Testing Compressors: Cali, Smoothie, Empress, Diamond, Keeley, FEA, Darkglass, Doc Lloyd, JHS & more

#22
The Keeley is easily the most simple of the bunch. It is intuitive (at least for me) and not a lot of knob fiddling is needed. I also really like that they marked the knob rotation to know where you are at in terms of ratio, etc. Plus it sounds really good. Just seems very transparent but adds just enough "bump" in gain or tone or whatever.
 
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#23
Rickter said:
When I was doing comp shopping, it was between the Keeley Bassist and the Duncan Studio Bass. I went with the Duncan and have been perfectly happy. Sometimes the blend feature is where the magic is at, sometimes you can barely tell it's there, but that's just me.

While the blend functions may not be a big deal currently, I'm a believer in "better to have and not need than to need and not have".

To me the Cali would still be a major contender based on it's pristine nature, the tone sweetening it seems to do for everyone but especially for the addition of the HPF circuit.
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I do really want to try the Studio Bass. Anybody have one they'd like to sell me? I've stayed away from it because there is no LED metering which might be a deal breaker for me. It's one I've heard great things about, especially the side change high/mid/low switch.
 
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#27
elkkid2 said:
I never,(well, almost never), use Compression...it ruins my tone and too much lag time.
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bush_doing_it_wrong_1.jpg




Here:
Compressor settings
 
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#32
I had a Smoothie and Cali76-CB at the same time. The Cali was always too bright in the high’s for my taste, almost sounding “harsh” to my ears. The Smoothie, on the other hand, is as the name describes: Smooth! It has a deep, smooth tone, and fattens up the sound perfectly. So I sold the Cali and kept the Smoothie. It was a great decision for me.
 
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#34
elkkid2 said:
Thanks, yeah, well, the Compressors in the '70's may be different than the one out today! Lol! My tone is AWESOME though!
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Yeah, I had the same experience with compression back then. The only time it really worked for me was in the studio, and I wasn't the one in control. Compressor pedal technology has indeed improved greatly in recent years, but I also have a better handle on how to use it now than I did back then.
 
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#35
Killens84 said:
I had a Smoothie and Cali76-CB at the same time. The Cali was always to bright in the high’s for my taste, almost sounding “harsh” to my ears. The Smoothie, on the other hand, is as the name describes: Smooth! It has a deep, smooth tone, and fattens up the sound perfectly. So I sold the Cali and kept the Smoothie. It was a great decision for me.
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I think I am noticing the same thing though I'm not sure I'd consider the highs harsh. Need more time with it.
 
#37
scubaduba said:
I do really want to try the Studio Bass. Anybody have one they'd like to sell me? I've stayed away from it because there is no LED metering which might be a deal breaker for me. It's one I've heard great things about, especially the side change high/mid/low switch.
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You can't have mine, I like it too much. :laugh: The lack of LEDs does make it a bit more difficult to set. Being a compressor novice I just had to learn to hear the subtle changes as I moved the dials. The frequency switch has been an interesting feature. I rarely have found a use for the low setting, letting the lowest frequencies through without compression. I typically vary between the full signal and mid options, depending on how much punch and dynamics I want.
 
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#38
I'm currently using a Cali76 Compact Bass and adore it, the only criticism that I may have would be a want for the LED metering like on the larger CaliTX but that's not exactly feasible on the Compact series. No direct experience with the Keeley Bassist but if you want metering then definitely look into the Keeley Compressor Pro; I use on on my fly board and really like it (second to my Cali). No experience with the Smoothie, I'll have to keep an eye out for one at a good price.
 
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#39
dannybuoy said:
Don't discount the Spectracomp! It may be the underdog, but I prefer mine to my Cali CB and the RMI, Keeley, Diamond, and EBS contestants that proceeded it.
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I really like certain TonePrints on the Spectracomp, but some, and maybe most, are very noisy in a very noticeable way. I had to go through the full list of them to find the few quiet ones. Also I have to manage my digital latency, because the digital pedals introduce 1-2 ms of latency. Not noticeable until you put a ton of them series and then it can add up.
 
#40
Yeah, I really don't have interest in messing with the Spectracomp again. Been there, done that. Twice. As I reflect back on my issues with it, it pretty much came down to how noisy it was and the lack of flexibility unless you want to mess with the toneprint editor. No thanks. That might interest some. But not me.
 
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