Author Topic: Compressor Survey (Read 396 times)

sricabla · « **on:** June 06, 2003, 09:44:04 PM »

I'm looking for a compressor for my bass rig.
Alembic F2B,Stewart 1.2, Lexicon MPX 200 and a compressor which is to be determined. Which ones should I try out?

thebass · « **Reply #1 on:** June 08, 2003, 02:43:34 PM »

I tried the dbx 266xl 1st which has a nice sound but a little bit too noisy for me. I sold it and bought a T.C. Triple C (mono) which I like for the sound, especially the multiband compression modes. The user modes are nice features to tweak weird settings at home and to restore them at one button press. It can store 50 user settings which you can assign unique names to. Just make sure the unit gets an input level of not less than 0dB (Preamp required).

valvil · « **Reply #2 on:** June 10, 2003, 01:18:46 PM »

I agree with thebass about the DBX 266, I had one but sold it because of the noise. The Tc Electronics Triple C is nice, and I'd also recommend the dbx 160A( single channel) and dbx 1066 or 166 (both dual channel) which sound very good and are fairly quiet.

Valentino

sricabla · « **Reply #3 on:** June 10, 2003, 07:49:13 PM »

I've been considering the RNC compressor. I've read nothing but good reviews about it.1/2 rack space 200 bucks and a very transparent sound. I will try to find one to try out. If anyone has one
could you share your comments with me.

Thanks

jazzyvee · « **Reply #4 on:** July 10, 2003, 05:11:38 PM »

I recently got myself a Behringer Autocom Pro-XL MDX1600 compressor. Which claims to be Interactive Reference Class, 2 Channel/ Expander/Gate/Compressor/Peak Limiter/ with integrated dynamic enhancer, De-esser and low contour filter. I spent a lot of time setting the unit so that I could get the amount of compression that I wanted without the bass sounding squashed. More as a limiter in fact.

I used it for the first time on a Jazz,Funk, Rnb gig at a club last night and had no problems with it at all.

It's an extremely quiet unit and to my ears didn't seem reduce the sound quality I get from my bass although I did notice some quiet sizzle noise just as the sound was just about to die. That was when the unit was switched to Limiter mode only, but to be honest this was when standing with my ear about a couple of inches from the cab.
If you can find one I recommend trying it and it only cost ?90 GBP
Jazzyvee

rockandroller · « **Reply #5 on:** July 11, 2003, 07:47:48 AM »

Im very happy with the ART tube levelar, but they make some other models which are probably better suited to live use

www.artroch.com

David Houck · « **Reply #6 on:** July 11, 2003, 03:45:01 PM »

I've got a question. When I was using my Eden head, it had built in compression which worked fine for me. But now that I'm using an F-1X, I need a compressor. I have an old Ashly SC-50 compressor which works fine when I put it between the F-1X and the power amp. However, it occurs to me that when I run a direct out from the F-1X to the PA (or for recording) the signal will not have the benefit of the compressor. When I tried running the compressor in the effects loop it did not seem to have any effect. Reading the F-1X operating guide, it says that the effects loop is buffered and low level; so I'm assuming that's why it appeared to have no effect. Is my assumption correct? Is anyone running a compressor in the effects loop of the F-1X?

Dave

cntrabssn · « **Reply #7 on:** July 11, 2003, 05:38:33 PM »

Dave,

I'm not real familiar with the Ashly, but I'll take a stab at this...

The F-1X effects loop is unity gain, so the signal level from your bass doesn't change when it hits the loop. Since there's no gain in the loop, it tends to work better with low level devices such as effects pedals. Buffering refers to the fact that the loop prevents the effects from loading the bass' signal. The signal level in the loop will be less that that at the main output. I'm hoping that the loop's send and return impedances will work OK with the SC-50.

I'd suggest lowering the input threshold on the SC-50 to get it to work better with your input level. You may need to turn your bass up a bit as well. I guess you'll know the compressor is working when the gain reduction LEDs start flashing. If you can't get the threshold low enough, I guess you'll have to go back to using it after the F-1X.

I hope this helps,

- nate.

bigredbass · « **Reply #8 on:** July 14, 2003, 06:47:50 AM »

sricabla:

A great compressor for not much money is the ubiquitous BOSS CS3. Of course a pedal is a different layout than rack, but they're cheap, quiet, very versatile, and you can always sell it to your guitar player when you find the right rack gear !

I've always had a soft spot for BOSS pedals.

J o e y

David Houck · « **Reply #9 on:** July 18, 2003, 06:53:35 AM »

Nate; I finally got around to trying your suggestion. I have the input gain set at a little above +30db. It seems to be working ok there so I'm going to leave it and see how it does at the next gig.