Osiris

Interesting. That's not something mine does though, so it could possibly be an issue with your particular pedal?

This is a difficult question to give a single definitive answer to, unfortunately! I'm sure that the likes of 51m0n and Skol can give you some far more informed advice than I can here but here's a few pointers/guidelines to help get your started. There are many variables that can have an impact here e.g. the instrument you play, the type and amount of compression you want (i.e. just a touch of dynamic control, some tonal shaping, say a punchy mid-range, the other instruments you're playing with etc.) Setting up compression can be very difficult especially if it's just the bass in isolation and not playing along with other instruments. This is where I suspect some people think it's not doing anything and then set up so they can noticeably hear the squash, but by that time you have killed all of your dynamic range. Try setting it up at a rehearsal when playing along with other people as it'll be easier to get it right without completely flattening the bass dynamics. The main thing to listen out for is a consistency or evenness of the bass throughout its range in the mix, so the low notes are not overpowering and the higher notes stand out and are clearly audible too. Your lowest notes will will be as even as the highest ones. The Threshold is the point at which the compressor starts to squash; anything exceeding the threshold will be compressed, anything that falls short of it will remain uncompressed. For me, I like to have this set so that the compressor kicks in on the lower notes to stop them overpowering the higher notes. The Ratio is the amount of squash that is applied to the signal once it passes the threshold. Too much and your bass gets too squashed, too little and you may find that things are still uneven. Getting the Threshold and Ratio right are the main things to focus on for now. Try experimenting with the extremes of the range of both the Threshold and Ratio so you get a feel what each of them does. Once you understand what's going on start backing them off until you find the point where they are enhancing the bass and making it more consistent in the mix but you still have dynamic range and subtlety. It's not an easy thing to explain what exactly to listen out for but once you have found what works for you, you'll start to be able to hear and feel it when setting it up for another bass, for example. Things like attack and release times and hard/soft knee setting are also important but I'd focus on the threshold and ratio for now. Hope this helps

If you're looking for an amp that has a switchable drive channel and has the versatility to cover the styles you mentioned above, I'd highly recommend the Genzler Magellan 800 over both the Tone Hammer and the Dark Glass. The drive channel is low gain and warm with a strong mid range bias so it's more like the Tone Hammer in that regard but I found it to be more defined and a little smoother than the TH. But it is very much the opposite of the scooped B3K sound. The Genzler also has more tonal weight and flexibility with clean sounds than both the TH and DG too, in my experience. More details of my personal thoughts and experiences here And here.

The Custom IEM company have a few ex-demo universal IEM's for sale, but you need to be quick as the offer ends at 1 p.m. today, 29th March. http://www.custom-inearmonitors.co.uk/offers.html

Don't let the wave and disarming smile fool you, I don't think he's exactly Mr. Popular

If you have enough spare patches to free on the B3n it sounds like that's the best way to address it i.e. have different versions of the same patch configured for your different basses. That way whenever you use a different bass you just pull up the appropriate patch with the right compression (and whatever else) settings. But if you use loads of different patches/sounds per bass then I can see how it will be a ball-ache . If you're anything like me and keep things simple with just one or two patches per bass it shouldn't take more than a few minutes once you've figured out the optimum compression settings for each different one.

Are you actually using a compressor or limiter in your patch(es)? If you are then try adjusting the threshold and/or ratio to compensate. If you're not then I'm not sure what the issue is or how to trim the input signal from the device itself. I occasionally gig with a Zoom MS-60B that I only use for tuner and compression duties, and I also gig with a variety of basses including a couple of Sandbergs, one active, the other passive. Space permitting on the gig I use my pedal board featuring a TC Spectracomp as my usual compressor, but on those tight gigs it's the little Zoom on top of the amp. My sound is never more compressed by the Zoom - other than the by amount of squash I dial in - regardless of which bass I'm using. In fact my highest output bass is a cheap Peavey with a Di'Marzio model P pup and that has a massive output signal, noticeably hotter than my active 'Berg VM, but it never sounds overly compressed through the Zoom. Obviously my Zoom is a different model to yours but I'd have thought they were generally comparable? Just a thought, are you using the Zoom inline or through the effects loop of your amp?

Looking at this photo it looks as though the only things he needs are a couple of decent meals and a long shower

Shouldn't that be "what an absolute Ernie Bell End"

True. But my personal preference is still to use my ears. I should probably clarify and expand that to say that it is not a good idea to set up the compressor in isolation as you run the risk of over compressing your sound as you have rightly pointed out, but set it up playing in context with your band, i.e. using the rest of your gear (i.e bass, amp, cab, any other effects) at gigging volume with other musicians. That way it is much easier to tell when you are going overboard with it and to get things right. Anyway, back to affordable compressor recommendations ...

For the sake of coherence it might be worth ignoring the previous 'answer' to your question ... The Zoom compressor models are actually very good in my experience and are among the strongest features of the current crop of their multi-fx units. I mainly use a TC Electronics Spectracomp but there's a few venues we play where I don't have room for my board so I use my MS-60B on top of my amp for tuner and compression duties. I've had great results with nearly all of them. There's several different models offering different types and flavours of compression so there's probably something in there that you'll like. My personal favourites being the M-Comp model for the punch it adds and the 160-Comp (I think that's what it's called) for a more transparent compression. There's also a squishy optical compressor and a scooped dual band model plus several more to experiment with. But as with any compressor you really need to understand how they work in order to get the best from them. That's not meant to be patronising but if you look through other compression threads on here you will see that the whole subject is widely misunderstood. But let's not have that conversation again here, please That's not aimed at you, by the way @LukeFRC. Regarding metering, yes it's useful (again, on the assumption that you know what it means and how best to use it - and and again that is not meant to be patronising) but it is not essential. As @jposega says above the best metering you can get are the free ones that came fixed to the side of your head

You can't go wrong with the various compression models on the current Zoom units (B3, B3n, MS-60B, B1on), there's atone of stuff to play with in there to keep you going for ages. TC Electronics Spectracomp - there's a tone of stuff regarding this superb little pedal on here and online generally , all of it true (just ignore any comments by @Al Krow ) The Boss LMB-3 is also worth a look for cheap and cheerful punchy compression.

@radiophonic Sorry if I wasn't clear, but what I meant was that the unit has a reverse reverb model, but it sounds from your original post that you have a very specific sound requirement in mind and I don't know if the Zoom will give you exactly what you want. It might, but you won't know until you try it. You may also find that you have limited control over the parameters (Level, tone, decay, tail and dry mix) compared to a dedicated unit. You could always add in something like a chorus model to give it a little shimmer too. I do have an MS-60B and I personally think it's a great little pedal that offers some good quality sounding effects for a modest amount of money. I don't really have any experience of higher costing units to compare it to as I'm not really a fan of obvious bass effects (filters, modulations etc.) as such, so there may be better options out there that will give you the sound that you want. But the Zoom is a cracking little unit none the less that might be worth a look if only to rule it out as a possibility. I tend to use the more pedestrian side of things with mine, as a tuner and compressor and as an occasional pre-amp and high pass filter rather than for any more obvious effects and it is more than good enough for my needs and certainly isn't out of place alongside the rest of my more expensive gear. See if you can track one down to try

The Zoom MS-60B has reverse reverb (as well as a reverse delay) plus a whole load of other reverbs too, and a ton of other effects too. These were included in the firmware update that was released last year. Plus it's within your budget. But whether it'll give you want you want is another matter

Round these parts it's known as Turdburst I certainly don't care for it myself, particularly when it's a slightly dark cruddy brown colour fading into a darker dark cruddy brown colour. However, add a tortoiseshell scratch-plate to a sunburst finish and it becomes an affront to all that is good and holy. This pretty much sums up my reaction to said abhorrent combination.

Beautiful sunburst and tortoiseshell combination.

That's another secret privy only to those that need to know. So don't earn yourself another spanking so soon.

@Al Krow I don't mind being quoted, it's being misquoted that I object to. My settings are not a trade secret at all, but as I have tried - and seemingly failed - to explain that, different basses have different signal output strengths and different fundamental tones. These mean that you'll need to optimise your compression settings for each different bass you use in addition to factoring in other variables such as your right hand plucking strength (I'm somewhat ham fisted whereas you attack the strings with the angst and venom of an asthmatic tapeworm) and any tonal characteristics of your amp/cab/speakers etc. What this all means that my settings almost certainly won't work for you*. So for the record, my settings for the 160 Comp on my B3 are; THRSH -32, Ratio 2.8, Gain 10, Knee Soft, Level 88. * For example, you often wax lyrical about the aggressive sounds of your Ibanez but if you set your compressor up with the settings that work with my warm, mellow sounding Sandberg as above, you'll start yet another thread/poll/campaign to tell the world that you have once again "proved" that compression is an urban myth and the likes of @Skol303, @51m0n and myself will lose the collective will to live. Again. etc. The best thing to do is to try it for yourself and find the settings that work for you with your gear. It really is that simple. There, I've said it. I feel cleansed.

Like the rest of the folks above I've had my fair share of gigs like that. As has already been said, try and make the best of a bad situation; have fun with the band, try new songs and variations to your bass lines, try to build a repertoire with those that are paying attention etc. While it can be disheartening after you've put in all the time and effort there's no point beating yourself up over it as it doesn't change a thing other than how you feel. Try and learn from it so that when it happens again - which it almost certainly will if you're gigging regularly - you and the band accept it for what it is and get through it in a positive way. Our gig last night was similar, playing to a crowd of around 20 in a big pub so it felt pretty empty but we still had fun and got some banter going with the small but appreciative crowd. A little self depreciation goes a long way

Yes absolutely, there's loads of mileage to be had from just the TonePrints alone without having to go anywhere near the software editor. My only experience of TonePrint pedals is limited to the SpectraComp and Corona chorus, but there is just about every sound you're realistically ever likely to need already available from the free downloadable TonePrints. If you want something specific and esoteric you'll need to software editor but for most people it is far from essential. Although to be fair, this isn't a multi-fx unit, nor is it being marketed as such

The ones currently up on the TC website seem to be for the Spectracomp side of the unit only, so maybe we'll be able to mix and match them with tone prints for the drive section too? https://www.tcelectronic.com/de/sentry-noise-gate/toneprints/toneprints/p/P0D9D

You're missing out on a whole lot of fun, it's quick and simple to do, it literally takes a couple of seconds with a smart phone to swap tones prints. There's a wealth of stuff to try, most of it is great (to my tastes, at least) and it's all free. What's not to like