Compressor for bass - afterlife, DOD280, or demeter comp

[the3secondrule]

Anyone who knows such things tried any of the above for bass? I am a total compression noob, and don't really know what to expect, or what I want 
I have all three, and the vactrols on the way.
Will probably build them all, any suggested mods I should try?
280 build doc http://api.cld.me/0A1a1I3g1L21/download/280Kg%20Build%20Doc.pdf
and demeter build doc https://www.dropbox.com/s/7llfrc9pxy94gne/Optical%20Compressor%20Build%20Guide%20v2.pdf

[mremic01]

I haven't tried the Afterlife, but the Demeter is miles ahead of the DOD280. If you haven't already seen it: http://www.ovnilab.com/

[jubal81]

I found them both to be about equally quiet, but the 280 has more squish and the Compulator is more subtle/transparent. These two are very similar, though.
The thing is, you never know what works better for you until you've built them. For bass, you might want to bump up the values of the input and output caps - about double is the general rule, I believe.

[hubb]

I've tried the Orange Squeezer and found it not that useful for bass.

I have built the afterlife and rocked it on my breadboard, still need to box it, but I think it will likely work well.

I also have a bear  hug (1776) board here, haven't built yet but look forward to trying it.

I'm a bit like you in that I haven't played much with a compressor, but I'm expecting it to help squish the pops and loud volume if i slap at all, and to give me a bit more sustain and smoothness.

Hope this helps.

[icecycle66]

I second Ovnilab.com it's a great resource.

I hate the Demeter Compulator.  That might be because play extended range active basses and it can't keep up with those.  If you are playing a passive jazz or precision it might not be bad.

I

[mremic01]

I second Ovnilab.com it's a great resource.

I hate the Demeter Compulator.  That might be because play extended range active basses and it can't keep up with those.  If you are playing a passive jazz or precision it might not be bad.

I

Do you have issue with it distorting? I've taken to relocating the trimpot to an externally accessible pot so I can use it with my Stringray on the fly.

[thesameage]

Ovnilab loves the afterlife. He personally rec'd it to me for bass over the engineer's thumb. I have a board I'm about to put into a build. I want to use the third, ghost note pot but I'm not 100% sure how to wire it up.

http://www.ovnilab.com/reviews/after.shtml

[icecycle66]

I second Ovnilab.com it's a great resource.

I hate the Demeter Compulator.  That might be because play extended range active basses and it can't keep up with those.  If you are playing a passive jazz or precision it might not be bad.

I

Do you have issue with it distorting? I've taken to relocating the trimpot to an externally accessible pot so I can use it with my Stringray on the fly.

Yeah.  Compulator gives me the worst sort of fart-clipping.  I push circuit headroom to the max with some of my thicker-than-mud low B work and the Compulator just can't keep up. The Carl Martin Comp/Limiter is the comp for me.

[jubal81]

I had distortion on the Compulator build until I tried a different brand of 353 IC. The ST brand was nasty.

[the3secondrule]

Thanks guys - I've had the compulator half populated for ages, I'll go back and check what brand 353's I used.

I figured the consensus would be to build them and see, and that's exactly what i'll do.
I'm playing a P Bass with SD quarter Pounders, so not too hot an output. I'll definitely bump up the I/O caps and see how I go from there.

Looks like I've got some reading to do at ovnilab as well

[the3secondrule]

I've tried the Orange Squeezer and found it not that useful for bass.

I have built the afterlife and rocked it on my breadboard, still need to box it, but I think it will likely work well.

I also have a bear  hug (1776) board here, haven't built yet but look forward to trying it.

I'm a bit like you in that I haven't played much with a compressor, but I'm expecting it to help squish the pops and loud volume if i slap at all, and to give me a bit more sustain and smoothness.

Hope this helps.

I built the orange squeezer years ago and it was unusably noisy - I was using A LOT of gain at that point though. But I definitely got the sense that I'd be best looking at optical comps...

[Willybomb]

I made the Really Cheap Compressor from this layout here:

http://www.freestompboxes.org/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=8581&start=140#p166260

Works well...

[hubb]

I've tried the Orange Squeezer and found it not that useful for bass.

I have built the afterlife and rocked it on my breadboard, still need to box it, but I think it will likely work well.

I also have a bear  hug (1776) board here, haven't built yet but look forward to trying it.

I'm a bit like you in that I haven't played much with a compressor, but I'm expecting it to help squish the pops and loud volume if i slap at all, and to give me a bit more sustain and smoothness.

Hope this helps.

I built the orange squeezer years ago and it was unusably noisy - I was using A LOT of gain at that point though. But I definitely got the sense that I'd be best looking at optical comps...

Were you runing the comp at the beginning or end of your pedal chain?  I have always placed mine at the beginning.

When i get done with all of my other projects i think i'm going to add the attack knob and blend knob mods to the orange squeezer to semi-emulate the pulp-and-peel from JHS.  I don't know if that will make the pedal any better.

[the3secondrule]

Well, built the DOD280, and the demeter tonight.
Havent tried them out on bass yet, just guitar - bumped up the in & out caps on the DOD to 47n & 100n respectively.

Must say I referred the DOD straight of the bat. Very easy to dial in a nice subtle bit of squish. Very quiet too. I think I tried a 4558 first, and settled on a TLC2262. Will probably audition a few more over the next few days.

Not so impressed with the demeter. Found it harder to dial in the gain and compression for a sound that wasn't too little or too much. Might need to swap out the 353's - the ones I have are the ST's, and there is an ugly sort of clipping going on.

Still waiting on my afterlife board before I get building that one.

Will report back once I've rocked the DOD on bass

[copachino]

Ovnilab loves the afterlife. He personally rec'd it to me for bass over the engineer's thumb. I have a board I'm about to put into a build. I want to use the third, ghost note pot but I'm not 100% sure how to wire it up.

http://www.ovnilab.com/reviews/after.shtml

well i had an afterlife, i build it for a bass player friend and gave him for his birthday, but, on high end notes work really cool, but on th low end notes, really doesnt do anything, i built it stock no caps changed, but only have changed the diodes for some white japanease germanium i found on small bear