Anyone using a compressor pedal for jazz?

[omphalopsychos]

I probably own a dozen compressors or more. I hate squishy (Ross or Boss) compressors but I like the ones that are subtle and add a bit of sparkle and sustain. The single best compressor, that IMHO hardly has any competition on the pedal market, is the Origin Effects Cali76. That is a seriously nice piece of equipment that is definitely pro level. David Gilmour probably likes compression more than most guitarists and his choice on the last tour was the Cali76. (I have no affiliation with the company or any other whatsoever, I am just convinced of that product)

The original Cali76 is massive in size and cost. Have you ever played the Compact Deluxe and how does it compare?


BTW, I think the sidechain on the Empress is one of the coolest pedalboard compressor features I've seen. There tends to be more energy in the low frequencies than in the high frequencies on a guitar, so without sidechain EQ, lower notes tend to trigger more squashing than you might want. I made a high-pass filter out of a jack and a capacitor and plugged it into the sidechain. The result is a much more natural compressing effect.

[Frank67]

I only have the Cali76 Compact Deluxe - that is what I am basing my comments on. I have never played the original unit or any of the further stripped down versions.

Very cool idea that you had with the lower frequencies. That never occurred to me before.

Happy compressing everyone!

[Little Jay]

For those of you who like transparent and subtle AND don’t want to spend a lot of money: trust me on this one, you can thank me later!

[cosmic gumbo]

[tomems]

I’m looking for pedals that have two distinct compression options... I see Strymon Compadre (studio and squish) and Analogman Bicomp (Comprosser and Juicer)... anyone try those two and have a preference? Any other two in one compressors I’m missing?

JHS pulp n peel and “3” look good, as does Wampler Ego, but more interested in two in ones...

I have a Mooer yellow comp I like but looking to expand.

[Kirk1701]

Keeley has a wide range of compressor options. Not the cheapest, but Bob Keeley is the authority on pedal compressors.


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[man-argentina]

I play very soft, so when I pick harder I pass from a quiet "right in point" volume level to a too loud sound.

There is a pedal to put a limit to the maximum amount of sound ?

Example, lets say if I hit strings a medium power I get 30dba, if I hit harder I get 40dba. _____(Not exact dba numbers by any mean, just picked 30 and 40 as random numbers for the example).

A pedal to get 30dba as maximum amount of volume no matter how hard I hit the strings.

I know compressors are meant to pick light and get high volume, and equal volume in every note, and sustain, things I dont want by any mean. But also are for what I need ?

[fep]

I play very soft, so when I pick harder I pass from a quiet "right in point" volume level to a too loud sound.

There is a pedal to put a limit to the maximum amount of sound ?

Example, lets say if I hit strings a medium power I get 30dba, if I hit harder I get 40dba.

A pedal to get 30dba as maximum amount of volume no matter how hard I hit the strings.

I know compressor are to pick light and get high volumen, and equal volume in every note, and sustain, things I dont want by any mean. But also are for what I need ?

A compressor is probably what you want. A light compression won't create equal volume for every note, and won't create sustain. A typical compressor has a 4 to 1 volume reduction at the threshold set. In your example, you'd set the threshold at 30db and you played at 40 db, the compressor would reduce the 10 db excess at a 4 to 1 ration so the volume in that case would end up being 32.5 db.

A ratio of infinity to 1 is called a brick wall limiter, that would keep your 40db at 30db. That will not give you as natural of a guitar sound as a compressor.

[TedBPhx]

In a DAW I’d use a limiter. Don’t think I’ve ever seen a pedal limiter but I understand a limiter is basically a type of compressor.

[JollyW]

There's no way a compressor can increase your dynamic range. It brings out things you weren't able to hear before precisely because it makes soft things louder.

True, but by softening transients before they hit a subsequent gain stage - such as your amp, even on cleanish settings - they can increase perceived/usable dynamic range.

[princeplanet]

I strongly dislike listening to Jazz players who kinda hide behind compression and make it part of their "voice".
I know all too well that there are many ways that the electric guitar tone can sound horrid if not saturated in some way, because of the way the pickups can often exaggerate the dynamic flux of the string vibrating within it's magnetic field, attacks can be far too spiky, and decays can just disappear. I understand that many just want to hear their electric tone resemble the more natural dynamic response of a good acoustic instrument.

But the answer doesn't have to be compression. It's in the fingers (pick dynamics), the guitar set up (p/u height etc), the gtr controls, the amp settings, the speaker types and so on. Players who rely on those things always sound more compelling to my ears, more organic... BTW, have you ever transcribed a horn solo and played it back as midi data through, say, a sax sample ? It's actually quite hilarious how the same notes (as the original solo) can sound so bad when every note has a similar shape or envelope. Expression and nuance is everything! Well, to me anyway.

[Tom Wright]

I have been depending on a Scofield kind of tone to fatten the otherwise small tone of my electric 10-string mandolin. It adds expression, clips the strong peaks, and the difference-tone grumble makes chords seem bigger.

But I am growing to enjoy the built in compression of my Trace Eliot Elf. It is subtle and expressive, and can be pushed into a useful overdrive. Slightly muted highs, but I have plenty of that with my single-coil pickups on a 14.25" scale.

[SOLR]

I think Adam Moezinia may be using one here, just a hint of comp and gets a nice tone with the Sadowsky + Polytone mini brute Then again maybe not, interesting nonetheless

S

[omphalopsychos]

You guys couldn't wait another week and a half for the official 10 year anniversary of this thread?