Compressor Pedal Review

[Aceman]

Again - "generally". The slow fast thing could vary from Comp to Comp.


Think Left to right means Less Attack to More Attack. "More Attack" means less compression...

[NegativeEase]

Again - "generally". The slow fast thing could vary from Comp to Comp.


Think Left to right means Less Attack to More Attack. "More Attack" means less compression...

Well, more attack really means later or slower acting compression really -but both settings can reach the same total threshold and reduction equally (if you have a full featured compressor) so overall they can still technically be the same compression level over time -but I get what you meant.

agree with whoever made the blend comment -I wouldn't buy a compressor without a blend knob for what I do -which is dynamic more natural attack with light/medium compression with slow release/sustain

[Demanic]

Ok, so now, what's the difference between hard knee and soft knee?

[NegativeEase]

Ok, so now, what's the difference between hard knee and soft knee?

Soft knee is a gentle addition of compression as the audio level rises to the maximum compression value and ratio. it's less noticeable and the most common use for recording effect and avoids a pumping effect with a slower attack setting a slower release setting. -Think Sine wave

Hard Knee is more like a limited or a limiter where once the audio reaches a designated level it goes into full compression value suddenly. Hardknee is often used to keep signals from exceeding headroom -ie a limiter -but also can have a sound some people like. -Think almost Square wave

I think your Keeley is tuned specifically for Guitar playing compressor needs and does some of the compressor features without a knob and instead, they way it expects a player to need -thus the 4 knobs.

[Demanic]

Soft knee is a gentle addition of compression as the audio level rises to the maximum compression value and ratio. it's less noticeable and the most common use for recording effect and avoids a pumping effect with a slower attack setting a slower release setting. -Think Sine wave

Hard Knee is more like a limited or a limiter where once the audio reaches a designated level it goes into full compression value suddenly. Hardknee is often used to keep signals from exceeding headroom -ie a limiter -but also can have a sound some people like. -Think almost Square wave

I think your Keeley is tuned specifically for Guitar playing compressor needs and does some of the compressor features without a knob and instead, they way it expects a player to need -thus the 4 knobs.

I use the two knob Keeley for guitar (attack and gain are controlled by internal pots).
I used to use the 4 knob for bass, but found that I didn't need it with active pickups. But I have seen that they have a studio grade that allows selection between hard and soft knee, and was curious.
I think that hard knee would be perfect for the bass tone that I look for.

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[NegativeEase]

I use the two knob Keeley for guitar (attack and gain are controlled by internal pots).
I used to use the 4 knob for bass, but found that I didn't need it with active pickups. But I have seen that they have a studio grade that allows selection between hard and soft knee, and was curious.
I think that hard knee would be perfect for the bass tone that I look for.

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I think with a Keely, you'd want to set it above a 10:1 compression ratio (try high compression settings -even infinity to create that hard knee wall) and try fast and slower attack probably to hear the varius hard knee effects

first set the blend to full (not clean) so you only hear the compressor.

-fast attack will reduce the attack of the pick and staccato effect of playing metal -making the sound fat and smoother.

slow attack will preserve the the front end for a more aggressive sound but with a high ratio 10:1 have the fattening of a hard knee effect....

once you get what you like -play with the release times to see how a longer sustain interacts with your picking...

and be checking the compressor sound with the natural sounds using the blend knob to preserve enough of the original guitar with the compression effect.


oh also, you can do a fast attack to get the fat smooth sound but recover your metal pick attack into you overall tone by alternately blending in more of the natural clean sound of the guitar with the blend knob -basically mixing in together the 2 extremes of fat and smooth with attacky and bright with the blend knob.

I think I used to call using the blend to mix maximum high ratio fat with raw guitar the "Natty Fat" tone 3 decades ago.

[Demanic]

You're getting way ahead of what I have with the "blend" thing. I only have the old school Keeleys. Not one of the studios. Yet.
So with a 4 knob, I should be turning the knob more to the right for a slower attack, then I'm thinking turn the sustain to the left, level should be at least at unity and the gain should be fairly far to the right.
Right?

[NegativeEase]

You're getting way ahead of what I have with the "blend" thing. I only have the old school Keeleys. Not one of the studios. Yet.
So with a 4 knob, I should be turning the knob more to the right for a slower attack, then I'm thinking turn the sustain to the left, level should be at least at unity and the gain should be fairly far to the right.
Right?

Which exact model do you have?

[Demanic]

This one.

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[NegativeEase]

This one.

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OK, so no blend -so I would preserve more of the pick attack (since you play metal) by trying the attack slower like 1 to 5 oclock (especially if you are using single coils) and make the sustain slower too like 2-5 ocklock to get the sustain benefits. The clipping is just input gain -if you jack it up, the compressor will compress more or even distort -if you are using high output humbuckers you probably can get all kinds of compressed drive by jacking it and the level is the output gain for balancing the level on the output (use as unity a cut or boost)

[ErikH]

Wow, that's the old 4-knob. Haven't seen one of those in a long time. I have the latest one. The controls are sustain, level, blend, tone. Plus it has a humbucker/single-coil switch.

[Demanic]

OK, so no blend -so I would preserve more of the pick attack (since you play metal) by trying the attack slower like 1 to 5 oclock (especially if you are using single coils) and make the sustain slower too like 2-5 ocklock to get the sustain benefits. The clipping is just input gain -if you jack it up, the compressor will compress more or even distort -if you are using high output humbuckers you probably can get all kinds of compressed drive by jacking it and the level is the output gain for balancing the level on the output (use as unity a cut or boost)

So I have it set fairly close and really just need to increase the sustain. Thanks.

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[NegativeEase]

So I have it set fairly close and really just need to increase the sustain. Thanks.

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No prob -I bet that pedal is pretty killer -Keeley doesn't make any junk.

[Aceman]

On my acoustic, I have the Attack set to ~10 o'clock, because I want everything leveled regardless of my picking strength differences, and I have the sustain set to 10 also. I don't need any sustain for the acoustic. Gain is parity, and the Tone is a little on the bright side, to add resonant peak highs clipped off by the compression itself.

Monte Allums modded CS3....