Compression + OD/Distortion/Fuzz

RVA

RVA

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The gain structure/tone/breakup point/distortion level (or any other term you choose to use) of an OD, distortion or fuzz type pedal certainly changes when you add compression.

This may be obvious to some and not others. Myself, I always assumed this in theory but finally put it to the test tonight and found it to be very true. I must now consider the character of each OD/distortion/fuzz pedal (or combo thereof) with and without compression. More choices, which is not always a good thing!
 
Ive often wondered about Compression pedal myself.Ive never had one.Ive bought all kinds of pedals in my day but its either i dont know how to use them,not a good enough player to use them or need them.But i have come to love my VHT Echo/Verb pedal and often wondered about compression.
 
JohnnyGoo said:
Ive often wondered about Compression pedal myself.Ive never had one.Ive bought all kinds of pedals in my day but its either i dont know how to use them,not a good enough player to use them or need them.But i have come to love my VHT Echo/Verb pedal and often wondered about compression.
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You sort of don't know you need one until you try one. Then it is possible to get hooked. If you use a lot of gain or primarily play hot humbuckers, compression is far less necessary IMO. If you want to keep your dynamics even, compression is great. If you want to emphasize dynamic changes, not so great.
 
Compression is awesome in certain circumstances. Some fuzz pedals seem to have it built in. For example: the intro to American Woman sounds like each note could ring forever (compression). Personally I love that fuzzy tone/sound for that song. It would be the same without that fuzz and compression. There are a few other examples, but after another night of insomnia, I can't think of it.

I have been playing with modeling software for years (Amplitube, Guitar Rig, and many others). The have virtual pedals/rack effects you can set up in any order. For each, I always have a preset called Me. It starts with a compression maxed out, a delay to triple each note with a quick decrease in volume, some kind of distortion (80s style), and a reverb to make it sound like a stadium. I don't use the preset often, but it's fun for a solo. The compression is cool when you want to bend a note and make it last. Is it my favorite sound? No, but it can be fun.
 
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I'm not a fan of compression with my guitar setup. I have a couple of MXR compressors but I don't use them (Custom Comp and Super Comp). I do use a lot of gain and have hot pickups though, like RVA said.

I find that I need a certain amount of compression on my bass rig though. My amp has one built in.
 
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