mybass Posted February 25, 2015 Posted February 25, 2015 I have an EBS Multicomp pedal that is good but my ears feel it alters the bass sound. Anyone had one of these and changed to something they feel is more 'true'...? Quote
Graham Posted February 25, 2015 Posted February 25, 2015 What setting are you using it on? The multiband and valve sim settings will inherently alter the tone, the flat setting shouldn't too much though Quote
juliusmonk Posted February 25, 2015 Posted February 25, 2015 When I had one, it seemed to make the sound duller, in slightly different ways depending on the setting. Now I am happy with my Carl Martin Opto-compressor, it slightly alters the tone but for the better. It is cheap as well. Quote
ead Posted February 25, 2015 Posted February 25, 2015 I'm rather attached to my Diamond Bass Comp. Quite mild compression but doesn't seem to loose much on the way through. Quote
Nicko Posted February 25, 2015 Posted February 25, 2015 Am I missing something? Surely the point of an effects pedal is that it changes the sound when its not bypassed. Quote
ras52 Posted February 25, 2015 Posted February 25, 2015 [quote name='Nicko' timestamp='1424870961' post='2701371'] Am I missing something? Surely the point of an effects pedal is that it changes the sound when its not bypassed. [/quote] I bought an EBS MultiComp for exactly that reason! Quote
Nicko Posted February 25, 2015 Posted February 25, 2015 [quote name='ras52' timestamp='1424871043' post='2701373'] I bought an EBS MultiComp for exactly that reason! [/quote] Me too Quote
juliusmonk Posted February 25, 2015 Posted February 25, 2015 (edited) The OP means I guess that it alters the basic tone of the bass. A compressor obviously will affect dynamics, but it can be more or less transparent. Another issue is, if the tone is affected, whether you like it or not. I love my EHX Black Finger for guitar for the tone it provides - altering quite significantly the basic tone. Edited February 25, 2015 by juliusmonk Quote
grahamd Posted February 25, 2015 Posted February 25, 2015 Me too, my favourites have been the EBS for its valve sim, and the Diamond, both of which give your tone a really fat boost. As always a good place to read up is the Ovnilabs site Quote
EBS_freak Posted February 25, 2015 Posted February 25, 2015 I still like the EBS Multicomp. Currently rocking the MXR compressor... Doesn't do it for me like the EBS compressor though. Have to say MXR is pretty much all over my pedal board nowadays. Great pedals. Quote
ead Posted February 26, 2015 Posted February 26, 2015 [quote name='Nicko' timestamp='1424870961' post='2701371'] Am I missing something? Surely the point of an effects pedal is that it changes the sound when its not bypassed. [/quote] The reason I prefer 'light touch' compression to alter dymanics more than the sound is that this, to my ears at any rate, works really well with fretless basses. In fact I probably enjoy the light compression more than the ubiquitous chorus pedal. YMMV of course. Quote
mcnach Posted February 26, 2015 Posted February 26, 2015 [quote name='mybass' timestamp='1424860482' post='2701180'] I have an EBS Multicomp pedal that is good but my ears feel it alters the bass sound. Anyone had one of these and changed to something they feel is more 'true'...? [/quote] I have not one but TWO of the things, as I got tired of switching them from the small pedalboard to the big one... and I love that pedal. I generally use the multiband setting. It does change the sound, you're right. But it's a good sound, I find. I don't go for very drastic settings, but I like what it sounds like, it's an "always on" pedal for me and the fact that it changes the tone does not bother me. I only use the board about 50% of the time, so I still play a lot without compression... it still sounds good! But I like the slightly "denser" tone I get with the pedal on, especially when using the Jazz. I have tried a variety of other pedals, and some were much more transparent. The BBE Optocomp jumps to mind. It was very transparent, and it thickened the sound wonderfully, but I still preferred the EBS. Quote
mcnach Posted February 26, 2015 Posted February 26, 2015 [quote name='Nicko' timestamp='1424870961' post='2701371'] Am I missing something? Surely the point of an effects pedal is that it changes the sound when its not bypassed. [/quote] well, some people just want a compressor to compress the signal. Some compressors do just that. Some seem to have an inherent tone that they impart on top of the compression. The EBS does that. I don't mind it, because I like what it sounds like. But others do mind that. Simples. Quote
Coilte Posted February 26, 2015 Posted February 26, 2015 [quote name='juliusmonk' timestamp='1424870148' post='2701349'] Now I am happy with my Carl Martin Opto-compressor, it slightly alters the tone but for the better. It is cheap as well. [/quote] An interesting thread. I am not a pedals guy at all, but was considering buying a compressor, as much out of curiosity as anything else. I have my eye on a Carl Martin Opto. According to the "Ovnilab" review it is one of the best in it's price range. Quote
mybass Posted February 26, 2015 Author Posted February 26, 2015 Thanks everyone, a mix of interesting opinions. Quote
chriswareham Posted February 26, 2015 Posted February 26, 2015 I use a Demeter Compulator compressor pedal and only notice what it does when I turn it off, so I guess that means it's quite "transparent". Quote
blue Posted February 26, 2015 Posted February 26, 2015 [quote name='mcnach' timestamp='1424981420' post='2702645'] I have not one but TWO of the things, as I got tired of switching them from the small pedalboard to the big one... and I love that pedal. I generally use the multiband setting. It does change the sound, you're right. But it's a good sound, I find. I don't go for very drastic settings, but I like what it sounds like, it's an "always on" pedal for me and the fact that it changes the tone does not bother me. I only use the board about 50% of the time, so I still play a lot without compression... it still sounds good! But I like the slightly "denser" tone I get with the pedal on, especially when using the Jazz. I have tried a variety of other pedals, and some were much more transparent. The BBE Optocomp jumps to mind. It was very transparent, and it thickened the sound wonderfully, but I still preferred the EBS. [/quote] I have used mine since 2009. It's the first pedal I punch at gigs and I keep in on all night. I keep both dials set around 8:00. Evens out my sound. I have never regretted the investment. Blue Quote
Lozz196 Posted February 27, 2015 Posted February 27, 2015 It`s funny, given that compression is probably used on many, if not all bass tracks, that virtually all of the bassists in the named I bands I play with don`t use any compression at all live - unless there`s compression on the FOH. And they all sound fantastic. For them it`s just bass/lead/amp. Apart from tuners I`m yet to see any pedals at all. Now admittedly the scene I`m on, punk, is not known for its finesse, but given how compression is so widely used on bass in recording, I was a tad surprised to see no-one ever using it live. Quote
mcnach Posted February 27, 2015 Posted February 27, 2015 [quote name='Lozz196' timestamp='1425024484' post='2702952'] It`s funny, given that compression is probably used on many, if not all bass tracks, that virtually all of the bassists in the named I bands I play with don`t use any compression at all live - unless there`s compression on the FOH. And they all sound fantastic. For them it`s just bass/lead/amp. Apart from tuners I`m yet to see any pedals at all. Now admittedly the scene I`m on, punk, is not known for its finesse, but given how compression is so widely used on bass in recording, I was a tad surprised to see no-one ever using it live. [/quote] I think it's probably used to a very subtle extent by most, and probably only really noticed onstage by the player. Remember the recent thread about the sound of bass at gigs from the audience's perspective? Not exactly the best aural experience. A player could use a Jazz bass or a Stingray and the final result, from the audience's perspective, is not going to be hugely different... but it is a BIG difference for the player... When I play, if I like what I hear it encourages me and makes me enjoy it more, and in turn I play just a little better... The compressor on my pedalboard probably has the same effect. Like I said, I play about 50% with an EBS multicomp, 50% without it... It's not that big of an effect at the end of the day! (It shouldn't really be, right? we're talking icing on the cake, really) Quote
mybass Posted February 27, 2015 Author Posted February 27, 2015 [quote name='mcnach' timestamp='1425038069' post='2703217'] I think it's probably used to a very subtle extent by most, and probably only really noticed onstage by the player. Remember the recent thread about the sound of bass at gigs from the audience's perspective? Not exactly the best aural experience. A player could use a Jazz bass or a Stingray and the final result, from the audience's perspective, is not going to be hugely different... but it is a BIG difference for the player... When I play, if I like what I hear it encourages me and makes me enjoy it more, and in turn I play just a little better... The compressor on my pedalboard probably has the same effect. Like I said, I play about 50% with an EBS multicomp, 50% without it... It's not that big of an effect at the end of the day! (It shouldn't really be, right? we're talking icing on the cake, really) [/quote] I've used it mostly to cut through for a solo here and there, help it cut through the band volume. Quote
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