# Compressor Pedals - What's the POINT????



## Yamariv (Jan 15, 2018)

Hey Guys,

A few weeks back I build myself a BYOC Clone of the Vintage MXR Compressor pedal (even sprung for the extra vintage parts) Pedal is totally cool and works great but I just don't see the point of a compressor pedal so far.. 

Am I missing something here?? From the research and playing I've done, all it does is remove the dynamics of the guitar and amp and equalize the signal highs and lows. Why would I ever want to do that??  Touch dynamics are what makes an amazing tube amp..

Only thing that throws me off and makes me think I'm missing something obvious is that it seems that every pro guitarist says they are a must and uses one.. What am I missing here boys!??


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## Waldo97 (Jul 4, 2020)

Compressors are the MSG of guitar sound.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

There are many important reasons to want to have and use a compressor.

One of the reasons I like is that it can unyoke/disconnect timbre from volume. Lemme put it like this. Let's say there's amp you like that delivers glorious tone but only at volume levels that are unusable. A power-soak or even a master volume control (if the tone lies in the preamp stages) comes to your rescue, delivering the tone you want at a volume you can actually use.

In a similar fashion, there are sounds you can only get from strings if you pick a certain way. That might be much harder, or it might be more softly. A compressor will allow you to get that sound, without having the resulting volume be too loud or too soft for the specific application.

I've also found that, if one is singing and playing at the same time, whether lead vocal or merely backup harmony, your playing dynamics can often get away from you as you try to remember lyrics and melody, and you end up strumming harder than you wanted to. A compressor will help to maintain a fairly even guitar level for rhythm playing that won't swamp the vocals.

Compressors can provide the illusion of greater sustain. They don't _actually_ improve guitar sustain, but create the sense of increased sustain by raising the gain as the guitar signal dies out, such that it doesn't _sound_ like it is dying out.

Sometimes you want dynamics, and sometimes you don't. I like to use autowahs. And as much as they rely on receiving a dynamic signal, one can use a compressor to provide an input to the autowah that results in easy triggering, but with modest sweep. Normally boosting the input signal to the autowah, or cranking its sensitivity, would get you a sweep with every strum, but might also sweep higher than you really wanted. 

So, lots of potential uses.


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## Wardo (Feb 5, 2010)

Chickin Pickin.


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## KapnKrunch (Jul 13, 2016)

Compressors have been used as an effect. Pretty much a goofy fad that everyone is over. 

Their true use is for solving problems in levels. Got a problem with certain gear, certain environment, certain recording. Try it in that situation. 

Like salt and sugar, best used sparingly. 

I have two, and neither is in use at this time, but I would never sell either.


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## zztomato (Nov 19, 2010)

I go back and forth on compression. I've had a lot of nice compressors and have kept a Diamond SE. It's a very high quality unit that hardly does anything. But, the thing it does well is subtle level adjustment and has a "tilt EQ" that I find useful occasionally. I use it more if I'm playing with less, or no dirt. Sometimes just to tame a bright amp or bright guitar- or bright room. 
My personal feeling is that many guitar players overuse compression- sometimes without even having a real need for it. If you run through a tube amp you have natural compression. If you have overdrive pedals, again, you get compression. In my rig I use a Kingsley Constable plexi preamp as well as a couple other drives and boosts. I have enough compression going on within that setup that a compressor is almost entirely redundant.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

zztomato said:


> I go back and forth on compression. I've had a lot of nice compressors and have kept a Diamond SE. It's a very high quality unit that hardly does anything. But, the thing it does well is subtle level adjustment and has a "tilt EQ" that I find useful occasionally. I use it more if I'm playing with less, or no dirt. Sometimes just to tame a bright amp or bright guitar- or bright room.
> _My personal feeling is that many guitar players overuse compression- sometimes without even having a real need for it. If you run through a tube amp you have natural compression. If you have overdrive pedals, again, you get compression_. In my rig I use a Kingsley Constable plexi preamp as well as a couple other drives and boosts. I have enough compression going on within that setup that a compressor is almost entirely redundant.


Correct. And sometimes, one might want the same degree of compression that an overdrive provides, but with clean tone. In a sense, what a person might want is a "swap" switch to go from an overdriven slightly compressed tone, to a compressed clean tone, without having to hit TWO switches.


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## Judas68fr (Feb 5, 2013)

Sometimes you want to go for that squished sound, think of the guitar solo on The Wall. I don't often use compression on electric guitar, but when I do it's to help emulate that 'loud amp' feel. Keep in mind that tubes do compress the sound as well, so pushing a tube amp really hard tends to add some compression as well.


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## Hammerhands (Dec 19, 2016)

If you were into bi-dexterous finger tapping you would never ask this question!

They also make solid-state amps sound a little more tube-like because a tube amp compresses before it distorts.


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## guitarman2 (Aug 25, 2006)

Compressors are not for everyone. If you don't see the point you could be one of those people. Me, I've struggled with them for probably 30-40 years. I used them quite extensively through the 80's for that chickn pickn style that was big then. After that I'd go back and forth on their use and have a love hate relationship. I've been through just about every boutique iteration of them. I've finally settled on a Origin effects Cali 76 CD. Its the first compressor that I've been able to use as an always on. The biggest thing for me is that it has to have a knob for blending in the uncompressed signal so that you are not sucking out all the dynamics.


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## allthumbs56 (Jul 24, 2006)

I always seem to own a couple and have fun with them around the house or when recording but I honestly cannot make them a part of my pedalboard. Control over my volume and gain whilst playing live is important to me. Every time I've tried to used a compressor live it fights with me too much by either bringing up my sound or (mostly) choking it off.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

In many respects, compression IS the sound of rock and roll. Keep in mind that most of the benchmark recordings that set the template for rock were recorded to mag tap, which required limiting and sometimes compression to manage the dynamic limitations of the tap medium. They were mixed down and transferred to vinyl, which had its own dynamic limitations. The RIAAA equalization curve was partly needed to manage hiss from vinyl but also to keep those big bass notes from taking up too much room on the disc (that was partly where 12" singles came from), but once again, limiters and compressors in the mastering process helped to let things cut through while not straining the vinyl medium. Lastly, as much as we associate it with FM and satellite radio these days, right up into the '70s, rock came to us through the medium of AM radio, and every broadcast studio would be chock-a-block with limiters and compressors because of the dynamic limitations of AM broadcasting.

The net result is that, as much as folks may complain about compression and limited dynamic range, its the sound we either grew up on or else the sound that people we admire grew up on. One might even suggest that the overdriven amp sounds we privilege are themselves a holdover from the days of heavily compressed albums, recorded on compressed tape, and played over compressed AM radio airwaves. None of that means it *has* to be that way. I'm just saying it is so deeply embedded in the medium/genre that things seem a little "off" to us if there is NO dynamic limiting anywhere along the way.

That said, as one of those forms of processing that are hard to detect for many, users have a tendency to crank the compression/sustain/ratio controls way up high, where the effect becomes more obvious...and what makes it obvious may not be the same as what makes it useful.


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## TimH (Feb 4, 2006)

I think compressors are like fuzz pedals...it takes many guitarists time to figure them out even though they are simple devices. But watch out once it clicks...


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## mrmatt1972 (Apr 3, 2008)

IN order of frequency of use and importance in recording EQ is #1 and compression is #2. You don't NEED a comp as a guitar player, but it is a very useful tool. Lots of folks have them on almost all the time.


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## TheYanChamp (Mar 6, 2009)

I think it depends on your amp. Some pre-amps offer more compression, squeeze etc than others. A blues deluxe acts very different at the input than a ac30, or a high gain channel. Like if you have a somewhat 'stiff' pre-amp, where when you increase pre-amp gain, you don't get a more compressed, louder or round sound, instead it starts to break up and distort. You can use a neutral comp and all of a sudden it pull the bass up a bit, tames stiff highs/high mids, and adds a sort of juice or squish to it.

If you're only trying it at bedroom levels it can help goose a clean sound without adding dirt, and make is sound much bigger. To get your setting and experiment try cranking your amp to better hear what it is doing.


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## Sketchy Jeff (Jan 12, 2019)

Yamariv said:


> What am I missing here


lots of response from a recording point of view or the pure tone part of it playing solo

is that what you're thinking of or are you thinking about practical benefits for playing live with a band in a room full of people?

i don't like the sound of my compression pedal on if i'm playing by myself but with an acoustic rhythm player, a drummer, keyboard, bass, 2 backup singers and a lead vocal the compressed sound sits better in a live mix without either getting bulldozed over or spiking out in places it shouldn't

so i don't like it but it's useful

j


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## player99 (Sep 5, 2019)

I use 3 comp pedals in a row, each with modest compression and about 20-40% blend knob. It really is nice for getting a high volume feel with low volume.


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## High/Deaf (Aug 19, 2009)

Compression is so wide-ranging. A necessity in recording and mastering. A nice effect for a guitar player, but not a necessity for everyone, IMO. The more gain/distortion you use, the less likely you are to hear much compression 'effect' - the tubes are compressing while they distort. So it depends on how and where you use it, genre, situation, etc.

I couldn't live without one live. For the pseudo-country and rockabilly I do, it is the 'secret sauce'. Don't really need it for anything else (wouldn't use it for any of the crunch stuff we do), but justify it for that.




KapnKrunch said:


> Compressors have been used as an effect. Pretty much a goofy fad that everyone is over.
> 
> 
> Like salt and sugar, best used sparingly.


Salt, sugar and REVERB (and compression). Best used sparingly. If it's overwhelming to the taste / sound, then you're using too much, IMO.


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## jimsz (Apr 17, 2009)

I use two compressors in my chain for slide guitar and lap steel.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

High/Deaf said:


> Compression is so wide-ranging. A necessity in recording and mastering. A nice effect for a guitar player, but not a necessity for everyone, IMO. The more gain/distortion you use, the less likely you are to hear much compression 'effect' - the tubes are compressing while they distort. So it depends on how and where you use it, genre, situation, etc.
> 
> I couldn't live without one live. For the pseudo-country and rockabilly I do, it is the 'secret sauce'. Don't really need it for anything else (wouldn't use it for any of the crunch stuff we do), but justify it for that.
> 
> Salt, sugar and REVERB (and compression). Best used sparingly. If it's overwhelming to the taste / sound, then you're using too much, IMO.


Spot on. I think the central element in what you say, as well as comments from others here, is that compressors are for targetting those contexts in which the restricted dynamics one wants/needs are not being achieved by other means, whether that be by an amp or other headroom-limiting pedals.

So, given that the vast majority of overdrive pedals function by clamping down on headroom (which IS, after all, why and how they clip), if you're strumming rhythm behind a singer AND running your guitar through an overdrive pedal into an amp that is set for mild breakup, then compression won't add much, if anything at all, that isn't already being achieved by the rest of your signal path. If, on the other hand, you're strumming a clean Tele or Gretsch, and feeding it into a stout Twin Reverb or similar, hard "mis-strums" are bound to happen if you're backing a singer or singing yourself while playing, and dividing your attention. A compressor is going to be a god-send in those circumstances.


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## Yamariv (Jan 15, 2018)

Sorry for the delay guys, thanks for all your replies!! It makes sense now why I don't really get it as I am more of a crunch and distortion player. Good to know the cleans will have more "apparent sustain" and I'll be sure to use it when I do clean riffs to see if I like it. 

On a side note, I don't do any chicken pickin..what does a compressor help with that style of music? The notes are fast and clean so I'm not sure what the compressor is helping with as you aren't really looking for sustain in that genre of fast notes right?


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

Yamariv said:


> Sorry for the delay guys, thanks for all your replies!! It makes sense now why I don't really get it as I am more of a crunch and distortion player. Good to know the cleans will have more "apparent sustain" and I'll be sure to use it when I do clean riffs to see if I like it.
> 
> On a side note, I don't do any chicken pickin..what does a compressor help with that style of music? The notes are fast and clean so I'm not sure what the compressor is helping with as you aren't really looking for sustain in that genre of fast notes right?


Country pickers traditionally preferred the Dan Armstrong Orange Squeezer, while rock players preferred the MXR Dynacomp. Why the difference? The stock Squeezer had a fast gain-recovery time, which allowed for quickly picked notes to be heard at their individual volumes, rather than needing to wait for the gain to come back up again. The Dynacomp had a much slower gain-recovery time, which was much better for holding notes, especially playing slide. More modern compressor pedals have often included what they labelled an "Attack" control (and Fender appropriately labelled "Recovery" on their The Bends compressor), that allows the gain recovery time to be optimized for the picking style. 

This is a much misunderstood control since its impact will always depend on how fast and hard you throw notes at it. Stick some space between successive notes, and the compressor will be able to recover full gain to keep up with every single note; varying the Attack control under those conditions will create the sense that it doesn't actually DO anything. If one plays _quickly_, though, and the gain-recovery time is long, the first picked note will make the compressor turn down, and it will take a while to "catch its breath". The audible result is that subsequent notes can seem to be less present. This, and the fact that the word "recovery" is a few letters longer and doesn't sound nearly as sexy, led manufacturers to opt for the label "Attack"; too-long gain-recovery time for the manner of picking used makes it sound like one is missing the "attack" of subsequent notes. More recent 4 and 5-knob compressors include a blend control that mixes in some uncompressed signal with the compressed. This allows for the unaffected pick attack to be heard under all conditions, regardless of what the gain-recovery time might be.

As I tried to convey earlier, compressors can help to separate the *tone/timbre* you want by striking a string this way or that, from the *volume* that may accompany the way you strike the string. Chicken-pickin may _sound_ clean and even, but often sounds "even", in the face of varying the pick-attack, through the graces of a compressor or peak-limiter. Plenty of country players will work the "snap" of the strings near the bridge, for emphasis, but don't want the sudden volume peaks that might accompany them.


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## Collin Bass (Oct 17, 2020)

Yamariv said:


> Hey Guys,
> 
> A few weeks back I build myself a BYOC Clone of the Vintage MXR Compressor pedal (even sprung for the extra vintage parts) Pedal is totally cool and works great but I just don't see the point of a compressor pedal so far..
> 
> ...


IMO, depends on what you do. live... No real need for compression unless you're a slap bass player. And even then, meh. If you're just playing rythm, live, no need. If you're playing lead, a lot of dudes crank the gain, and then use the compression so you can get that same sound at a more reasonable volume. Take Santana for example: lots of saturation, lots of compression. For recording any and all guitars, be it 4-12 strings, compression is an absolute must!


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## Okay Player (May 24, 2020)

mhammer said:


> Country pickers traditionally preferred the Dan Armstrong Orange Squeezer, while rock players preferred the MXR Dynacomp. Why the difference? The stock Squeezer had a fast gain-recovery time, which allowed for quickly picked notes to be heard at their individual volumes, rather than needing to wait for the gain to come back up again. The Dynacomp had a much slower gain-recovery time, which was much better for holding notes, especially playing slide. More modern compressor pedals have often included what they labelled an "Attack" control (and Fender appropriately labelled "Recovery" on their The Bends compressor), that allows the gain recovery time to be optimized for the picking style.
> 
> This is a much misunderstood control since its impact will always depend on how fast and hard you throw notes at it. Stick some space between successive notes, and the compressor will be able to recover full gain to keep up with every single note; varying the Attack control under those conditions will create the sense that it doesn't actually DO anything. If one plays _quickly_, though, and the gain-recovery time is long, the first picked note will make the compressor turn down, and it will take a while to "catch its breath". The audible result is that subsequent notes can seem to be less present. This, and the fact that the word "recovery" is a few letters longer and doesn't sound nearly as sexy, led manufacturers to opt for the label "Attack"; too-long gain-recovery time for the manner of picking used makes it sound like one is missing the "attack" of subsequent notes. More recent 4 and 5-knob compressors include a blend control that mixes in some uncompressed signal with the compressed. This allows for the unaffected pick attack to be heard under all conditions, regardless of what the gain-recovery time might be.
> 
> As I tried to convey earlier, compressors can help to separate the *tone/timbre* you want by striking a string this way or that, from the *volume* that may accompany the way you strike the string. Chicken-pickin may _sound_ clean and even, but often sounds "even", in the face of varying the pick-attack, through the graces of a compressor or peak-limiter. Plenty of country players will work the "snap" of the strings near the bridge, for emphasis, but don't want the sudden volume peaks that might accompany them.


This is an incredible post. Thank you.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

Empress is set to release a new compressor. Here's knobs'/Scott's demo. It explains and illustrates things very nicely.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

The clean guitar at the beginning of this tune is ALL compressor and hard squish.


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## guitarman2 (Aug 25, 2006)

Yamariv said:


> Sorry for the delay guys, thanks for all your replies!! It makes sense now why I don't really get it as I am more of a crunch and distortion player. Good to know the cleans will have more "apparent sustain" and I'll be sure to use it when I do clean riffs to see if I like it.
> 
> On a side note, I don't do any chicken pickin..what does a compressor help with that style of music? The notes are fast and clean so I'm not sure what the compressor is helping with as you aren't really looking for sustain in that genre of fast notes right?



I've been a chicken picker country shredder since the early 1980's when I started to take inspiration from the likes of Ricky Skaggs, Ray Flacke, Albert Lee, etc. I toured on the circuit then when just about everybody was copying that style. Kind of before the boutique pedal market took off and the comp of choice was the Boss CS-1\CS-2. Most every country picker had one on their board including me. The problem was that it made everyone sound the same. I struggled with compressors for 40 years. By the 90's I tired of them and what they did to tone and I'd either have one on the board that was hardly ever on and by the time the year 2000-2003 came around had about removed it from the board all together. By the time its 2005 I discoverd the boutique market guitars\amps\pedals. So again I started experimenting with compressors. I really wasn't looking for squish or a big tone enhancer. What I tried to attain without losing too much dynamics was just a little more of that snap to accentuate what my tele was already doing. Something to equalize each string volume while I was at it. I must have tried almost every boutique comps available. I started with the original keeley which to me was just a better quality CS-1. Some of the notable compressors I tried were the Diamond CPR-1, Effectrode PC-2A, Empress, Demeter compulator, etc. When I got to the wampler ego and empress it was my first experience in to compressors with blend knobs for dry signal parallel compression. And I figured that was the answer and for the most part for me it is. The wampler ego I found my self dry signalling the compression out till its pretty much gone. So I came to the conclusion I just didn't like what the wampler was doing as far as compression goes. To this day I'm still not sure why I gave up on the Empress, twice. I think it has to be about the most transparent studio style compressor out there in a foot pedal. What I did end up with and what I have on my board now is a Cali76 Compact Deluxe. Despite what some say about it being completely transparent, I don't agree, It does impart some amount of color but what it does I love I can leave this on all the time. I can get it to squish but I don't. There are many ways I think the Empress is better but in ways that matter to me I prefer the Cali76 CD. I'd love to try the big box transformer versions some day if I ever come across one but I can't seem me providing the board real estate that would be needed. I like to keep my pedalboard small and neat. I'm a minimalist with pedals.
The Empress I'm referencing is the old one in a dark blue finish. I have no experience with the MKII that mhammer posted.


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