anyone use a compressor or sustainer?

John Turbeville · From: Carlsbad, ca

I use a little delay and reverb, what these? any thoughts??/

Larry Bell · From: Englewood, Florida

Emmons used to use an Orange Squeezer all the time, back in the day. Compression is fine as long as you don't squash the notes too bad.

What compression does is even out the loud and soft notes so that the louds are a bit softer and the softs are a bit louder. A lot of steel players do some of this with the volume pedal. Too much compression robs you of dynamics. You shouldn't actually HEAR the compression; it should be transparent and subtle.

I used to use one (because Buddy did) Smile

but don't use it these days except for an extreme effect once in a while. That's another use of compression -- as an effect. It gives of a solid POP when you hit the note and makes it more percussive sounding. Like I said -- used tastefully it has its place. Too much compression is worse than no compression. All is just my humble opinion.

Learn to control your volume with just a little reverb and delay. In fact, practice with NO FX and get used to making your hands create the most beautiful sound you can with just the pick, string, bar, pickup, and your amp.
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John Turbeville · From: Carlsbad, ca

I do the poors mans compression when I play electric 6 string by adding a little drive, I like it when I play live to balance things out a bit. I may try that with the steel, as you said its really easy to over do these things. jt.

Georg Sørtun · From: Mandal, Agder, Norway

I have a BOSS LMB-3 inserted pre-VP all the time, and use it with a moderate setting almost all the time. No other effects.

Dave Grafe · From: Hudson River Valley NY

I used to use one to smooth out my erratic attack, until I came to the conclusion that it was a crutch that was keeping me from developing consistent picking technique. There are advantages if one knows how to use them SUBTLY.

Chris LeDrew · From: Canada

I run a comp full-time on my six-string rig, but only in the studio for steel. And usually it's added afterwards for mixing purposes.
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Richard Sinkler · From: aka: Rusty Strings -- Missoula, Montana

Steve Lipsey · From: Portland, Oregon, USA

I'm pretty new to steel, used a Keeley 4-knob comp on my slide guitar stuff like most slide players....(Lowell George of Little Feat used two stacked comps!)...so it seemed like it would be a good thing on steel also, I leave the "sustain" setting all the way down and attack all the way up (lets the initial note dynamics through a bit more), it just gives a little fullness to the notes....still use Volume pedal mostly for sustain.
Went back and forth on it but mostly like it....not a lot of squash, just some nice round tones...
By the way, I use a Trutone single coil and a Vox-like tube amp, so the compressor tames the jangly stuff a bit.....I don't know if a humbucker/solid state amp would need it or benefit as much from it...

mike nolan · From: Forest Hills, NY USA

Ultimately, the volume pedal plus fingers should be your compressor......

Steve Lipsey · From: Portland, Oregon, USA

Of course that works...but "should" is a strong word....adding just a touch of comp rounds out the notes, not just provides a bit of sustain....it is more the tone shape that I like, the sustain is a nice extra benefit, but I have it set at minimum....

Dave Hopping · From: Aurora, Colorado

I use an Alesis 3630 most of the time,but have been dialing back on the threshold so there is less compressing going on.Last rehearsal I left the rackmount home and went straight in,keeping in mind the sentiments Mike N. articulates.I was honestly a little spooked about playing without compression,but it turned out to be a lot of fun-I had to be real focused about volume pedal management,but having to concentrate like that helped my playing be a little more focused,too.I'm thinking about leaving the rackmount at home some more and taking my spare DD-6 out of mothballs... Very Happy

mike nolan · From: Forest Hills, NY USA

Steve,

I do like, and use a bit of opto-compression when recording either on the input or on the mix channel, and a comp in a live situation can be cool as an effect.

What I was really referring to is that the compressor, as originally developed, was intended to be a "phantom engineer" riding a fader..... sort of an extra hand during recording and mix. I think of my volume pedal as a compressor in that same original sense.

Steve Ahola · From: Concord, California

I've had several compressor pedals over the years for regular guitar and have never been really impressed with any of them. However, I have heard good reports here about the Barber Electronics Tone Press. They are putting out an updated version soon ("delayed 3-5 weeks"):

http://www.barberelectronics.com/tonepress.htm

I've had a Barber Small Fry for a few years; it is a great OD pedal simulating the sound of a Dumble ODS (the $50k amp that David Lindley likes to play). And a lot of people here really like their LTD SR pedal for a lower gain OD pedal. (Both the LTD SR and the Tone Press are on my "bucket list" of FX pedals.)

Yeah, I know I sound like a Barber Electronics sales rep but I've been impressed by the boutique quality pedals that they have been selling at less-than-boutique prices.

Steve Ahola
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Ken Metcalf · From: San Antonio Texas USA

I have used a Barber Tone Press on reg guitar for years.
It is the only one I have tried that doesn't change your sound but still gives compression.
I leave it on all the time.
I have tried it on my steel and it sounded good but I don't really need a compressor on my steel.
My Tele effects are TonePress, Clean Boost (Sparkle Drive), 18 Volt OCD Distortion, Danelectro Echo.
I like the concept of parallel effects and they seem to work well for me.
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Buck Dilly · From: Branchville, NJ, USA * R.I.P.

I have had MXR, Boss, Keeley and The Barber Tone Press is my fovaorite. I have two on my pedalboard. One is set up for heavy sustain the other for mild compression. Each one drives different overdrives (also Barbers) I use the half Gainer (a double LTD) and the other is a unLTD also by Barber. I use a POD which has a good compression stomp box as well as a controllable limiter in it. I like that too. But the Barber is the most flexible and controllable.

Phillip Broste · From: California, USA

I've been lurking for almost two years now, but I had to join up just so I could share my favorite pedal with all of you.

http://proguitarshop.com/pigtronix-philosopher-s-tone-germanium-gold-ltd.html

This thing rocks. I bought it for my tele, but I use it on steel all the time. There is nothing like a volume pedal used well, but just a touch of coloration from this box makes things just a little sweeter. This is the gold model, and should not be confused with the regular one, which has a much fizzier saturation.

Georg Sørtun · From: Mandal, Agder, Norway

Bob Carlucci · From: Candor, New York, USA

I dunno, lots of guys saying you don't need compression, and i agree, but man I hear a LOT of good pedal steel work squashed up the butt on big time studio recordings, and have for years... bob
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Dave Mudgett · From: Central Pennsylvania and Gallatin, Tennessee

I would not use a compressor when learning. I use some very light compression for guitar in certain situations (esp. chicken-picking, strong rhythm guitar playing, and so on), and started out with the same setup for pedal steel. But several good players here suggested that I dump it, at least until I understood how to deal with picking and volume-pedal technique on their own. The problem is that the compressor basically does automatically what one needs to learn how to control manually with pick attack and volume pedal. Personally, I think they were spot-on with that assessment. To me, this is more or less like the advice to not 'duck' mistakes with your volume pedal when learning - if you don't ever hear what's coming directly out of your fingers, I think it's harder to learn how to control them.

I agree with Bob C. that I do sometimes hear what I perceive as fairly heavy-handed compression on recordings - but that may have been done during mixing/mastering.

David Mason · From: Cambridge, MD, USA

The compression used on recordings started getting overboard in the 80's and has just gotten worse and worse. Radio stations used to use compression and volume adjustment as a matter of course - being a DJ required some skill - and some record producers figured out that their songs might get played more if they handle the compression at the source, both compressing each instrument then compressing the whole track. Then the radio station compressed it more anyway, them everyone got used to what "hits" sounded like so now they record that way.

The point being that those ultra-smooth licks on the radio probably had some dynamics to start. However, bear in mind that every tube amp is a compressor to a certain extent, the more so as it get closer to overdrive, and every speaker is a compressor to some extent too. This is useful to know if you're using digital recording or modeling to try to mimic a tapped-out tube amp into a tapped-out speaker - a Celestion "Greenback", for example is designed to add some speaker sound-shaping.

If you're trying to get a rock 'n' roll guitar sound out of a steel guitar I guess you could try a low-load speaker like that, but I've never had any luck with it.

Jack Stanton · From: Somewhere in the swamps of Jersey

I always beg the engineer not to over compress me but it rarely works out that way.

Kevin Milner · From: Los Angeles, California, USA

I almost never use my compressor (2 knob keeley) with my Nashville 112, but use it often when playing through my Twin to even things out and make it sound more like a steel amp.

James Quackenbush · From: Pomona, New York, USA

I continue to use tube amps as the tubes add suttle amount of natural compression to the tone ......There is a certain amount of GOOD distortion that comes from most tube amps that take that sterile sound of S.S. amps away and smoothe's out the tone to a degree and also allows added sustain .....

I will use a compressor judicially in the studio strapped across a final mix to even out the peaks and valleys of various mixes which allow for more volume in the end ....Again , it's not all tracks, and not used heavily at all ..... Tele players use compressors in spades for their "Chicken Pickin " tones ...

Used in the right place at the right time , compression works very well ....Used to hide technique is not one of them .....When used as a crutch, it only prolongs bad playing technique ..... Jim

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