Compression = Sustain?

[Big_Rob]

The other day I was at Sam Ash with a friend of mine that wants to learn how to play.

I was showing off with pedals and found a pretty good combination of Boss pedals. They were the Boss Blues Driver and the Boss Compression/Sustainer CS-3.

The sound was OFF THE CHAIN!!!

Anyhow, I think my Bad Monkey is a better "blues driver" than the boss so Ive got that aspect covered.

Now heres my quandary, Ive got a compression setting on my Behringer GMX 210.

What if any is the difference between a regular compressor and the boss CS-3? I can hear the sound being compressed by my amp but it doesn't produce the same kind of sustain as the boss pedal.

I can play with the variables on the amp and there is a fast and slow compression rate. It would be greatly appreciated if someone could explain the difference between fast and slow compression.

[Spudman***]

Compression explanations can get pretty lengthy.

Lets just say that you have one gallon of water. You pour it into a funnel and the size of the opening determines how long the water will last before it all runs out. That to me is compression.

Instead of getting a whole gallon (note) of H2O all at once, the funnel (compressor) will meter it out at a determinable rate. That gallon (note) can take a long time (sustain) or with a larger opening a short time (level compression).

Most compression can be set as to when it will kick in. You can use it to limit the output level of your signal as well as how much of the signal you are going to squeeze. The 'release' lets you set how fast the signal comes out and how much squeeze you hear.

I hope that is helpful. It's difficult for me to explain.

[Big_Rob]

You did a fine job of explaining it to me. Thanks bunches!

[Lev]

Nice explanation Spud, I've always wondered how they work too.