Hello everyone. I’ve been interested in bass pedals recently and I stumbled upon the mystical world of bass compression. To my untrained ears, bass sounds the same with and without compression. So can someone explain what a bass compressor pedal actually does? Thanks.
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Hey @Mr_Bass_Player, not to sound too much like a cranky adult, but there IS a search function in this forum, which should help you get a lot of already existing information on a whole bunch of topics 
So, just in case you weren’t aware of that! Maybe start with the “What exactly does a compressor do”. Otherwise, if you still have more questions after that, there are plenty of very knowledgeable people in here who know pretty much all there is to know about compressors (Hint: I am not really one of them!)
Cheers!
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But there are one or two compression fetishists out there for sure 
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Or three 
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@joergkutter I just love it when you do your “cranky adult” thing. It sends shivers up my spine.
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BBB,
I think most of the people here know what a Compressor is and does. But if you need more info, go on Youtube and search Bass Compressors. You’ll find all you need to know.
I use a CompiQ-1 by Becos. At Just under $200. it’s a bit pricey, but it’s a great unit. 
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Compression is probably the most misunderstood and difficult to explain effects out there.
So, I’ll try and point you in the right direction to get some good answers. Specifically, Compressor Reviews (ovnilab.com). A lot of us have relied on this site.
Start here… Compressor and Audio Gear FAQ (ovnilab.com).
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It seems like compression is mostly for slap playing as YouTube videos seem to often demonstrate the effects of compression with slap. I understand what compression is doing, but as far as hearing the effect itself in non-slap style, I can’t tell a difference at all. I have a Line 6 POD Express with several compressors built in. They all sound the same and have the same result as just turning up the gain. Maybe if you are seeing the effect of compression through a computer program then there might be some benefit, but I’m not seeing the need for compression while just playing along with Songster. I’m not against buying a compression pedal if I could hear a difference (my hearing is fine, by the way). Am I missing something about compression?
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Yes, a lot, but it’s ok. Compression is hard to understand at first.
The key thing to understand about compression is it has two main and equally important functions:
- To limit peaks (a la slap)
- To make the good parts louder
Compression is all about limiting the dynamic range of the signal to boost the body. If you are using it right, there won’t be a noticeable effect like there is with distortion, but things will just sound “better”.
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Howard nailed it here about as well as it could be explained.
It’s not an effect you hear unless you’re a guitarist playing a solo requiring a lot of over driven sustain. It’s used both live and in the studio to narrow in the peaks and valleys in the volume dynamics of what’s being played.
On a bass track or for playing live louder parts are kept below peak to avoid distortion and the volume of softer passage is elevated so the output level remains more consistent throughout the recording or the piece being played live.
It’s a must for slap style playing but also with a bassist who plays with a heavy right hand and tends to really lean into his pick attack or who plucks very hard. For a player like me who plays mostly fingerstyle with a lighter touch it elevates the signal level making it more distinct in the mix.
Bass compressors are simply designed to work better with the lower octave range of the bass but a guitar compressor will still work with a bass. The best ones are able to compress different pitch more effectively like a studio grade version and they also have a mix control to allow the player to decide the amount of the signal to be compressed while allowing an uncompressed signal to pass through.
Some bass amps actually have a more simple version built in.
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Ok, so this makes more sense. It’s kinda like changing the oil in your car. You can’t feel the difference, but the car runs better. Although, I drive a Tesla, sooo… 
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There are a lot of compression pedals out there. MXR has 2 (Studio & M87), BOSS, Cali76, etc…. My Line 6 POD Express Bass Effects has 4 mono compressors built in:
Optical - Ampeg Opto Comp
LA - Teletronix® LA-2A
Delux - Line 6 Original
Limiter - Ashly® CLX-52 (in conjunction w/ B. Sheehan)
Although I can adjust each of the PODs compressor effects within the iPhone POD editor app, would a stand alone compressor pedal be a better option, or are these synthetic compressors are good enough?
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Are you playing gigs/covers where the dynamic range of your bass is causing a noticeable issue? Distortion, getting lost in the mix, etc. if not you probably don’t need one at all.
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Well its not quite that subtle you can hear (and see) most compression especially heavy compression with a bit of ear practice
Visual stuff like this helped me learning compression:
The pic can help show this is not the case…if you turned the sound file at the top (blue one) down 5db in gain, then up 5db in gain you are back to where you started…but if you employ 5db of compression (green one) then add 5db in gain you end up at the purple sound file…comparing the blue and purple you can see that while the peaks are around the same, the lower parts have been made louder (showing what @howard said compression is all about limiting the dynamic range of the signal to boost the body.)
The ‘sound’ of compression comes from the how the compressor attacks and releases the peaks… generally more compression=more obvious, but different compressors may sound different due to how they compress (and the settings you dial in)…some can be obvious at low compression while others can be quite subtle with bigger amounts of compression
For your situation you don’t really need to spring for a dedicated pedal just yet IMO, as the POD compressors you have are the perfect starting point…you can play around with them and learn about compression, different compressor styles and what you like/need (then move on and buy a separate comp if you think you need it)
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Hello
I have seen 2 videos that might be of interest to you
- Cali76 “test” by Ian Martin Alisson (IAM) (on origin effect channel so commercial content but still) - I like this video a lot with several settings and a with / without (at the beg of each section)
As you will see the difference is very subtle but still audible
- regarding the need for an external compressor, I don’t know but IAM has one into his compact pedal board (he says mostly to quickly adjust compression levels + visualisation of compression effect (he says as a placebo))
BTW, I really like IAM content: energy, positive, expertise, skills …
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not if your cory wong, or henrick linder. the newest thing seems to be to squash the hell out of your instrument with compression, you hear it all the time today. i do have to say, while not technically “correct” (whatever that means) it is a sound, and i don’t generally hate it.
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There are definitely musical uses for this and it’s really common on vocals for a certain effect, and in synthesis/sampling too.
I mean aside from the whole Loudness War business.