Compressor/sustain Pedal

[piebaldpython]

Any of you out there use a compression/sustain pedal? Like the Digitech Main Squeeze?? What are your thoughts on those type pedals; pros and cons??? Thanks

[Robert]

I used to like compressor pedals, but I don't any more. I find they destroy the fine dynamics from my amp, and of course - their purpose is to even out the attack. I want the opposite. A dynamic sound, where I hit the strings hard, it's loud. I hit them soft, I get low volume.

For certain styles such as country picking, a compressor often works well, but for blues, rock and anything in that realm, I find compressors really works the opposite from what I want out of my gear.

[Blaze]

Country guys use it a lot ,can be good for recording to make your level stable or add sustain for big fat chords ..It s mostly noisy ,i personnaly prefer natural pedal on pedal or amp compression

I found compressor kills the playin dynamic..

[tunghaichuan]

I like to put a compressor in front of an OD to smooth it out. One of the best lead sounds I ever got was a Boss CS-3 in front of a vintage TS-808 Tube Screamer.

Right now I have a Boss CS-3 and a DOD Milk Box. The DOD is more subtle; there is only a slight effect when engaged. The CS-3 has a more pronounced "squash" effect. I also have an older DOD compressor coming from Robert. I can't wait to try that one out. :AOK:

Like Robert and Blazes said, they are good for some things, but squash your dynamic range so keep that in mind if you get one.

tung

[Spudman]

I like to put a compressor in front of an OD to smooth it out. One of the best lead sounds I ever got was a Boss CS-3 in front of a vintage TS-808 Tube Screamer.


A good comp in front of a Tube Screamer is a magical thing. I did it for years too with a Dyna Comp and a TS9 and loved it. I now have my main scene on my M13 set up the same way so that I can run a comp before the Screamer.

A comp by itself also has some uses. It's not a necessity but still a good addition especially if you will be playing out. Compressors + tube amphs at gig volume = some fun playing.

[duhvoodooman]

As primarily a classic rock & blues player, I don't use a compressor all that often either. But I recently did a BYOC 5-knob compressor for fellow Fretter Andy, who seems to like it a lot. Maybe he'll check in with a couple of comments....

[oldguy]

Never met one I liked.

[guitartango]

I use a Behringer compressor/substainer for £18 it's great. With a little more substain i can make the Blues Jnr sing.

Mike

[Andy]

Compressors are great in moderation , it can sweeten the sound and add sustain. If it's killing the tone or dynamics it's being overused and at that point it's working as a limiter.
annother problem with overcompressing is that it will raise the noise level.

I agree with the others,For widely dynamic blues style playing it's not a big necessity.

For agressive playing styles like fast country picking, rock/ metal and lead work it's helpfull to level out the dynamics to a certain degree.It also helps at higher gain to keep certain notes/harmonics from jumping out or dissapearing.
(it also helps the live sound engineer out by reducing the need to constantly ride your channel level) It's also popular with Funk style guitar

I like it best in the lead boost circuit, or as a lead boost it's self.
As a lead boost typically the goal is to punch thru the mix and stay there. The compresor will do a great job of that , especially before an OD pedal without drastically changing the tone.(and add that singing sustain at a lower volume)

moderation is the key, it's easy to go overboard with compression.

I find the 5 knob to be infinatly adjustable , and very,very quiet, even when it's maxed out it's amazingly quiet.
I would compare it to a studio quality rack unit costing much more.
It's hard to tell it's there yet it makes quite a difference.

An almost essential use for compression is vocals, bass and acoustic guitar
I would guess that atleast 90% of all recordings have some form of compression on (atleast) those instruments.

I think it's important to use a good quality compressor,unlike some effects, theres no room for cheap with compression. I have a berringer and it's is basically a noise box.It's not for everyone and does require some tweaking to find the sweet spot.

hope that helps a bit

[birv2]

I just got a Rocktron Big Crush and am playing with the possibilities. I play mostly blues, but I'm not sure I agree that it's not appropriate for blues, as others have said above. It lends a real nice chimey sustain to my rig (JV strat through a Pro Jr). However, I'll have to use it more to make a final judgment.

I heard someone say that compression is a bit like salt in a recipe. If you use too much, it's very noticeable in a bad way. But if you use the right amount, you don't notice the salt, just that the food tastes good. It's a nice analogy.

As always, YMMV.