Where do you put your compressor?

[Jess 1971]

I keep my compressor pedal last in my chain before going to the amp, but since I run my flanger pedal early in the chain, before dirt pedals, I'm reconsidering its placement. Is it generally a bad idea to run your compressor after your flanger and chorus pedals? Any general rules of thumb around compressor placement?

 

[Tony Done]

I play clean or near-clean fingerpicking, and I just want mine to even out the output when picking one, two or three strings simultaneously, so it goes first in the chain.

 

[HomeInMyShoes]

First. Maybe not before fuzz, depending on the fuzz. I've been told that putting it in the effects loop is a decent option and I am toying with trying that out.

 

[jturner]

If i put the compressor before my dirt pedals, it would squash all the "touch-sensitivity"/"feel" out of them and they would all be driven as if I played hard all the time -- so compressor goes next-to-last before the amp. (A Ditto looper is last so I can record loops of whatever I'm hearing just before it goes to the amp).

at the moment:
Guitar->analogman Fuzz or a fulltone '69, wah, King of Tone, Duellist, Keeley 1962x, Boss SD1, NUX Steel Singer, StroboStomp Tuner, Zoom ms50G Multistomp, Keeley Compressor, Ditto looper -> Amp


But now I'm considering setting up a 3-loop switcher to break things up a little so I can have a clean (all bypassed) "channel", then SRV (Duellist), Eric Johnson violin (1962x + SD1+Chorus), or blues (KoT) "channel",
Still the compressor would come next-to-last.

 

[100JH]

Cornish LD1
Wah
Effectrode PC2A comp

 

[gennation]

I run it first since it controls the signal, I want that controlled signal carried throughout the chain. OD/Distortion itself compresses (or limits) the signal, I like them receiving a compressed signal, it really brings out articulation when the OD/Distortion is on.

 

[John Mark Painter]

My method for forever….

After fuzz, before drives Muff and mids time based etc

I use mostly very low setting DynaComp.
Run AFTER drives, it really messes with the overtones.
Run before drive it increases the Sustain if the notes played into drives without adding more distortion.

I have also used higher settings to give instant feedback.

Lighter Optical compression I like to run after drives but before reverb/delay.

 

[ChrisP]

Actually I was looking for my compressor last night and can't find it. I have too much stuff.

 

[Crimson Queen]

Before my low gain pedal. I use it primarily as a gain boost.

 

[Lolaviola]

I do like it last sometimes, but a comp before a flanger is really a great sound.

 

[Jess 1971]

I do like it last sometimes, but a comp before a flanger is really a great sound.

Yeah, this is kind of what I was wondering. Like maybe I've been doing it wrong all this time.

 

[BMW-KTM]

It depends on what I'm using it for. For most things I don't use compression because I like to have the dynamic range for expressive playing ... but sometimes I'll place it just before a solo/boost pedal and use quite a lot of compression to get that singing, soaring, almost whistling thing going. There is another use for compression I sometimes employ; just ahead of an outboard reverb. Compression really helps get that huge reverb thing happening. I got that idea when I read about some guys of yesteryear putting a compressor inline with their reverb tank on old Fender amps. I can't remember whether they placed it in the send or the return though.

 

[Riffa]

I have multiple boards and do different things on each. You've got to try stuff out.

 

[JohnnyRico]

for what I play, right after the Tuner, before the Dirt

 

[Swijak]

Sometimes I run a compressor/limiter after my flanger (EDQ Pyramids) when using the zero-thru mode to tame some of the frequency spikes when the flanger is set for a wide sweep. Lately I have been playing with running two compressors, one before OD/Dist and the other after. So far I really like the sounds.

 

[Dashface]

Always first. If it's good enough for Gilmour, it's good enough for me

 

[AndreasG]

I put mine in the local classifieds….


I tried it first, last, middle…couldn‘t get along with it. liked it the most first in line but not enough to keep it

 

[Liko]

I keep my compressor pedal last in my chain before going to the amp, but since I run my flanger pedal early in the chain, before dirt pedals, I'm reconsidering its placement. Is it generally a bad idea to run your compressor after your flanger and chorus pedals? Any general rules of thumb around compressor placement?

You're not gonna set your rig on fire experimenting with pedal placement.

I tend to put it early in the chain, because even nice ones will raise the noise floor, and the more pedals are upstream, the higher the noise floor. However, somewhat contrary to this is the rule of thumb, "gate, then compress"; because compressors raise the noise floor, a noise gate before the compressor will minimize said floor, so the compressor won't become objectionably hissy. If you're placing your gate after a particularly noisy pedal (and I've found trems, flangers and a few other modulation-type effects can introduce clock noise onto the signal chain), you want the compressor after that gate.

 

[100JH]

Always first. If it's good enough for Gilmour, it's good enough for me

I dont think comp is first...his pedals are labeled in order, in this shot

 

[Special Psychologist]

On the topic of this thread, with an EHX Platform (which also has drive, but only when the compressor is on), does it make more sense to put it before or after a Freeze/Superego?