Ooppps I did it again šŸ˜±

Gear
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The best example for compression is to use slap for the example. When you slap and pop, you get some extreme lows and highs naturally. When you use compression, you set a threshold for the range you wish to keep the highs and lows.

This is similar, well, the same thing as dynamic compression on your tv or home audio. So when watching a show, where people re whispering, you would turn up the volume to hear it, but then when an explosion, or gunshots, or someone screams, you ave to turn the tv back down, but if you use your dynamic compression, it increases the volume of the whispers to an audible level, and decreases the level of the explosion to a Leo that doesnā€™t blow your ears out, or wake up the person sleeping in the next room.

Compression evens out your playing. Your slaps can be quieter then your pops, and if you turn up the volume to hear your slaps, the pos can be to loud, piercing thru, and can be overpowering.
With compression on, the slaps are udible and your pops are toned down a bit.

This is the same with the rest of your plying.

Now some compression pedals are ā€œlimitersā€ like that, and enhancers together, they limit the highs, and enhance the lows.

Other compressors work more like a 3band EQ and offer overdrive and sustain.

There are really a lot of options. The zoom does a good job of offering the best out of the different types to play with, or use in different environments.

The Limiter/ Enhancer is all around my top choice for compression, if it were the only co pression pedal I were to have, but the others can be great too. Some people will have a compression at each end of the chain. I have not been able to do this yet, buwill when I get the multi stomp.

One thing to keep in mind, compression pedals can be noisy when not playing, so you can use noise gates (built in the zoom) or tweak them to not be.

There is a lot more about compression, and way more choices then I can begin to touch here.

There are good YT videos explaining compression, and many comparison videos as well that are good to way.

You could probably have a whole forum dedicated to compression, if there is not one already.

HTH and was clear, I think I jumped around a bit at the beginning

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42

@JerryP - @T_dub explained it quite wellā€¦ For me when I first started using GB, I just started tweaking knobs and switches and started figuring it all out for myself - but then again, Iā€™m the kinda person who only pulls out the ā€œOperators Manualā€ as a last resort .

I do use the compression feature in GB, but not to any extentā€¦ Sometimes you can go a little too far with anything. Starting out, Drive and Gain are two of the important things to deal with when you start recording. Also, how heavy you pluck your strings can play a big part in any recording.

As T_Dub mentioned, pop and slap are two forms that really need to be compressed due to the instant slam and pop which will always result in a ā€œclipā€ on the recording - something you donā€™t wanna see too oftenā€¦ Compression will help remove these excessive dB clips, but will also compress everything else in the recording.

Again, the only advise I could offer is to just start tweaking things and see what the results are. Good luck!!

Keep on Thumpinā€™!
Lanny

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43

Yes @JerryP, another thing to be said about compression, as it was also said in the Signal train thread, it can be a very subtle effect, and you can barely notice it at times, so much that when set right sometimes, you wonā€™t notice it at all.
It can be set effecteo., and you t notice it one bit, but when recorded, or at a performance, it makes all the difference in the world.

Of course, you would probably have to record something with your bass uncompressed, hear something in it that sounds not right, then re record with a compressed bass, listen to it, and then notice the difference.

Even tho I am very much a novice, and compression is not recommen for novices because they dio, and high end audio / vid have much of a grasp on , I do play swish it and value it because I have had a bit of experience with it in my old guitar days, but more so in high end audio,and high end audio / video.

All that said, I still have loads o learn about compression, if I want to go next level with it, but for now, I am good with it for what I do with it

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44

Thanks guys, @T_dub @Lanny. Thatā€™s a lot of information to digest before bedtime. One thought though, is it more effective on volume or frequency?

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45

Great write ups @T_dub. Those are some big, complex topics to get into.

Not necessarily. If you search around through other places on the Internet (like talkbass.com) there are many who use the Zoom professionally.

How much you get out of the Zoom is dependent on your individual tastes. If you want to use an effect but the Zoom version isnā€™t giving you what you want, then it would be worth looking for something to add to the pedal chain.

For instance, a lot of people choose to use their own distortion/fuzz pedals alongside the Zoom since they donā€™t like what Zoom offers for these effects.

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46

Exactly, itā€™s a personal preference thing. I got my zoom, played with it, learned about chains, and got a bit frustrated with not being able to tweak things together. I am more of a, put it in front of me, and let me patch them together, and tweak this pedal, and that one, and this other one while holding the same note.

Yes, you can do it in the zoom, but itā€™s not exactly the same. That is the Zoom B1four. The B3n you can do that a bit more, but again still not the same.
But, having the zoom and playing with it, let me know more what pedals to buy, and which to get first, and later, and which compressor to buy to test against what is in the zoom.

Note. I bought a few pedals on amazon. Played with them, learned what I wanted, sent them back. Used the credit to get more pedals. Played, learned, sent back, got more, played, kept one, sent 2 back. Ordered 3 more, adding a little money, played, sent back.
Got 2 more, and am testing now, about to send back.

Just stating that so you know that I have played with a bunch of pedals, but did not purchase, and have here all the pedals that I am talking about

So, back on track before the side note.
The zoom let me know more about the pedal market, and testing them outside of the zoom let me know more about the zoom, along with what to buy used. So when looking at used pedals, I was able to select a few at greatly reduced price then buying new.

All in all, the Zoom is a great starting point if you are like me, and want actual pedals, but donā€™t know where to start.
Plus, I beleive that it will be a great ending point.

I use the zoom to learn to build a pedal board, which in turn teaches me how to better program the zoom to take with me as a portable option to hauling the pedalboard. For me it will be a full circle thing. And I can foresee taking the zoom and a pedal or two to jam, or even play with a band, and leaving the pedal board at home for the studio I am / will be building in time.

Plus, with the Multi stomp I just got incredibly cheap, I can use it as a 1 off pedal ( or more, but I plan for compression from it, only) AND with the very large pedalboard I got second hand at a pawn shop for $45, I am not crowded at all, the pedals I have, plus the Zoom, plus the Behringer BDI bass driver and DI, AND the Zoom U-22 DAI all fit comfortably, so I can use the B1four as another one off pedal for now. I am thinking the Chorus in the Zoom, It is a copy of the TC Electronics Corona Chorus pedal.

So, for me, itā€™s a no brainer, the only question I would be asking if I were you @TNKA36 is, B1-four or B1x-four with expression pedal.

Or if you want to tweak 3 pedals in the chain at one time the B3n

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Hey @T_dub,
Thanks for your great feedback,
You have convinced me, Iā€™m going for a b1xfour.
I watched a couple of tutorials on YouTube and I like the ease of operation and the great effects, my bass is gunna sound like as @Lanny says itā€™s been on a bit of nose candy
Cheers

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48

I forgot to add, it makes for one hell of a headphone / practice amp, which is exactly what I am doing right now.

image
image3024Ɨ4032 3.39 MB

All the pedals, tuner and metronome / drum beats

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49

Man, that B4-E looks good :drooling_face:

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Hey @T_dub,
I watched a video Josh has on YouTube regarding the top ten things that work or are crap.
I was thinking I may also get a Vox am plug 2 bass headphone amp as well.
Cheers

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51

If you have the Zoom you will not need or want the vox (as you cannot use it and the zoom together).

Obviously I am another big fan of the Zoom multieffects. Itā€™s a solid choice and a great value for what you get.

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Yes, I was letting you know this zoom kicks ass as a headphone amp.

Only if you wanna walk the streets would you need the vox

Of course you can put batteries in thezoom and stick it in a big pocket

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Love ESP.

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Thanks @joergkutter

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@T_dub

What youā€™ve done regarding educating yourself as to want you want pedal wise by using the zoom is exactly what I intend to do.
Iā€™m a real beginner not only with the bass but with pedals too so with the zoom and help Iā€™ve received here I reckon Iā€™ll have a good solid start on this part of the journey.
Thanks to all :+1:

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Yep this is what I got out of the Zoom boxes that I appreciated the most. I learned a hell of a lot about effects chains.

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I really hope they do a MS-70B or something at some point, basically the MS-60B but with the B1four internals instead of the older stuff.

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That would be cool @howard. Or an upgrade patch for the MS-60b cuz I think you can access tone lib with it

@Mac. Take advantage of return policies with pedals. Not sure, buy two, try and return, and keep looping til you either find what you want, or find what you want and buy it used. I have a revolving door of pedals at Amazon, itā€™s great

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I had to go and have a look didnā€™t I :joy:
An updated version of the ms-60 b would certainly be good :+1:

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@T_dub
STOP :stop_sign:ā€¦youā€™re enabling my habit :joy::joy::joy:

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