Help me choose a bass compressor circuit...

Stickman393

Stickman393

Well-known member
A'ite, I was at the big boss' house today working on fixing his wine cooler split system. Got to talking gear with him.

Dudes sorta retired, spends a bunch of his time playing in a cover band. He's playing bass at the moment, huge fan of CCR.

Told him about my little hobby, gave him a sticker, and offered to build him something.

So...bass. CCR. Pretty straightforward, not a lot there in terms of effects. He's new to the bass, and I'm thinking a subtle compressor, maybe with a *hint* of dirt, might be in order. Something to shape the sound a little and help him achieve that thump-in-your chest low end punch.

Thing is: I haven't fucked with compressors much. Anybody got any recommendations on good circuits to use as a starting point?
 
I don't know which ones are good, but I built a bass player a Orange Squeezer and they didn't like that one. I forget why, but it's a simple one knobber and probably not tweakable to get the sound they wanted.
 
I played and built lots of them looking for the perfect one. I ended up gigging for a couple of years with a soul preacher. The Emma Transmorgrifier is another fantastic circuit. And then there’s the 5 knob Ross.
 
Dyana Ross comps suck out the lows, avoid them and their MANY derivatives.


As mentioned by Nostradoomus, the GOLD STANDARD: Diamond Bass Compressor.
Clone PCBs available from Aion, Lectric-FX, and Madbean as well.

Simple and small:
Bear Hug, was perf or 1776, now from MadBean. Simple, compact, low parts count.​
Afterlife, MadBean, is another solid simple offering.​


Comparable comps available from the PedalPCB pantheon:

Milk Box — 4knobs, can get very squishy, a fun "effect" To Milk it some more. PPCB Creamery.​
Demeter Compulator 1circ, 2 reviews: Review 1 & Review 2 — simple, sounds good, fast response so works well as limiter. PPCB Constrictor​
Wampler Ego 76 — lotsa knobs, no meter, but it's Wampler's take on the 1176 emulation, so... PPCB Median​

Robert says a PCB comparable to the Accountant is forthcoming... It's a great little two-in-one, ie a dirty comp.
The above mentioned are known to be good on bass.
Honorable mention: Peccary, IIRC, likes the PPCB Closed Circuit Booster Limiter (Solo Dallas Storm).
You could also check out the Engineer's Thumb, and the General Tso.



I've tried a few comps, but out of the above mentioned circuits I have both an original Diamond bass comp and original Origin Cali76, so I recommend the Diamond BCP-1, or the Wampler Ego76, as my top choice(s).



More BASS COMP REVIEWS:

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Compressor Pedal Reviews | More than 100 compressors reviewed

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Really though, you should build a HPF/LPF for your boss, first. Or make a combo HPF/COMP
 
My vote is the Milkbox/Creamery. It's one of the few non-studio rack compressors I've found useful on my pedalboard. The Hi Expander is really handy, and it adds some nice coloration. I built the Creamery, and it sounds good, though I need to go back thru as I ran into some odd behavior with the attack needing to be cranked to get enough volume. I'm sure it's an error on my side. Currently in the process of drawing up a schematic for a Milkbox with a Clean blend integrated, as well as a stereo version for my use (running Ric-O-Sound).

The other compressor I really like and find underutilized is the Ashly SC-50, but that's not pedalboard friendly (though some have built pedal versions, which I want to do as well).

And I second the HPF/LPF comment, really helps clean up rumble and add clarity. Or just a HPF to stick at the front of the pedal chain as an always on. I like the HPF at the front to prevent unnecessary flub when going through pedals, and I'm adding LPFs to clean blends on distortions/drives for bass to keep clean lows and let the blend not interfere with the highs.
 
I've built maybe five different bass comps since the start of the year, and I second the Diamond Comp for its versatility and built-in EQ.

But as a runner up, I recommend the Really Cheap Compressor for bass. For the parts count, it has no right to be as good as it is. Mine is in the process of getting boxed, which says something because I only keep those good enough for regular use.

Really+Cheap+Bass+Compressor.png


I built mine on vero, but there is a FuzzDog PCB out there, I believe.
 
The median has been my favorite so far, but I've only done a Thumbsucker, Closed Circuit Booster/Limiter, and a Janglebox (ross-style) besides that.

For someone new to the instrument, or even new to pedals and FX, I'd probably shy away from a 5 or 6 knob compressor.
You can get a bit of dirt out of the Closed Circuit, by slamming the limiter with the boost.
I'm intrigued by this diamond compressor, I may want to try that sometime.
Regarding the constrictor- it's been out of stock for as long I've been lurking these forums.

The HPF/LPF is worth considering, as others have mentioned. I think it's as useful for bass as the mercurial boost is for guitar.
 
I'm currently using the Boneyard Delegate. Recently tested against the General Tso (which I preferred on guitar) and it stayed on. The Delegate seems to add a bit of thickness in the lower mids which is fine for my use but some may not enjoy the color it adds.

After the build report by @Mentaltossflycoon I decided next one to try is the Median. Sounds great from demos. Good reviews on here. And it seems that everyone agrees it's got a super low noise floor and sounds natural.
 
Big ups to all who replied. Methinks the diamond has won this round. Working on designing a board for a 1590bb with tilt, EQ Defeat, and hicut on the front panel.

Doing it per the original with upgrades. Ridiculously overbuilt. Polypro caps everywhere. Bypass c0g caps. 18v LT1054 charge pump. Stupid resistor values. Also, relay bypass, lehle or demont momentary. Make that shit strut.

Artwork is gonna be...hmm. How am I gonna do this. Diamond compressor. Hmm. Gotta think about how to make that funny.
 
Late to the party and assuming you're starting from scratch, but I think your best bet is to design an optical compressor with the optocoupler pre-assembled such as an XVIVE. To be blunt, side chain design is a pain and the optos take that out of the mix by having attack and decay built in. Otherwise those THAT corp VCAs are very good, only SMD and quite complicated though. The VCAs are most versatile. Most OTA circuits such as the dynacomp aren't very versatile, take it or leave type stuff.
 
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