a couple of pedals gone byebye and go with the TransitB. Unity gain distortion is the holy grail. Never go for the overdrive and blow out the room again. They seem to be going around the £200 mark. Friggen bargain. Hadn't heard of the SMX compressor, but that pedal definitely has vibes. The transit b is not my thing I'm afraid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vin Venal Posted February 15 Author Share Posted February 15 10 hours ago, MartinB said: 2nd hand Keeley Bassist. Only three controls, and one of them is just output volume. Automated attack and release times. Does everything from the mildest squish to full limiting. Nice and transparent. If the name bothers you, the Keeley GC-2 is essentially the same thing - it just lets a little more low-end through. Went with this in the end cuz one came up on marketplace. Think I can live with it saying bassist on it, as it ticks all my other boxes. 😁 Thanks for the suggestions all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Downunderwonder Posted February 15 Share Posted February 15 6 hours ago, Vin Venal said: The transit b is not my thing I'm afraid How so? As a DI preamp I can't for the life of me fathom why it doesn't have pre and post loops for more fx. Otherwise, it's got a lot going on that covers a whole lot of ground, including the famed SMX dual band compressor. I appreciate you are already covered for compression, just curious how it got written off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vin Venal Posted February 16 Author Share Posted February 16 On 15/02/2024 at 08:07, Downunderwonder said: How so? As a DI preamp I can't for the life of me fathom why it doesn't have pre and post loops for more fx. Otherwise, it's got a lot going on that covers a whole lot of ground, including the famed SMX dual band compressor. I appreciate you are already covered for compression, just curious how it got written off. I dunno, I think I prefer separate pedals over multi effects, and I'm not really into the whole bass preamp pedal as a concept, I prefer to find overdrive and boost pedals I like and stack em. My current rig is a compressor, a fuzz and a boost into a proco rat. 🤷🏼♀️ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassAdder60 Posted February 16 Share Posted February 16 I’ve discovered I don’t need a compressor at all as I found it added nothing and took away always something ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lee650 Posted February 16 Share Posted February 16 EBS multicomp! Two knobs, fairly low ratio (5:1 max, min 1:1) three modes have different tones. Normal - full range and transparent Multi band - highs and lows compressed separately, very clean and articulate Tube- adds a warm colouration to the tone They can be picked up fairly inexpensively. Warning very high output basses can clip it though. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DiMarco Posted February 17 Share Posted February 17 (edited) You don't really notice the real added value of a compressor (unless it does more than just compress) until you hear it within the total mix of instruments in your band. That said, Spectracomp is the worst one I have ever tried. It squashes everything to bits and does some weird stuff to mid frequencies. It is on my TC RH750 head but I absolutely hate it. Great ones: - Cali76 cb for overall performance. You only notice it when you switch it off. Adds some texture and makes your bass playing a bit more beefy. This is my fave compressor of all, works equally great with 4, 5 string passive and active basses. - Diamond Bass Compressor. Bit less punchy, bit more squashy than the Cali76. Adds lovely warmth to your tone that makes your bass grip with the mix better. Also highly recommended by moi. - EBS Multicomp. Multiple different types of great compression in a somewhat affordable pedal. This one has been a big selling pedal for years now and not without a reason. - Aguilar TLC. Makes your bass sound more punchy. Awesome for slap stuff. - MXR Bass Compressor. Really good but neutral compressor. Edited February 17 by DiMarco 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dannybuoy Posted February 17 Share Posted February 17 Don’t be put off by the toneprint functionality of the Spectracomp. I geeked out and tried every preset going and fiddling with all the parameters just to find that the stock preset was pretty much dialled in perfectly out of the box. So I reset it back to that and haven’t touched that side since, and I just have a simple one-knob compressor. I have owned several much fancier comps in the past but this one is perfect for my needs. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Osiris Posted February 17 Share Posted February 17 20 hours ago, BassAdder60 said: I’ve discovered I don’t need a compressor at all as I found it added nothing and took away always something ! They do that if they're not dialled in with the right settings, but they do the exact opposite when configured correctly. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerry C Posted February 19 Share Posted February 19 If you're not averse to the idea of installing a compressor onboard, like an EQ, then might I be so bold as to suggest the One-Knob compressor that I make: jtex.ca/okc I think it really whips the Llama's arse, but I might be biased, so don't just listen to me. If it must be in a pedal format, you can easily mount it in a stomp box yourself. Just needs the I/O jacks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulo m Posted February 19 Share Posted February 19 (edited) THE BOSS LMB-3 LIMITER ENHANCER.... offer's tremendous V.F.M it does the job & it does it well.... on the used market these pedals can found for £50 or less.... One note for this pedal...turn the Enhance Knob OFF!!!! for all it offers his hiss....other than that for myself it is a great introduction to compression @ a very affordable price. Edited February 19 by paulo m Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassAdder60 Posted February 19 Share Posted February 19 I would be curious if most bass compressor uses are playing slap ? Not sure standard fingerstyle playing with good technique really needs it before the amp or in the amp ? What says you guys ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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