PLUGIN #3 COMPRESSION
Compression is
a favorite among
chicken-pickers
and bluesman,
or to anyone
who likes to add
snap and punch
to their tones.
Compression
was originally invented to normalize volume levels in a mix, but it imparts its
own character onto your track depending on how it works. Optical compression
is compression in one of its earliest forms, and is characterized by a more soft
and subtle sound. Solid-state compression is a later form of compression, and
is characterized by its punchier and “harder” edge. Still don’t know how a
compressor works? Allow me to explain:
Imagine there is a man standing next to your guitar amp with his hand on your
volume knob. The venue says to this man: “If he goes above a certain volume
level, turn down the volume, and if he goes under a certain volume level, turn up
the volume.” The threshold is at what volume level the venue tells him to turn
the volume knob, the attack is how quickly he reacts to the sudden change in
volume, and the release is how fast he goes back to the original setting. By setting
a compressor to a fast attack and a higher threshold, you can add a nice thump to
your pick or finger attack, and add more perceived dynamics by picking harder or
softer. Compression is also used by engineers to make things appear louder than
they actually are, but I won’t go into the logistics of that, for reasons of wanting to
keep this short and sweet.
For this demo, I have used Softube’s FET
Compressor, a compressor inspired by
the Urei 1176, which is considered the
holy grail of solid-state compressors. This
compressor sound is smattered all over
recordings throughout the decades, but
you can hear it most famously used on
David Gilmour’s awesome DI solo,
Another Brick in the Wall (Part II).
46
TONE TALK //
COMPRESSION DRY
COMPRESSION WET
Five Plugins No Guitarist Should Be Without