Professional audio engineer here. Compression simply decreases dynamic range (distance between loudest sound and quietest sound) it is a very important tool in mixing as it allows you to make those quiet sounds audible in the mix and the loud sounds not too overwhelming as well as adding "glue" to your the mix so everything sits tight and together. Awesome video keep up the good work!
Great explanation. Another example that helped me understand it is if you imagine someone talking into a stationary microphone, but they keep randomly moving their head closer and farther away from the mic. Compression would be like holding their head still so you can hear them at a much more even volume. I also like the idea that it lets you turn the whole signal level up without worrying about the loud parts being TOO loud. Fun stuff - thanks for your explanation!
Roll that blend all the way up, turn sustain all the way up and attack all the way up. You will then hear what a compressor is doing. You won’t hear drastic changes with the blend knob at noon because you’re using parallel compression, much like you would in a studio. I have a few videos on my channel explaining compression pedals if anyone is interested in learning the ins and outs of them.
The best explanation of compression I've heard is, say you're listening to a Mariah Carey song in your car and it gets to the part of the song where she's belting out high notes, you don't have to turn the volume on the radio down, the compression automatically does it. Then when she goes back to singing at a normal level, you don't have to turn the volume up because the compression takes care of it.
Well explained . I’ll be stealing this , I usually draw out the typical wavelength and draw a line through the middle to visually show it but I like this better haha
@@Guitargate if they have separate tracksfor different vocal parts, yes. They can adjust the level of the tracks independently. That’s what I been taught, at least. If anyone knows better, please feel free to correct me. Cheers, Michael. BTW, left you a react suggestion in a standalone comment.
The song is mixed the way it's mixed on purpose though. They could easily add comp to Mariah's vox in post. For me I've found comp most useful either for emphasizing the lows in chords and giving them a fuller sound, or when playing in a lower tuning like C with a drop pedal and getting a more consistent dynamic spread across the strings.
if cory wong sends you a compression pedal, you have to use a compression pedal. also i think compression pedals get really fun when using single coil pick ups, since humbuckers naturally compress a bit.
Thanks sir! Sweetwater's exclusive, the Omni reverb, was designed to be a simple, set & forget reverb. The Hydra allows you to do a ton of 'verb sounds and trem sounds at the same time. I love the way the Wong Compressor sounds, looks and the features. Great job Brian and Cory!
Captain Palmisano, brohemian rhapsody, I am here to help. Compression is my all time favorite "effect" (except for MAYBE an actual Leslie), for the following reasons: clean sustain and percussive clarity. The whole studio functionality is different; THAT'S where compression is all about leveling volume peaks and valleys. But when applied to guitar, it brings sustain, clarity and control that rivals keyboard/synth player assets; attack decay release sustain. Compression makes everything better to my ears. Mr. Wong capitalizes on this toolkit regularly and it gives him that simultaneous speed and clarity in rhythm playing that he is FAMOUS for!
Hey. Great video. I was the same with compression. However, now I use it for sustain and to help me with my terrible legato technique. Makes my quiet notes sound on par with the louder ones.
Back in the day I used compression on my microphone when Shooting skip around the world with my 10 meter radio it would help me maintain a flatter wave and I was heard over all the other knuckleheads trying to talk to 454 Big Kahuna in Hawaii. By The same token it can flatten the wave in an auditorium so the guy in the nose bleeds gets the same ear candy for his buck fifty as Biff does on the sofa in the loge. For that reason its a gift to the audience and I like that. Peace Brother Someone's going to have some fun with that pedal especially If you sign it with a sharpy. I know Id appreciate that.
Seriously. Let me know if you'd like this pedal and what you'd use it for! I'll pick one of you to send it to this week! ALSO - here's a link to Cory's video about the pedal: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-yhnQD6agAjo.html And here's a great one by Zane Banks about how to use a compressor: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-sSDWW73jvo4.html
Hello sir. I have only been playing for a few years and I am working to find my sonic voice. I would love the compression…not only because Cory is one of my heros, but also because I am working to find a warm and fat sound. I lean towards playing jazz guitar (attempting) and a compression pedal would be a big part of that. I would be infinitely grateful 🙏. Thank you for your consideration.
Can’t believe Paul (RS) hasn’t sent you a Mary Cries pedal. Great compression pedal that thickens the tone (best as I can describe it). It’s an “always on” in my signal chain.
Compressors can make muted strings sound more percussive and that's why it's so popular among funk players. Knowing how picky Cory is about his pedals I'm pretty sure this is killer. Unfortunately these won't be sold in Ukraine any time soon, so I'll have to wait to get one. And yeah, saving some room having a 2 in 1 pedal is also a very nice addition
Compression allows you to place something in the track and not get lost in the quieter parts. Also, not overshoot 0 dB in the loud parts. Therefore, you can increase the overall average level in the track. There is definitely a place for dynamics, and it is important to keep that in mind.
On a recording track I can understand that. But not on guitar for me. Cause I use hard picking and especially softer playing. And compression messes with me. I even got a used Boss CS-1 with some crazy mods on it. And a stock 1. But just not a pedal for me. And I do have a board.
@Michael Palmisano As someone who keeps a compressor always on, I believe that the blend knob is essential. I use a Wampler Ego mini (stripped down version of what Cory’s signature pedal is based on). I keep the blend knob at 9 o’clock just to take care of the extreme highs and lows but still get the harmonic richness of my pickups. Fast attack and sustain around 3 o’clock makes a huge difference for distorted and overdriven tones too. I played guitar for 16 years before going deep into pedals and picked up a compressor because of my love for Gilmour, then the Ego mini has been the only pedal that’s stayed on my board for the past 5 years.
I play an MT 15 and it is one of the best clean and dirty amps ever in my book. Great fender cleans and just crushes. Regardless of being a signature amp it sounds great.
Hey Michael, I would like your pedal. I currently have a fully analog tube powered compression pedal. I bought it because it's weird, and I love it. I just would like to preserve it. OK HERE'S THE RATIONAL USE: If I'm taking a solo, a moderate amount of compression still allows me to keep some dynamics but without losing the quiet notes. The boost would raise the roof and the floor, not squashing it completely. HERE'S THE REALLY FUN USE: Most if not all people would tell you that you have to run through compression first and then overdrive, so that it doesn't compress away the unique tone of the OD. It's considered a cardinal sin by many to run the drive first. Here's why all of them are wrong. If I get my volume knob and drive pedal dialed in just right, I can effect the amount of distortion that the drive pedal causes. If I throw compression on AFTER overdrive, i can still control how much distortion there is based on how hard I play, but AT A CONSISTENT VOLUME. It's beautiful. Like changing between a fat clean boost and a fatter squashed lead tone just with the touch of a pick.
@Michael Palmisano I am still learning the uses for the compressor myself but some of the uses I have found is: 1) consistency in sound, when jumping from amp to amp or channel to channel it helps blend the tone a bit better. 2) attack and release: especially in funk chops/strumming it helps accentuate some of those percussive chops so they tonally blend a bit more with the notes your actually fretting. I have also noticed this with hybrid/chicken picking in that it helps balance the tone of the finger-picked notes against the guitar-picked notes, especially when the tempo really gets cooking 3) single note sustain...especially with clean tones, the notes tend to decay quicker than with ovedriven sounds so the compressor helps balance out the note when the decay happens and gives you some pretty sweet clean tone for days. 4) Not too mention it makes a great clean boost. GuitarGate lifer and huge Cory Wong fan so if you need a place to send that pedal, I can happily find a home for it as I work through your courses and report back all the other fun ways I learn how a compressor can be used 😉
I bought a compression pedal 20 years ago and I call it the “ nothing” pedal …..I do like your prior video on equalizer!! It does add gain and improves the tone for me
DUDE! it is nuts how great a sound you're getting from your garage. More reviews here would be sweet!. Solid review on that compression pedal and just compression in general for folks like me who don't use it but have tried it. Looking forward to your review of the Hydra.
The fun part of a compressor is sometimes in using softer touch. That’s why a lot of bassists or country players use it. By leveling out the volume level. The soft touches gain more dynamics. Slamming it squashes tone but feeding it tiny signals lead to cool details. Kinda like whispering into a highly sensitive mic. Try it out especially with modulation pedals after it. I’d use it to start my bass rig.
This is for bass application. I put pre amp pedal - Compressor pedal - what ever els pedals then compressor pedal at end of chain. And yes I use 2 compressors on my bass rig.
So distortion IS essentially a form of compression. The more distorted, the more compressed. Where compression pedals come in handy is when you have a clean tone and want to tuck into a mix while playing something with transient attacks (e.g. syncopated funk rhythms).
I use a Keeley Comp Plus with all knobs at noon and the humbucker setting engaged, I never turn it off. I play a 92 PRS Custom 24 with various amps, depending on the size of the venue. 😉🎸
I never used compression on guitar until I started playing guitar with a band. Not having compression can ruin an otherwise perfectly great live recording because quiet licks get lost behind drums, bass, vocals ,etc. Also, if you're in a small band, (1,2, or 3 piece) compressing guitar adds sustain to longer notes, removes some dead air, making you sound like a larger band.
I believe the effect is more sonically pronounced when playing/holding chords than in single note runs or melodies - comparing to without compression. If you strike a chord and hold without, then do so with engaged you'll notice what I call a "halo" effect such that the strings ring out together instead of each having their own dynamic. The sound is way "fuller" to my ear. I use a Keeley Compressor Plus, which does basic compression and sustain boost, with the option to blend the compressed sound with the dry signal to your liking. Also has specific circuitry for single coil and HB pickups. I think they're great. A much more polished sound.
At least you're honest enough to do it in one take, and just shrug your shoulders not sure of the impact that a compressor has on your guitar. I appreciate that. I was very fortunate, many moons ago in the 1980s to start a recording engineer course. When we graduated from 8 channel demo mixing into the big studio, the big studio had a then new, SSL 4000 series with THAT famous Bus Compressor. Seeing what that did to a whole mix helped me understand a bit about what the compressors are meant to do. Stop the transients (in older days transients could ruin old equipment, cause intolerable distortions upon mastering etc.), tighten the dynamic headroom so it could all fit onto the analog tape's dynamic bandwidth capability & stop boomy instruments from overtaking the mix. In guitar, it's more for the single coil Strat like guitar sound enhancement. I think there's a tuned frequency in the pedals that centres around the mid range, so that area gets the most compression, but the highs and lows get less. Due to my very short experience with the SSL Bus Compressor I LOVE dialling in a 4:1 overall compression across my mixes. Pedals can have adjustable reaction and release capabilities too, which gives a player more feel... Yes, a misused compressor pedal will throttle down an already good tone. Reduce the dynamic range significantly. A good use for a compressor is taking that good tone and just polishing it up a bit and making sure the transient frequencies don't crash the party in the mix. Keeley Compressors get good reviews for guitar pedals. Empress Effects also make good compressor pedals for both guitar and bass. Origin Effects make a good dual compressor pedal in compact pedal format.
I appreciate the video. I've been playing for a little over two years now. Early 40s and don't really know any other musicians. However, I'm hopeful. I've been building my gear piece by piece and could never pull the trigger on a compresser because they are hard to understand. I'd appreciate the gift if your willing. Keep the content coming, it's good stuff. Peace.
Your honesty is refreshing and at least we know you won’t lie to us lol. I would love to have another compression pedal. I had to sell mine a while back to pay for my daughter’s medical bills and haven’t had a chance to get another one yet. Love your videos man!!
Thanks for this video! Compression is a must for ambient volume swells. Love how it brings out the small notes and sustains the notes longer. Love this video and your honesty. Thanks for doing what ya do! I'd love to own Corys pedal!
Simple way to explain compression is the machine that makes every one of the 6 strings sound equal in loudness, in volume. It came from telephone companies who had to compress the varied human tonal pitches sound equally clear on a telephone.
love your garage, the ATV really ties the room together. I use compression in DAW with fabfilter, izotope, but never used it on a physical pedal. great vid as always.
I think you could have discovered a bit more with some knob turning. Initially I used a compressor to try to solve buzzing issues with my rig, but after I solved that issues I enjoyed the vibrance of the streight feed. Compression is still fun, as you demonstrated in combination with other fun effects, before disortion, after.
In simplest terms, compression levels out the volume of each note played. If you have great control of your picking dynamics (regardless of the type of your picking) then you really do NOT need compression. Many players don't have great control over their picking dynamics and so compression helps their (too soft of a string pick) resulting in too low of a volume from Not being heard by giving it a slight boost while also keeping (too much of a hard string pick) from being too high of a volume and overpowering everything else. It is a great tool for players that don't have a good amount of control over their picking dynamics. However, it does sacrifice intentional dynamics that are intended to accent the volume to create a more emotional feeling (soft or loud) of the notes being played. Best used when you are just wanting to stay "even in the mix" and then switched off when you want to breakout (cut through) the mix such as when soloing. There is a lot more "technical" stuff as to what and how it does what it does but the simple explanation above is more of it's best use when playing in the band.
Thanks for the concise and honest feedback on this! I've gone back and forth with compression on my pedal board over the years (currently been OFF the board for a while now) but I love using it in the studio. I would use this pedal in the studio for tracking guitars and bass using the DI feature. Super clever by Cory to include that. Thanks, keep up the good work!
Compression is super subtle. I like to use it when the mix gets complicated. It seems to help the individual notes stand out a little better. If you like lots of crazy harmonics.. .you probably won't like to use it.
I have a very small pedalboard myself, Boss Blues Driver and a Boss OS/2 Overdrive/Distortion as well as a tuner, a looper, and a noise gate. I’ve been able to get a good variety of sounds out of my simple setup and it’s funny and neat to see my music teacher who’s been playing forever being a bit of a foreigner to pedals, lol, to hear some tell it, the pedal and amp settings are where it’s at and the guitar is just an input device, others seem to be able to sound amazing with just the guitar and amp settings.
My personal take on them is that I like how they add sustain (some are even called "sustainer") and the ability to function as a boost, and ,ore sparingly add compression prior to hitting the front of the amp. Compression is also also very useful on some songs, if intending to cover them with sonic integrity, as they really require it when there's spongy compression that's audibly obvious and therefore core to the sound and feel. If you don't think you like a compressor, I would suggest spending more time with one and explore how they respond. It's a misunderstood tool that a lot of people start out thinking they don't like or have a need for -- and then they do. ;-)
Hi Michael! I would LOVE to use this pedal to do a poor Cory Wong impression with my church's band when we have clean guitar sections. I don't have a compressor and have found I often dig in too hard when playing clean to try to get notes to ring out/not die off (like that satisfying sustain you get with gain!). So, I'd like to use the compressor to lift the tail end of clean notes AND give the front end of those bigger hits the same punch that Wong has live!
I don’t know all the minute details of compression, but this is my basic understanding (I have compression unit for recording). If you put yourself in a closed room with floors, walls and ceiling, turn your guitar and amp up to 10 with mics in front of your amp, your recording input will be pegged and it will not sound clear. If you compress the sound, you get the same sound like it was on 10, but you put a lid on the threshold, and you won’t peg your needle. Compression is s Magic recording tool to capture sound instead of losing it. I do not know this to be true, but I believe it is. The most classic sound of a guitar being recorded and captured at max volume with compression (it’s one of the single greatest sounds of all time) is ‘Spirit in the Sky’ by Norman Greenbaum.
compression will help you sit in a full mix, and can control peaks if you set it right. I normally like to use compression on a clean tone since it just gives it more life. great video as always Michael, and I would love to have that pedal!
Compression is something I was recently sold on, however have not yet made the purchase. I have recently noticed that in my electric band, when I am playing softer, the notes get lost in the mix with the rest of the band and the "feeling" is lost. When I borrowed a friends compression pedal, I noticed those softer notes were much louder and the "feeling" was still there, which is what I was looking for. It was something I knew about, but didnt really know I needed. Now that my brain has clued into this, when I play with my acoustic band, I really notice it. I am currently researching the differences between compression pedals and even breaking my thoughts down to, should I have different compression pedals for each rig, electric and acoustic? Appreciate all you do Michael, keep up the great work inspiring beginners as well as those of us who have been playing for a while.
Michael I use it in my live set up as when you’re playing with your band and you want to play something where you want to just back things off in a solo and play softly for a phrase that phrase then doesn’t get lost under everything else because you have the compression set to just keep the floor high enough for all your softer playing to be loud enough to be heard clearly. And I need a new compressor as my bass player has stolen my boss for himself !
I play guitar but never used a compressor. I also do some home recording and thats when I use compressor, to even out the volume of tracks instead of manually or automating the volume. Actually its like automating volume. I also usually put compression of vocals since its the most dynamic in the mix and hard to fix sometimes with EQ. One time I used compression in my multiFX pedal (compression 1st then all other FX in the chain). On studio rehearsal, I heard my guitar loud when solo, on verse and/or refrain of the song but when we are in chorus or play together and loud, my guitar sound mixed in the sound, but not sinked. Its like my pickup coils also picking the studio sound and my compressor kicks everything in so I sounded muted. Next rehearsal I will remove compression and listen to the results.
And after you wrap your head around compression, there are expander pedals that do the opposite, sort of. My way of understanding is that the compressor works like an overdrive, but gets there from the opposite process; instead of adding gain to the signal, it makes the signal bigger by squishing it. You can either use it to get a cranked tube amp effect from a low volume amp, or you can go extreme to use it as an effect I like to use it when trying to play acoustic style rhythm strumming on an electric, or stacked with overdrive to get different sounds. I think it probably works better with a Fender style amp
Already lots of explanations so I'm sure it's already been well-answered but there's essentially two types of use cases, compression as an effect and compression as a tool. Most guitar compression perhaps fall under the category compression as an effect. In a way, it's a form of overdrive. Driving a tube amp hard imparts compression as does every distortion or OD. In guitar pedals, like you saw it can add some nice boost, especially in front of an overdrive. It's also used as a way of increasing sustain, think some of this incredibly long notes Trey sometimes holds, though that's also related to his hollowbodies interacting with the compression pedal, amp compression, and acoustics onstage. The second use as a tool is generally more transparent. In this case, it is used to even out slight inconsistencies in an otherwise great performance, often inherent to the instrument, like the difference in volume often heard between the different strings on a bass. It can also be used as a way to increase intelligibly of a vocal performance or create a more intimate feeling vocal that sounds like the vocals are being sung right in front of you. Similarly it can help improve how a particular instrument sits in the mix and help each instrument stay out of the others, especially when you use multiband compression and side-chaining. Then there's limiters which are essentially compressors with very high gain reduction. I'm sure there is much more to the use of compression but these are the main things that I tend to think of.
Compressors are multi-use tools. You can use them as a noticeable Effect, like extending sustain OR shaping the attack/release of your notes e.g. pumping. You can use them as a transparent level management tool. You can use them to hide inconsistent technique. If you don't like what they do to your sound or the way your sound responds to your touch then Don't use them. Some players Do and others Don't, and that includes Pros.
I'm not going to comment but.... I have used it on my acoustic in the past to bring up my fingerpicking volume to match my strumming level... but I suppose that's more of a boost. ...Shoot.... I left a comment. Great honest ViD!
one reference i always use when guitar friends ask me what a good application of a compressor for live tone is Vince Gill's GUITAR SOLO tone where he plays in "How Great thou art" with Carrie Underwood on vocals.
I would use a compression pedal with single coil pickups to get a better clean tone, and it helps each note you play stand out in the mix, especially when there's lots of instruments
I love it when folks are actually honest in a pedal review! 😂 I use compression all the time I enjoy the piano like qualities it can bring to my guitars especially a tele. Since the WONG compressor has an xlr output I’d love to use it for DI electric 12 string recording. Ala The Birds and what not! Lol
So with compression for me the way I like using it is sort of a mixing tool. Its used with lighter settings so that subtle differences in tone between different chord voicings can be exploited without having to worry about the volume between to low or high. I good example is when I like to switch from barre Chords to open chords between parts of a song and I get the richness of the sound of open but the volume is louder so I have to hold back so I don't drown out other instruments. The compression pedal is then turned off in times where the focus is on the guitar and dynamics are more needed. In a solo setting I'd probabaly use a compression pedal when looping several sounds then turning it off for any solo work or embellishments being done afterwards. I've always been hesistent to get a pedla because I think as I've been learning it can be too much of crutch sorta like overusing distortion. But I'm at a point where I'm recording and playing music and I want to be able to expand my tool set. The only time I nearly cracked and splurged on a compression pedal was when I was experimenting with creating long sustainy sonic signatures kind of like a synth to create an atmosphere. I may revisit that idea in the future. As much as I would love that pedal I'd first hope you find a use for it in your adventures. But if you're definitely gonna give it away I'd definitely make it at home
So good- I love your honesty. Keep rocking with your intuition - it’s your best tone device. - I’ll take it off your hands and use it in a hybrid bass rig - it’s the lower frequencies you have to worry about and compressors tighten that up pretty good.
I shouldn't be commenting because of how little I know about this stuff, (I've legit never even played an electric guitar. . . I need to find a friend with one) but I helped run our church soundboard and basically what I was told is compression evens things out. It was basically a leash and kept everything within the range that we wanted. It makes the quieter louder, and the louder quieter. I have no idea how, soundboards and sound equipment are still dark magic to me. When I ran the sound for church I pressed a few buttons, raised and lowered a few sliders, pressed record on the computer, prayed nothing went wrong, and remained terrified I was going to mess something up!
This is the second video I’ve watched of yours. The first was you playing thru the latest PRS Sonzera, I think that’s how they spell it.🤓 Anyway, you have a new subscriber. I like what I’ve seen thus far and think you have something valuable to RU-vid. I too have wondered about the need and purpose of a compression pedal. I’m still not convinced it’s worth having one. Others will disagree and I get it, that’s fine. It’s good to see someone using an MT15! I’ve got one and really like it. Many seem surprised when I mention how clean it can be.
Michael! I just came back to the hotel from a Bonamassa show in Stockholm. YOU. HAVE. TO. SEE. HIM. LIVE. WHAT A SHOW! Thanks for your videos bud, greatly appreciate all the knowledge 🙏
This video made me laugh, just the sheer honesty! I've never really got what compression is but there are some good comments here so I'm a little wiser. Of course if you're not in the same room then you can never hear all the subtle nuances etc. Perhaps it's one of those things if you never have you never miss, as far as owning a pedal that is. Great video though
My understanding is compression pedals aim to to achieve the feeling of playing a low headroom amp pushed into its sweet spot. If you’re a funk player like Cory who relies on a crystal clear tone, you cannot get that same feeling using a high headroom amp set clean. Plug straight into a twin reverb set at 2 or 3 and you’ll know what I mean. Your tone is crystal clear, but the dynamic range is so dramatic that the sound is “dry” and “spiky.” This is the reason blackface 60s deluxe reverbs go for 3k+ while twins are half that. You can push a deluxe into the sweet spot without it being crushingly loud, and you’re getting the natural tube compression and sag from the amp. With that compression comes overdrive, which compresses the signal by limiting dynamic peaks and raising dynamic floor. This is why it’s easier to play Eruption with drive on than without. All this is to say, a compression pedal is designed to give you a pushed amp feel without having to push the amp super loud or have any amount of overdrive in your signal. If you’re playing Cory Wong funk, you want the sag and responsiveness of a pushed amp without having the overdrive inherent to pushing an amp. Enter compression. Also, If this pedal is based on the Wampler Ego Cory used to use, it has a clean blend knob which is absolutely key to achieving the best of both worlds. Blend the compressed signal with your dry signal the right way, and you get the touch sensitivity and sustain of compression without sacrificing the dynamic range of your dry signal.
I would used it for my church, as a worship guitar player we used a tone of effects and sounds, we have a lot funk like songs with play so I feel that’s the perfect fit for me 👍🏻
The reason I use a compression pedal is so the single note licks and soloing between chords comes out a little brighter. It does squash the dynamics a bit but not a ton and it increases the sustain and balances the color some. Which i realize some people might not like a whole bunch, but it's great for a one guitarist band or songs with riffs and blues licks throughout. I would love to take that pedal of your hands and show it some love!!! Keep on rockin!! 🤘
To know how it works you need to see it through the VU meters on a recording console. The analog dial like a tachometer in a car. It works like a governor that keeps the needle from redlining and distorting the signal. It makes the quite parts louder and the louder parts not so loud its destroying the equipment. Otherwise its a colorless addition to your pedalboard. It helps manage input/output levels.
I have been playing guitar for 13 years now but never bought any pedals yet. I have been looking at getting a compression pedal for my Gilmour-tone but as a student I haven't really gotten around to it. If I would be the chosen one that you send the pedal to, I would NOT complain :)
Ahh man, I'd totally take this fine piece of foot jewelry off your hands.. I play in a sludge metal/soundscapey garage band and was thinking of adding a comp to my rig for clean gilmour-esque sections. Sometimes he would use a comp into another comp for those super sustained clean parts like the beginning of Shine On.. I only aspire to pray at the alter of father Gilmour, but a great comp would help!! Great vid as always my man..
Michael, I am in a band that does everything from soft rock, country to heavy classic rock. I play through a Fender 65 reissue Deluxe Reverb amp. I actually was shopping for a Compression pedal. I think it will give the amp and my tone a little extra spank and boost to cut through the mix. I also love the extra sustain when playing certain classic rock solos (Petty, Cream, Bad Company, BTO, etc). But I also think it will tighten up my clean tones on the soft rock/country tunes. I am also a huge fan of Cory Wong's tone. I play a G&L Comanche which is a strat style guitar. I think Single coil guitars need the smoothing out sometimes. I would love to have this pedal! Thanks for the chance!
Thank you finally some honesty! I’ve never found a good use for a compression pedal myself. I’ve been playing for 1000 years now it seems like and I still have no use for a compression pedal. I have one, but I don’t use it that often I think I use it more with my acoustic than anything, but as far as my electric guitars, I don’t bother with it. But I will say it all fairness you guys that make these videos are far better musicians than I am and you all seem to hear things that I just don’t hear so I guess my opinion really doesn’t mean squat.
One cool way to use a compressor pedal is how Trey in Phish used to. Put behind a drive pedal (or two) it allows you to control the amount of drive without affecting the volume too much. It also keeps giant volume swells or drops when turning on drive pedals from happening.
By my very limited understanding, I think the point of compression in recording is ultimately it allow an increase in overall volume. You can compress a signal so that you lose much of the upper harmonics and focus more on the fundamental. You lose the "ice picky" sound and increase the overall warmth. This reduces the overall frequency range of that signal and minimizes overlap or muddiness when mixed with other sounds. In the context of a pedal board, I think most guitarists use it to do a similar "smoothing out" of their signal. Especially if you are stacking many pedals on top of one another, it makes sense to me that you'd want to focus more on the fundamental note and reduce the possibility of noise (or maybe just too much harmonic content) being generated way down the signal. A slight reduction in dynamic range may also be beneficial when playing with other people as it keeps your overall volume more consistent. I'm pretty sure the pedal is more-so used to alter harmonic content rather than dynamic content. But I could be wrong on that. And all this is from someone who has played guitar for almost 20 years and has never owned a compression pedal lmao
I would love to have this compressor on my board. I do a lot of looping and use a bass octave pedal. The compressor/boost really makes it stand out. Great vid thanks for sharing!
Let's say you want to smack a 9 chord and then play a quick single note line and you want the single note line to jump out like the chord, or you know how sometimes the high e string gets lost up high (especially clean) or if you want to play super clean but to get it to sustain and feel like an overdrive. Also compressors seem to work magic on single coils because single coils have so much dynamic range, where as humbuckers are already compressed. If you dial in a compressor just right it can make a funk part super punchy and tight, which is the main thing I using compression for, I especially like it with neck + middle pickups on a strat. It can be great for r&b fills too
I would use compression to control two elements of the sound - 1)Boosted sound from a drive pedal 2) Sustain. For example putting a compressor after a drive pedal produces an oh so sweet sound. Elongate the release/decay just a little and you get the guitar to sing... Blend in the dry signal and you have another option.
A compressor pedal can be useful if you're doing swell effects with a volume pedal - put the compressor first in the chain, then any overdrive or distortion, then any chorus or modulation, and finally the volume pedal. The compressor will help to make the sound and level consistent pre-volume pedal so that the swelling-in sound has body, even at very low levels. Or, from a different slant, set correctly, a compressor will make it sound like your instrument sustains longer.
Compressor pedals are used a lot by Worship/Praise guitarist. I’m currently loaning one from a buddy for services and it has helped me substantially in finding the tones I need each week. It’s an always on type of pedal for me and allows me to thicken up my sound without being super distracting in the mix. The boost channel on this one sounds SICK!
I pretty much feel the same about compression. Where I do find it to really help is if you're a hack like me who has problems playing with consistent dynamics. Squashing the signal can help it sit in a mix better. It's also helpful if you play clean or with minimal overdrive because it adds sustain which helps thicken the sound.
I've been heavily inspired by Mr. Wong lately , I feel this pedal would be beneficial to achieving the sound he gets (but I know it's 99.9% in his hands). But I would still love to own that pedal.
interesting fact. We have a compressor built into the phone system to help protect our hearing. If you're standing next to someone with an air horn it's loud AF and you have to cover your ears. But if you're on the phone, and someone on the other end hits an air horn you don't have to cover your ears. Because a compressor automatically knocks the decibels down to a safe level for hearing.
I m with you man ,I had a boss compressor and I only used it for a boost and sustain on some notes ,Really just took up space on my small board.I use overdrive with a boost 2 in 1 1 Twinbal and slap back and reverb,I hope you can find a compressor lover that will put i t to good use .
The best use I have for compression is for finger picking arpeggios. Unless you have super good technique, with a relatively dynamic amp, compression keeps the volume even, even when your picking intensity is not even.
Well Mr. MP, I'm 59 and never used a compression pedal either until recently. I just recently built a board, watched a lot of YT videos on the order I should use, experimented and basically use the thing for a boost. I do like it when I'm playing rhythm. It evens things out a bit and it has a pretty blue light!!
