Why I HATED Compressor Pedals (and I was wrong) Strymon Compadre

I remember watching this video and completely misinterpreting it. I've barely touched compressors because you said you used them as a crutch. I didn't really understand what you were talking about, so I just avoided them. Oops.

I found a very niche use case for a compressor in a guitar effect chain that fuzz addicts should enjoy: place it after a gating Fuzz and set attack and release times to let the transients pass through.
You're emphasising the "velcro" sound!
Set the makeup gain to unity and you'll have the reduction meters telling you how much you're boosting your attacks.
(I'm using the Compressor MkII by Empress Effects, it has all the parameters you can expect from a compressor appart from "Knee", but to achieve the effect I've just described "attack" and "makeup" are the only ones really necessary.)

I felt like it was on topic, sorry if I was wrong!

I hate Compressors! but there is two I like!! Wampler Ego and the surprise one that I use all the time now! the Boss CP-1X!!!! always ignored it!!! nah!!! probably rubbish!! I totally snubbed it but after I used one!! DAMN!! its great!! lives on my board now

God damn, that song was really fucking good.

With all due respect there is no reason why a pedal compressor should cost that much. That being said I own both a Riverside and Mobius and they are well thought out and offer a ton of tone. Compressors no matter how fancy, are for only for one thing. To regulate amplitude of the signal. Keeley nailed that. Peace & love.

Very fun, thank you!

hey Rhett i always enjoy your video but for some reason your audio noise level is quite high
(was even worse during the baritone segment)
and it is really distracting

Love it, that's a great demo/explanation of compression! I've been looking to hear some proper use case for it and you've done that. Showing the effect on edge of breakup helped my lizard brain understand the "mojo" you might be losing with compression but also what that compromise brings to your overall tone. Thanks a lot!

I've played around with various compressor pedals on and off for years. Never liked what they do to the attack. And I'm not talking about just the sound, but the physical feeling of the attack. It makes me feel detached from the sound.

Chorus pedals on guitar I never understood. More so than compressors.

The Wampler Ego compressor is already here for years and does +- all what this Strymon does.

Hello Rhett, I watched this vid to learn about compressor pedals, I have never used a compressor pedal, thanks for info Boss , great video dude

I do not think you have truly given compressors a real try, due to the fact that you are stuck in the always at the start of the chain. They can do allot more but you have to step outside the base line norm. You like touch dynamics in your playing so it would go to say you should not have the compressor as the first in your chain. Try putting your tube screamer or other dynamic OD at the start of your chain and dial it in for the sound you like. Place a compressor right after it that has a blend knob. Then place your next high gain dirt pedal after that. Now you can use the compressors volume and blend to add your touch dynamic pedal sounds to the highgain sound, adding enough compression to get them to sync together well. Now you have dynamics and gain working together for a fuller sound.

I find that a great way to track bass is in stereo with them panned left right obviously. Sometimes I run a third in mono centered. I used to do stereo bass both centered with the eq being different between them to add depth. But I recently found I get more from panning. Also, I use compression and don't have any issue with dynamics as far as picking lightly and having clean tone and digging in and getting that slight break-up. Remember to dial in your amp AFTER you have turned on your pedal. You gotta turn your gain down slightly. You are boosting your signal into the front of your amp so your edge of breakup has now gone into pretty much broke mode. You can pull your volume back on your guitar a bit to compensate...or pull back on the gain of the preamp of your amp. Depending on the pedal you use, some allow you to adjust the threshold which can allow you to pick lightly, keeping your dynamics and that soft clean tone you want and the compressor basically does not compress anything because you are not hitting the threshold, then pick hard and dig in and you start to hit the threshold and the compressor starts kicking in as your pass the set threshold. So there are lots of ways to use compression and keep your dynamics.

I use a compressor in the fx loop. First in the loop so it doesn't mess with my delays and reverbs. Allows me to control my picking dynamics, like you said for amp break up, and adjust my volume knob to get a cleaner sound but not have too drastic of a dB/volume difference.

Good vid. Great point! Thanks!

I’ve recently come to the same conclusion about compression. It’s awesome to have!… just not all the time.

I played through our bass players dyna-comp in the studio and loved what I heard… only to be disappointed with the lack of touch response and volume push live against drums, etc.

The solution is obvious enough…. Set the thing to unity gain and just use it sometimes. Then it’s a godsend! I click it on to tame the wah and fuzz before it (again only when wanted) to smooth out hard-strummed chords… or to add clean sustain. Basically think of it as a “smoothener” and just use it when wanted.

I like Rhett!

The plan B is the guitar/bass pedals having potential working with synthesizers

I use the Seymour Duncan vise grip compressor. Really nice sounding and versatile with the blend control. I like using it on the high setting with the attack and sustain between 9 and 10. Very subtle!

Hey Rhett, I love your channel. I picked up the Strymon Compadre pedal recently. It's great. I needed something to help tame an acoustic guitar for a live gig. geez, I was totally impressed. It also works well for my electric guitar sound. I think the best thing about this pedal is that it's super quiet and you don't know it's on until you turn it off. That's a big plus for me. It's super simple and delivers exactly what I need. Thank you for the review. rock on. -Jake in Detroit.

I’m a huge fan of the Wampler Ego Deluxe. It’s on almost all the time, and I just adjust the blend and volume based on whether I’m playing clean or dirty. It’s especially helpful with clean tones, balancing out the transient spikes when I’m going back and forth between ambient soft tones with an aggressive Chord in between for effect.

Thanks Rhett i enjoyed the video good work, great track too by the way. I have tried a few compressors and for one reason or another find myself not liking them after a while. I have tried the Origin Effects Cali 76 and bought it. I feel like this is the sound I was looking for in a compressor and it is a always on pedal for me. I find the Cali 76 as a addition to my playing and I feel more comfortable about my sound but I understand what you are saying as it can also be a crutch. I think I will have to get your Tone course because I do think my tone could be a lot better and sometimes I feel like I really don't know what I am doing. Thanks for your work and help.

LA2A is still the best.

I have always only used compression when I kick into a big lead because I don't like mega distortion to achieve sustain. I will use compression if I am playing some sort of funk for that squashed sound. I do however plan on getting the Strymon Compadre. The midi implementation with the boost is the selling point for me since I run a Boss ES-8. I dislike compression for the same reasons you stated. I feel like I'm not in control anymore. I told my worship pastor to find the compression on my channel, buy 3 more just like it, find the highest cliff with the most jagged rocks ever at the base, and throw them over the edge while videoing their destruction so I could smile. Have a nice day :)

I've never bought a compressor because dynamics is an integral element of my sound. That being said, if it will give me Robert Fripp sustain, I might buy one.

Great stuff Rhett... your track has definite hints of the British band Ride.... who are magnificent btw! love your channel, pls don't stop!

I'm still on the fence on the compressor, but man... what an amazing track and composition!

When you come to hear about compression and you catch yourself hitting hands and legs like a drummer/guitarist forgeting everything about compressiona and just enjoying this music.. GOD DAMN MAN this was a SUPERB MELODY 12.40 - 14.20

Nice playin' Dude! (I finally got a Boss CS3. Found it used ... and it seems to be a good tool for some Ambient Swell type of thing) Thanks!

Awesome tune.

I love Dynacomp compression but hate everything else. To me compression is an effect to achieve a desired sound, and the only thing that can give me that desired sound is the mxr dynacomp

I really appreciate compressors

Liked the sound without the Compadre. The buzz it adds is no bueno.

good song

Sadly, I guess, I'm an compressor always on guy. I suppose for someone who uses alot of clean tones, there's that Suttle snap of each individual string that has made me love compressed sound.

Excellent Song. Very impressed with the solo and it’s dynamic with the rhythm section

When my boss compressor craped out, ( bass ) I realised that this pedal was my 'crutch' . For the next 6 years without one , my playing velocity improved . I finally got a Mark bass compressor set to limit low end volume , (you have to be hitting it hard for the limit light to come on) still leaves me my dynamics and it's not on during low dynamic songs, It is now my tool, not a crutch.

I am not a fan of a compressor on a pedal board either, but there is always a place for it. Great song by the way, I enjoyed it.

Dont use a compressor when you are practicing. At least not all the time. Tone control is an important skill to learn, a compressor will hinder that I think.

I find that I am not a big fan of compresor pedals.... I do like it in a production aspect for guitar and that led me to look at running it at the end of the chain in the loop.... but also not using a pedal but a rack.... Yes ..... I also like to insert an EQ depending on what I am doing.... I always wanted to aquire an Aphex they use to make with a 16ban and fully adj comp in one rack space... I had to use 2 dbx units. Avoid the alesis 3630, It's got a lot of color to it. Nice for drums on a smaller board though...

Was that your song you played there at the end?

Dude, put out an album. Best new tunes I've heard in some time. What are you waiting for?

So fucking jealous of the Novo's... true envy.