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Topic: Keeley Compressor? |
Paul O'Bryan
From:
Adelaide. Australia
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Posted 2 Mar 2011 3:45 am |
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| Do many steelers use a Keeley Compressor in their set up for live shows? Im looking at maybe buying one but is it really needed? |
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Ken Metcalf
From:
San Antonio Texas USA
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Posted 2 Mar 2011 4:09 am
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Not usually any compressors around here on steel.
I use a Barber tone press on my Tele and have tried it on my steel.... sounded ok but not necessary.
_________________
MSA 12 String E9th/B6th Universal.
Little Walter PF-89.
Bunch of stomp boxes |
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Greg Cutshaw
From:
Corry, PA, USA
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Posted 2 Mar 2011 6:10 am
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A Compressor would be useful for recording but not for live playing. I have the Keeley 4 knob compressor in my guitar setup and it's pretty awesome.
Greg |
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Olli Haavisto
From:
Jarvenpaa,Finland
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Posted 2 Mar 2011 6:47 am
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The thing under your right foot does the job 
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Olli Haavisto
Finland |
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Brad Sarno
From:
St. Louis, MO USA
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Posted 2 Mar 2011 7:41 am
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| Olli Haavisto wrote: |
| The thing under your right foot does the job |
exactly....
B |
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Mark van Allen
From:
Watkinsville, Ga. USA
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Posted 2 Mar 2011 1:00 pm
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Compresson can run the gamut from a subtle leveling, pretty much inaudible, to a sever effect, and it depends what you're using it for in context. I agree that light compression should pretty much be taken care of with hands and foot volume control. I've done many sessions where the engineer was sure he had to strap a compressor across my input, and later turned it off after listening to how I was playing.
Slightly harder compression results in an audible sound, similar to the "spank" many country tele players go for, and bordering on the "bwarmp" attack sound of an envelope follower, similar to some of Emmon's tracks from the 70's.
Any heavier on compression results in a severely limited attack to the signal, that I assume would only be used as a special effect once in a while.
I think many people are thinking a compressor will smooth or even out their attack, in a way that basic technique should be taking care of. If you're looking for a special effect, though, even the cheaper compressor pedals might be just the trick. The expensive boutique pedals seem to be more appealing in the 6 string world. On my tele rig I've gone through quite a few, including Keeley, Goudie, Barber, and have settled for now on a Humprhey Audio modded Boss. I don't feel the need for one on pedal steel. |
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Kevin Hatton
From:
Buffalo, N.Y.
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Posted 2 Mar 2011 1:11 pm
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| Olli, your funny. That's the truth. |
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Ron Davis
From:
Lake Arrowhead, California... We're a mile high. ;)
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Posted 3 Mar 2011 3:46 pm
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I'm just a noob to pedal steel, but have been playin' guitar for a looong time.
I use a Carl Martin stomp box compressor for my guitars. It's REAL natural sounding, with lots of parameters for different applications. WAY better than the processed sound from the Boss & MXR stomp box compressors I have.
I've ran my PSG through it, subtly, & it's "ok", but not as cool as with an electric guitar.
But... for the steel I do use an ART stereo tube compressor.
I have it in line (stereo) after my Revelation, going stereo into my power amp.
It sounds great!
Very natural & "uncompressed", but it still smooths (like a record) & also increases sustain (as a compressor should), but doesn't really sound compressed or "squashed".
It really just sounds more like a record.
Now, I'm not recommending anyone us compression, (especially since most experienced steelers I talk to don't use compression), but if you're like me & like the subtle, smooth sound of "record" type limiting/compression, this unit is worth considering. It's real sweet... & not too much $$$.
Great for recording too,
rd
_________________
Emmons 12 p/p, Revelation, Black Widows, (& way too many assorted goodies...)
Drummer with a pedal steel fantasy. 
www.LA-Zep.com
www.Desperado1.com
www.CMWChicagoTribute.com |
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Georg Sørtun
From:
Mandal, Agder, Norway
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Posted 3 Mar 2011 4:49 pm
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Having used compressors on guitars for decades, I tried to find one that would work for live steel. None with the word "compressor" worked, but an "enhancer/limiter" for bass-guitar worked perfectly for those of my steels that have a "heavy" body-tone - not so much for my "light" sounding steels.
So I use a BOSS LMB-3 set "medium" with my Dekleys and MSA and set "slight" with my GFI and CarpSteel. The LMB-3 is very "playable". and adds just that little extra "smooth sustain" I like to have - without compressing the attack.
With the LMB-3 as first stage I use "the thing under my right foot" mainly to control volume ... not so much the sustain since that is taken well care of. |
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David Mason
From:
Cambridge, MD, USA
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Posted 4 Mar 2011 12:46 pm
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Anytime you plug into a Peavey amp with "DDT" (like ALL the steel amps) you're playing with a compressor. Anytime you plug into a tube amp, you're playing with a compressor. Anytime you play through a speaker, you're playing through a compressor. Where this matters, to me, is if I'm trying to get a decent sound that's not through tubes or speakers. Headphone practicing; and an awful lot of effects really need a firmly-balanced signal first to sound better. A certain amount of limiting can make playing "direct to record" work better.
I also like the sound of attack and decay sometimes like a blues guitarist, and many steel guitarists have such "good" volume pedal technique that everything they play is one smooth big wash. I like bite for R'n'R, and the classic spanky Tele tone comes from a compressor that is adjusted so the attack bite comes through without being a volume spike. It just depends on what you want to sound like - many, many steel guitarists pick at the same volume all the time and use only the VP to regulate volume, and it's a valid & established style. But compression is another tool if you think carefully about what you want it to do, which is expand or contract the natural length and volume of a picked note. There are reasons "all steel guitarists sound alike" (to the great unwashed, at least), and identical right foot intent is a big one.
My favorite compressor is the old DOD FX-80B, because it can handle a steel guitar's output with no added attenuating circuits and they were made with the high-end bits that other people charge $80 to add to a MXR or Boss. I don't know if the Keeley has trouble with 18K pickups? I got both my DODs for $20 - $25, before the Ebay crowd found out about them. They're up to $70 these days. |
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John McClung
From:
Olympia WA, USA
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Posted 4 Mar 2011 2:25 pm I like a little splat...
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I have several: AnalogMan; BOSS; MXR Dyna Comp.
I don't use them a ton, but do always have one in my chain, should I want a tighter sound or some "spank" in faster songs. Could I live without them? Yes. Are they useful at times? Very.
YMMV.
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John Billings
From:
Ohio, USA
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Posted 4 Mar 2011 2:50 pm
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| I seem to remember seeing pics of Buddy, with an Orange Squeezer plugged into the jack on his steel. I tried my Joe Meek VC-3 on my Kline, before the volume pedal, of course.. It was kinda nice because it's so transparent. But,,, in the end,,, didn't really need it. |
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Ron Davis
From:
Lake Arrowhead, California... We're a mile high. ;)
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Posted 8 Mar 2011 11:46 am
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A real cool effect is to run a delay into a compressor, setting the compressor to compress hard, at first...
What happens is that the first couple repeats of the echo are squashed, so that the delay effect "swells" into the "mix". You get a nice "floaty" sort of effect, without such a percussive type of repeat from the delay.
Real cool, for some more "non-traditional" type stuff.
rd
_________________
Emmons 12 p/p, Revelation, Black Widows, (& way too many assorted goodies...)
Drummer with a pedal steel fantasy.
www.LA-Zep.com
www.Desperado1.com
www.CMWChicagoTribute.com |
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Harry Dove
From:
Michigan, USA
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Posted 8 Mar 2011 6:30 pm
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| I think Gary Morse still uses one. We had a thread here about the Brooks and Dunn tribute that was on TV last year and he posted several times talking about playing the show and his equipment. I've been thinking about getting one. Wish I could try one before I forked out the cash. Half of the stuff I buy I don't end up using. |
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John Billings
From:
Ohio, USA
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