The Steel Guitar Forum

Thinking about using a compressor to increase sustain with my steel. Any suggestions or opinions would be appreciated. Types of compressor effect pedals that are high quality???

Isn't that what your volume pedal is for?

Isn't that what your volume pedal is for?

Not in all cases - it depends on the sound you want plus the specific compressor and its settings.
I use an Xotic SP, which can be set to have no "squash" on the attack and provide just mild sustain. While it might be possible to use a volume pedal that way there always seems to be a bit of a "swell" affect with volume pedal due to the physical motion.

I find the volume pedal to be clearly noticeable and I don't care for that sound. If the right compressor is set properly it's totally transparent. mine is attached under the steel - you'd never know if it's on or not.

This topic has been covered many times before. None of the regular compressors that I have tried were any good. But electronic guru Georg Sørtun recommended using a Boss LMB-3 limiter for compression that doesn't squish the tone and attack of a steel. It works!

If you feel you really need one, I suggest getting one with a blend knob allowing you a lot more control

Back in the 70's, I used an MXR Dynacomp for use as an actual effect. I wanted the squashing effect. I used it to get close (well at least what I thought was close) to that Tele popping thwang sound. I have never had a guitar (I have had 8 of them) that needed any help with sustain.

George,

You mentioned using the the LMB-3 before the VP and before the effects. How would the LMB-3 work on a pedal board after a he VP?

the right compressor (BOSS LMB-3) set right

Tell us how you have your Boss LMB-3 set and how it's changed for different steels, please?

Thanks for the detailed explanations. I have another question for the Boss LMB-3 users. Since it was originally marketed as a "Bass" pedal, do you notice a drop in the the high end of the eq when engaged?

I've been using a compressors especially for long sustained passages (ambient-style beds) that mimic what a keyboard would do. It never really occurred to me until recently that it could be useful in a traditional steel passage when dialed back to more "normal" settings. My favorite is the Origin Effects Sliderig, but I'd never tested the Boss LMB-3. Hence my curiosity.

Thanks all in advance.

George, thanks for the detailed reply. The reason I asked about placing the LMB-after the VP is I use a Boss 3 pedal case with Reverb & Delay. It would be convenient to remove the chorus pedal and put the LMB-3 in the case.

Thanks George. I am going to give it a try this week end. I have two of the LMB-3 pedals. One I use with my bass guitar and it makes a huge difference in response and feel.

Thanks George. I am going to give it a try this week end. I have two of the LMB-3 pedals. One I use with my bass guitar and it makes a huge difference in response and feel.

the "responsiveness" and "dynamic enhancement" is what makes the BOSS LMB-3 unique

Devil's advocate -

And exactly what I *don't* like about it and why I quickly eliminated it from my signal chain.

It was "effect-y" sounding. I specifically *don't* want a compressor or limiter to add noticeable responsiveness, and (yikes!) no "enhancement" please! But no matter how subtle the control settings I found it to do either nothing or add a non-miuscial "enhancement" to the sound like most other pedals with "enhance" somewhere in the description or marketing materials.

I use the SP with a 50's Fender 400, which is not a steel known for its endless sustain It adds just enough "to taste" with a tonal transparency I don't find in any other stompbox-type compressor (especially not a sub-compact type I can mount under the guitar). The LMB-3 is comparatively quite "up front", something of no use to me.

Jim,
Just to clarify your usage of the compressor, do you use it instead of the VP? The reason I ask is that my right ankle is partly fused and I have never been able to properly use a VP.
I play without a VP and I find the initial string attack is too strong to balance against the normal sustain of the steel. Does your setup allow you to better balance the initial attack relative to the sustain? I assume it does but have to ask the question.

Karlis

George, I put the LMB-3 in my Boss 3 pedal case and I dialed in some very usable tones. You are correct about going from guitar to LMB-3 being a better placement but the convienience of placing it in the case is handy.

Just to clarify your usage of the compressor, do you use it instead of the VP?

Not really, as I don't feel the need to use a volume pedal with steel at all. While it seems to have become an almost "required" piece of equipment it's really a stylistic choice more than anything else.

I use pick attack control on the front end of notes and I don't use the "swell" type effect country players do - because I'm not one.

As I explain I use the compressor to add a bit of extra sustain to a type of guitar that's slightly lacking in it. The compressor is left on, but doesn't "squash" the front of notes with a strong mix of "dry" signal.

If it's difficult physically to play with a volume pedal - don't. There are no steel police that will cite you for not using one.

Most places.....

Karlis Abolins wrote:Jim,
Just to clarify your usage of the compressor, do you use it instead of the VP? The reason I ask is that my right ankle is partly fused and I have never been able to properly use a VP.
I play without a VP and I find the initial string attack is too strong to balance against the normal sustain of the steel. Does your setup allow you to better balance the initial attack relative to the sustain? I assume it does but have to ask the question.

Karlis

The Electro Harmonix POG2 has a "attack" control that can be used to fade in the note right after you pick it. The device is a polyphonic octave generator, but you can easily program a preset that just uses the natural sound with the attack suppression. It holds 8 presets. Most people use it as an organ effect or to emulate a bass or 12-string guitar, but you don't have to use its octave capability to cut the attack envelope.

Karlis- if you find the initial string attack is too strong I have a couple of questions:

Do you always pick in the same place, or do you vary your hand position?

What amplifier do you use, what speaker(s) and how loud do you run it? do you vary your tone control settings based on the room/environment or do you leave everything in one place?

Do you play with vibrato?

Is the problem the same at all volume levels and with/without a band?

Is there anything else in your signal chain?

Nearly every player I've worked with that had attack-based issues solved them by altering their attack and/or left hand technique - not through use of additional gear. If the instrument and amp have reasonable/normal amounts of sustain there should not be a huge imbalance between pick attack and sustained notes - just as with any other instrument.

Some gear-based problems that can appear to be attack-based are 1) using high-powered amp at very low volume, or 2) a low-sensitivity (or inefficient) speaker, 3) an amp that has never been set up or "tuned" properly (especially true of tube amps), and 4) other gear that affects the signal level.

If all of these potential issues have been examined and eliminated I'd look at hand position and attack strength before applying gear-based solutions. Using a single hand position and/or always picking at the same general power level can both be changed to overcome what may appear to be overbearing pick attack.

These are just some of the most-apparent things to take a look at. There are quite a few other variables. It can help to look outside the pedal steel world, as nearly all 6-string techniques regarding pick attack are applicable to pedal steel.