Integrated compressor unit? Do they exist or how do I make one?

[FrankensteinsLobster]

Re: Integrated compressor unit? Do they exist or how do I make one?

Modern effects pedals, especially a compressor, is likely to be LSI, (large scale integration), SMD chips, on a multilayer circuit board. This just wouldn't be practical, or do-able.

So, say I did just take a pair of scissors to it, it's not just a matter of connecting the 'lines' on the board back up with wire?

Somewhere around here I have both a calculator and a DMM that were $3 each. A decent quality 3PDT switch, (needed for true bypass), is closer to $15. So I could get 5 of the former for 1 of the latter. Electronics, and the cheap Chinese labor to assemble them, is far cheaper than decent mechanics.

View attachment 98151

So does the extra noise come from all the individual metal bits involved in a stompy-switch?

 

[DavidRavenMoon]

Re: Integrated compressor unit? Do they exist or how do I make one?

You don’t want a footswitch for inside a guitar. Just use a DPDT mini toggle switch.


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[FrankensteinsLobster]

Re: Integrated compressor unit? Do they exist or how do I make one?

You don’t want a footswitch for inside a guitar. Just use a DPDT mini toggle switch.


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Oh yeah, given. Naturally, the footswitch would be removed, that's easy enough to change out. So it's just the nature of footswitches that creates unwanted noise and signal degradation though?

 

[DavidRavenMoon]

Re: Integrated compressor unit? Do they exist or how do I make one?

Oh yeah, given. Naturally, the footswitch would be removed, that's easy enough to change out. So it's just the nature of footswitches that creates unwanted noise and signal degradation though?

Foot switches should not cause any noise or signal degradation.

The whole true bypass thing is because back in the day, early pedals left the input connected all the time, and switched the output. This is ok if your input impedance is high enough. But on many pedals it wasn’t, so it would kill some of the output and high end of the guitar.

Companies like Roland use jfet buffered switching. A buffer would actually maintain your signal, but their buffers don’t seem to pass unity gain signals, so you lose a tiny bit. If you then have like 10 of their pedals in a row, you have 10 times the signal loss. It’s small but it’s there.

A mechanical switch should not make any noise in the signal. But some circuits need pull-down resistors to bleed the charge off of caps to prevent pops. The other culprit is using a 3PDT switch to also switch on an LED. That can cause some noise in some circuits.


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[metalchurch79]

Re: Integrated compressor unit? Do they exist or how do I make one?

First thing I thought of here was an old Cort Explorer I saw years ago in a pawn shop that had like 7 or 8 buttons which were built in effects. Id say it was probably a late 80's or early 90's guitar. I think they wanted like $125 or something for it.

Second thing I thought of was someone with a Compressor pedal taped to their strap like a wireless.

Third thing I thought of was marijuana.

 

[FrankensteinsLobster]

Re: Integrated compressor unit? Do they exist or how do I make one?

First thing I thought of here was an old Cort Explorer I saw years ago in a pawn shop that had like 7 or 8 buttons which were built in effects. Id say it was probably a late 80's or early 90's guitar. I think they wanted like $125 or something for it.

Second thing I thought of was someone with a Compressor pedal taped to their strap like a wireless.

Third thing I thought of was marijuana.

Say no to drugs

and people will think you're a crazed drug-fiend who talks to their drugs.

I've thought of the concept of having tiny clip pedals that just hang out of the jackhole though. Delay pedals in particular are something you'd want to have close-by. You can do all of those crazy 'zort whoop' sounds that Mars Volta does. But also keep it in time with your stupid drummer.

 

[DavidRavenMoon]

Re: Integrated compressor unit? Do they exist or how do I make one?

I've thought of the concept of having tiny clip pedals that just hang out of the jackhole though.

Like this?

Kind of impractical, really.


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[Artie]

Re: Integrated compressor unit? Do they exist or how do I make one?

So, say I did just take a pair of scissors to it, it's not just a matter of connecting the 'lines' on the board back up with wire?

If it's a single-sided board, then maybe. But they could still be dozens at micro size. But you aren't likely to find a single-sided board in a modern compressor. Especially a smaller one made to fit a Moor enclosure.

You don’t want a footswitch for inside a guitar. Just use a DPDT mini toggle switch.

Yup. I assumed his "bypass" question was an aside from his main topic.

 

[Jacew]

Re: Integrated compressor unit? Do they exist or how do I make one?

I kind of like the combination of hot pickup and compression tbh. Really 'squishy' kind of distortion.

Also sometimes I like to play fingerstylie on actives, play softly for cleans and then thwack it with my nails for distortion without needing to change effects. Compressors help facilitate that too

Note that this works both ways. I hate the squishy distortions, because it doesn't allow you to use dynamic expression the same way. I still can play to achieve similar squishy tonal caracteristics anyway by pick control.

I think reducing your dynamic range makes your playing better, but also makes you not as good player in the long run. You don't learn that control as thorough.

 

[metalchurch79]

Re: Integrated compressor unit? Do they exist or how do I make one?

I can certainly respect you thinking outside the box that's for sure, and sometimes the best way is to ask questions to see if it's feasible or not before diving into it.

 

[ehdwuld]

Re: Integrated compressor unit? Do they exist or how do I make one?

When I started reading this thread
I immediately thought of the GFS mod board that Mr Ravensmoon posted

That's the simplest
Comes with directions


Then later I smiled at Christopher's post
I had one of those Cort contraptions for about a month
Back in the early nineties
Never did work, bought it brand new thru Sears
They seemed unsurprised when I told them no sounds came out

 

[mistermikev]

Re: Integrated compressor unit? Do they exist or how do I make one?

was going to say... orange squeezer could fit in there no problem. it's a small circuit. I've built a number of eq/boosters on pcbs that mounts to a push/pull... and I've built orange squeezers in a pedal box... but I suspect it would be prone to noise if mounted in a guitar... plus afa I know the circuit is going to be pretty quick to use up a battery. For those reasons I don't think it'd be the best idea. Should you want to try it anyway... go to tonepad.com or generalguitargadgets, buy or build a pcb, try it out. not hard to build at all.
mechanical switches don't add noise... except when they are switching on/off... if you don't have a pulldown resistor they can pop... but that is easy to add.

 

[FrankensteinsLobster]

Re: Integrated compressor unit? Do they exist or how do I make one?

When I started reading this thread
I immediately thought of the GFS mod board that Mr Ravensmoon posted

That's the simplest
Comes with directions


Then later I smiled at Christopher's post
I had one of those Cort contraptions for about a month
Back in the early nineties
Never did work, bought it brand new thru Sears
They seemed unsurprised when I told them no sounds came out

I also have an Aria "Tri-sounds" that is lying in pieces, because it came to me with air bubbles affecting the finish. I could justifiably start another thread asking about the best way to restore it. The whole point of nitro finishes is that they age the way it has - it has a nice patina to it. Do I sand it down and refinish it in poly or try to sell it on as is?

 

[ehdwuld]

Re: Integrated compressor unit? Do they exist or how do I make one?

I also have an Aria "Tri-sounds" that is lying in pieces, because it came to me with air bubbles affecting the finish. I could justifiably start another thread asking about the best way to restore it. The whole point of nitro finishes is that they age the way it has - it has a nice patina to it. Do I sand it down and refinish it in poly or try to sell it on as is?

I have no idea what an Aria Tri-sounds even looks like

 

[Adieu]

Re: Integrated compressor unit? Do they exist or how do I make one?

They don’t. He was being facetious. It’s just an op amp buffer inside.

You can fit this in a guitar.

https://www.guitarfetish.com/OPTICAL-ANALOG-CompressorLimiter-COMPLETE-Install-kit_p_175.html


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Is GFS now raiding Electra's catalog from the late 70s?

 

[Artie]

Re: Integrated compressor unit? Do they exist or how do I make one?

I forgot about this: http://www.muzique.com/tech/2166.htm

This could fit inside a guitar, depending on what guitar you were considering. If you didn't want all four knobs, you could kluge one up, find the sweet spot of the settings, then replace the pots with a pair of resistors that matched the pot settings. Maybe keep one knob, like the "Comp" control. Just a thought. Having all four knobs on the guitar would be cool too. Could go nicley into something like this: :headbang: