Compressor: Yea or nay?

Joseph Lazo · From: Wisconsin, USA

I use a Keeley compressor with electric guitar, but it just doesn't seem to work for me with pedal steel. It causes what I can only describe as a "grainy," "string buzzing" sound that I think is the result of boosting the noise from the strings vibrating ever so slightly against the tone bar. I don't hear this with the compressor off.

I like how the compressor fattens the sound of an electric guitar and evens everything out a bit, but even with it dialed down low on pedal steel it just sounds bad. Wondering if using a compressor with pedal steel is just a dumb idea.

Duane Becker · From: Elk,Wa 99009 USA

Joseph, I tend to agree with you. Although I mainly play in live local groups, when I've tried a compressor, I tend to get simply a maximum increase in levels-I also can hear the strings buzzing against the bar movement with compressor off. I'm sure someone else may jump in here and mention that we don't have our levels set correctly. In any case, I don't use compression.

Chris Brooks · From: Providence, Rhode Island

I never use a compressor in gigging. Doesn't it kind of work against a volume pedal?

Last session I did, the producer said he used a tiny bit of compression in steel. But that is in a recording situation.

My impression is that most steelers don't use compression.

Jerry Overstreet · From: Louisville Ky

Depends. In general, for most things with classic traditional pedal steel, I don't...but for rock and pop stuff getting closer to a standard guitar sound I sometimes use it.

For the most part, I don't really like the way it spits and chokes the bloom of the pedal steel but it can work for certain situations same as any other effect.

Justin Shaw · From: Ontario, Canada

Compression gives the strings a really lively feel, because you can just touch the strings and they ring out. The problem with this is that your own skill with picking dynamics is mostly overruled by the same effect. A compressor that has the option to mix in the original dry signal could probably work well, but I haven't tried it. Nor have I tried such a pedal with a volume pedal. It all just doesn't seem like it's worth the hassle.

Dave Grafe · From: Hudson River Valley NY

Dynamic compression can help nearly any audio signal, but "compression" covers a lot or territory and different signals require different methods. Most electric lead guitarists apply a low threshold with high make-up gain before their volume pedal to enhance sustain from six-string guitars. This boosts every detail of the quieter signals significantly even at low volumes, and is often the only function of a given "compressor" pedal. This can also be very effective with a lap steel and crunchy amp, a la David Lindley, but it makes for the (needless IMHO) overly sensitive strings mentioned by several other folks above.

On the other hand pedal steel guitarists already use the bar and volume pedal to maintain sustain at a consistent level in real time, making such an effects pedal an obfuscation rather than a help. Still, subtle dynamic limiting can help control pick noise, attack peaks, and VP overshoots. Other than the occasional steel guitar metal solo (yes I have) applying rock guitar "compressor" settings to a pedal steel in lieu of gentle limiting is rarely going to yield a useful result.

In my experience the best results are generally found by treating the pedal steel like a vocal, trimming and sweetening the peaks but keeping the effect subtle and transparent with minimal asded gain. Opinions vary but I strongly prefer to drive dynamics AFTER the volume pedal and overdrive and before the rest of the effects train. This is especially important for me as the EHX C9 pedal that I use for organ sounds is a touchy beast, and it allows me to dig into the overdrive without adding volume.

For what it's worth here's what I am using live these days, the signal chain is right to left, the phaser is between the C9 and delay, the reverb feeds the SuperBlock.

Per Berner · From: Skovde, Sweden

I won't play a single note on my Telecaster without my Keeley compressor, but for steel? No. It has enough sustain as it is. Also, my humbucker-equipped guitars do just fine without, but twangy Fenders need just a tiny bit of support.

Forum member Georg Sørtun recommends the Boss LMB-3, which is a limiter originally intended for bass, to achieve some compression without the side effects on steel. I've got one, and I think he's right. It limits over-loud notes, without the pumping compressor effect that counteracts the volume pedal.

Daniel Morris · From: Westlake, Ohio, USA

As someone has replied to the question of using a compressor: 'Yes, I use one, it's called a volume pedal.'
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John Sluszny · From: Brussels, Belgium

Chris Templeton · From: The Green Mountain State

If smoothing out the peaks is needed, try a limiter.
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Jim Pitman · From: Waterbury Ctr. VT 05677 USA

If you look at the envelope (graph of signal amplitude over time} of a plucked note on PSG it's already quite compressed compared to guitar. That combined with the use of a volume pedal makes it superfluous IMO.
I suspect six string electric guitar players are envious of the PSG's natural sustain.
This brings up another characteristic I've observed - The PSG has so much sustain that adding distortion or overdrive sounds weird to me. I prefer using a six string lap steel with a P90 or something for that kind rock sound with distortion.
A pet peeve of mine - you tube videos demonstrating the tone of a six string electric guitar completely distorted. If you are going to play distorted all the time it doesn't matter what guitar you play. They will all sound the same IMO. Turning your signal into a square wave removes the interesting overtones (tone).

Dave Grafe · From: Hudson River Valley NY

Chris Templeton · From: The Green Mountain State

Yes, Dave
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Chris Templeton · From: The Green Mountain State

When I recorded in Rick Plant's Little Black Dog Studio, in Nashville, I recorded this song, "Los Padres". There was a compressor that was all the rave, the LA-2 (I can't remember the brand).
I play a low bass and a "cello" bass. I maxed the LA-4 on the low bass:
Los Padres: https://christophertempleton.bandcamp.com/track/los-padres.
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"The Tapper" : https://christophertempleton.bandcamp.com/album/the-tapper
Soundcloud Playlist: https://soundcloud.com/bluespruce8:

Larry Behm · From: Mt Angel, Or 97362

I use the Opti Comp patch in my Zoom Ms50g. All of the others compress to much.. This one aids in sustain without “squashing” the note. I never play without it.
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Douglas Schuch · From: Valencia, Philippines

Many years ago I tried using compressors that were built into the Zoom MS-50, and as a pick-blocker, it really amplified the noise of my picks on the strings - so that got turned off very fast!

More recently, I've bought a Joyo Dyna Compressor, which supposedly is modeled on the Ross compressor, and so far I really like it. It's not heavy-handed like what I've tried before. It's not going to change what you are doing a lot - just very subtle evening out the levels. If you want to dig in and be louder, you can. If you want to back off for some quieter notes - no problem. It's most noticeable in a series of notes/chords, just keeping everything a little more even in dynamic range.

It's pretty much always on for me when I gig. I should note I'm a novice player - 15 years, but yes, still a novice! So the compressor helps me even out my playing, avoiding the mistakenly overly-loud note from ringing out so much. To be honest, twirling the knobs and picking notes, I can't say exactly what it's doing - but it just sounds better to me when it's on. I don't think it's a placebo, but it is a bit of a crutch!

In some ways this pedal reminds me of compression on vocals - you can't turn it on and off, and say, "Yeah, that's tweaking this, boosting that, blah blah." But vocals almost always sound better with some mild compression running. As always, YMMV.
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Bob Carlucci · From: Candor, New York, USA

always... I used a dbx 163x half rack "overeasy" compressor for years and it was brilliant. Clean, no weird artifacts, no extensive "squashiness" and super easy to use, only a volume and slide control... I have always liked a comp on pedal steel, I know some don't.. However I bet the vast majority of pedal steel parts over the past 30+ years you have heard on the radio played by the pros have had some level of compression applied to the signal either during initial recording or in final production/mixdown...
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Stew Crookes · From: Paris, France

I've been using a compressor pedal for a few years, after using studio compressors for recording steel for nearly 20 years... It's not about evening out my picking or volume pedal technique, I just like what it does. I'm currently using a Wampler Ego and it sounds great!
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Len Amaral · From: Rehoboth,MA 02769

What Stew says & I agree. We tend to think of a guitar pedal compressor with the squash effect. A Tele with this type of compressor sounds great but on my pedal steel it's not appealing. However, there are a number of compressors that effect the signal differently. I use a Boss CP-1X and it's more of a studio compressor in a pedal format. Like Stew mentioned, I like what it does and I also leave it on all the time. I go from the Peterson Strobo Stomp to the CP-1X to my other pedals.

Sound and feel are subjective so YMMV.
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Ken Morgan · From: Midland, Texas, USA

Not any dynamics live, but I’ve used a limiter at the tail end of effects chains on recorded tracks. As you know a properly set limiter doesn’t do anything to the the low volume, just keeps a gentle lid on the highest volume things.

Might be worth a try
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Brad Sarno · From: St. Louis, MO USA

Dave Hopping · From: Aurora, Colorado

Compressor?
Yea, but lightly.

Bob Carlucci · From: Candor, New York, USA

Jerry Overstreet · From: Louisville Ky

I may not be the most knowledgeable on this, but seems to me a volume pedal is really just an attenuator opposed to a compressor.

My understanding is a compressor affects the dynamic range by evening out the peaks and valleys in a signal. I don't believe a volume pedal can do that.

The compressor's cousin, the limiter works more like a volume pedal by affecting the overall volume level.

Yes, I know there are variables with both but that's my understanding.

I have standard guitar settings in my multi-fx unit that I also sometimes use on steel with certain tunes, but I don't want it for my pretty classic steel sounds.

I can see where it might be good for a steel guitar that has poor or little string separation.

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