Use of Compressor in Live Settings?

[Psycho Bass Guy]

if you have a noisy distortion pedal running a compression box next to it will solve that problem. my 2 cents.

How? I can see using a gate for noisy pickups, but a pedal compressor with no gating should make noise worse, not better.

[birdie]

Comp. should be first in the chain, or nearly so. In my experience comps after a noisy pedal will make the noise worse.. That's just an opinion of course..

[nofi]

i forget if the comp was before or after the distortion but it worked for me. maybe 2 shitty pedals working for the greater good.

[chromium]

A lot of folks seem to dig those dano pedals- great bang for the buck.  Haven't tried 'em yet, but I have a $15 Boss DS-1 distortion that I modded with some info from the internetz, and that thing will make some wonderful sonic mayhem.  I've run all sorts of stuff thru it.  Most fun fifteen bucks I've ever spent.

Read favorable things about that Demeter and EBS too.

I ended up sniping a DBX 166 on ebay for $89 shipped earlier this week too, and at that point I stepped away from the keyboard  .  Gonna set these up in my rack, install the neutrik patchbay that's been sitting in a corner for six months, finish wiring up my mixer, keyboards, etc.., and dig out the Bob Katz book so I can learn how to use 'em correctly!   I have a gig Saturday, so I'll be able to try one with bass in the live setting too (the RNC just got here).

Thanks!

[nofi]

make no mistake i love my 'shitty' little dano pedals. i have 7 or 8 of them. like you said a very good value.

[chromium]

Here's what I ended up doing.  I had the 5U rack with just the Furman and Alembic preamp in it, so I added the compressors and a patchbay that I had kicking around at the bottom.  That way I can try out different permutations and not have to dig around inside the rack..



Right beneath the Alembic is the DBX, and below that is the FMR stuff - the "Really Nice Compressor" (RNC) on the left, and the "Really Nice Leveling Amplifier" (RNLA) on the right.  All of them are dual-channel, so should be nice with recording too.

I feel kind of indifferent about the RNC so far.  I'm a little skeptical about how useful it will be for recording, as its kinda noisy (quite a bit more hisssss compared with the others), and its not the best one to get for bass IMO.  I was able to dial in a couple decent settings.... but then the RNLA got here!  That thing sounds absolutely beautiful on bass.  Its not transparent at all, but in a good way- gave forth a big thick, "wooly" sound.  Not muddy, just punchy and full as all get out.  I gigged it Saturday with the Ampeg scroll (single pitbull pickup) and using it subtly combined with a touch of overdrive from the amp it was just great.  Nice huge ballsy tone.

The DBX just arrived yesterday, and it also sounds killer with bass.  Not anywhere near as coloring as the RNLA (I suspect not everyone would embrace that, especially if you are looking for more of a clear-and-present modern sound).  I was able to dial the DBX in pretty easily too when experimenting with it last night.  I have a gig this coming weekend, so I'll get to try it out there.  I suspect this one will be a lot better for recording use too, compared with the RNC - nowhere near as noisy.

Mark had mentioned the V4B and the natural compression you can get from the tube head, but I don't really feel like I get that from the Orange.  I wonder if its because the Orange is kinda overpowered for the venues we play, and the fact that the PA does the heavy lifting.  I've actually thought about picking up a V4B as an alternate/backup, and wonder if I can get a more satisfying sound by pushing a smaller amp a little harder.... or maybe I could have someone tune up the Orange to suit me better.  I got it new around 2004-05 (its an ad200mk3), and still running it with its stock tubes.

[Psycho Bass Guy]

Mark had mentioned the V4B and the natural compression you can get from the tube head, but I don't really feel like I get that from the Orange.  I wonder if its because the Orange is kinda overpowered for the venues we play, and the fact that the PA does the heavy lifting.

...more than likely. Does it provide stage volume?

or maybe I could have someone tune up the Orange to suit me better.  I got it new around 2004-05 (its an ad200mk3), and still running it with its stock tubes.

If it's running clean, then the tubes that are in it should be fine for decades. Guitards running them too hard eats tubes. It doesn't help the tone, but don't try telling them that. If you want some good compression, try a less efficient cab like an Acme. Reducing power won't really help that much until you get below 100 watts if you're not playing hard.

[chromium]

...more than likely. Does it provide stage volume?

If I'm understanding correctly, yes - the bass rig just provides stage volume and the PA handles projecting it thru the venue.  They have PA speakers to handle the mids/highs, and a couple big bass bins.  Master gain on my head probably sits around 3-4 out of 10 at most gigs.

If it's running clean, then the tubes that are in it should be fine for decades. Guitards running them too hard eats tubes. It doesn't help the tone, but don't try telling them that. If you want some good compression, try a less efficient cab like an Acme. Reducing power won't really help that much until you get below 100 watts if you're not playing hard.

Thanks for that.  That amp has been rock solid and does generally sound great to me (although the tone shaping is rather limited, but the F-2B can fill in there...), so if it ain't broke...

Good suggestion about trying different cabs, too.  Do people ever use those "power attenuator" devices (THD hot plate, etc...) on bass rigs to achieve similar effects?  I've only personally seen them used with guitar rigs, but just wondered...


I can count the number of bass amps I've owned over the years on one hand.  I just haven't experimented much with amplification or live sound over the years, and its been helpful hearing everyone's perspectives on this stuff.  Thanks!

[Psycho Bass Guy]

If I'm understanding correctly, yes - the bass rig just provides stage volume and the PA handles projecting it thru the venue.

Yes, that's what I meant. Some guys use their amps as personal monitors only and rely on sidefills and monitors for stage volume.

Do people ever use those "power attenuator" devices (THD hot plate, etc...) on bass rigs to achieve similar effects?  I've only personally seen them used with guitar rigs, but just wondered...

They're a good way to wreck your amp. I strongly recommend against using one.