I understand compression and have used compressors. I believe it is usefull, but not essential for live playing. There are number of reasons your shouldn't need compressor:1.
Low frequencies will trigger the compressor first, which can often ruin the front end of the bass; consider using either a compressor's sidechain filter to prevent bass frequencies from tripping the compressor's sidechain circuit, or a multiband compressor to target specific frequencies and maintain an even balance between the sound's attack and its subsequent weight. Even out the volume of your bass hits and add fullness and fatness to the overall sound using a simple compressor.
Be careful to set the threshold properly. For a picked bass you want to see the compressor engaging right away. For a dynamic player it should engage when a note is played particularly hard. If your compressor is kicking in on lighter touches by the bass player, then the threshold is probably set too extreme and you should back it off a bit.
You don't like how it changes your sound2. Compression was not used for music you play (i.e. Old school rock)3. You usualy play very low volume gigs4. You usualy play big stage, and believe (like me) compression is best left to sound guy5. You play one technique (i.e.
Pick) so your signal is fairly consistent.There are probably many more. Also, there are number of reasons you should use it, but none of them is: because someone said so. I use compression always on at the end of my chain, pre looper. I find that it allows me to dial in my different distortion, drive and fuzz tones how I want them without the worry of volume spikes.
I use a keeley Bassist which is super transparent but really levels out all the spikes form various effects.That being said, when I play a gig without effects, or just one or two, I go without compression and use right hand technique to control my dynamics.Most of the time I'm running a large chain of effects and find a compressor extremely needed and valuable. It really depends on the bass and the player more than anything else. I have run a compressor for the last year or so for live gigs and as my instruments changed out and my technique has changed there are way virtually no signal spikes coming from my end anymore to the point that I haven’t noticed it missing from my chain now that it’s gone.I still get compressed at foh and the degree of that changes from sound guy to sound guy. I play dynamically and I have found many people don’t. So I will pan and do slight boosts and cuts that can overload a board that’s pushed to the brink of clipping already because most techs won’t account for a bass player tweaking and in tweaking mid set. But I feel like not every song should sound the same from a tone perspective.
(Quick shortcuts to bass compressors for those that don’t like to wait: See the,. More provided at the end of this article.)The compressor effect is something that’s been around a very long time and is a genuinely useful thing to have. Some consider using a compressor as “cheating.” Is it?
Well, before I answer that, let’s examine what bass compression does for you.What does a compressor actually do?The technical term for what a compressor does is dynamic range reduction, meaning a specified “floor” and “ceiling” range. The floor is the minimum starting volume and the ceiling is the maximum ending volume. Lower volumes are increased to meet the minimum floor, and maximum volumes are decreased so they do not exceed the maximum ceiling. Some refer to this as the audio signal being “squashed,” and while that may sound negative, it is an accurate description.This is a 10-second audio clip in visual form uncompressed:This is the same 10-second audio clip with compression applied:Notice how the wave has been “fattened up” quite a bit. Lower volumes have been brought up, and higher volumes have been kept from exceeding the maximum range (which in the above is 0db).Still confused? Here’s a video that explains how bass compression works in a mix:Using a bass compressor in a live rigFor the first example here we’ll use a very simple bass compressor, the EBS MultiComp:This one is really easy to figure out.
COMP/LIMIT affects the “ceiling,” GAIN adjusts the “floor,” and the switch in the middle adjusts the compression ratio. For a compressor, it doesn’t get too much simpler than this.Now we’ll take a look at a more advanced bass compressor, the MXR M87 :This one takes a little longer to figure out because things are labeled differently and it’s easy to get confused by what actually does what.RELEASE: Adjusts how quickly the pedal returns to the uncompressed level.ATTACK: Adjusts how quickly the pedal engages compression.OUTPUT: Adjusts the overall output volume. Does not affect gain.RATIO: An extra setting for “soft” and “hard” compression. Lower is softer.INPUT: Adjusts the signal gain.What does “soft” and “hard” compression mean?Soft: The range of compression is set wide. Imagine a volume range of 0 to 10.
Soft compression would be a range of 1 to 9, meaning only a small amount of “squashing” occurs.Hard: The range of compression is set short. Using the 0 to 10 volume range example again, hard compression would be a range where the numbers are close together, such as a range of 6 to 8. A whole lot more “squashing” is happening here, with notes ‘attacking’ very early and at a much louder volume.To note: Compressor pedals more often than not do not use use 0-to-10 numbers for the knobs; that’s just an example so you can understand how it works better.What makes a more advanced bass compressor better than a simple one?More tone shaping options, with the best option arguably being OUTPUT.
I think this reason is flawed. Most bass players grab compressors because they heard someone say that it would help to fatten up their sound. A compressor used in this manner does nothing but make your mistakes even more apparent. The codgers that always say that all the tone shaping you need is in your fingers (while true to a small degree) is one big reason why we get overlooked when it comes to the cool, new toys. Unbunch those panties, a damn pedal and have some fun.
It will get our corner of the stage more recognition in the eyes of effects manufacturers. I love using effects.
Up until recently, I always felt like I was walking on eggshells with effects. Like I was going to bring about the end of the world if I hit a phaser or and envelope filter. And the universe would just explode if I used more than one effect at a time.
That would be blasphemy!Ehhh whatever. There are times when effects just don’t add any substance to the overall sound. But it is worthwhile to try it out, anyway. Compression is definitely one of those effects. Very cool tones can be had with compressors. The mindset that effects can be negative (referred to as cheating in this instance) keeps all of our pedalboards looking bare.
In my experience, learn to play with the a naked bass first, then add pedals if desired (compression being one of them). I’ve often heard players abusing their effects, thereby covering up what could potentially be tonally unique and dynamic sounds. There is so much you can do to get a varied sound with just a decent bass and amp setup, exploring what the fundamental strengths of the two can do together could do wonders for your playing, and add to the understanding of when and how to apply the effects of the pedals. Compression pedals are cool, rack mount compressions is even cooler!
Though it is best to first learn how to control your own dynamics first, in my opinion nothing makes a bass stand out, either studio or live, like good compression. It makes everything come to life and can really add a lot if used properly. Figuring out how to not over compress is the tricky part but once it’s set there is not turnin back. Start with a pedal to get the feel then graduate.
Sans Amp RBI31 band graphic EQ Rane DC 24 Dual Crossover Compression. I play in a band where we share the bass duties. I also play keys on some songs, and the two guitar players play the bass. We have a fairly large sound for most of our songs, and the Empress Compressor that I have evens out the differences between our playing styles. It has a blend function, which allows some of the unprocessed sound through as well, so it doesn’t kill dynamics, and you can dig in to get more volume if required. A necessity for me.I also use it on electric guitar and I love it. The Empress Comp is the closest thing to a good rack mount compressor on the floor.
Comments from live usage are great. Been playing a long time- so when I look back at those Cream jams that were recorded for albums like Wheels of Fire and Goodbye Cream where Jack is playing his ass off, on extended solos- I understand now, that heavy compression. The Gibson EB-3 is the most uneven sounding bass. Woofer bass really. So while distortion does in of itself compress the sound- when you hear a tight evenness of the G and E string, that is compression coming not from the Marshall but in the carefully tailored mix, by guys like Tom Dowd a bassist himself and iconic producer either in the recording truck or later on.
How To Compress Bass
Live songs like I’m So Glad, Spoonful and Sweet Wine sound like rock, bass jazz concertos-with the help of in your face audio compression- of a very authoritative, punchy bassist/cellist like Bruce. Those albums of a power trio LIVE are remarkable. Most modern amps have some kind of compression or limiter built in. Their effect is minimal in most cases.
Unless of course they are a separate feature that can be dialed in on the amp with knobs. On some amps I sound steady and consistent without errors.
How To Compress Bass Track
And on other amps, even the smallest variation in attack is evident. Thus, a compressor pedal works great on those amps.Like the article says, using only what’s needed is a good way to use the compressor pedal. Although some extreme settings can be used creatively with good results. But that’s very rare.With recording via DI, the DAW has a lot of FX and compressor options, and that’s where I often do my compression.
How To Compress Bass Reaper
Playing DI through the DAW and interface truly uncovers any flaws in playing technique.