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Re: where to compress?
Evan Meyers wrote:
>>Placement-wise, my compressor is the first device in
>>the analog effects chain.
>
>
> i tried that. i'm using an EBS multicomp stomp box
> for my bass. i've found that in the beginning of my
> chain, it defeats the purpose of dynamic based effects
> like envelope generators and filters. i've been
> playing around with it after those effects and it
> seems pretty good...because it brings out those
> effects and it limits the extreme sounds created by
> some of my filter devices (i'm a big fan of sweeping
> the cutoff frequency and turning the resonance up to
> 11, which can blow most any speaker).
Yeah, if you're using dynamic-based effects like that, then definitely
put the compressor afterward. The problem is, the compressor amplifies
noise quite effectively too, and filter effects are often noisy. :(
> people really use those dan electro pedals? i always
> looked at them as the pedals for a beginner player
> since you can get a whole set of them for about $100.
> but then again, there are certain pedals that give
> sounds that nothing else comes close to and they can
> be cheapies too! i'd part ways with your noisy dan
> electro wah...vox and dunlop make fantastic wah pedals
> and i've even had great success using morley (which
> seems to be on the not so hot list as far as quality
> gear goes). wah pedals are under $100 these days and
> when movie prices are crackin $10 (i live in
> manhattan), there is little debate as to where the
> money should go.
Heh. My cheapo Danelectro wah is nestled in between a pair of $200+
handmade boutique boxes (Blackbox Oxygen and Prescription Electronics
Germ). I paid $29 for it new at Guitar Center. Whatever works. :} It
seems to have a sharper filter than the Crybaby and other Vox clones,
and i can get ring modulator-like behavior out of it. I use it for
playing melodies within feedback. Maybe someday it'll be replaced with
a boutique pedal, but for now i find it very useful. There's a sample of
the Danelectro wah doing its thing at
<http://www.spnz.org/musick/trapped.ogg>, my first really good loop
recording since i started putting together a studio.
And don't knock the modern Danelectro pedals! Yeah, they're cheaply
made, but so were old Electro-Harmonix pedals. And they're often
one-dimensional, but so were many classic vintage pedals (Tube Screamer
anyone?)... you get the idea. I can think of several more i might add
to my rig at some point, something i can't say about Boss or most other
"quality" pedal manufacturers.
>>Besides, the Oxygen includes a noise gate that works
>
>
>>quite well if i keep the initial noise levels
>>reasonable. I'm also finding neat effects using
>>the compressor and its gate along with distortion,
>>and very light tapping - it makes little explosive
>>noises that just disappear afterward. It'll take
>>some time to learn to control this, tho.
>
>
> i bet that sounds interesting. i've always been a fan
> of working with what you have to find out how it can
> be incorporated and it seems like you've found that.
I pretty much treat effects as instruments in their own right. It makes
me *very* picky about them. I have to learn to play a pedal just like i
play the guitar or drums or synth. My effects are a weird mix of
boutique pedals, vintage, and just cheap stuff that works.
>>The main motivation for getting a compressor was to
>>even out my fingerpicking tone - bare fingers plus
>>overdrive equals uneven tone. It matters for
>>looping only because it makes my tone better in
>>general. Its other uses, like explosive tapping,
>>are more a matter of how i abuse effects for my own
>>nefarious ends than how a more normal musician would
>>do things.
>
>
> compression is great because it brings out the quieter
> notes and limits the louder smashed notes. and with
> filter effects, you can get extreme volume jumps which
> suck in a loop.
Limiting is more important to me than compression - i don't mind so much
that quiet notes are quiet so much as loud notes are too loud. The
Oxygen does an excellent job with that. I may fool around with my
signal chain and see if it will work with the Germ (my overdrive) first,
and the Oxygen second. I'm not sure whether the dynamic problems i have
with fingerpicking and overdrive are a matter of input or output. But
who knows? The Oxygen is still new to my signal chain, and it'll take a
while to learn how to play it.
>>In short, put the compressor first.
>
>
> i disagree. but i think it depends on your setup.
> i'd say put the compressor wherever you want your tone
> evened out...could be good in the middle or at the
> end, or even in the beginning, but i think it is more
> dependant on what you are using. compressing before
> an envelope filter defeats its purpose completely.
You're right, of course. Take all declarative statements with a grain
of salt, especially mine! But you have to keep the noise monster in
mind, though. Some effects produce fairly musical self-noise (my MXR
flanger and Danelectro wah as cases in point), but others can be pretty
icky (like the Digitech delays i got rid of long ago). I'd at least put
the compressor as close to the front of the signal chain as possible, to
reduce noise problems.