My new take on FET studio style compression... the EGO 76 guitar compressor pedal
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- Опубліковано 15 чер 2024
- Compression pedals can stir up strong opinions among guitar players. While essential in studios for polishing tracks and adding punch, some worry they hide a guitar's natural sound. The Universal Audio 1176 Peak Limiter, a legendary studio compressor, has been a critical tool in music production, known for enhancing track cohesion and dynamics.
The 1176, created by Bill Putnam in 1967, revolutionized recording with its FET technology, differing from the then-common tube-based equipment. It became famous for adding vibrancy and fullness to guitar tones, with its fast attack time becoming a favorite among engineers and producers. Its unique sound was so valued that it was used to add tonal quality even without applying compression.
One of the 1176's standout features was the "British Mode," which provided a distinct, highly compressed sound by activating all ratio buttons at once. This mode, especially when used in parallel setups, offered a rich and intense sound that became iconic in classic rock.
The Ego76 compressor pedal by Wampler Pedals aims to bring the 1176's legendary qualities to guitarists in a unique way. Instead of just copying the 1176 circuit, the Ego76 recreates the full experience of the 1176, including its tonality and dynamic response, specifically tailored for guitar use.
Rather than simply adapting the 1176 schematics for a pedal, the Ego76 seeks to capture the entire signal chain's effect on the guitar sound. It acknowledges that the 1176's magic often came from parallel processing, blending compressed and uncompressed signals for a more dynamic sound.
The Ego76 is designed to offer guitarists the nuanced and powerful characteristics of the 1176, with controls that are easy to use yet provide enough flexibility. It includes parallel compression to allow players to blend in their natural guitar sound, making it versatile for any playing style.
After extensive development, the Ego76 provides an authentic FET-based compression experience, with controls for blend, attack, release, and tone, allowing for precise sound shaping. It goes beyond traditional compression, offering a range of sounds from subtle enhancement to aggressive "British Mode" compression.
The Ego76 is not just a tribute to the 1176; it's a tool for guitarists to explore new creative possibilities. It allows for everything from leveling dynamics to achieving the distinct 1176 sound, offering versatility and inspiring guitarists to experiment with their tone.
The Ego76 is a unique pedal that captures the spirit of the 1176 compressor, tailored for guitar and bass players. It combines the legendary studio compressor's sound with practical features for the pedalboard, offering a blend of authenticity, innovation, and playability.
Huge thanks to the always-amazing King of Tone pedal from Analogman for the dirt duties in this video!
More info here:
www.wamplerpedals.com/product...
Timestamps:
00:00 What's a "studio" compressor?
00:30 Why is the 1176 special?
01:56 example of 1176 Comp applied to signal chain
03:47 how does this relate to guitar pedals?
05:03 Introducing the Ego76 Pedal
08:17 Ego76 through clean amp input
13:00 How I personally use it
13:27 Ego76 in effects loop with clean amp
15:30 Ego76 in effects loop with distorted amp
16:21 Closing comments about this type of compression
All sweet spots, no dead spots. That needs to be a Wampler merch line.
Seconded!
Hey Brian, a smart man would get t shirts printed up with this. Hint, hint...
@@derynlacombe1516 and you’re picking up what I’m putting down
Seems like the compressor pedal that we all have wanted!
Brian is a genius 😊
I did read. Thanks for sharing all this with us.
Bryan this is just awesome! Not only is it great to have brilliant minds of the guitar pedal manufacturing world speak to us on UA-cam, but also, you tell us what the concept is, teach us how it's supposed to work; share some of your thoughts with us. Not only is this the smartest form of advertising ever but it's the closest and most direct way of communicating with clients and potential clients.
What a wonderful time to be alive.
Much love from a nerdy follower from Peru.
I have been loving my always on Ego for close to 7 years now.
So many sweet spots! I loved the clean blend with "all buttons in", still sounded natural surprisingly but with a LOT of sustain!
I began modding my gear after watching Mr. Wampler's videos. He is such an inspiration and teacher. ❤
Very excited about this, will absolutely be getting this for my studio.
That is ridiculously good. You really nailed it. That tone knob makes its super versatile
I love watching you tweak the controls on any given pedal. It helps me learn how to dial in the sound I want.
You don’t need help, you literally use your ears and play with the knobs. Theres no right or wrong settings. Don’t limit yourself to what anybody on youtube does. Sure hes literally a pro pedal maker. But that doesnt mean you shouldnt trust your own instincts and not to mention you have different guitars, pickups, amps, speakers etc, no two tones are exact. Just play around with the knobs, you will find the sweet spots that work for your rig
thanks for really highlighting the whole 'signal chain' nature of the studio compressor. You sir are a legend. I've constantly run into this 'signal chain' type of problem when talking about getting that record sound from a pedal, or amp. People might just listen to you. oh and the new pedal sounds great!
Brian going full ASMR connecting and disconnecting all the patch cables. Nice touch.
Amazing. Great work Bryan.
Excellent. Wishing you much success.
Very good explanation and great idea. I have the ego mini. Love it but, this intrigues me very much. Sounds really juicy of course.
It just makes everything sound better!!!! Awesome job! I must have one. 😄
Could be something I'd use. Nice work Brian.
Well thought out.
This was an excellent break down of how this pedal works and the theory behind it. I'm sold! Compressors, for me, kind of fall into that "not sexy" pedal type because the effect is so subtle, but I could really hear the life in the chords.
That whole explanation just gave me an awesome idea for some presets on the QuadCortex.
That being said, I’d love to try the EGO76 on bass, I’m going to start saving for one
Nice sound and layout!
Yea I figured out the fx loop thing a while back. Been doing it ever since I tried it out 👌
Great demo... Is this pedal aimed mainly at guitar? I'm looking at bass compressors and my guitarist recommended looking into this. What would it do for a 4 string fender jazz bass in a rock/pop/blues band? Thanks!
Mine arrived today, can’t wait to get more time with it
Very cool, and reasonably priced for what you get.
that tone at 12:49 when you engaged the Comp ... og my, oh my 😍😍❤️
I actually preferred the response of it it in the loop. Never thought of using it that way either. Yet... Many thanks sir!
I am curious how it goes with bass guitar because that's what drives me insane for the past few years now and this might be the answer to my search
Amen! BASS VIDEO NOW!!!
I am going to buy this one!
I like it. My first sessions in the late 70s were through 1176s. I was a little disappointed with the "limiting amplifier" but may have to try one of these.
@6:00 BRAVO, Mr. Wampler!!!!
That is going to be perfect for my slide guitar.
Awesome innovation. I love experimenting with compressors and think I’ll have to buy one of these.
Brian,
it looks like you're running the overdrive into the compressor do you recommend running it that way with the compressor at the end of your board or at the beginning of your chain?
The original Ego has been my favorite compressor for so long, I’m not sure I can bring myself to remove it from my board. But I’m willing to try any pedal Brian makes.
Truth, he has never put a bad product on the market. Everything he builds is a solid purchase in my book even if redundant in some cases.
i have that same Les Paul Studio from early 2000! ❤
Awesome pedal. Next on the list. I was lucky enough to grab the tumnus germanium. Love it! Do all level/volume knobs on pedals drive the front of an amp? I find that some make the FX louder like a distortion pedal and other pedals like an OD push the front harder when making the pedal louder? I think it actually just answered my own question typing this out. 😂
Compression is probably one of the least understood devices in the guitarist's arsenal. We tend to forget that compression and limiting IS the sound of rock. It would be used in the recording studio to avoid saturating the tape, while still maintaining a good S/N ratio. Then it would be applied to be able to squeeze the most music onto a side of vinyl (dynamics requiring more room for the stylus to wiggle). Then it would be applied again in the AM broadcast studio, to keep the transmitter from overloading. The fat sound we associate with rock, from its earliest moments in the 50s to present day, is a partial result of compression and limiting. We don't notice it, specifically. We just notice when things sound "right" or "not quite right".
I have a large (100 modules, and counting) modular system, that includes several splitter/mixer modules for running things in parallel, in addition to a variety of classic compressors. You've inspired me to want to experiment with using a clean preamp in parallel with a compressor. Thanks!! And for those who don't have a similar setup that makes such things possible, *buy Brian's pedal* DAMMIT!
Thanks my friend!
100 modules?!?! 😲 I’m jealous! I’m still trying to build up more and more hardware studio gear
@@wampler_pedals Well they're cheap and easy to make, buddy. Most cost me less than $10. I use 2.5" x 4" faceplates, with 1/8" in/out jacks and DPDT toggles for bypass (no need for a status LED; the handle position shows the status). Leaves a lot of room on the faceplate for knobs and toggles, when you don't have to leave space to avoid crushing things with your foot. I machine some aluminum brackets to attach the modules to, and pack a dozen to a cabinet. All modules use Molex connectors to plug into a shared power bus. Working on cabinet 10 these days. The nice thing about a dirt cheap modular system is that I don't mind making "utility" modules. I have a few splitter/mixer modules, a variable 2-pole highpass/lowpass module for conditioning the signal, standalone short delays for "time-staggering" one effect, relative to another, and a bunch of non-dedicated remotely-actuated switches. Once I decided it was for *ME* and not something with resale considerations/constraints, I was free to do what was convenient and cost-effective for me. Nice to have that sort of freedom. Think of it like a much much bigger Zoia in the analog domain. 🙂
This is the way…. I must go down this rabbit hole! 😂🤓
You should make a logically noise gate pedal. All noise gates are designed for using with pedals on a pedal board. But some of the biggest users are metal guitarists, and they run their amp through the effects loop. But if you try to run a noise gate with the amp in the fx loop of the gate, the wiring configuration is extremely convoluted. You should make a noise gate pedal that you can just put on top of your amp and the way you wire it into your amp is logical. Maybe have a switch to change the wiring configuration between classic style and new for variation. And if you want to get very saucy you can have a TS style circuit in the pedal as well that can be bypassed. But mostly the wiring thing. The KMA Pylon was fairly close with the TS eq section, but the wiring is still classic pedal board style and not leave on top of the amp all the time style. So many metal players use only noise gate and TS style pedal, always on. It'd be nice for one box to sit on top of the amp with logical wiring.
Brian, you reinvented the Boss CS-3. Congratulations.
😂, akshually… the cs-3 is more similar to a dynacomp, as it’s a vca compressor. Also, no parallel compression is available with the boss compressors. And, no release control.
That said, I do like the overall circuit of the boss- using a THAT chip, which is quite good!
Great fidelity.
Sounds great.
Sorry if I missed it, but is the ratio fixed, or is it tied in with the comp control?
Looks cool. One thing I miss with compressor pedals is the ability to see when the compressor kicks in and how much it's compressing. Like you get when using a DAW/Console. I know I should just go by the sound but I guess I'm just lazy!
Thanks for the video and explanation. How does it work with bass?
Can’t wait to try it. And I hate hearing squashy compression. But parallel comp fixes it. Add the 1176 juice and I’m in.
God, yes! I love my ego, but I’ve been wanting an 1176! Wampler pedals just always seem to scratch my itch!
Sweety one!
You da man, Brian!
Could you do a vid for bass players and which pedals you make in your opinion work well on bass? I think bassists would appreciate it and probably buy a few pedals. I personally found this very helpful when JHS did this and I ended up buying a Morning Glory which I love. I suspect you have some bass gems as well!
just when you might think every pedal you have is great, Brian comes out with something new....aaaand crushes your previous thoughts... xD
Nice mate
Really liking the aesthetics and design of this one! Can it do that sort of distorted direct tone Jimmy Page used on Black Dog? That was done using an 1176, right?
I am incredibly curious to understand the difference between this one and the cali76 - I`m sure it is great but what does it do the other one doesnt and vice-versa... what a battle of giants!
Great question. The Wampler Ego76 has a special feature that the Cali76 doesn't. It's almost half the price.
i would kill for a stereo version with a sc filter for use in a stereo setup.
Lovely pedals you make
This would make a good half of the Vince gill pedal I emailed you about…creamy compressed Vince Gill tone on one side with some spank on the other…I would be way in! A hot wired with more tamed KOT drive tone…yum! I know I know, Vince 90’s in a box is a lot to ask!
Wow, i mean i already have a Cali76 Stacked Edition but this makes a proper 1176-style comp pedal avaliable at a much better price!
Wampler knocking it out of the park again
Do you have any B-stock of these yet? I've been on the fence about this pedal for a two weeks. I've got one in my cart at your website, but I still don't know. Maybe if a coupon code randomly appeared in my inbox or something...
pedal sounds great, what 1176 revision did you base this on?
It sounds good!! One Question is the Ego76 a Feedback design like an 1176 or is it a Feedforward FET design?
That was what I was wondering myself.... I assume it would be feedback?
Yes, feedback. I’m not much of a fan of feed forward compression with guitar pedals generally.
@@wampler_pedals Thank you for the reply!! I use feedback compressors 99% of the time in the studio I only like Feedforward compression in the DBX/SSL style VCA compressors. I think I'll pick and ego76 up Cheers!
@@wampler_pedals same.
@@wampler_pedals I'm an EE, and I design and build pedals myself.....I would LOVE to pick your brain sometime. Thanks for all the videos over the years, it has been extremely helpful to me!
this seems great, everything I'd ever want from a compressor pedal without it being too much
Hi Brian. Can you tell me why so few guitar pedal compressors offer side chaining? I think there is The Pill (specifically made compressor for the side chain compression effect), one of the Empress ones, and maybe a Raynger FX. It is a popular effect to have sidechain compression and get the ducking sound and wondered if it is just a difficult thing to put into a pedal. It'd be great to get the ducking effect without needing a laptop etc on stage.
Ordered mine early this morning when I got your email. Looking forward to it!
I wonder how this compares to UAFX's own 1176 compressor pedal as well as Origin's Cali76 I think these are two of the top 1176 pedals on the market now
Looks sick! Wonder how it would work for vocals lol
Very interesting pedal, and much more affordable than the Cali76 Wondering if this one is also nice for a bass guitar.
The Ego comp pedal has been a not so secret weapon for acoustic guitar for many years as well. I have not played a gig in 8+ years without one on all the time.
Hi Brian, quick question! I know some compressors get noisy running after gain pedals. I have been using a Boss CP1X to great success with virtually no noise. How does this new Ego 76 Compressor handle noise? Is it like many other compressor pedals that significantly raise the noise floor or does it handle that noise well? I understand that compression by nature would increase noise a little, but curious about how the 1176 goes.
You sound clips sounded quiet to me, keen on your thoughts!
Thank you 🙏
As a guitarist that plays shred and sweep style for metal and instrumentals, I find what I desire from a compressor was somewhat contaminated long ago with believing, "oh, now my output signal will have flat frequency output!".
I must suggest that with an awful lot of guitarists, that's why they start wandering through various options for compressors whether building, buying or modifying a commercial purchase.
In my experience in using compressors it has always panned out as if I'm getting fairly even and flattish output bandwidth, the effects of the compressors add unpleasant sound characteristics and the ultimate effect by the time it's coming out of the speaker is not what I set out to achieve. For me, that's the puffing and near popping characteristic compressors are known for. Yours obviously sounds really good though and like a viable option for elite desires and standards.
*I'm not saying it's definitive because I have compression modules in some fairly high-end modelers that perform great, but at this point I think achieving flat frequency response may very well be best achieved by the use of a large band shelving EQ and a spectrum analyzer either before or after the compressor.*
I have to think there's a better way to get the signal bandwidth even rather than pursuing it through compression, but the shelving and spectrum analyzer seems like a very outlandish and rigid path for the goal. *Incidentally, in theory the traditional fender tone stack produces flat frequency response by zeroing the bass and treble, and from that arrangement the midrange then simply controls the amplitude of that flat frequency product.
I guess it's something I need to explore as I advance my circuit designs and it's potentially a useable addition for a certain goal with a relative project. In the grand vision of these things, it's become apparent to me that I don't like compressors enough to use them as a stable in my circuit cascades.
Bryan,
I see the "Ego" pedal still exists and it's selling for the same price as the "Ego 76". Can you highlight the differences between them? Thanks! I'm looking for a replacement for my Dynacomp. I'd prefer any replacement be able to nail the Dynacomp sound while adding more features. Which Ego should I be looking at?
If you’re looking for a dynacomp style then you want the blue standard ego, which is based around that type of circuit
Already ordered and now sitting on a lawn chair waiting for the FedEx truck. 😀👍
Awesome awesome stuff Brian!!! Soon as I got the $ I'll "add to cart" hehe Keep them coming good sir!!! #WamplerPedalsFTW
Is the circuit fixed-threshold like the 1176? Or does the compression knob affect both ratio and threshold?
Are there pedals that can change the initial onset of the strum of a guitar ? For example I noticed Mesa boogies Sometimes have this initial swell and sustain carried when I play with distortion that my Bogner or marshall etc don’t have . Where’s my amps tend to just die out and fade or if they have less distortion that I’d prefer they just sound dead , but with mesas they just have great singing sustain and just strumming a chord sounds so nice and epic.
I don’t think a compressor pedal would work for this as all Iv noticed is they just amplify what’s coming out of the amp already, so would the amps need to get modified to have this effect? Or some sorta boost pedal?
It's usually hard to hear compression on UA-cam and it can be a tad subtle anyway. I have watched other videos where I could not tell any difference at all; not this one. Some of it is just having a volume boost in general when the pedal is engaged, but "bigness" comes through.
It almost makes me want to use it nearly-always on and save "no compression" to use as a special effect. :-)
Back in the day, the compressor seemed too much like cheating, and subsequently I have always eschewed using them as if I would learn to do it with the fingers. Lately I have been thinking of using one or two 1176s on a couple of the signal paths, nice to see a practical solution for you actual musicians. 👍
Just ordered one (along with that new Airchild from somebody else). That'll cover me in both my dream compressor sounds.
As a slide player... Ya, gonna need this and a wong comp.
To capture that studio guitar tone on a live rig, wouldn't you want to place the compressor after your tone shaping or in the amp FX loop? I have found this to be a very effective way to get more sustain and loudness without having to over saturate / smash the distortion circuits.
OK… now there is a new pedal to add to the board! Now, make a pedal version of the Empirical Labs Distressor compressor and I’ll be buying more Wampler goodness!
Want to try this with bass guitar.
With the attack and release at the slowest settings it does the dynacomp thing a little bit.
Yeah you can still get some squash from it if you slow down the attack and release quite a bit
Many if not most of the best tones people are trying to emulate are compressed. Even if your favorite player doesn’t use a compressor, this will get you a little closer to the dragon you are chasing because compression was added during mixing.
Question: are you going to make an amp/cabinet simulator pedal?
How does it work for a bass?
I shouldn't care that it's sparkly, but I really like that it's sparkly.
are the ratio and threshold both controlled by the compression knob? how does it sound on bass?
I wonder if you can use this with a reamp box instead of an 1176 as an analog plugin just like you'd use a 1176 in a rack?
@wampler_pedals Hey Brian, could you fill us in on a few construction details of the Ego 76? Is the board smd or through-hole, and are the jacks and footswitch mounted directly to the board?
Yes, surface mount and pcb mounted
@@wampler_pedals Thanks much. Appreciate the info and all the work you've put into this.
YES...!!!
😎✌👍❤🖖
I'd be very curious on how this compares to the Origin Effects Cali76
Is it good with bass guitar?
I dunno I don't wanna hear about another compressor but I do like Wampler so I guess I'll watch this whole video
any thoughts on using this with an acoustic guitar? or is it designed solely for the electric guitar?
The tone and the end with it in the loop and the KoT in front of the amp was "IT". I didn't really like the two pedals stacked together in front of the amp. Seemed to get a little darker. FYI, Swawn Tubbs has done a vid too. It's worth checking out.
Hello, just want to know if it can be used for bass. A compressor pedal should be usable for both guitar and bass but sometimes the low frequency are not in the range of the knobs. What about this one ? I'm looking for a pedal for both instruments.
Yes, works great with bass!
@@wampler_pedals Thanks
It’s a bit frustrating that different compressors have the attack controls turn the opposite direction than others. I always have to go and listen while I turn them from one extreme to the other to figure out what’s up. And the descriptions just add to the confusion for me because of what attack means - when someone says this direction is a “faster attack”, I’m always wondering whether “faster attack” means the compressor clamps down faster (thus actually *slowing* the attack of your signal when you hit a note) or whether it takes longer to clamp down so that hear your immediate (fast) pick attack before the comp clamps down.
Would you still get a similar sparkle/result if it’s placed first in the effects loop before the stereo effects? Or would you need it after all the effects in the effects loop? Thanks!
I would definitely put it before any delay or reverb
Thanks a bunch!
Ah, it's the sound better machine!
I always felt compressing your guitar was just for funk and homogenizing high gain for big sustaining leads and modern "djent" type metal stuff. Saying that, I still always find uncompressed big sustaining lead tones more interesting personally, they seem to have more personality to play with. But outside of that stuff, I never found compressors good, they indeed do squash the dynamics of your tone. Nothing seems to sing better than just a good guitar into a good amp with maybe a bit of boost, which you can entirely control with just your volume pot. Guess I've never been into playing particular styles that benefit from compressing the guitar personally, so I've never fully understood compressor pedals. Found this vid interesting.
Do you suggest to use it after an OD pedal?