Non ADA Gear > Effects

who uses a compresor with distorted tones?

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El Chiguete:
Since most will know I'm now very happy using my multieffects processor and I'm now experimenting on some stuff I didnt pay much attention before. Well I was very pleased on how I put a compressor before my preamp to get singing sustain on solos BUT I then started noticing that on my normal rhythm patch it could be used too! But I started asking myself Who uses a compresor allways on for their tones? OK so before you say anything I know that many people have them on their pedalboards like this but Im talking about famous rock players with good distortion tones. I don't remember seeing the rigs of our idol players and them saying that they use it allways on (most just use them either on solos or on clean stuff) or others dont have them at all... specially our classic heavy metal bands.

So my question is, since in the studio the engeniers do all kinds of tricks to get the sound right, does something similar gets done by their sound guys? I meen if I dont see a compressor in their rig maybe they use one thru the sound guy? Its strage to think that but I'm just looking at stuff I never experimented before and Im curious  :banana-dance:

Soloist:
I used to use a boss comp on my pedal board pre distortion, for some tracks it was always on some for a solo boost. I now use the one in my gmajor2 for all my newer (5150) EVH tones as well as others (even though now it is post distortion.) David Gilmore uses one often with his distorted tones (i.e. Sorrow, Dogs of War). :bow:
I do not find it useful for thrash other than maybe intros or leads, but for hard rock or 80's metal it adds that extra layer of compression to the distorted tone similar to tone stacking 2 distortion pedals.

As for your question sound engineers will add comp in studio (rnolan can attest to this) but live it's either on your pedalboard, in your rack multi fx or like Kirk Hammett control by a tech under the stage who controls all but your wah.
Try all different settings if you find a tone you like who's to say its wrong. Let your ears be the judge :thumb-up:
My typical settings are: Threshold -6  Ratio 1.80:1   Attack 2.0ms  Release 70ms  Gain 0

rabidgerry:
Hi El,

man I have dabbled with compressors on and off since the dawn of my first FX unit landing at my house!!

I went through a year or two with one unit where I used an external compressor in front.  This was because I didn't get enough of that "spongey" feel from what ever it was I was using at the time for distortion.

I stopped using a compressor for this the day I discovered boosts.  Essentially a compressor can be used for the same thing.  But I no longer use a compressor now, well not very often.  However if I ever have a patch that  has less gain, and I feel it's a little stiff, I will put a compressor infront to change the feel.  So I will only set the threshold to catch the guitar signal and no more, I will not set it very low, so I will not be amplifying the really quiet stuff in the guitar signal.  Then I will adjust the attack (my compressor is a boss and it has this control although not all do).  I adjust the attack to let in a little bit of bite if I feel it's lacking.  However sometimes it can be the opposite, sometimes I want to soften it in which case I will lower the attack.

Then there is the level control of the compressor.  Generally if I use it I will have it matched the same as the signal level coming in.  However it works as a boost as well and you can set it higher so it pushes your press into more distortion.  I don't do that normally but years ago I did.

As Soloist was saying it's used a lot in audio production, but I have never heard of anyone compressing hi-gain distorted guitar sounds in the DAW.  A distorted guitar tone is already compressed.  The more gain you use to distort the sound essentially is compressing and dynamincs become less evident.  This is why to much gain makes your sound go to mush where as if you dial it back you get a lot more "cut through" because there is dynamics.

In Daw I would compress a bass guitar, but never distorted electric guitar.  I would also compress overall mixes but this different use from what you where asking.  You are only wondering if people use it constantly for their main guitar tone right?  Well I don't actually know any big players who do it although I know I used to so it's not like it's a strange concept or anything.  If it works for you then it's important to keep it regardless of anyone else.

Quite a lot of acoustic guys use compressors live.

El Chiguete:
Just to add a point, the type of compressor that I'm using now is my multi fx unit its supose to recreate the Dyna Comp, so I use it more for kick ass sustain than squashy compression... so its like a sustain boost :)

rnolan:
Hey RG, very good explanation of how to use a compressor  :thumb-up: Absolutely on the money IMHO! Now I'll get a little more technical. Fundamentally, we need to understand what a compressor does, and to some extent how it does it (and most important, how this affects your gain structure (which RG covered in his post)).  In this context, a compressor is a device that modifies the dynamic range (lowest level to highest level) of an audio signal.  You could describe it as "squish" the signal, so lower level sounds are louder and higher level sounds are softer (the result of this can be turned up or down in the mix (output of unit, desk settings), but the dynamic range has been reduced (by the compression ratio (and threshold, where does the compression start to work/affect the signal))).
Rule of thumb (audio engineer 101), less is better!! I'm not a big fan of compressors, but they have their place as a very useful tool (unfortunately not well understood, and often used badly).
Why do you want to use a compressor (live sound, set to peak limit so you don't blow speakers), in a mix typically coz you want things to sit nice and tight together (kick, bass), vocals (whatever). Guitar, as RG says why, the tubes are doing it for you, well not quite the same, tube clipping (while very similar (in some ways) to compression) actually isn't compression. The other thing about compressing guitar (and again similar to using high gain clipped signals) is some use it to make up for sloppy playing (and ditch the dynamics along the way). Hey, grab an acoustic and get your dynamics back  >:D
Putting a compressor up front: so squish the dynamics (signal) coming off the guitar, has output knob so can boost output to preamp input, so louder squished signal now entering preamp ( :dunno: ). If you want to use a compressor for a particular effect, go for it (for me anything more than 1.5:1 is way too much except I'll entertain "absolute" PA peak limiting at 8:1).
All that said. I do use the MP2 compressor for my clean sounds... As RG says, use your ears...
@Soloist, yeah lots of compressors in those days, trying to "squeeze" it onto vinyl.. I still tried to use as little compressor as possible LoL.

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