Compression is one of the most confusing effects to incorporate into your guitar chain. It’s a misunderstood effect.What a compressor actually does isn’t all that confusing. The difficulty is in its application.Let’s start at the beginning. A compressor’s purpose is to even out your guitar’s signal. With a clean guitar, you will see peaks in the recorded sound. Lots of peaks and valleys. The transients pop out. The difference between those peaks and valleys could sound jarring or cause overload, depending on what you’re running your signal into.Compressors were invented to reduce the distance between peaks and valleys. This allows for a more consistent sound and has benefits like preventing tape output from overloading and digital output from clipping.
Clean guitar sounds have a lot of dynamics. Compared to the piano, which has fairly even dynamics, the guitar has a quick transient with relatively short sustain. Guitars are very transient-heavy instruments.
This is simply the nature of guitars. I’m not talking about uneven dynamics in playing. I’m talking about the natural, wide dynamics of the guitar.
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Some use compressors to control the dynamics of guitarists who lack finesse. Yes, you could use a compressor this way, but I tend not to. I’ve spent a lot of time practicing in order to control my dynamics.
I believe compressors shouldn’t be used to fix poor playing dynamics, but to control the natural dynamics and shape the tone of the guitar.
So I’m going to focus here less on using compression to fix poor guitar playing and more on its influence on guitar tone.
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Because the guitar has such a wide variance of dynamics—transients pop out, while softer parts are left in the wind in live mixes and recording.
Compression lets you glue the sound together. You can sometimes even out your tone through your playing, but because of the guitar’s tonal nature, you’ll never even out the sound the way you can with a compressor.
It’s very common for guitarists to use compression with super-clean acoustic and electric guitars. Compression on a clean guitar sits better in the mix. You don’t get those notes or chords popping out.
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A compressor’s placement in the electric guitar signal chain affects the shape of your tone. In a live setting you have fewer options. But in a recording studio you can place a compressor before your amp or after the microphones.
When I’m playing slide guitar I like to have a compressor before the amp. This is not a hard-and-fast rule; other elements may change my decision. What amp I’m using, how loud the amp is, what guitar I’m using, what other pedals I’m using all influence my decision.
That said, I do like the Origin Effects SlideRIG for clean to semi-clean slide electric guitar. This always goes first in my signal chain, before the guitar amp input.
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I also like to use an Analog Man CompROSSor pedal with my Rickenbacker 360 12-string for Byrds and Tom Petty tones. The CompRESSor also goes before my amp input.
I sometimes use an Effectrode PC-2A on rhythm guitar for semi overdriven tones or to create a tube sag effect when playing at low volumes.
For semi-overdriven tones I place the PC-2A before my drive pedals or amp. For a tube sag effect, I place it after the overdrive pedal to duck the signal slightly when I hit it hard. Sounds just like some tube amps do when fully cranked.
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Each of these compressors change the way I interact with the amp. It’s also possible to use compressors to change the gain staging with the amp.
Placing a compressor before the amp also allows me to adjust how much volume I’m hitting the front end of the amp with. If I want, I could add a little gain to push the amp into saturation.
Some guitarists like to use compression before an overdrive pedal to add more sustain to their guitar solos. You can use a compressor before a drive pedal a few ways:
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2: A compressor before an OD pedal or overdriven amp with additional output gain can drive the pedal or amp harder and add sustain during the solo.
3: A compressor before an OD pedal or overdriven amp plus a minimal amount of compression but lots of output gain can push the amp or OD pedal harder.
You can achieve a similar result cascading OD pedals or using a boost pedal before the OD or amp. Each method sounds slightly different. It’s worth experimenting to hear what works for you.
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Some of my fave combos for this purpose are using an Analog Man CompROSSor or Effectrode PC-2A before a Effectrode Tube Drive or JHS Bonsai.
When using pedal compressors, be mindful not to add too much compression. It always feels good to add more compression, but at stage volumes or in playback you’ll quickly notice issues.
Too much compression can dull your sound. It can also make your sound too small and contained. We’re usually just looking to reduce the distance between the peaks and valleys. We don’t want to turn it into the flatlands. Compression tends to be trickier with guitar pedals, as they don’t have meters. Studio compressors have VU meters that let you see how much compression is being added.
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Unless I’m specifically going for a special effect, I only compress by a few dB. Exceptions here are with the SlideRIG when I’m playing slide, the CompRESSor for my Rickenbacker, and the Orange Squeezer for country chicken picking. Or if I just want a squashed effect.
It takes a long time to really hear the subtly in compression. Until you get here, always compare to compressed and uncompressed sounds.
A lot of times in the studio I’ll use compressors after the guitar or guitar amp. These post-guitar placements are well suited for such goals as reducing the distance between peaks and valleys. (I keep mentioning this because it’s important to visualize.)
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I also use compressors when recording for their tonal character just as much if not more than for dynamics control. For many decades, recording engineers and mixers have used analog hardware compressors to color guitar tones.
Some of the classics used for this purpose are the Fairchild 660, the Urei 1176, the Teletronix LA-2A, the UA 175b and 176, the Empirical Labs Distressor, and the LA-3A, just to name a few.The emulated analog circuitry in each of these compressors is unique.
On the subject of analog compression, I still prefer to use an analog compressor for recording guitars before my converters. To my ears, it just sounds better than adding compression later on.
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My favorite analog compressor for this purpose is the Purple Audio MC77 compressor. The MC77 is an updated UREI 1176 Revision E circuit with a lower noise floor and improved reliability. The MC77 also allows you to run through the circuitry without compression. More on that later.
I always use the Purple Audio MC77 when recording acoustic guitars as well. Personally, I prefer access to a bit of compression before the converters when recording acoustic instruments in the digital realm. In the olden days, your signal was going to tape, which had a slight amount of natural compression. So to make up for that deficit in the digital world, I compress on the way in a touch.
The Fairchild 660, Teletronix LA-2A, and UA 175b/176 compressors are all tube compressors. Guitarists more than any other instrumentalists should immediately appreciate the value of tubes to sonic identity.
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Tubes can add harmonic complexity and distortion. Sound familiar to all you amp nerds? Using a Fairchild, Teletronix LA-2A, or UA 175b/176 and not adding much if any compression immediately adds character to your signal.
Some compressors even allow you to run through their circuitry without adding the compression. The UA 175b and 176 compressors include the option of keeping the I/O amplifiers active while turning off the compression.
The same can be achieved in the analog world on the Purple Audio MC77. When you turn the Attack knob fully counter-clockwise, it disables the compressor from engaging. But, you still get the sonic goodies from the MC77 circuit.
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This tube sound of the 175b/176 and LA-2A are quite different from the solid state sound of the 1176 and LA3A. The 1176 has its own unique way of adding overdrive with a “fast attack and release” setting.
I don’t think about doing this with just outboard studio compressors. I do it with pedal compressors. The Effectrode PC-2A is a tube compression pedal based on the LA-2A circuit. The Origin Effects Sliderig is based on the Urei 1176 circuit.
In addition to deciding which one will be better at compressing a certain source, I’m also thinking about the tone each one adds. I may even use the Analog Man CompROSSor for slide because of the sonic imprint it adds. There are no rules. You just have to get familiar with the tone of each compressor and apply accordingly.
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One feature that hasn’t existed on guitar pedals is the ability to adjust how much low end gets compressed in the guitar signal. Universal Audio has added some great features on top of its meticulously modeled classic compressors.
On its UAD LA-2A, Distressor, and Fairchild compressors,
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