11-05-2013, 11:48 AM
OVNILAB
• If you need something cheap, the best pedals in my opinion are the DOD Milk Box, Boss LMB-3, and Line 6 Constrictor, pretty much in that order. Also the first edition of the BBE Opto Stomp was really good (don't buy the mustache one). If you want a rackmount unit, get the Alesis 3632. Others that are pretty good for the price include the Biyang CO-8, Moen Uni-Comp, Alesis Nanocomp and Microlimiter, Ibanez BP5, Guyatone ST2, dbx 163X, Behringer DC9, and ART Levelar. And if you want a DIY project, the BYOC Optical kit is a very good value.
• If you want something a little better than those, but still not expensive, the Pigtronix Philosopher's Rock and Phil. Bass, Seymour Duncan Double Back, and Carl Martin Classic Opto all provide a lot of bang for your money. The VFE White Horse and modded Boss CS-3 might also suit some tastes.
• The top tier pedals that I'd recommend to most people combine ease of use with great tone and low noise: the Diamond BCP-1, MXR M87, 3Leaf PWNZOR, FEA SMX, Empress, Maxon CP9Pro+, Rothwell Love Squeeze, Effectrode PC-2A, Mad Prof Forest Green, Dedalo Gorila, G-Lab BC-1, Wampler Ego, Aguilar TLC, and Earthquaker The Warden. If your tastes are more exotic or particular, the Markbass Compressore, Durham Sex Drive, Carl Martin Comp-Limiter, OKKO Coca, Tortenmann TK-23, FEA's more knob-laden models, Taurus Tux, Joemeek FloorQ, Origin Cali76, and Menatone J.A.C are also very much worth your attention.
• For rackmount units the Rane DC24, dbx 160X/XT, Ashly CLX/DPX series, Symetrix 501, Aphex 661/651, and JBL 7110 are all excellent. They each have unique qualities that make it hard to pick one "best" one. I am also very fond of the FMR PBC-6A, ADK CLA-1, and Joemeek MC-2, but they are half-rack modules, sometimes difficult to mount in a regular rack rig. On a tight bugdet, the new Alesis 3632 and the old dbx 166 are good values.
• Tube compressors: my favorites are the Effectrode PC-2A, CAE V-Comp, Retrospec Squeezebox, and Markbass Compressore. Read this article for more info about tube comps.
• What do I use personally? Lately it's the Origin Cali76, for its organic tone and action. The FEA's (all of them) are also close at hand. Other personal favorites include the Empress, Markbass Compressore, G-Lab BC-1, Diamond BCP-1, Aphex 651, Retrospec Squeezebox, Frantone Sandwich, Durham Sex Drive, ADK CLA-1, and Effectrode PC-2A.
• Limiters: the Rane DC24, Valley People Dynamite, Aphex 661/651, MXR M87 Bass Comp, Maxon CP9 Pro+, Pigtronix Philosopher series, Alesis MicroLimiter, Guyatone BL2, Boss LMB-3, various Joemeek models, Markbass, Demeter Compulator, FEA Comp-Limiter and DE-CL, Menatone J.A.C, Ashly DPX/CLX/CL series, Aguilar TLC, and Symetrix 501 all do a pretty good job of cleanly limiting big signal peaks.
A testowane jest następująco:
"All of the units reviewed here I tested with a variety of active and passive bass guitars, and some of them I also used for synth or line-level audio. I test each unit under normal use as well as "worst case scenario" usage. In other words I will do things such as feeding them extreme EQ settings, playing very sloppily, plucking heavily on the low strings, using both very low and very high input levels, quickly alternating between staccato and legato, long rests and busy playing.
My testing rig for these reviews includes Canare cables, a high-quality DI or preamp into an Ashly LX308B mixer, through a set of Beyerdynamic DT990 or DT770 headphones. The DI's/preamps I have used include the A-Designs REDDI, Countryman Type 85, Summit Audio TD-100, Phoenix Audio (UK) "Nice DI", Radial JDI, Phil Jones Bass Buddy, Ampeg SVP-CL, and Focusrite ISA-One.
It has been pointed out to me that the Beyerdynamic phones have a spike in frequency response around 20 KHz, so I have been hearing noise/hiss that many people will not hear through their speaker cabs. I consider that particular "inaccuracy" a good thing though, as it means that my descriptions of hiss will be relevant to recording engineers, and it also means that if I say a comp's noise is "moderate" or "not bad", that noise will probably not be noticeable at all under most real-world performance circumstances. Most of my reviews describe how noisy or quiet each compressor is, and I test and listen carefully for that aspect; but it's important to understand the causes of noise- different equipment, rooms, and wiring can cause a piece of gear to be noisy for one person and quiet for another. Please click here for more on that subject.
I typically spend at least three hours, over the course of a few days, working with each compressor. Some units are easy to understand and master within that short period of time, but some others require a lot more exploration, study, and studio time before I feel I have understood their secrets well enough to review. There are some of these units which I have worked with for over a month before reviewing, and many more which I reviewed in a shorter time but where I had to go back later and edit the review as I learned new things about each unit.
I also have made it a point recently to start updating my older reviews when necessary and when possible. My oldest reviews were only one paragraph, and I knew so much less about compressors at the time that many important details were left out. Additionally I did not have so many points of reference, so I'd say things like "this pedal contains an actual tube!!!" or "it can also be used as a clean boost!", comments that don't actually mean as much as I thought they did. So when you see a review that looks too short and simplistic, that's why: it's old, and in need of an update. It's a slow process because I just can't afford to buy them all again in a short time; however that is what I have been trying to do, bit by bit--I have bought about twenty of the reviewed comps a second or even a third time. Many more remain to be done. If a particular review stands out to you as needing a makeover, feel free to email me about it. "
• If you need something cheap, the best pedals in my opinion are the DOD Milk Box, Boss LMB-3, and Line 6 Constrictor, pretty much in that order. Also the first edition of the BBE Opto Stomp was really good (don't buy the mustache one). If you want a rackmount unit, get the Alesis 3632. Others that are pretty good for the price include the Biyang CO-8, Moen Uni-Comp, Alesis Nanocomp and Microlimiter, Ibanez BP5, Guyatone ST2, dbx 163X, Behringer DC9, and ART Levelar. And if you want a DIY project, the BYOC Optical kit is a very good value.
• If you want something a little better than those, but still not expensive, the Pigtronix Philosopher's Rock and Phil. Bass, Seymour Duncan Double Back, and Carl Martin Classic Opto all provide a lot of bang for your money. The VFE White Horse and modded Boss CS-3 might also suit some tastes.
• The top tier pedals that I'd recommend to most people combine ease of use with great tone and low noise: the Diamond BCP-1, MXR M87, 3Leaf PWNZOR, FEA SMX, Empress, Maxon CP9Pro+, Rothwell Love Squeeze, Effectrode PC-2A, Mad Prof Forest Green, Dedalo Gorila, G-Lab BC-1, Wampler Ego, Aguilar TLC, and Earthquaker The Warden. If your tastes are more exotic or particular, the Markbass Compressore, Durham Sex Drive, Carl Martin Comp-Limiter, OKKO Coca, Tortenmann TK-23, FEA's more knob-laden models, Taurus Tux, Joemeek FloorQ, Origin Cali76, and Menatone J.A.C are also very much worth your attention.
• For rackmount units the Rane DC24, dbx 160X/XT, Ashly CLX/DPX series, Symetrix 501, Aphex 661/651, and JBL 7110 are all excellent. They each have unique qualities that make it hard to pick one "best" one. I am also very fond of the FMR PBC-6A, ADK CLA-1, and Joemeek MC-2, but they are half-rack modules, sometimes difficult to mount in a regular rack rig. On a tight bugdet, the new Alesis 3632 and the old dbx 166 are good values.
• Tube compressors: my favorites are the Effectrode PC-2A, CAE V-Comp, Retrospec Squeezebox, and Markbass Compressore. Read this article for more info about tube comps.
• What do I use personally? Lately it's the Origin Cali76, for its organic tone and action. The FEA's (all of them) are also close at hand. Other personal favorites include the Empress, Markbass Compressore, G-Lab BC-1, Diamond BCP-1, Aphex 651, Retrospec Squeezebox, Frantone Sandwich, Durham Sex Drive, ADK CLA-1, and Effectrode PC-2A.
• Limiters: the Rane DC24, Valley People Dynamite, Aphex 661/651, MXR M87 Bass Comp, Maxon CP9 Pro+, Pigtronix Philosopher series, Alesis MicroLimiter, Guyatone BL2, Boss LMB-3, various Joemeek models, Markbass, Demeter Compulator, FEA Comp-Limiter and DE-CL, Menatone J.A.C, Ashly DPX/CLX/CL series, Aguilar TLC, and Symetrix 501 all do a pretty good job of cleanly limiting big signal peaks.
A testowane jest następująco:
"All of the units reviewed here I tested with a variety of active and passive bass guitars, and some of them I also used for synth or line-level audio. I test each unit under normal use as well as "worst case scenario" usage. In other words I will do things such as feeding them extreme EQ settings, playing very sloppily, plucking heavily on the low strings, using both very low and very high input levels, quickly alternating between staccato and legato, long rests and busy playing.
My testing rig for these reviews includes Canare cables, a high-quality DI or preamp into an Ashly LX308B mixer, through a set of Beyerdynamic DT990 or DT770 headphones. The DI's/preamps I have used include the A-Designs REDDI, Countryman Type 85, Summit Audio TD-100, Phoenix Audio (UK) "Nice DI", Radial JDI, Phil Jones Bass Buddy, Ampeg SVP-CL, and Focusrite ISA-One.
It has been pointed out to me that the Beyerdynamic phones have a spike in frequency response around 20 KHz, so I have been hearing noise/hiss that many people will not hear through their speaker cabs. I consider that particular "inaccuracy" a good thing though, as it means that my descriptions of hiss will be relevant to recording engineers, and it also means that if I say a comp's noise is "moderate" or "not bad", that noise will probably not be noticeable at all under most real-world performance circumstances. Most of my reviews describe how noisy or quiet each compressor is, and I test and listen carefully for that aspect; but it's important to understand the causes of noise- different equipment, rooms, and wiring can cause a piece of gear to be noisy for one person and quiet for another. Please click here for more on that subject.
I typically spend at least three hours, over the course of a few days, working with each compressor. Some units are easy to understand and master within that short period of time, but some others require a lot more exploration, study, and studio time before I feel I have understood their secrets well enough to review. There are some of these units which I have worked with for over a month before reviewing, and many more which I reviewed in a shorter time but where I had to go back later and edit the review as I learned new things about each unit.
I also have made it a point recently to start updating my older reviews when necessary and when possible. My oldest reviews were only one paragraph, and I knew so much less about compressors at the time that many important details were left out. Additionally I did not have so many points of reference, so I'd say things like "this pedal contains an actual tube!!!" or "it can also be used as a clean boost!", comments that don't actually mean as much as I thought they did. So when you see a review that looks too short and simplistic, that's why: it's old, and in need of an update. It's a slow process because I just can't afford to buy them all again in a short time; however that is what I have been trying to do, bit by bit--I have bought about twenty of the reviewed comps a second or even a third time. Many more remain to be done. If a particular review stands out to you as needing a makeover, feel free to email me about it. "