how would this effect pedal be used properly what are its bennifits and down sides?
A compressor takes the peaks and valleys out of volume. If you play a soft note, the compressor will bump up the volume. If you play a loud note, the compressor will bring the volume down. The effect is you get a very even "compressed" sound. This can be good. For instance, when a player taps, often this will not be nearly as loud as a picked note. So a compressor will make the taps louder and perhaps bring down picked notes. This is one reason compressors are very popular with Metal players who use techniques like tapping a lot. It can make your playing very even and fluid sounding.
On the downside, a compressor can make you sound better than you are, and take all the dynamics out of your playing. Blues players especially play with lots of dynamics. They will play a note as soft as a whisper. Then suddenly they play with attack and force. And they do this on purpose. It is to take the listener on an emotional roller coaster. They take you up, then bring you way down. It is a very emotional style of guitar. Too much compression will completely ruin this, making all notes sound pretty much the same.
Compression will give you long sustain on notes. But.... it also causes feedback easily.
Compression is an individual thing. I do not like compression myself, I like dynamics in guitar playing. But many people love compression.
If you know something better than Rock and Roll, I'd like to hear it - Jerry Lee Lewis
Here is a demo of a compressor. Sounds pretty great. But listen when he goes to the "squash" feature. This is lots of compression. Still sounds good, but takes a lot of the feeling out of the playing. The lighter compression sounds very good though (to me).
If you know something better than Rock and Roll, I'd like to hear it - Jerry Lee Lewis
I'd say every one needs compression, one way or the other. Guitar is an extremely dynamic instrument and if you'd want to get heared in the mix you want, or even need, compression. For example, the bluesplayers Wes' mentioned all live on compression. When you listen to the dynamic performances of people like Clapton or SRV you'll notice that their dynamics influence timbre far more then volume: that's because their amps are adding natural compression. Without any sort of compression (plug your guitar into a super clean SS amp) your soft notes would be totally inaudible and your harder notes would drown everything out.
Basically you can use compressors in three ways:
1) to get a signal it's own place in the mix, allow for dynamic playing while always being heared.
2) function as an effect that really changes the sound. Listen to Fusciante's solo in 'Strip my Mind'.
3) function as a key effect that totally wacks whatever the original sound was. Listen to bassdrums in Trance music.
Again, everyone needs compression: vocals, accoustic guitars, drums, bass and electric guitar. It's kinda like salt: you'll always want some but usually don't want a whole lot of it. Mostly you'll use it for reason#1, and if so use the following rule of the thumb: can you pick out the compressor when listening back to the track? If so, you're using it too much. A well placed compressor is the one that makes every sound distinguishable without ever giving the impression that it's actually active.
Just my 2cents...
Brilliant post, Arjen :-)
I couldn't live without compressor myself, and since I follow the (originally Gilmour's, I guess) philosophy of starting with a crystal clean sound and then layering on top of that, compressor is the first, and essential, item in the chain. Now I do it with a signal processor - but in the separate stomp box days (still a very valid way to go, too) a CS-2 was always first in line.
