best botique compressor?

All compressors will tend to raise the noise level, because what they do is raise the volume of the low level stuff, and lower the volume of the high level stuff.

This means that the noise inherent in a guitar signal will be increased when the compressor is on. Guitars are much more subject to hum and noise than studio gear.

This gives the impression that the compressor is noisy, when often it's the signal that is noisy, and all the compressor is doing is raising its volume.

The only way to prevent this with most guitars is to use a noise reduction circuit ahead of the compressor.

However, some compressors are themselves noisy, and of course, those are to be avoided.

Also, because compression circuits are what they are, the best ones aren't located in pedals, they're in studio rack gear. However, the Keely is a pretty nice little pedal, as is the Demeter, which uses an optical circuit like vintage studio gear.

Also, in all honesty, I have yet to find a guitar compressor that really adds a singing sustain to a solo. Will it help one along? Sure, sometimes. If you want singing sustain, there are other ways to get it.

 

The Keeley does what it does very well. Can't set the attack and release, but the presets work pretty well. Got rid of my Cral Martin (which you could set all the parameters on) When I got the Keeley

 

the keeley def sings

 

The Blackbox Oxygen does allow you to set the release (and attack too, if I'm interpreting it correctly)--it includes controls/features (noise-gate/limiter) normally found only on studio-type rack-mount compressors. This enables you to dial in a singing sustain that is hard to beat, IMO. And when you cut off the singal (by either letting notes die out or muting the strings), it is dead silent.

This extra functionality makes it more difficult to dial in than simple one or two knob compressors, but that is the price you pay for the advanced capabilities. And it's really a 'set it and forget it' kind of thing.

I use mine as a clean boost as much as for sustain. It also is extremely useful when working with simple one-channel, NMV type amps as it can help you get your clean and overdriven sounds at approximately the same volume levels, when needed.

 

I have the CS-1...CS-2...Keeley, and the HBE.

The HBE knocked all of them off my board.

 

don't have time to explain, but check out the janglebox compressor. it's easily one of the best stompbox comp's on the market at the moment, and because of the eq circuit that follos the compressor, the most veratile. after that, an rnc in a looper trashes them all. i use both.


ml

 

The Keeley also chops off some treble and has no ability to be mild or subtle. Those are the two biggest things working against it. Otherwise, I'm sure it's fantastic.

That being said, the Tone-Press can't be beat in my opinion. The blend knob is superb, the clarity and purity of the original signal is fantastic, and those cruddy attack issues with the Keeley are a thing of the past. Heck, there's even a pot inside to adjust the overall color of the comp to give it a bright clean tone that lets the treble of your orignal signal come through, or to give it a more "vintage" type tone similar to that of the Ross clones (I'm assuming).

 

Maxon CP101 is really cool! It has a real clear tone, you don't really feel it working like the Keeley. Though I do dig the Keeley, I like my Maxon much better. It can't squash as much as other compressors, but its just real smooth and almost like not having a compressor on at all if you wish to set it that way.

Just try one if you can...

 

Leon,

I see you use a Black Box Oxygen pedal. I love the tone of this pedal, but for the life of me, I can't figure out how to control the overall gain. If I don't squash notes with the limit control, the gain knob is hyper sensitive. The slightest twist of the knob (usually done accidentally with my toe) will give me insane amounts of gain.

I also find that it is hyper senstive to different guitar pickups. I use 3 different guitars at my gigs (a Tele, a Lentz Strat and a R7 Les Paul) and I can't find a setting that will work for all three guitars.

Any advice or comments on what to do with the pedal? I've emailed Black Box for advice but they simply referred me to the owner's manual, which I've referred to when experimenting with settings.

regards,
Dave

 

My favorite is the BJF Pale Green Compressor, very natural and warm tone. Recently I got a Keeley for that typical pinched tone, and it does it so well, it's a damn cool compressor. But for most applications, the Pale Green is still my favorite. I tried a bunch of others that just weren't my cup of tea, but I would say the Pale Green and the Keeley would both qualify as "must haves". The Pale Green is more subtle and tasty, the Keeley is over the top in a good way.

 

Doing a Search on

Analogman Bicomp
Barber Tonepress
BJF Pale Green Compressor
Blackbox Oxygen
Diamond Compressor
Homebrew CPR
Janglebox
Keeley Compressor

and you`ll find lots of folks different favourite compressors expressed in the 1273 threads about the best compressor.

 

I have a Maxon CP101, very nice, you don´t notice it working, also have an AYA R-comp, very nice, can go from subtle to squashed depending on how you set the knobs, very nice comp. Demeter compulator, very nice and subtle...

I only got them for clean sounds, but at the end i don´t use them at all...

What about a Booster for sustain purposes?

As said, search on comps here and you will get tons of info.

Pala

 

+1 on the Tone Press

It's all about the blend knob

 

I agree, the BJF Comp surpassed all expectations, much better than both the Keeley & HBE comps I tried previously.

 

I look at compressors like OD pedals... there are a lot of nice ones out there, but it all depends on what you want.

Michael Thompson (studio ace) uses several, and depending on the tone he's trying to achieve he will use the appropriate compressor for the job.

 

Diamond all the way (unless you can afford the PGC, which I've never heard by the way).

 

I have been very curious about the Orange Squeezer clones, like analogmans and maybe the McSqueeze lately. They seem pretty cool to someone who isn't into compressors that much. Nice vintage effect to them, and more subtle about how the attack the signal?? Still haven't tried one through my own gear though yet, so I might not like them. I would only need the most subtle settings. All in all, I haven't played that many compressors. I owned an original block letter dyna-comp for years and years. Just based on that experience, I would say that the response from LSchefman is right on in terms of not being able to get the screaming lead tone with them. It just sounds too unnatural to my ears through a pedal compressor. IMO compression is really only useful for a mostly clean signal. Distortion and pedal compression does nothing for me.

There are only two good reasons IMO to use a compressor through a tube amp. One is for effect. That cool country overkill compression that is a bit of a cliche at this point, but still cool if used in tasty restraint. Second would be to mimic the tube compression you get with a loud, but clean, tube amp on those occasions when you can't turn your amp up loud. This also requires just a hint of compression compared to what most compressor pedals are capable of.

 

Well I wouldn't say the PGC is better than the Keeley any more than yellow is better than orange, it's just what ever color suits the application. For me the PGC is a color I use more often. If I were doing more Country Western I might prefer the Keeley.