If you have ever thought of emulating classic sounds that are featured in the roll hall of fame or in the rock music, then all you need if to add a compressor pedal to your guitar connection. You may think that all compressors are the same since all they do is alternate your sound, well, that’s not the case. Every compressor has their own effects and the way they enhance your sound will automatically differ. Before you start picking pedals at random, here is a detailed basics overview that will guide you in placing your order of a pedal board.
1. Time effects
For you to become a competent guitarist as your favorite rock stars, it’s important that you take keen interest of the time effects. Most pedals have time effects divided into two sections, delay and reverb. Delay is the ability of taking incoming original sound and repeating it several times. This effect has a balance between the repeating tune and the incoming signal to advance your playing skills. The reverb effect is basically to ensure that there is a sense of space around the sound. There are numerous of options to choose from as far as reverb is concerned. This is because the control levels are anywhere between single level to plethora. However it’s all based on personal interest.
2. Gain staging effect
Where you will stick any effects that are based on gain staging is known as the signal chain. Usually there is a range from a mild clean gain to a fuzz effect. The effect needs to be something you consider when choosing a guitar compressor. These pedals shape the foundation and the rest of the tone you will be producing. It allows you to construct harmonically complex tones using gain based effects. The signal chain allows you to keep it simple for much better results. There are many gain effects to choose from and it depends on the tones you mostly play.
3. Analog or digital effects?
In the past, guitar compressors used an analog circuitry. These work by modifying the sound directly. Today, there are digital effects that produced by the digital circuitry before they are then converted to analog signals for output. To buy the best guitar compressor for you, you need to know which signals you prefer. Analog produced signals are less prone to loss because they do not have to be changed as much.
4. Sound conditioning effect
If you do not enjoy the excess alteration in the type of music you play, then you might need a compressor that adds subtle changes to your music. While the more drastic elements may be more exciting, subtle changes can make the difference between pretty good sound and a truly magnificent one. You may want to increase your options with time so you need an instrument that will grow with you and allow you to play versatile sounds.
1. Joyo JF-10 Dynamic Compressor
If you are thinking about doing compression but are on a tight budget, this is the instrument for you. It allows you to cut across a wide range of frequencies. You will also- love the fact that it is user friendly and very simple. It gets better. This compressor is made of high quality materials guaranteeing you that you will use it for years. It has a sturdy closure that allows you to use it on any stage. All things considered, the footswitch and the knob are also of high quality. You get quality and performance at an excellent price.
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2. TC Electronic Hyper Gravity Compressor
This TC compressor’s greatest asset is the fact that it offers you versatility. In its price range, this is the most flexible solution in the market today. The enclosure is a very solid one. It is a high performance pedal which means you can throw anything its way and it will handle it pretty nicely. To top it off, you also get a knob that allows you to change between tone print, spectra and vintage modes. You can therefore create your own compression curves using the different software in the market and upload them to the pedal.
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3. Wampler Ego Compressor
Well, this ego cannot be suppressed. This compressor is one of the best studio inspired compressors in the market. It produces a cleaner, simpler and quieter sound. The sound is also tuneful and sounds fuller than other instruments can produce. The tone knob accentuates and rolls off high end tones while allowing you to preserve the lows. You get to retain clarity and presence even in the upper frequencies with your wet compression because the tone knob is carefully voiced. While its design is not one of the best, it still gives you more value than you can ask for.
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4. Empress Effect Compressor
This is yet another impressive studio style compressor. It is FET type and can produce wonderfully responsive, impressively fast, versatile and clean comp. it is one instrument on this list that produces the most well-rounded all purpose comp. this makes it the most versatile as it can be used by any guitarist playing any type of music. It comes with parallel blending attack and release, mix control and input that allow you to set compression threshold. The gain is made by an output knob and a ratio switch. You can monitor the input level or both the input and gain using the reduction LEDs.
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5. Keeley electronics GC-2 limiting amplifier
Keeley has been a great brand over a decade. This may be their best selling compression yet. This studio style VCA limiter is made with inspiration from the dbx 160A compressor. This fact makes this compressor different from most of the others in this list. It focuses mainly on limiting. It comes with a hard knee that allows it to produce more aggressive and abrupt sound when you apply kick in. when the signal crosses the threshold, you only have to apply a light squeeze.
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6. Xotic SP compressor
At first sight, you will be impressed by this compressor’s beautiful chassis. It is based on Ross compression and is doing a fantastic job at it. The knob on this compressor offers you up to 15db of volume, blend. This ensures that you have flawless transition from your original sound and the three way switch opting between mid, low and high signals. Its internals switches offer great additional modifications. The pedals allow you to produce a more even tone with dynamic range.
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7. Electro harmonix soul preacher compressor/sustainer pedal
If you are looking for a compressor that is just simple enough to make it easy to use, this is it. Although it looks very simple, it comes with two functions; to provide the compression effect and to sustain the pedal/this multipurpose role may be weird at first considering you only have two knobs and a switch to work with. However, you will learn to enjoy the functions it provides.
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8. Boss CS 3
When it comes to pedals you can expect the same high performance from all pedals by boss. While this linear production may be too boring for some people, if you like consistency and reliability, this is the one you need. It comes with a wide range that will sustain and allow you to go for a long period of time. Like, all boss pedals, this one comes in a similar shape and design. The compressor is natural and very responsive. You can play a wide range of frequencies while maintaining the core configuration.
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9. Behringer CS400 compressor sustainer
This is one of the cheapest, most effective compressors in the market. The CS400 is a compression mode that sticks out. While its closure is not one of the best, it still does a great job. It provides you with attack and sustain, level and tone modes. The sustain feels natural and is in abundance. The compressor also had a wide range to choose from. For its budget you get a lot of functionality.
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10. MXR dyna comp effects pedal
It comes with a great inline compressor which helps even out your amplifier using sound dynamics and a naturally extensive sustain. The control knobs are easy to use and intuitive. While you may dislike its classics design and background, it proves you wrong by backing your lead tones with amazing sustain. With the controls you can have anything from smooth to extreme metal sounds. You will never have the issue of it over powering your sound. Instead, you will enjoy ht it enhances it.
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