What is the point of a compressor?

As I understand it, a compressor makes the tone smoother and more consistent/even. Are there any other advantages (or disadvantages)?

Not tone, dynamics. It restrains the highest peaks reducing the difference between the loudest and quietest points.

I read about compressors for a long time, until I finally went out and got one for my band's recording sessions. Once I started playing with it I understood it fully.

As a guitar effect, it's really good for rhythm guitar with a lot of strumming, it keeps the dynamics very even, you don't havew notes popping out and dipping all over the place. In front of a mild gain amp or distortion device it ensures that the amount of distortion is constant. Once again, if you are playing a rhythm part that you want to sound quot;perfectquot; it will help. Also, country guitar is filled with ultra compressed clean guitar, almost like an effect in itself.

As a bass effect combined with a Limiter, it gives a nice strong attack and an even level of sustain. When you apply it to a vocal track or entire mix, it quot;smoothesquot; everything out and makes it sound more quot;professionalquot;. The thing is, if you are playing music that requires dynamics, like blues leads and Frusciante style rhythm, a compressor is the last thing you want. Basically when you hear a track and it sounds very quot;producedquot;, instead of raw, there's a lot of compression going on.

I find it a necessary ingredient for playing Country. When you really pop the strings with your fingernails, a compressor helps with that pop and snap. You have to be carefull though. You can squash your tone down to nothing...

It's an extrememly useful tool for recording but it's overused sometimes too. System of a down is a good example of overuse of compression. High gain amps generally compress the sound quite enough on their own IMO.

A compressor adds sustain too. Distortion compresses naturally, but a good compressor can add great sustain to a clean signal. It also makes the sound more punchy. I recommend the Barber Tone Press.

I have no idea what the point is to be honest...I've always hated the damn things..they squash dynamics...make things sound unnatural and quot;glitchyquot;...

I can see why some people *may* have a legitimate use for them as noted above...but IMO..for tone...they are crap


Originally Posted by JeffBI have no idea what the point is to be honest...I've always hated the damn things..they squash dynamics...make things sound unnatural and quot;glitchyquot;...

I can see why some people *may* have a legitimate use for them as noted above...but IMO..for tone...they are crap

That's because they sound squishy on Pauls and Hamer Explorers!

They really don't do anything to improve a gainy tone, but are really best suited to clean guitar sounds. They work the best with a loud wide open clean tone and single coils.


Originally Posted by Gearjoneser

They work the best with a loud wide open clean tone and single coils.

Yeah I could see them useful for some funk type clean chording w/ a bit of phaser mixed or something...

I reckon I'm just not a fan of compression in general...whether it's from the amp, pickups or a pedal....

It's like anything else, it has its place.

Keep in mind that anything you hear on the radio -- voice or music -- has been compressed to death to probably about a 1 dB dynamic range. And this after the radio-friendly-minded final mix engineer has already compressed the dynamic life out of the CD before it even gets to the radio station.


Originally Posted by darkshadow54321As I understand it, a compressor makes the tone smoother and more consistent/even. Are there any other advantages (or disadvantages)?
It increases sustain by making loud parts quieter, allowing you to further amplify the entire signal.

It decreases the difference between loud parts of a track and quiet partss. This makes it so that a track will play better on a cheeper audio system, but it also means that if a track has a really loud part due to the way it was recorded, then that one spot won't cause you to be stuck with a quiet recording.

Isolating frequencies under 180 hz or so and compressing them by themselves is extremely useful for bass guitars, drum kits, and acoustic guitars. It really smooths out the sound. Those frequencies are the quot;fullnessquot; of those instruments, so having a smooth bass end makes them sound better. If you just compressed the entire bandwidth of the instrument, it would be messy and you don't achieve the desired effect. Peaks in other frequencies would also trigger the compressor.That's not to say that you shouldn't compress those frequenices as well though to remove peaks. The goal is to get a relatively even recording which you can normalize to make louder without clipping while at the same time achieving a full sound. That's why I like multiband compression; all the frequencies beneath 180 hz or so are compressed on their own, all the frequencies from 180hz to 400hz, from 400hz to 1khz, 1kz to 5kz, and 5kz to 22kz.Using too much compression though is a big problem. On most commercial radio stations, they use compression to make the recordings sound good on a wide variety of audio systems. Supposedly. I think they do it out of habbit, but they don't use multi band compression! They just compress the entire track as its playing, and it sounds ugly. A lot of guys who record themselves just singing to acoustic guitar also misuse compression IMO. Every time they start singing, the guitar gets way quieter. Every time they stop singing, the guitar fills up the entire track. It's obnoxious.

Problems from using compression badly:

- Every time a loud noise happens, such as a bass drum, everything else in the track disapears. Avoid this by compressing individual instruments, and only compress entire tracks using multi band compression.

- Peaks in certain frequency bandwidths causing all other frequencies to disapear. Avoid this by using multi band compression.

- Using compression happens to undo changes you've made in EQ. Avoid this by using multi band compression, and then to change EQ, raise or lower bandwidths which compressed relatively evenly. That will ~help~, HELP to avoid adding new peaks when you just compressed your recording to eliminate.
With electric guitar, I don't like using compression. Overdrive naturally compresses your signal, and I like being able to control how much drive I get using touch. Compression is useful though for cleans and for sounding like metallica. I don't use it while playing so I don't have too many useful things to say.


Originally Posted by GearjoneserThat's because they sound squishy on Pauls and Hamer Explorers!

They really don't do anything to improve a gainy tone, but are really best suited to clean guitar sounds. They work the best with a loud wide open clean tone and single coils.
Well, IMO mahogany guitars with humbuckers already have naturally compressed mids so they don't need it. For single coil non-mahogany guitars like strats or telecasters though which are brighter with less mids and more bass, it's a different story.

Great post, theboatcandream.

It is not about compression, more like control of the levels.
Most floorbased pedals really are poor compressors, more effects for squashing sounds.
Good ones you would never ever hear.

I have an EBS MultiComp that does a decent job. I use it for bass, mostly. Multiband, and all. (In a pedal! Who woulda thunk it?)

You're in Aarhus? I have a friend (from here) who's studying there right now...


Originally Posted by theboatcandreamWell, IMO mahogany guitars with humbuckers already have naturally compressed mids so they don't need it. For single coil non-mahogany guitars like strats or telecasters though which are brighter with less mids and more bass, it's a different story.Well put! Adding some compression can really add some nice jangle to a strat or tele; adding more can give a familiar country tone.

For twelve string stuff like the Byrds, you need compression.


Originally Posted by theboatcandream

On most commercial radio stations, they use compression to make the recordings sound good on a wide variety of audio systems. Supposedly. I think they do it out of habbit, but they don't use multi band compression! They just compress the entire track as its playing, and it sounds ugly.

Ummm...no. Not exactly. Radio stations (all of 'em) use massive amounts of multi-band compression amp; limiting. This explains it WAY better then I ever could; from : localhost/

FWIW, Robert Orban invented (among other things) a piece called the Optimod which is in use at probably 80% of FCC approved radio stations. The guys really a genius, totally on par with Leo Fender or Les Paul.

In a nutshell...a compressor limits the dynamic range of an instrument. It turns the loud parts down a little and therefor makes the softer parts seem a little louder which in turn, also increases the noise floor. Limting is extreme compression, ratios of 15:1 or higher and expansion is the opposite of compression. Using any of them will change the dynamics AND the tone of whatevers going through the compressor. It can be a beautiful thing if used moderatly but abuse is easy to do and fairly ugly sounding.

I have Boss compressor (CS3) and use it only on clean stuff. For example, when I play quot;Ride Onquot; by AC/DC, I noticed when I strum the chords my low e sounds kinda boomy and kinda overpowers the rest... I switch on the compression and that compensates for my heavy picking and evens out the overall volume of each phrase.

On high gain stuff all it does is add hiss...


Originally Posted by lex666I have Boss compressor (CS3) and use it only on clean stuff. For example, when I play quot;Ride Onquot; by AC/DC, I noticed when I strum the chords my low e sounds kinda boomy and kinda overpowers the rest... I switch on the compression and that compensates for my heavy picking and evens out the overall volume of each phrase.

On high gain stuff all it does is add hiss...

I have never been a fan of Compressors because it takes the bass notes and squashes them... But i do know a few top players that use them well... This player here in Canada Kim Mitchell uses a Boss CS3 on his board... He said he uses it to clean up the sound of his JCM800 stack.... But also said that when everything is loud and he also kicks in a Boss Blues Driver with the Comp it makes a great solo sound.... Even Pete Townshend uses the new MXR Super Comp these days... Never could figure out how to use one myself with any good effect....

WhoFan, I know what you mean. I had an MXR DynaComp that I could never get used to, couldn't figure it out. Recently I tried Robert Keeley's Compressor. Holy cow is that thing nice. I was playing a tele with some P90ish type pickups. That thing sustained forever with that compressor. After some help with one of Robert's booth reps (possibly sales guys) it made sense. You really have to play with them and get the right feel. I like the open dynamics while playing and his compressor allowed to do that. Too bad it costs so much. I want one.