Question:
I bought a boss compression pedal but i dont really know when to use it. is it used for leads? or for something else? your help is greatly appreciated. ANdrew
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it can be used for anything, their so versatile. they can be used to smooth out when you accidentally pick to hard to making a cool compressed sound for rythm
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Out of curiosity, why did you buy it when you really didn't know when to use it?
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The solo's I write always end up being really chill and slow at times (for lack of a better word) almost bluesy jazzy. Compression adds a great deal to sound. I use it with distortion for heavy solos also, to help my bends ring out when I hold them.
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what is compression exatcly? Like what sound does it emit.
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Originally Posted by Rainer. Out of curiosity, why did you buy it when you really didn't know when to use it? EXACTLY
If you don't know what something is/does, don't waste your money. Find out first, the internet is a huge resource for descriptions etc. Just do a bit of a search. I think harmony central had a good section on the description of effects.
I can't explain exactly what compression does as I'm not entirely positive. I just know that it's used to make the loud noises and soft noises closer together dynamically, i.e. less of a difference in levels. I THINK.
Note, I don't have a compression pedal
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i rarely use my compressor. very rarely. i only use it to even out my hybrid picking.
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Originally Posted by Caschmidt what is compression exatcly? Like what sound does it emit.
Here is the best way to explain how it works and why you need one.
http://www.harmony-central.com/Effec...s/Compression/
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I have almost no use for compression, except on acoustic guitar and vocals. One great use is for keeping those highs from spiking your ear drums. And a very squished compression sound is great for some alt.country clean leads.
Thing is though, a compressor doesn't really have as audible effect as say, a flanger. In fact, I really thought compressors were completely useless until I heard the recording of Jeff Tweedy at University of Chicago.....
Unlike most other effects......I really would have suggested you'd taken your time learning -about- a compressor before getting one.
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In general, as has been stated, a compressor smooths out the volume peaks an troughs. Having said that, there are a lot of uses depending on the settings used. Many electric guitar players will use it for sustain (brings the volume of the initial hit down, and as the natural volume decreases, it raises the level so that you perceive a long, sustained note/chord. Be aware that many compressors will amplify the noise floor also, so that if your signal is noisy, the noise will get louder as the compressor raises the level. For acoustic guitar, a good compressor (set properly) will even out your playing, so that fingerpicking, flatpicking, and strumming will be all near the same level. That's why a compressor is talked about helping an instrument or voice "cut through the mix" - even if you're not attacking as aggressively, the volume will be more consistent. Anyway, that's a very basic explanation, but hopefully that helps a little bit. There's a whole lot more to it than that, and if you're interested, you can find much more info on the 'net.
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^^^
Good description SelahVie.
I almost always use compression. I am huge on sustain and I like "one strum" chords that just ring out until the next chord. Compression really helps with that. Also, I like using harmonics and this really, really helps harmonics ring louder.
But like everybody else said, do research before you buy. Almost all guitar stores will let you try out any pedal, so try it out before you buy it (even if you buy used ones off eBay, you'll still get an idea of what it does if you go to a guitar store and "demo" it).
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Compressors 101
A compressor has 3 important settings. You may or may not be able to manually adjust them, but I assure you they all exist internally.
1. The threshold is the volume level at which the compressor kicks in. It is generally set in decibels.
2. The ratio is the ratio of input sound to output sound above the threshold. For example, if the threshold is 40dB and the ratio is 2:1, an input of 50dB will come out at 45dB. If the threshold is 40dB and the ratio is infinity:1, an input of 50dB will come out at 45dB and you will have a limiter, not a compressor.
More examples for the mathematically disinclined:
Threshold: 50dB
Ratio: 4:1
(Input >> output)
62dB >> 53dB
54dB >> 51dB
90dB >> 60dB
Threshold: 30dB
Ratio: 3:1
33dB >> 31dB
42dB >> 34dB
60dB >> 40dB
90dB >> 50dB
3. The gain is a boost given to the signal to account for the fact that you are lowering the output in many cases.
If you turn the ratio up to infinity:1 and the gain all the way up, your output will always be the exact same volume.
Thus, what a compressor does is balances volume. Balancing volume can be used to bring out lead lines and increase sustain, but it is rather inaccurate to say that that is what a compressor does. Compressors effect absolutely nothing but volume and in absolutely no way other than that which I described above.
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Other compressors will have controls like attack (how quickly does the compressor kick in), release (how quickly does the compressor release the signal), soft/hard knee (whether the compressor is gradual or abrupt when kicking in at the threshold), and limit/ceiling (the absolute point where the signal cannot go above).
Gain is generally a term given to the boost/cut applied to the signal before the compressor phase. Level, output, or post gain is usually the term for the overall level after the compressor has been applied.
Also, compressors (especially rack ones) are often paired with a gate, which cuts off all signal once the signal dips below a certain point. Handy for controlling background noise.
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Compression is one of those things that until you use it a lot, you don't know what you're missing. While it's true that it's job is as a leveling device, the perceived effect can be all sorts of things, depending on your setup. For instance, if you compress your guitars signal and then raise the overall gain higher than it would be coming straight out of the guitar, then you are able to hit your amplifiers input harder than you would if not using the device. Now, if your amp is a tube amp, this can have a remarkable effect on the tone of your guitar. I use a compressor in this way and it make the strings on my strat sound like piano wires...BIG. On the other hand, if you go into a solid state amp's clean channel this way, it the effect won't be anywhere near the same. Another way the compressor can affect tone is like this; it cuts your attack transients down, (the very first "peak" in a waveform). Because a lot of this attack is usually a treble spike and they get "squashed" so to speak, your tone can have a mellower sound to it with faster attack time settings....and as some others have noted, it can increase the apparent sustain of your guitar. I have some setups that have practically infinite sustain with the compression set high going into a distorted tone....recording is a whole different thing....I would trade every other processor I own for my dynamics processors and good parametric eq's.....they are completely indespensible.....~Shawn
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I use compression along with rythmic delays to get that where the streets have no name sound from U2. Works great. I also like to pump the compression up quite high (ratio-wise) so that when playing blues licks it sounds like a spongy bassman amp.