# MXR Custom Comp... Feedback/Noise Factory



## regala (Dec 29, 2009)

Hello all,

Just picked up MXR's Custom Comp pedal, its great... when its not mixed in with my overdrive/fuzz/distortion pedals. Everytime I have the Custom Comp on along with any of my distortion/fuzz/overdrive pedals, it feedbacks like crazy and hisses like a pit of snakes. I tried dialing down the gain knobs on all the pedals and it helped a bit but didn't completely fix it. Anyways, any help would be greatly appreciated. My pedal sequence is as follows:

Gibson LP Guitar
Korg Pitch Black Tuner
Zakk Wylde Wah
MXR Custom Comp
Little Big Muff Pi
MXR Wylde Overdrive
MXR Six Band EQ
EP Booster
EVH Phaser
EVH Flanger
MXR Carbon Copy Analog Delay
Ernie Ball VP JR
JCM800 4104 2*12 Combo amp

Am I going to need a noise gate at the end of my signal chain... and maybe add a buffer at both ends?

Thanks to all.

Joseph


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

Compressors are the"Igor" of the pedalboard. They simply mutter "Yes master", shuffle off, and do whatever you tell them. So, if the unit is set for higher compression, then whatever it sees at its input will be boosted to some maximum value, regardless of what that input is. If *anything* leading up to the compressor generates noise, no matter what type, stop playing and the compressor will boost the bejeezus out of it.

The "solution" is to:
a) situate the compressor as close to the start of your pedal chain as is feasible.

2) Do whatever you can to assure that the signal it sees is clean clean clean quiet quiet quiet.

3) Set it for as modest a compression amount as you can live with.

Those are the rules for any compressor, not just this one.


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