recommend me a compressor?

[jtn191]

So I just built my friend an Orange Squeezer and I'm liking it quite a bit. I have it set up to compress about as much as my cheap behringer comp at around 75% compression. Sounds nice and bright--transparent.
I'm looking at building a comp for myself and weighing my options. I'd like something that's versatile, mostly transparent (as in something that offers subtle compression...just adds sustain or overall evening out), with the option for extra brightness or not...
- Orange Squeezer (with tone mods? Anybody modify the tone with a cap switch or pot?)
- Engineer's Thumb
- Forest Green Comp
- Keeley four knob comp
- Rothwell Love Squeeze
- Ross variations...like CP9

cool vid, but contains some marketing hype...guy reminds me of carrot top or something

[midwayfair]

Well, I have at least one suggestion (see my sig).

The Engineer's Thumb with a bright switch would also be a good choice. If you set the ratio correctly, it WILL do subtle.

The Afterlife really is a great compressor despite the simplicity.

If you want to build a Rothwell, Grind Customs has a slightly modified version coming out. Pickdropper did the layout.

Tone options:
If you want to add a tone pot that can boost or cut the highs, check out AMZ's version of the Stupidly Wonderful Tone Control. However, you should be aware that it will increase the output impedance of the effect you use it on, and one of the nice things about comps is that they tend to have an output impedance under 10K.

And bear in mind you always add a treble bypass to a compressor's volume control. That works really well for the ones where the compression pot is actually a gain control (so the volume increases as you turn up the compression, meaning you'll lower the volume and bring the bypass cap in as the compression is increased).

Skip the Keely and other Ross stuff. The Engineer's Thumb does everything they can do but without the noise. And the Forest Green Compressor is overly complicated for what it does -- it's really just an optical comp with a ton of extra parts. Just build an Afterlife if you want that sound.

If you want to get more esoteric and don't mind doing some work to create your own layout, I may have other suggestions to make ...

[jimilee]

Bear hug is the way to go, as midwayfair stated early on.

[JakeFuzz]

I can add another recommendation for the Bear Hug. Just built mine up a few weeks ago and it is already my favorite compressor. I haven't used a ton of different compressors (Afterlife, Dyna, and Compulator) but this one is just so subtle and yet it fattens everything up just enough when it is on. The others were all overly squishy IMO.

[Micpoc]

He mentions the Blend a couple of times; perhaps incorporating a similar circuit in a daughterboard to any of the comps midwayfair mentioned might be a good approach... ? Before I built an Afterlife (which I'm currently VERY happy with  ) I'd looked at doing something similar to a Barber Tone Press, which has a built in blend circuit, which makes a lot of sense with a comp.

[midwayfair]

He mentions the Blend a couple of times; perhaps incorporating a similar circuit in a daughterboard to any of the comps midwayfair mentioned might be a good approach... ? Before I built an Afterlife (which I'm currently VERY happy with   ) I'd looked at doing something similar to a Barber Tone Press, which has a built in blend circuit, which makes a lot of sense with a comp.

Well, let's think about what a blend circuit does ... it mixes in the dry signal with the effected signal.

In order for that to be useful, you need a compelling reason to justify the additional circuitry. This is usually that the compressor is squishing so hard that you lose the attack of each individual note while it's sustaining (i.e. the notes are all smeared together). Then you can adjust the blend so you get some of the dry signal, while the sustained note from the compression circuit "takes over" after the natural decay of the note in the blend circuit would drop in volume. In general, the only circuit that really fit that description are things like the Dynacomp with an incredibly long decay when the compression ratio is turned way up to the point where the guitar signal is way past the threshold.

The ratio knob in the Engineer's Thumb, on the other hand, IS a blend control. Here's why: it's the feedback gain. As you turn up the feedback, you increase the amount of compressed signal going from pin 2 to pin1, and reduce the amount of dry signal from pin 3 (the compressed signal coming from the connection of pin 3 directly to pin5). At some point, your guitar signal will trigger the threshold indefinitely and it'll be hard limiting. If you turn down the feedback gain, the OTA chip's taken out of the circuit. The treble boost switch automatically bypasses some treble content (basically preventing some from being compressed at all), which lets you get some extra uncompressed attack even on the highest compression settings. And all this is done without the extra circuitry of a blend control on the Ross (which already has a lot more parts than the Thumb).

In some other compressors, the blend control would just obliterate what the compressor's actually doing. In FET compressors like the Bearhug, Orange Squeezer, Love Squeeze, Circuit Salad MOSFET compressor, etc. etc., all they do is squash high-volume peaks. You get a little bit of perceived sustain as long as there is signal, but they're made to clamp down on the signal to keep it from getting out of hand. I can't think of a more pointless use of a blend circuit than JHS's take on the Orange Squeezer. I mean, that ducking IS the compression the orange squeezer does. Blending it out means you aren't compressing. But enough ragging on JHS ... I mean, he had to do SOMETHING to make people think he did more than just copy yet another circuit, right? Or maybe he just wanted to use the other half of the 4558 ...

[GermanCdn]

I've been on a bit of a comp building mission as of late, comments are as follows

Afterlife - Nice and subtle, just makes it sound better.  Is making a strong case to push my Tone Press off the primary board.  Built three, one standalone, two in combined boxes.  Build with the Vactrol, don't roll your own.

Bearhug - Cool circuit, sounds really good, my favourite part is that it has no special parts, built one, got another one coming to build up with a Little Red Booster.

Five knob Engineers Thumb - three knobs too many, going to build a two knob version.  My simple brain can't handle five knob pedals unless three of the knobs are labelled Bass, Mid, Treble, and even then it's a crap shoot.

Dynacomp - Sounds great with my Warwick bass, sounds like crap with everything else.

Mr. Squishy - Mr. Junky

YMMV, but anyone of the first three is a good choice, boards are available for the first two, Jacob's got a board coming out for the ET.