Anyone play with compression on most/all of the time?

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Anyone play with compression on most/all of the time?

Post by stevejamsecono » Thu Sep 24, 2015 11:40 am

I had an MXR Custom Comp for awhile, but it ended up going away because it was just another thing to click on and off. Recently played a show with a friend's band and saw that she left hers on the whole time, and used her drive and fuzz pedals to go up and down with the volume. By and large, her tone was great and very "consistent", which I'm sure the comp helped with (although she's a very accurate picker as well.)

I've wanted to get another one (Ross/MXR style), and I've considered this way of doing it as opposed to bringing it on and off over the course of the set. Does anyone else use their compressor this way, and if so, do you use a volume pedal in the chain to deal with it, or can you still use your volume knobs on the guitar?
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Re: Anyone play with compression on most/all of the time?

Post by 017493816 » Thu Sep 24, 2015 11:45 am

I use the Fairfield accountant, it just makes everything sound better, and better balanced.

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Re: Anyone play with compression on most/all of the time?

Post by Shadoweclipse13 » Thu Sep 24, 2015 12:31 pm

I haven't experimented with volume drops/boosts with mine a whole lot (I haven't had it that long), but I generally tend to use mine with a clean piece or a lot of single notes/arpeggiations for a bit of extra umph with the single notes. Mine has a compress level AND a volume level, and I do know other players who use it as a volume boost as well. I haven't tried it with gains, but I bet with the right compression that could sound really good.

I'd say that if you're looking to adjust volume/boost or drop, you could use either the compressor or your gains (compressor on and off for a part that you have the gain on the whole time and vice versa).

Here's something I always thought was pretty handy (Bjorn always has a neat perspective as far as I'm concerned):
http://www.gilmourish.com/?p=276
Last edited by Shadoweclipse13 on Thu Sep 24, 2015 2:41 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Anyone play with compression on most/all of the time?

Post by brucer » Thu Sep 24, 2015 12:36 pm

Altar wrote:I use the Fairfield accountant, it just makes everything sound better, and better balanced.
+1. I leave my Accountant on all the time - and use a fuzz, overdrive or boost like your friend - unless I want more of an "acoustic feel" for a specific song. It really leaves the sound of the amp and guitar intact while evening out the peaks and valleys through compression. YMMV.
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Re: Anyone play with compression on most/all of the time?

Post by mackerelmint » Thu Sep 24, 2015 2:24 pm

Right here. I have a cheap joyo, which does the always on thing pretty well. I'd like to get something else that's more versatile, though. An accountant is at the top of my list.
This is an excellent rectangle

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Re: Anyone play with compression on most/all of the time?

Post by lemat » Thu Sep 24, 2015 4:32 pm

Thanks for hipping me to the accountant.

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Re: Anyone play with compression on most/all of the time?

Post by Shadoweclipse13 » Thu Sep 24, 2015 4:43 pm

lemat wrote:Thanks for hipping me to the accountant.
The Accountant was right at the top of my compressor list before I found mine, but I still might pick one up myself as I've heard they're also REALLY good with bass as well. Apparently, having trouble finding a compressor that works with bass is a big issue (I haven't used one with bass before).
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Re: Anyone play with compression on most/all of the time?

Post by 017493816 » Thu Sep 24, 2015 5:11 pm

Oh man, do they work with bass. Ahhhh I love it.

Have thought about grabbing a second for squishy slide compression.

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Re: Anyone play with compression on most/all of the time?

Post by Shadoweclipse13 » Thu Sep 24, 2015 5:21 pm

Altar wrote:Oh man, do they work with bass. Ahhhh I love it.

Have thought about grabbing a second for squishy slide compression.
Great to know! After all the time deciding, hunting (not to mention the money) on my main board, I want to KNOW what I want for a bass board and I want it to be SMALL. Haha. Like really small.

Also, squishy slide compression like for a slide guitar? Or is that some technique I have no idea about? :D
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Re: Anyone play with compression on most/all of the time?

Post by 017493816 » Thu Sep 24, 2015 5:24 pm

Yeah, for when the slide comes out. :D

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Re: Anyone play with compression on most/all of the time?

Post by Shadoweclipse13 » Thu Sep 24, 2015 5:42 pm

Altar wrote:Yeah, for when the slide comes out.
I dig it! I've been wanting a slide guitar for awhile now, and I was considering making a separate board for it, but why not have your regular guitar and slide guitar on an A/B pedal (two inputs and one output to your board and amp), so you could just switch between the two instruments using the same board?
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Re: Anyone play with compression on most/all of the time?

Post by soggy mittens » Thu Sep 24, 2015 5:49 pm

I use an xotic SP, parallel comp that (70% effect) is always on and don't really use my volume knob. I like the slight plucky/percussive edge to dirt that it gives me, good for delay and reverb decay as well. Dynamics? I use three dirt pedals, all is good.
Had a look at the accountant, meh, unless it is cheap then maybe. :whistle:
If OSG has tort me anything...

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Re: Anyone play with compression on most/all of the time?

Post by 017493816 » Thu Sep 24, 2015 5:53 pm

Shadoweclipse13 wrote:
Altar wrote:Yeah, for when the slide comes out.
I dig it! I've been wanting a slide guitar for awhile now, and I was considering making a separate board for it, but why not have your regular guitar and slide guitar on an A/B pedal (two inputs and one output to your board and amp), so you could just switch between the two instruments using the same board?
That'd be really cool. I just use slide on the electric, but have wanted a real slide steel for a while... Ugh. Too much gear

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Re: Anyone play with compression on most/all of the time?

Post by Unicorn Warrior » Thu Sep 24, 2015 6:49 pm

+1 on the xotic SP. I've found that I only like to use it with single coils though. Doesn't seem as inspiring when I use my Gretsch. But when I play with single coils, yes, I usually have it on all of the time.

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Re: Anyone play with compression on most/all of the time?

Post by stevejamsecono » Thu Sep 24, 2015 6:50 pm

Sounds like I'm going to have to give things a go. I'm keeping an eye out for a cheap Dyna Comp to try this out on, as a lot of my favorites used it. Onward from there if it becomes a part of the "thing".

Thanks everyone :)
And you find out life isn't like that
It's so hard to understand
Why the world is your oyster but your future's a clam

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