Mark Bass Compressor versus...

#22
Nicholas Smith said:
Maybe I’m not the best judge of my pedal.
Put it this way: I love a compressor that can squash the hell out of my signal so I can add other gain boosts on a flatter wave.

So, I guess I’m looking for something that has a large ratio / threshold option to essentially compress the bass signal so much it’s almost non-distinguishable from the original sound.

Am I looking for a compressor pedal here or perhaps another effect altogether?
Maybe 2 compressors in a chain?
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I've used an Alesis Nanocompressor to do exactly that: dampen the attack entirely and exaggerate the sustain to an extreme.
Advantages:
• They're mono/stereo units, so you can use it normally or feed a mono signal through it twice by looping the LEFT out into the RIGHT in (for whatever it's worth, looping probably doesn't change the signal as much as you'd expect compared to using it normally, but it's a free and easy experiment to try).
• Doesn't add analog distortion or muddy up the sound. Although if you wanted something that sounds like a tube or optical compressor, I guess that's a disadvantage.
• Dirt cheap on the used market (should be easy to find at $50 or less).
Disadvantages:
• Noisy at low signal thresholds. At least mine is.
• They're not pedals, they're half-size 1U rack boxes, roughly 5.5" x 4.5" x 1.375". If you know someone good at building pedals, it might be possible to transfer the innards into one.
• Requires its own 9VAC PSU, you won't be able to power it with the usual stompbox power supplies.
 
#23
I am a Compressore user but not the way you use it. I have always wanted to try the Diamond. What has stopped me (aside from always coming back to the Compressore after using an optical for a while) is that the demo videos I have seen always squash the signal a lot more than I would. I would suggest listening to some samples of the Diamond, which is supposed to be amazing even if it doesn't have all of the control you're used to.
 
#26
https://www.compressorpedalreviews.com/post/vahlbruch-quantum-compressor-review

I’m really liking this comp. It is quite transparent, very simple, and the paint color is very cool. Some compressors can make your tone sound “boxy” but this one is not that way, very “organic” and allows all the texture of your tone to shine through. It is an always-on pedal for me.

4A1CCE37-CECA-4D93-B38E-8AB070C55000.jpeg
 
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#28
Sushi Box FX has just introduced a tube based compressor called the Deep Dish that might be worth a look. Can’t speak to the accuracy of the description since I don’t own one. (Yet. ;)) But the creative force behind Sushi Box is a TB regular. And the SB pedal I do own (Slampegg Bee) performs and sounds as advertised. So I’m guessing the rest of his lineup’s descriptions are equally candid and accurate.

From the website:

Deep Dish Compressor
The Deep Dish Compressor is inspired by the legendary Effectrode LA-1A Leveling Amplifier, but in a more pedalboard-friendly package. Combining the warmth of an all-tube signal path with a modern precision rectifier compression sidechain, Deep Dish can give you anything from light smoothing to aggressive squishing, all with the exceptional clarity and warmth. Additionally Deep Dish has a 10-segment LED bar as a gain reduction indicator, to let you know how much your signal is being compressed.

Deep Dish uses a 12AU7 and a 12AT7 and comes with JJ/Tesla tubes, or you can save a bit and opt for the no-tubes option and put whatever you want in there. I recommend sticking with 12AU7 and 12AT7, but I'm not the tube police, it's your pedal. Anything in the same 12A*7 family can be plugged in without damaging it, it may just not sound as good.

The Deep Dish Compressor takes a 12V input, and can accept center negative or center positive inputs. It uses an internal regulator to supply 200V to the plates, giving it the richness you expect from a full high-voltage preamp.

Controls: Peak Reduction, Attack, Gain, Knee

Like all Sushi Box FX pedals the Deep Dish Compressor is true bypass, hand-wired, and built with pride in Chicagoland, U.S.A.

Starting at $300


CURRENT DRAW NOTE: The Deep Dish Compressor uses vacuum tubes, which means it has current requirements higher than most pedals. During warm up it will try to pull around 900mA on a 12V input, and when it has finished warming up it will pull about 560mA on a 12V input. I recommend a 1000mA (or more) supply.
Click to expand...
 
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#29
Had the EBS multi-comp which was fabulous for tube warmth(despite having no tube) but the construction wasn't the most robust. I now have a Cali76 Compact. It is amazing for rich tone and transparency. The build competes with a modern tank.
 
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#31
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#32
sears said:
I am a Compressore user but not the way you use it. I have always wanted to try the Diamond. What has stopped me (aside from always coming back to the Compressore after using an optical for a while) is that the demo videos I have seen always squash the signal a lot more than I would. I would suggest listening to some samples of the Diamond, which is supposed to be amazing even if it doesn't have all of the control you're used to.
Click to expand...

The Diamond does tend to be somewhat of a polarizing device. Seems like people either love it or don't. It is a compressor more in the "tone coloration" camp than utilitarian compressor. It can be problematic with some high output basses with onboard preamps. But the Diamond does afford some nice tone fattening and smoothing.
 
#34
Nicholas Smith said:
Hello folks.

I’ve had the latest Mark Compressor for a while now. Seems ok to me. Sadly it’s far away being trapped in London.

Would like to know of similar or better compressor pedals out there...for the sake of experimentation...love to know which model has a superb compression skills...

Any experiences would be very welcome...
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I'm gonna suggest the FEA Opti-Fet. It "feels" much like the Compressore when you play through it, and has some extra tools under the hood to add some extra coloration should you want some, as well as the side chain to change the way it reacts to your playing. An all-around excellent and versatile optical compressor with a tube vibe, in my opinion.
 
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#35
TrevorG said:
Had the EBS multi-comp which was fabulous for tube warmth(despite having no tube) but the construction wasn't the most robust. I now have a Cali76 Compact. It is amazing for rich tone and transparency. The build competes with a modern tank.
Click to expand...

The build and weight! When I got mine I thought they had included a small planet in the package :D
It oozes serious quality.
 
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#36
Not sure how similar it is, at least a lot less exact control over the compression going on, but I love what my EHX Black Finger, tube driven optical compressor (running it's 2 preamp tubes at proper high 300V plate voltage), does for my tone, and really use it more so as a tube preamp stage than a compressor, dialed in so that the compression only subtly starting to kick in when I dig in, and the input gain dialed up to just before the tubes starts to break up when I dig in the hardest.

Adds a really lovely and very musical tube warmth to my tone, very subtly rounding it off beautifully, and rather enhancing my tone and playing dynamics than killing them.

Note that the Black Finger has been discontinued though, but still isn't all too uncommon to find on the used market.

Also, note, as I said, that this is not a tube compressor as the Markbass Compressore is, but essentially, as far as I understand it, rather an optical compression circuit placed between the input and output stage of a tube preamp, meaning that while the gain stage of the compressor is tube driven, the actual source of the compression is optical, selectable as either a LED or a Lamp source, which chosen influencing on certain aspects of the compression going on and it's character.

The Black Finger also seems to divide the waters, some people deeply adore and praise it to the sky while others have more lukewarm feelings towards it.

As you might have guessed I am among the first.
 
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