Osiris

Oddly enough, letting the lows through either uncompressed or with less compression than the highs and mids can help the lows sounding bigger and deeper, try playing with the HPF on one of the Origin Cali units to hear it in action. IME, keeping the mids and highs in check is usually more beneficial, although I do use a single band comp as for my tastes, what it does to the whole signal is more important to me on a gig than a more studio like quality to the low end. But it's down to personal preference. From what you're describing you might possibly get on with the Boss LMB-3, which I mentioned above as being my go to. It keeps the lows tight, add a massive mid range punch but can roll off the highs a bit. You can use the Enhance control to add some high end back in but it honestly sounds a bit cack, like a cheap 80's active preamp. I fund cranking the treble in the amp to taste a better solution.

I can't remember if the editor is or was a separate app to the one you download tone prints from, it's been a few years since I had a Spectracomp but I remember editing it hooked up to my PC so it might be you can't (or never used to be able?) to do it from a mobile. As for the single knob (fnarr) you can program it in the editor to simultaneously control up to three of the fifty or more parameters, and you can control the range of those parameters too. Most of the tone prints seem to use it to affect ratio, threshold and/or volume but they can be configured to control any editable parameter so if you wanted to lower one of the crossover frequencies while upping the threshold of the mids and reducing the attack speed on the low end you can. I also had a Hypergravity at one point, effectively a four knob spectracomp, with that I'd dialled it in to work as an adjustable pseudo high pass filter on the lows, a wide frequency single band over everything from the upper bass to the high mids, and a tapered high end roll off, each on individual controls and I think the other was a master volume. It wasn't perfect but it shows what you can do with it given the time and inclination.

Are you stacking the SFT with the VT or using one of the other? If you're stacking them you may not notice much benefit from adding additional compression although this is speculation and with the right tone print it could enhance things. Recommending the right tone print is tricky as they're all good in their own way, but whether they do what you want is another matter. Generally speaking, if you're playing blues with flats I'd avoid any slap focussed tone prints, the 3 individual comp engines can be used to impart some tone shaping depending on the settings and slap presets are more likely to scoop your mids while hyping the bass and treble which I'm guessing you don't want. I'd start with any that are more vintage focused or are trying to mimic an optical compressor. Beyond that, it's really a case of try it and see. And remember, less is usually more with compression, so if you're dialling it in until it becomes obvious you've usually gone too far and will likely benefit from dialling things back.

It's been a long time since I tried it so my memory might be a little rusty but how I remember it is that it sounded great when I set it up at home, I was going for more of a B15 vibe than SVT, with a relatively flat EQ and enough drive to add character without sounding obviously distorted. But when trying it with the band I found it too squashed even without adding my compressor on top. It's hard to explain but I couldn't get it to poke through the mix. But that was me, with my gear and playing style. So your experience could be very different. And at the risk of sounding like a cop out, it's hard to second guess whether adding a compressor in would work with you and your gear. For me, it didn't, but Linus has said that it definitely adds something to his set up. So maybe try it and see. A transparent comp would work if you want to retain the character of the VT, although they're harder to dial in until you get your ear in. Something more coloured may add or take away from what the VT is doing, and only you will know if you like what it's doing. How about grabbing a Spectracomp and trying a few tone prints. You mentioned it being a bit of a faff to change them on the fly and that's fair comment, but once you have the app loaded in your phone it only takes a few seconds to switch. Don't worry about diving into the editor to create your own, you don't need to. But you can pick one up for around £50 and if you don't get on with it you'll be able to move it on without losing any money. Out of interest, what style of music do you play? What other gear are you using and what type of tone do you use? Knowing what you're aiming for might allow me to suggest something closer to what might work for you.

Fair play Lozz 😀 Joking aside, it's really easy to set up a compressor incorrectly or so over the top that it destroys your dynamics, and I think it's because people don't understand what to do with them. And I don't mean that in a condescending or patronising way, but it takes a time and experience to get the best from them. With pedal compressors, my assumption people switch them on expecting an immediate and obvious change as you get with most stomp boxes and when that doesn't happen they either dial in up so it's clearly audible - by which point you've usually strangled the life out of your sound - or end up dismissing them as not doing anything. But when done right, it polishes up the bass and makes it slot into the mix more consistently. And it is more of a feel thing than a tonal one. For example, I was gigging last night and getting a bit carried away as usual and there's a few tracks we do that have large dynamic shifts and sometimes we exaggerate those from whisper quiet to full tilt. With the right settings, the lighter passages are uncompressed but as you dig in you can feel the compression pushing back and controlling the signal. There's still volume and dynamic shifts but they're controlled, I can dig in really hard and get an aggressive energy and while the volume increases it does so in a way that doesn't blow people's heads off. I mentioned my humble Boss LMB-3 earlier and this is what it excels at, once you're pushing against the threshold the pedal really adds something that I've not been able get any other compressor to replicate (a couple have come close, the most notable being the Basswitch dual band) the way it controls the signal and punches back at you, the bass still has the energy as you dig in but feels somehow bigger and more alive without too much of a volume increase. That's not to say compression is for everyone, there's lots of people who don't use them and that's fine too.

Any tonal enhancement is, as far as I understand it, down to the design of the circuit being used, it's very much a personal choice as to whether you like what any particular compressor is doing. And there are those that are transparent too, for my tastes I find them a bit bland and clinical, but many swear by them. I wouldn't really think in terms of the circuit type at this stage but if possible, try to play through as many different ones as you can can to see which, if any, you like. As a very sweeping generalisation you have optical compressors at one end which tend to be slow, warm and vintage sounding, and FET based units at the other end which tend to be faster and more aggressive. My preference is for the latter as I tend to play quite hard and slower attack times as you typically get with optical units can become a bit spitty or grabby for me. So maybe thinking along the lines of whether you want something retro like the Ampeg Optocomp, or something faster, more precise like the various Origin types would be a good starting point. And just to consuse matters further, I briefly played with a Sansamp VT a few years ago and as much as I loved the tone, I found it too inherently compressed for my tastes even without any additional compression. So it might be that you don't find compression beneficial with your current gear. I'm not knocking the VT, it just didn't work for me with the band.

Compression is a pretty decisive subject as a trawl of the BC archives will demonstrate 😉. My advice before spending any money would be so a bit more homework on the subject. Admittedly, it a pretty nerdy topic and there's a lot of misinformation about it our there, which IMO, is based more on misunderstanding about what they are, what they do and how best to use them. In fact, you'll get a more objective opinion about the subject from sound engineering sites than sites like this! Only you know what you want from a compressor, and that usually comes from experience and the type of music you play. With @Linus27 being a fretless player, an optical compressor was the obvious choice as they tend to be more on the smooth and mellow side in terms of their action. But it's very much a personal thing. But one thing to bear in mind is that compression is more of a feel thing than anything else. And what works for some doesn't work for ithers. I suspect a lot of people who don't get on with comps but one expecting an obvious effect like you get from a distortion pedal, but it's mostly way more subtle. So in answer to your original post... It depends. I appreciate that probably doesn't help, but it's something that you'll figure out if you decide to dive into that particular rabbit hole. But the Spectracomp is a great starting point as it'll give you an idea of how different parameter settings can affect the bass. If you're in a band, definitely try it in the mix with other musicians as that's where you're more likely to feel what's happened. FWIW, I've been through loads of different compresses over the years, including most of the highest regarding pedals, and I've stuck with the humble Boss LMB-3. It does something that I haven't been able to get from any of the more boutique pedals. It's not expensive or sophisticated, but it does what I want a compressor to do.

As far as I can tell, they err... inform those people who lack the ability to form their own opinions what to think and believe. Think of them a bit like a gen Z version of Joseph Goebbels only with somewhat more inclusive agenda.

Having given this some thought, the honest answers to this are, IMO, it depends and it's something of a compromise. Because of what compression does and how it works there are several variables at play so it's almost impossible to give some specific settings that will work for you or anyone else. Realistically we're talking helpful guidelines rather precise settings. It depends. Depending on what style of compression you're looking will have a significant impact on your settings. Something fast and modern sounding to keep the transients in check, for example, requires pretty much opposing settings, certainly for attack and release but you may also want to adjust the threshold and ratio etc, to a gentle smoothing with a slower attack. So if you we're thinking of using the former with a plectrum and the latter for fingers, then you're going to struggle with a single unit without changing the settings every time you change technique. This is why I mentioned it's something of a compromise. Assuming you want to stick with the Cali 76 - and why not, it's a great compressor - you'll need to play around and hopefully find settings that work with both fingers and plectrum. A good place to start would be to play exclusively one technique and dial in precisely what settings work for that. Make a note of them. Then do the same for the other technique and make a note of those settings. Then dial in settings that are somewhere in the middle of the two. It may not be as precise as each lot of individual settings but it may prove an acceptable compromise between the two. If that doesn't work another option is to get another compressor and switch between them but there's obviously cost, power requirements etc. to consider. Or a multi fx that means you can switch between settings quickly and easily. I appreciate that this probably isn't the answer you were hoping for but having spent many years nerding around with compressors, there isn't a one size fits all load of settings, it's figuring out what works for you. You said you're keen to learn more about compression so I'd suggest keep reading, try different settings, differences that may seem imperceptible when messing around at home can have a noticeable affect on how the bass feels in the mix - and it is as much about feel as it is control. I think I've said this in other posts about compression but you're more likely to get more objective information about compression from sound engineering sites rather than bass specific sites like this one where the subject tends to be more decisive 😀

That was pretty much my experience of it, it keeps the lows and mids intact and rolls off the higher frequencies which is why some folks describe it as sounding dark. But the high end roll off stops it from sounding fizzy or brittle. It's been a while since I played through one but it worked great on bass for a thick sounding drive sound. It's more on the vintage side of things but in my opinion that works better in non-metal musical contexts than clanky scooped modern drive sounds.

Just met up with Ainsley to complete a trade. All was good and he's a great guy to deal with.

@SumOne what about something like the Genzler Re/Q pedal? You could dial in the punky tone with the 5 band EQ and then use the low pass filter dialled right back for the reggae sound. Both sounds on a single, analogue pedal. Oh, and I know a guy *cough* who may be about to list one, boxed and in excellent condition *cough*. PM me if you're interested and I'll pass the message on to him... It's definitely not me though... Err...

Including the wooden leg and milky eye?

I dated your nan for a while too and always made her dress up as Liberace.

Yet another one here who succumbed to peer pressure and bought some flats despite having tried them several times over the years and never getting on with them as I had that nagging doubt that I must be missing something. A special shout out goes to La Bella flats. You've no doubt heard the cliché about how some new piece of gear 'lifts the blanket off the speaker' in terms of the wonders it does for your tone. Well, the La Bellas added that blanket to my speakers. Not a thin cotton sheet either, a full on 18 tog winter duvet. Then another. And another. Then half a dozen more. Just an indistinct dull thud with no note information. And for context, I'm not a big fan of bright bass sounds, I don't like that glassy high end tone that slappers use, but I like enough upper mid and treble to be able to distinguish pitch. And this was on an MEC equipped Warwick which I find to be pretty bright sounding pickups.

Toobs. Since when did the word valve suddenly become pronounced toob? For example, "man I hate those shi**y little modern class D amps, gimme somethin' with toobs in" What are you talking about you gibbering idiot, you're from Wantage, not bleedin' Idaho.

Turdburst actually refers to those finished where cruddy browns that face into slightly less cruddy browns or sometimes orange and yellow for some inexplicable reason. But let's not split hairs as they're equally appalling. Antigua burst is more like a snapshot of an engorged bubo exploding.

Amen to that brother. The loosest of Satans' stools and about as appetising. Absolutely, as if each isn't hideous enough on its own the effect is multiplied exponentially when the 2 are combined. But hey, if someone wants to play something that looks like the inside of a nappy with a big plastic scab stuck over the top who am I to stop them? Which leads me onto... Pickguard. Since when did this become a thing? It's a bloody scratch plate, always has been and always will be so why are da yoof and kewl kidz all calling them pickguards now? See also plectrums. Why are they now called picks? Why wasn't I consulted on any of this? Stingrays. Why? It's a bit like a bass but with an insufferable overbearing nasal midrange that obliterates everything that makes our beloved instrument sound so pleasant.

I've got the mk1 model with the Gotoh machine heads and it's an excellent bass for the money. I regularly gig it alongside the other 2 mentioned above, both of which would cost you 6-8 times as much, and to be fair to the HB it easily holds its own. It's hard to quantify the respective pickup outputs when you can't blend them - the single biggest gripe with the mk1 model - but it doesn't bother me in the slightest. On mine I've lowered the bridge pickup a touch to give an approximate 60:40 blend of neck to bridge and treat it as the fundamental sound of the bass. (I really like those Roswell pickups too, excellent full range tone for a budget pickup). Being used to single pickup basses this works perfectly for my needs. Even with the bridge pickup sunk a little you can still clearly hear it affecting the tone so on my bass at least the bridge pickup doesn't appear to have a weak output. But at the price point I wouldn't be at all surprised to find a degree of variability in terms of hardware. Maybe I was lucky and got a good one 🤷. I have been eyeing up the mk2, especially in burgundy mist, but the general consensus seems to be the newer budget machine heads and new pickups are a bit crap in comparison to the mk1. But if you're thinking of moving yours on by all means drop me a message 😀