Favorite PedalPCB compressor

Favorite PedalPCB compressor

  • The creamery

    Votes: 4 20.0%

  • Thumb sucker

    Votes: 3 15.0%

  • Delegate (boneyard edition)

    Votes: 6 30.0%

  • General Tso’s

    Votes: 4 20.0%

  • Byrdhouse

    Votes: 2 10.0%

  • Constrictor

    Votes: 3 15.0%
  • Total voters
    20
spi said:
It just occurred to me I should build him a Delegate, and take back the OS. I can probably find a better use for those hard-to-get jfets.
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Delegate cuts bass, don't build it for your bass player friend.
[EDIT: perceived to cut bass, but see this review: http://www.ovnilab.com/reviews/warden.shtml and check out the Boneyard Edition thread]

The Thumbsucker, Creamery, and to some extent the Constrictor are generally well-liked by bass players. Not sure about the Tso, but if you search Talk Bass you'll surely get the low down on that one, too.


Mind, you'll also find bass players that like the ubiquitous Dyna-Ross variants — why those bass players like having their lows emaciated, nee decimated, is beyond me.
 
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The only think I think I dislike about the general is I would lose the switch maybe and make the volume and blend separate controls other than that it seems pretty transparent and mild... I’m kind of leaning towards the delegate or the constrictor.
 
spi said:
I'm interested in trying the Thumbsucker. No votes on it yet, but it's new so maybe not many people tried it
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I would absolutely recommend the Thumbsucker for Bass, or guitar of course, but man is it great! It’s totally transparent to my ears, it just compresses, and I love the way it does it! It feels like a nice ‘opto’ compression, used green LEDs of course, but it’s super versatile and functional. Especially if you’re familiar with how compression functions, you can use it to limit or to squeeze, and if you don’t know what compression sounds like or what it can do its great to learn with. One suggestion learnt from my build would be to drill the holes about a millimeter or two below the template, because the bright switch PCB ran into my DC jack and i had to do some bending to get it seated. No low fears of low cuts, and the bright switch seems to give the compressor a high pass around 5-10k for extra sheen and attack. Love this pedal!
 
I've been playing for nearly 20 years and I've never used a compressor before. Well as a pedal anyway. I've used compression and limiting while recording but never on my pedalboard.

What do you gents use your compressors for?
 
SillyOctpuss said:
I've been playing for nearly 20 years and I've never used a compressor before. Well as a pedal anyway. I've used compression and limiting while recording but never on my pedalboard.

What do you gents use your compressors for?
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This is such a great question because I think a number of guitar players have no idea what to do with it or how to use it.

I like to think of compression a couple of ways….

First would be like an clean overdrive pedal, think Pink Floyd Another brick in the wall solo. The optical compressor works well in this scenario. It is boosting your signal a bit, it is doing some clipping and compressing your signal to sustain longer.

Second is like a leveler, when I do finger picking on electric guitar or light strums it helps make all of the notes level and even.

Third is ultra compression, chicken picking is what i think about. Chicken picking with fast attack just to make everything really cluck and sustain.

Compressor pedals are often misunderstood and therefor unused. Maybe someone should do a video shooting out two compressors and there differences and uses. Maybe that guy could use a byrdhouse and constrictor
 
I typically use a compressor in front of whatever effect I'm driving, rather than compress the effect itself. As Dan says, it offers clarity and sustain, and pushes through certain successive effects.
 
Couple of resources for comparing comps before deciding which one of the PPCB boards to get first (you know you're going to get them all eventually):

Ovnilab

Compressor Pedal Reviews


Each site is run by a bass player, but regardless of that there is an abundance of info relevant to guitarists, too. Nonetheless, take the info given with a grain of salt — everyone has their biases.
 
Thanks gents. I'd add one to the endless list of things I'd like to build. One day I might even get to them.

I should probably start with the compressors built into my helix to get an idea of how to use one in a pedalboard setting.
 
I use it a compressor up front before my overdrive, it can definitely be used as a clean boost and it works good as a leveler makes tapping and legato runs much more consistent but turned up to much you can loose some dynamics in volume (but General Tso doesn’t seem to have that issue....at least for me)it’s a great pedal to make your tone “pop” and cut through the mix.
 
Everybody's touch on the instrument differs, add gear differences, sonic preferences etc — your compressor needs will differ from anybody elses.

Tone-shaper
Leveller
Hard-limiter

What you need, where it works best in your signal chain — the permutations are endless.

I've used a tone-shaper soft-leveller at the front of my chain, and a hard limiter at the end to catch spikes from the crazy effects.

Then in the middle of the chain is the mild compression of the dirt pedals...
 
While we’re on the topic— anyone have a good suggestion for a low-parts count (ie, small enough to feasibly fit in a 1590A given I create a well-designed PCB layout) compressor circuit that’s really, really squishy?

I’m going for the *real* Byrds sound, which even a pair of jangleboxes (byrdhouse) or dynacomps is far too mild for. Of course, mcguinn’s sound is from running two maxed out (supposedly) UREI compressors (1176?) in series. The origin cali76 stacked edition gets *right* there, but it’s also a $400 compressor that definitely can’t be easily DIY’d. Alas…

I’ve gotten close with an orange squeezer into a dyna comp, but even that’s not squishy enough. I must have Maximum Squash! 😈
 
Feral Feline said:
1590A with that much squish... I wish I knew.

SMD?

Would you settle for a 1590G2?
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Yeah, I’m cool with SMD. As long as it’s less than say 30 components (maybe a few less if it’s an optical, due to the large footprint of vactrols) it should be easy enough for me to do a 1590a layout. With 1/8w resistors. Could do a slightly higher parts count with SMD.
 
Bricksnbeatles said:
Yeah, I’m cool with SMD. As long as it’s less than say 30 components (maybe a few less if it’s an optical, due to the large footprint of vactrols) it should be easy enough for me to do a 1590a layout. With 1/8w resistors. Could do a slightly higher parts count with SMD.
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Madbean has through-hole versions of the John Hollis flatline and orange squeezer as 1590a projects.
 
I use it to push the front of the amp a little bit and smooth things out. My clean sound is usually right on the edge and by rolling back the guitar volume it acts a bit like a gain control. It tends to keep the guitar from getting muddy at lower volumes.
 
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