Compressors - help me see the light

[travisthedog]

I've had a few compressors over the years - I have to admit, I just don't understand them. I have a final space on my new board and I have the hots for the visual sound comp 66 in the classifieds. Before I take the plunge (again) can one of the wiser more knowledgable forum elders explain what they really do, how to use them and where they go in the signal chain.

Many thanks!

[octatonic]

I use it for country chicken-pickin' playing for a squishy type of tone.

Otherwise I tend to not use them.
It usually goes after the wah, before the drive.

[travisthedog]

I'd always hoped/thought that they could add sustain to my guitar sound. Especially where on a clean amp, buckers seem to decay quickly ......

[octatonic]

I'd always hoped/thought that they could add sustain to my guitar sound. Especially where on a clean amp, buckers seem to decay quickly ......

Compressors decrease dynamic range.
Beyond the threshold they will compress the signal at the ratio setting.
So if you have the threshold set at -10db at 2:1 ratio then a signal at -8db (2db louder than -10) will be decreased by 1db.
At -5db it will decrease by 2.5db.

Compressors CAN increase sustain if they are set up to do so but you aren't going to get endless sustain from one.
It is a more subtle effect than a delay or a distortion.

I don't know the Visual Sound one at all.
I like the Keeley 4 knob for a clean pedal compressor.
The Analogman Comprosser is great for a 'squishy' type of tone.

[Lixarto]

Important for acoustic guitar, bass and (recorded) vocals. I'm not convinced an electric guitar needs compression - although that could just be the way I play.

[Viz]

I use compression on a distorted sound to rob it of any dynamic range and make it distort infinitely

[meltedbuzzbox]

I use mine to level out the volume and add sustain to my arpeggios or leads.

Combined with a fuzz/OD you can get Gary Moore style sustain on anything from strat to les paul

[Kebabkid]

I keep mine (a Keeley) on all the time as it tightens up my clean sound, especially for funk stuff where it evens out the volume of the strings and adds a percussive element. I also like it on my leads as it smooths out the sound and adds some sustain (very 80's LA and AOR)

[bobsbobbackwards]

I think compression is much more important if you're playing a Telecaster into a Fender Twin, for example, than if you play a Les Paul into a Marshall. Those big fixed biased fenders with bright guitars need some give and roundness sometimes which is where the compressor comes in, especially since you'd probably be playing clean if you had a tele and twin.

Also nice for 'shine on you crazy diamond' type strat tones.

Funny how some of us guitarists wax lyrical about an amp or pedal's dynamic range then get compressors to get rid of it all again!

[richardhomer]

Also nice for 'shine on you crazy diamond' type strat tones.

I doubt a compressor (at least a pedal-no doubt some compression/limiting was added when mixing) was used on the original recording. Later live versions (such as the one on 'Pulse') seem a lot more processed; it sounds as though compression, modulation and delay are used extensively.