Many thanks to Robert Keeley and his compressor products for making bass compression an art combined of tonal options and simplicity! Love my Keeley Bassist limiting Amplifier.
Qs: I have a wooden Beatle Bass with roundwounds and I want to increase the mids and have a more dynamic tone. I want to get rid of the muddyness. There isn't alot but it doesn't have any growl the way my Mustangs do, so anyhoo, 1-will a compressor expand the range of tone or make it more dull? Seeing as it's a wooden bass will a compressor dull/muddy that tone down even more? 2-are compression limiters used in recording before it goes into the board/DI or just in performing live? I was looking at the limiting Bassist amplifier. Thank you.
A compressor CAN dull your tone, but it adds sustain, control and solidity. You can then compensate with a graphic EQ pedal, removing a little 200 - 400 Hz mud and adding bite at 1000 - 5000 Hz.
Dear Robert Keeley, PLEASE do build the 7-knob Version of the compressor pro, with sustain-threshold/expansion-ration !!! THAT for me has always been the exact vision of the optimal Kompressor!!! It ist ecactly like you said, THAT would be the endgame of a "completed" functionality-compressor. PLEASE build that thing, because i think no one else will... And i for one want to buy that^°°^
Dear Mr Alderete, I've used a Boss CS2 that I got at Whitie's music used in Lawrence Kansas almost 30 years ago. I love this thing and depended on it faithfully until it shit on my face and quit working on me. The CS3s don't sound the same. I wanted to buy an old one on reverb or ebay. But the bastards are hundreds of dollars now. I resorted to a TC Electronics Spectracomp in hopes I can find something close. I have no access to a wave graph analyzer or a computer with toneprint software. I know you've previously developed toneprints for other pedals. Can you please make a CS2 style toneprint for the Spectacomp? Thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading this. Sincerely Christo Stefan Oak Park Illinois USA
If buying a vintage cs2 isn't in the cards for you, Mate, you have a couple of options. 1) buy a 100 watt boss Katana head, there is an 1176 studio console compressor in the effects options. 2) buy a Keeley Compressor + I know it isn't going to be exactly the same as the cs2, since it is based on the mxr dynacomp and ross compressor, but it is killer! Cheers.
Especially with EMG’s, it’s not the fact that the pickups are active (they’re not that high output), but it’s the active tone controls that make most ‘active’ basses sound shitty. On some of my Fender basses I use EMG active pickups with just simple volume and tone controls. They never sound shitty.
Robert Keeley thank you thank you thank you for NOT putting a mix knob on your Compressor Pro. if people knew how much better a Key Input + Hz vs "Parallel" Compression" sounds, there would never be a mix knob on a compressor again 🙏
Watched this recently to get a better grasp of compression after picking up a pedal, couple days later heard the news about Juan. Total bummer, I hate Mars Volta but he's a talented player and seems like a really down to earth dude. With that said this video is really good, tight Venn overlap between musician and technician. Also fuck active pups
So I have a EHX bass big muff pi and I Hines hate the grit is has but I've used it with the gain all the way down and just use the volume and tone and it sounds great when I use fuzz, is that basically a compressor? Anyway thank you for everything you do!
It's more like a preamp than a compressor in that instance. Pre-amp = tone shaping and eq, usually some kind of clipping and/or saturation. Compressor = shaping dynamics, maybe some eq, usually very mild soft clipping (if any at all).
"You use the DI and you just say 'God, I suck!'" - that is the realest fucking shit
Many thanks to Robert Keeley and his compressor products for making bass compression an art combined of tonal options and simplicity! Love my Keeley Bassist limiting Amplifier.
Very good explanation of compression and what to listen for and the audio differences
I love these videos!! Great interviews, great reviews, funny as heck. If I had one small gripe, I wish PandE would make playlist by type of effect
awesome show guys.
Thanks guys!
Qs: I have a wooden Beatle Bass with roundwounds and I want to increase the mids and have a more dynamic tone. I want to get rid of the muddyness. There isn't alot but it doesn't have any growl the way my Mustangs do, so anyhoo, 1-will a compressor expand the range of tone or make it more dull? Seeing as it's a wooden bass will a compressor dull/muddy that tone down even more? 2-are compression limiters used in recording before it goes into the board/DI or just in performing live? I was looking at the limiting Bassist amplifier. Thank you.
A compressor CAN dull your tone, but it adds sustain, control and solidity. You can then compensate with a graphic EQ pedal, removing a little 200 - 400 Hz mud and adding bite at 1000 - 5000 Hz.
Best episode
Is that the Adam Clayton signature Warwick?
Can't that split coil P bass pickup be wired to humbuck? Wasn't that was part of Leo's reason for the design?
Dear Robert Keeley, PLEASE do build the 7-knob Version of the compressor pro, with sustain-threshold/expansion-ration !!! THAT for me has always been the exact vision of the optimal Kompressor!!! It ist ecactly like you said, THAT would be the endgame of a "completed" functionality-compressor. PLEASE build that thing, because i think no one else will... And i for one want to buy that^°°^
6:38 So that's why the bass sounds so good on evil empire! ;)
Juan is the man
Dear Mr Alderete, I've used a Boss CS2 that I got at Whitie's music used in Lawrence Kansas almost 30 years ago. I love this thing and depended on it faithfully until it shit on my face and quit working on me. The CS3s don't sound the same. I wanted to buy an old one on reverb or ebay. But the bastards are hundreds of dollars now. I resorted to a TC Electronics Spectracomp in hopes I can find something close. I have no access to a wave graph analyzer or a computer with toneprint software. I know you've previously developed toneprints for other pedals. Can you please make a CS2 style toneprint for the Spectacomp? Thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading this. Sincerely Christo Stefan Oak Park Illinois USA
If buying a vintage cs2 isn't in the cards for you, Mate, you have a couple of options. 1) buy a 100 watt boss Katana head, there is an 1176 studio console compressor in the effects options. 2) buy a Keeley Compressor + I know it isn't going to be exactly the same as the cs2, since it is based on the mxr dynacomp and ross compressor, but it is killer! Cheers.
Especially with EMG’s, it’s not the fact that the pickups are active (they’re not that high output), but it’s the active tone controls that make most ‘active’ basses sound shitty.
On some of my Fender basses I use EMG active pickups with just simple volume and tone controls. They never sound shitty.
You guys are awesome...great video !
I thought that Robert Keeley was going to review a Boss pedal...
Thanks mang, Enjoyed the conversation)
Man this is awesome
Most recordings in the 60’s compressed the bass right out of existence. Too bad. 👍👍👍
They make a great duo!
Robert Keeley thank you thank you thank you for NOT putting a mix knob on your Compressor Pro. if people knew how much better a Key Input + Hz vs "Parallel" Compression" sounds, there would never be a mix knob on a compressor again 🙏
Could you explain a bit for the uneducated on the subject please?
Great video!! Thank you.
Cool bass! What company makes it?
They're all Warwick basses! :)
You guys should interview the guitarist and bassist from the band Daughters from Providence, RI! Brilliant experimental noise rock musicians!
I need active bass and I need a compressor. Send help...
Awesome!
28:55 exactly.
Needs a Bypass Blend pot in a Footpedal for that CS2
yeah, dbx is owned by Samsung now, so.... I wouldn't piss them off. they love lawsuits 😁
😎😎😎
juan swearing more?
powerinformation he's prob just comfortable with the dude
Potty mouf
he said, "yeah" a lot, too! :O
Watched this recently to get a better grasp of compression after picking up a pedal, couple days later heard the news about Juan. Total bummer, I hate Mars Volta but he's a talented player and seems like a really down to earth dude. With that said this video is really good, tight Venn overlap between musician and technician. Also fuck active pups
So I have a EHX bass big muff pi and I Hines hate the grit is has but I've used it with the gain all the way down and just use the volume and tone and it sounds great when I use fuzz, is that basically a compressor? Anyway thank you for everything you do!
It's more like a preamp than a compressor in that instance. Pre-amp = tone shaping and eq, usually some kind of clipping and/or saturation. Compressor = shaping dynamics, maybe some eq, usually very mild soft clipping (if any at all).
learn a lot!! great video!!
Racer X was the shit!
Thaa Warwick bass looks yummy
Both pedals sound like hell. Make the Attack quicker?
never liked active bass either
This too spastic of a conversation to get any information.
You need to compress your voice...
Please play and stop talking I want to hear the pedal!!!
play fretless again!!!
First!
Endless blabla.....