acidbass Posted June 19, 2020 Share Posted June 19, 2020 Hey all Simple really - do you use a compressor for your live gigs, either in pedal format or as part of a preamp on an amplifier etc? I get the theory behind it but I’ve never felt I needed one. Looking forward to your responses Danny Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grandad Posted June 19, 2020 Share Posted June 19, 2020 Yes, always on - TCE BH250 with Spectracomp only at about 9 oclock to just give that extra bit of fullness to the sound. Sort of thickens it up. Now there's a metaphor - thin gravy, nice but better when you add a bit of cornflour to thicken it up. Perhaps not. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stewblack Posted June 19, 2020 Share Posted June 19, 2020 1 minute ago, grandad said: Yes, always on - TCE BH250 with Spectracomp only at about 9 oclock to just give that extra bit of fullness to the sound. Sort of thickens it up. Now there's a metaphor - thin gravy, nice but better when you add a bit of cornflour to thicken it up. Perhaps not. Yes - great metaphor. Uncompressed sound being where you don't mix the cornflour and end up with some water thin parts and some great blobs of thick stuff. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fretmeister Posted June 19, 2020 Share Posted June 19, 2020 Yes. But also many FOH guys are compressing the bass in the PA whether the player likes it or not. A good mix needs it IMHO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stewblack Posted June 19, 2020 Share Posted June 19, 2020 20 minutes ago, acidbass said: Hey all Simple really - do you use a compressor for your live gigs, either in pedal format or as part of a preamp on an amplifier etc? I get the theory behind it but I’ve never felt I needed one. Looking forward to your responses Danny I do now. I didn't for years because I thought it killed the dynamics in my playing. Loosely translated to bad compressor, badly used. The more sensitive you are to the nuances of how you play, the more you notice the effect of a compressor. The more you care about the way you sit in the mix of all the other instruments, the more you notice the effect of a compressor. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ezbass Posted June 19, 2020 Share Posted June 19, 2020 Not at the moment, but as soon as I get my MXR M87, I'm gonna (assuming I ever gig again that is). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikebass456 Posted June 19, 2020 Share Posted June 19, 2020 (edited) Being in a British punk covers band (and in my mid 50's), I was starting to get hand and arm cramps during gigs as I play finger style. the revelation came last year when I put a compressor into my board, which meant i didn't need to play so hard to get the same volume/tone (not much dynamics needed in my playing). Hey presto, I can play faster lines a lot better now, without the aching arm and hand.....works for me! Edited June 19, 2020 by mikebass456 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mep Posted June 19, 2020 Share Posted June 19, 2020 (edited) Always on. With my Ashdown RM500 evo 2 and my previous TC Classic 450 Spectracomp Edited June 19, 2020 by mep Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jazzyvee Posted June 19, 2020 Share Posted June 19, 2020 I don't because the one's I tried seemed to take so much away from the natural sound of my bass and I can hear them working so I leave that to the FOH who know more than I do how to set them up propertly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulWarning Posted June 19, 2020 Share Posted June 19, 2020 I answered no, but I do use a bit of overdrive all the time, which, I believe, acts as a sort of compressor 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul_5 Posted June 19, 2020 Share Posted June 19, 2020 7 minutes ago, PaulWarning said: I answered no, but I do use a bit of overdrive all the time, which, I believe, acts as a sort of compressor Me too. I’ve got a compressor on my board, but it’s just there to compensate for changes in signal level when changing pickups/basses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted June 19, 2020 Share Posted June 19, 2020 5 hours ago, stewblack said: Yes - great metaphor. Uncompressed sound being where you don't mix the cornflour and end up with some water thin parts and some great blobs of thick stuff. . . . . . . . . but if you mix cornflour properly you don't get lumpy bits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stewblack Posted June 19, 2020 Share Posted June 19, 2020 1 minute ago, chris_b said: . . . . . . . . but if you mix cornflour properly you don't get lumpy bits. precisely the point I made. Nice when we agree occasionally Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted June 19, 2020 Share Posted June 19, 2020 5 minutes ago, stewblack said: . . . . . . . Nice when we agree occasionally Chris I've never found a use for a compressor, so I'm not sure we are agreeing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonse Posted June 19, 2020 Share Posted June 19, 2020 Yes: Diamond always-on. Tend to get a bit heavy handed when playing live and it just smooths everything out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cuzzie Posted June 20, 2020 Share Posted June 20, 2020 If I use more than 1 how many times am I allowed to vote? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cuzzie Posted June 20, 2020 Share Posted June 20, 2020 @chris_b & @stewblack we can do the Sunday Lunch test. I’ll bring the meat and 2 veg, you guys bring the gravy, we’ll see which is best Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stewblack Posted June 20, 2020 Share Posted June 20, 2020 8 hours ago, chris_b said: I've never found a use for a compressor, so I'm not sure we are agreeing. Ah, just misreading my post. Ah well, one say we'll find something we do agree on. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted June 20, 2020 Share Posted June 20, 2020 13 hours ago, PaulWarning said: I answered no, but I do use a bit of overdrive all the time, which, I believe, acts as a sort of compressor Same for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Krow Posted June 20, 2020 Share Posted June 20, 2020 @acidbass in case it's of interest, I ran a similar poll on TB a couple of years back, with nearly 700 responses: https://www.talkbass.com/threads/do-you-use-a-compressor-the-2018-poll.1347040/ I think the final split was broadly in line with what we're already starting to see on your poll. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
walshy Posted June 20, 2020 Share Posted June 20, 2020 Yep, always on and the difference is huge to be. Who doesn't love a Cali 76 🤘 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thisisswanbon Posted June 20, 2020 Share Posted June 20, 2020 It's a no from me... compression is something I've always wanted to use, but I've always been afraid of it taking away from my tone 😬 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
javi_bassist Posted June 21, 2020 Share Posted June 21, 2020 JHS Pulp N Peel always on. Not too much, just a little bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimfist Posted June 21, 2020 Share Posted June 21, 2020 Waiting to hear from the " I don't use a compressor and never will, and because I don't use one, you shouldn't need to either, unless you have lousy technique, and so I'm better than you" crowd. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ezbass Posted June 21, 2020 Share Posted June 21, 2020 My MXR M87 arrived today. I’ve put it through it’s paces with a few basses, with both headphones and small amp (I’m at home and there are limits). It’s interesting to see the difference in output of two basses that, to my ears, sounded the same level (the VU is super useful). The M87 sorted out the levels of all three, even bringing a particularly hot, active piezo under control without killing the natural sound and needing to use the active pad on the amp. It’s certainly less squashy than the limiter circuit on the amp (although it can be if you want). I’m impressed and this will now be on all the time. Voted. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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