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Re: Compressors...do you use one? two? How.

Posted: Wed Dec 04, 2013 11:00 pm
by Uncle Grandfather
Genghis Kanye wrote:It looks like a shrine!

On another note, you dudes just sold me on a Fairfield Accountant. Thanks.
balanced circuit design, kinda looks like a stingray too

Re: Compressors...do you use one? two? How.

Posted: Wed Dec 04, 2013 11:11 pm
by Wes Mantooth
It better look like a shrine if you're paying nearly $6k for it

Re: Compressors...do you use one? two? How.

Posted: Wed Dec 04, 2013 11:14 pm
by Uncle Grandfather
Wes Mantooth wrote:It better look like a shrine if you're paying nearly $6k for it
When I had one, it sounded soooo good with my merlin tsm. she knows how to build amps. its a family tradition. her father started Manley, she got manley and her brother started vtl using similar circuit ideas but for the more upscale market.

afaik the father is still involved with the pro audio division.

Re: Compressors...do you use one? two? How.

Posted: Wed Dec 04, 2013 11:49 pm
by Wes Mantooth
Uncle Grandfather wrote:
Wes Mantooth wrote:It better look like a shrine if you're paying nearly $6k for it
When I had one, it sounded soooo good with my merlin tsm. she knows how to build amps. its a family tradition. her father started Manley, she got manley and her brother started vtl using similar circuit ideas but for the more upscale market.

afaik the father is still involved with the pro audio division.
How come you got rid of it?

Now I eventually want to have a nice Hi-Fi setup and I'm wondering are these super expensive amps really so much better than say ones in the 1-2k range?

I have no money currently but hopefully I find a job after I graduate, debt free I might add :D

My first focus will be my mortgage but I want a nice amp and set of speakers to go with my Pro-ject table.

Re: Compressors...do you use one? two? How.

Posted: Thu Dec 05, 2013 12:05 am
by Uncle Grandfather
Wes Mantooth wrote: How come you got rid of it?

Now I eventually want to have a nice Hi-Fi setup and I'm wondering are these super expensive amps really so much better than say ones in the 1-2k range?

Switched to a different amp topology, otl from Atma-Sphere. I use Atma-Sphere otl mono blocks in one of my main listening rooms, so its was nice having an atma-sphere in the bedroom too. I recently swapped the atma-sphere in the bedroom for an Ars-Sonum The Gran Filarmonia to much delight.

The Manley sounds amazing though.

Just my opinion, but 5k-10k could put together an entry level high-end set up. and buying second hand off audiogon.com can bring that cost way day.

Re: Compressors...do you use one? two? How.

Posted: Thu Dec 05, 2013 2:56 am
by Wes Mantooth
Uncle Grandfather wrote:
Wes Mantooth wrote: How come you got rid of it?

Now I eventually want to have a nice Hi-Fi setup and I'm wondering are these super expensive amps really so much better than say ones in the 1-2k range?

Switched to a different amp topology, otl from Atma-Sphere. I use Atma-Sphere otl mono blocks in one of my main listening rooms, so its was nice having an atma-sphere in the bedroom too. I recently swapped the atma-sphere in the bedroom for an Ars-Sonum The Gran Filarmonia to much delight.

The Manley sounds amazing though.

Just my opinion, but 5k-10k could put together an entry level high-end set up. and buying second hand off audiogon.com can bring that cost way day.
Yeah I checked that site out when you recommended it in a different thread. A lot of good deals there, thanks for letting me know!

Re: Compressors...do you use one? two? How.

Posted: Thu Dec 05, 2013 3:19 am
by Uncle Grandfather
Wes Mantooth wrote:
Uncle Grandfather wrote:
Wes Mantooth wrote: Yeah I checked that site out when you recommended it in a different thread. A lot of good deals there, thanks for letting me know!
audiogon is where to buy stereo equipment. period. their forums are great when searching for information, the search function rocks. :thumb:

Re: Compressors...do you use one? two? How.

Posted: Thu Dec 05, 2013 12:08 pm
by zRobertez
Ooh compressors. I thought ILF had an ever present compressors might be cool but no thing going on. Well! I like them. I've talked about them before on other threads.

I had a Dyna comp at one point. I really enjoyed for super duper squish and to darken things up. It was awesome with slower stuff and delay and everything you played was all floaty and wonderful. You can hear all the string noise, any scratches, little things that you normally wouldnt hear and then its multiplied by 10 by the delay.

Now I've had the Accountant for a couple weeks. I dig it. It goes in kind of the opposite direction of the Dyna Comp. A little less squish, a lot brighter (even brighter than my original signal). Though both can get dirty, neither is very noticeably dirty. Kind of weird to compare compressors because even when they are on, you can tell something is happening but not always what.

I keep them after modulation pedals but before dirt & tremolol. the ways I use it....

With dirt, its usually just a boost type deal. I run compressors with like every knob maxed. I don't understand light compression maybe its not for me. There's not a large enough change or difference for me to care. I go supa smush.

Before tremolo makes super tremolo. Or just normal tremolo but more present.

After reverb as mentioned in this thread. Huge trails that cut off instantly when the reverb ducks out of the threshold. Though with the Accountant, it is smooth enough that you get a more tapered release.

On either side of an Organizer with the lag knob maxed. All those glittery octaves pop out everywhere after hitting a note. Really cool.

With vibrato or chorus for smchoozy lofi stuff.

And then with delay like I mentioned up there

Re: Compressors...do you use one? two? How.

Posted: Thu Dec 05, 2013 3:49 pm
by goroth
synthezatory wrote:This thing (compressor), to me is the most confusing fx to start to learn.
So, would it kill the picking dynamics when you're play around with your touch sensitive od pedals/amps?
And what would be the difference putting it in front or after drive pedals?
In front of drive, you will lose a little bit of your dynamics, but even out the overall drive level. Good if you have really different outputs of your pickups or different guitars and you don't want to change settings. After drive it will allow you to clean up shit and play the drive more dynamically, while still maintaining a relatively constant volume output.

Theoretically. All of my guitars have one pickup and volume is always maxed, so I can't verify that any of the above information actually is true. I don't intend to ever verify this either.

Image

I am though gassing for another compressor because my liking for pedals is no longer healthy

Re: Compressors...do you use one? two? How.

Posted: Thu Dec 05, 2013 9:31 pm
by DarkAxel
i've been thinking about adding a compressor to my board for a while

why i hesitate is because i LOVE pronounced, twangy and sharp attack of notes, sounds jumping out with overdrive when i hit hard and that agressiveness of fuzz and distortion getting hit HARD

however, i was thinking mild compression might help beef up my cleans a little bit for more of that "bell-like" character and beefy clarity...

what does ILF think? are those two things possible at the same time? :idk:

Re: Compressors...do you use one? two? How.

Posted: Thu Dec 05, 2013 10:16 pm
by BitchPudding
I used to use a plain old boss compressor going into my big muff, would boost that thing like all hell, which really helped considering the muff never really cut on its own.

Re: Compressors...do you use one? two? How.

Posted: Thu Dec 05, 2013 10:28 pm
by penelope tree
Has anyone used an Xotic SP? I don't really want to devote a lot of space to a compressor. .

Re: Compressors...do you use one? two? How.

Posted: Thu Dec 05, 2013 10:31 pm
by tjlong
at various times i used a dynacomp reissue and philosopher gold. the dynacomp for smoothing out volume peaks and drops and the gold for more sustain. but ive sold em both and stopped using comps altogether..didnt seem to really matter that much to what i was playing and how i played it
zRobertez wrote:
Before tremolo makes super tremolo. Or just normal tremolo but more present.

After reverb as mentioned in this thread. Huge trails that cut off instantly when the reverb ducks out of the threshold. Though with the Accountant, it is smooth enough that you get a more tapered release.

On either side of an Organizer with the lag knob maxed. All those glittery octaves pop out everywhere after hitting a note. Really cool.

With vibrato or chorus for smchoozy lofi stuff.

And then with delay like I mentioned up there
interesting. i never tried/noticed. time to get a comp again!

Re: Compressors...do you use one? two? How.

Posted: Tue Dec 10, 2013 2:52 pm
by DarkAxel
DarkAxel wrote:i've been thinking about adding a compressor to my board for a while

why i hesitate is because i LOVE pronounced, twangy and sharp attack of notes, sounds jumping out with overdrive when i hit hard and that agressiveness of fuzz and distortion getting hit HARD

however, i was thinking mild compression might help beef up my cleans a little bit for more of that "bell-like" character and beefy clarity...

what does ILF think? are those two things possible at the same time? :idk:
anyone?

Re: Compressors...do you use one? two? How.

Posted: Tue Dec 10, 2013 3:22 pm
by Dr. Sherman Sticks M.D.
i dont think you'll lose your twangy sharp attack. in fact it might excencuate (spelling?) that. compressors have a tendency to overbrighten stuff when pushed hard. i think it would just be a matter of dialing in the controls and gain to your liking.