Compression & reverb effects

[sashapak]

Hi guys,

I'm considering getting compression and reverb as a next step in my sound improvement.

I've got a Grace Alix and Bose S1 Pro. Also, will likely be getting Bose L1 Pro8. Both Bose S1 Pro and L1 Pro 8 have built-in reverb. Not sure whether they do any compression - maybe via the ToneMatch function, but there is no separate control, whereas Reverb level can be controlled.

Questions I have are:
- Which one would you go for first: compression pedal or reverb?
- Which compressor and reverb pedals would you recommend?
- Do I really need a reverb pedal or the built-in reverb in Bose L1 Pro8 is good enough

Many thanks in advance!

[rmp]

I'm kind of a minimalist with FXs.

But if I had to start,, first I'd start w/Reverb.

The BOSE S1 reverb may be ok for vocal, I don't find it lush / deep enough to be a good match guitar. I use a Holy Grail. There's so many others, and you can drop a bundle. Strymon Big Sky seems to be a forum favorite. but it's not cheap.

I don't think there's any compression on the S1 with tone match, maybe, but I'm not aware of that.


For compression pedals, I like the more simplistic ones. I have a number of them.

Due to it's small foot print, and trasnparency the Xotic SP Compressor Mini Compressor Pedal is pretty good.

But there's plenty to choose from.

You're bound to get a lot of different ideas here, so give the thread some time to develop.

[southbeck]

For recording compression is a must to me. But for live I don´t bother. I prefer the natural compression from my guitar.
Can´t live without a good reverb though. Just need a basic, small reverb that is always on and a bigger preset for more fingerpicking.

[Chipotle]

My acoustic pedalboard is a Grace Alix with a Mooer Yellow Comp and a TC Hall of Fame Mini reverb in the effects loop.

I keep the compressor to the lowest setting. It's there just to even volume levels out a bit between softer and louder songs, although I also use the Alix's boost switch if I have a quiet fingerstyle piece. The reverb is usually very low to add a touch of hall-type reverb, though I have some songs where I have it set up so I can "Mash" the switch to kick in a little more, deeper verb for parts.

A lot of it depends on your play style. Compression isn't strictly necessary for solo acoustic, but since I play really diverse styles (and volumes) I find it helpful. I don't know how the S1 reverb sounds, but a pedal will give you lots more choices.

(BTW I love the Alix, especially in this case since it has an output that can power the two pedals; no batteries or extra power supply necessary.)

[pieterh]

I mainly use compression on the mixer as I rarely gig without it when playing acoustic. That said I have a Carl Martin Compressor Limiter which is extremely transparent and very capable. They aren’t particularly cheap but they offer studio quality sound.

Same with reverb but on my electric pedal board I use the TC Electronics Hall of Fame which offers many different types of reverb, from genuine room and hall simulations to spring and plate and even lo-fi reverbs. It’s about a third the price of the Strymon pedals which are superb but not particularly cheap either…

[jklotz]

I don't use a compressor live. I tried it, didn't work for me.

As for reverb, I'm just using the S1 pro because I like to travel as lightly as possible, although I agree with the poster above that it's a little thin sounding. One of these days I'm going to add a nice reverb pedal. I'm probably going with the UA golden reverb.

[shufflebeat]

Most of the benefits of compression from the point of view of the musician can be achieved with a Boss compressor pedal. It is possible to mangle your whole gig if you use it unwisely so less is more.

A decent sound engineer can work wonders with tasteful compression in a FoH mix but that is beyond the scope of a Boss pedal.

As a musician there isn't a lot of point in digging into compressing for the mix.

[SalFromChatham]

I did a gig back in October playing a Taylor with an ES2 pickup, run through my pedal board and into the PA. Boss TU3 - Boss CS3 - Boss Reverb/Delay pedal - GE7 (boost).

It worked really well. Very minimal settings on the CS3...

[phcorrigan]

Have you considered adding a mixer that includes those functions? This way you can apply those effects to any or all channels. My Behringer X1204USB (current model is QX1204USB) includes both for about US$200. The smaller QX1202USB provides both for about US$120. Other brands have models that will do the same.

[Koamon]

Bose makes really good amps and if it has reverb, it can't be too shabby. That being said, a reverb pedal seems redundant to me. Personally, I find that a touch of delay and chorus with reverb works better overall. I can control the echoes and not get caught up in the wash of too much reverb. But if you want Reverb as well consider a dual delay/Reverb pedal. That being said, with the audiophile level of you preamp you should get a comparable unit like the Audio Source Collider or a Strymon or Universal Audio Starlight delay and add a Reverb later if you feel you need it. Less expensive but good dual delay/Reverb pedals like Wampler Ethereal, EQ Master Dispatch, Keeley Caverns e.g. are available. There are ones that are paired in stereo but too many to list. Some has looper and shimmer functions. Just google search delay reverb pedals and pick one that suits your style of play. You may like analog over digital so that may affect your decision. Also consider a chorus pedal to fatten up your tone.

As far as a compressor, with that Grace preamp with all that eq control, why would you want who squash your signal? Perhaps in a recording studio but not necessarily live with that preamp.
Good luck on your tone quest.

[southbeck]

Originally Posted by Koamon

Bose makes really good amps and if it has reverb, it can't be too shabby. That being said, a reverb pedal seems redundant to me. Personally, I find that a touch of delay and chorus with reverb works better overall. I can control the echoes and not get caught up in the wash of too much reverb. But if you want Reverb as well consider a dual delay/Reverb pedal. That being said, with the audiophile level of you preamp you should get a comparable unit like the Audio Source Collider or a Strymon or Universal Audio Starlight delay and add a Reverb later if you feel you need it. Less expensive but good dual delay/Reverb pedals like Wampler Ethereal, EQ Master Dispatch, Keeley Caverns e.g. are available. There are ones that are paired in stereo but too many to list. Some has looper and shimmer functions. Just google search delay reverb pedals and pick one that suits your style of play. You may like analog over digital so that may affect your decision. Also consider a chorus pedal to fatten up your tone.

As far as a compressor, with that Grace preamp with all that eq control, why would you want who squash your signal? Perhaps in a recording studio but not necessarily live with that preamp.
Good luck on your tone quest.

Chorus and delay is strictly forbidden with acoustic to me.. Really really hate it

[pf400]

Sashapak, are you asking with regard to vocal or guitar or both ? I don't sing much, but for guitar I always have reverb on...any Boss reverb pedal is fine. I experiment with compression now and then but the pedal always gets returned to storage.

[Koamon]

FWIW, I love quality delay, chorus and reverb effects for acoustic guitar. After all reverb is nothing more than the delayed echo of sound waves reflecting off surfaces and returning to the original sound source. Modulation of that echo can come from many variables as well.

"Reverberation (also known as reverb), in acoustics, is a persistence of sound, or echo after a sound is produced. ... Reverberation occurs naturally when a person sings, talks, or plays an instrument acoustically in a hall or performance space with sound-reflective surfaces


Sabine equation
T_{60}= \frac {24\ln10^1}{c_{20}} \frac {V}{Sa}
T_{60} = time it takes for a sound to decay by 60 dB
c_{20} = speed of sound in the room
V = volume of the room (in cubic meters)
S = total surface area of room (in square meters)
a = average absorption coefficient of room surfaces

In an ideal setting the use of mics with no processing would be the most ideal
electronic representation of a guitar performance. Way last century I saw Andres Segovia perform in a a large auditorium with no sound reinforcement whatsoever. He used the size of the auditorium to create his reverb, very awe inspiring. When you plug in with a UST or magnetic p/u, it's game changer. I don't speak for anyone else but I like to judiciously experiment with reverb, delay and chorus effects to improve the raw sound you get everytime you plug in. Your mileage may vary.

[Rudy4]

Originally Posted by Koamon

FWIW, I love quality delay, chorus and reverb effects for acoustic guitar. After all reverb is nothing more than the delayed echo of sound waves reflecting off surfaces and returning to the original sound source. Modulation of that echo can come from many variables as well.

"Reverberation (also known as reverb), in acoustics, is a persistence of sound, or echo after a sound is produced. ... Reverberation occurs naturally when a person sings, talks, or plays an instrument acoustically in a hall or performance space with sound-reflective surfaces


Sabine equation
T_{60}= \frac {24\ln10^1}{c_{20}} \frac {V}{Sa}
T_{60} = time it takes for a sound to decay by 60 dB
c_{20} = speed of sound in the room
V = volume of the room (in cubic meters)
S = total surface area of room (in square meters)
a = average absorption coefficient of room surfaces

In an ideal setting the use of mics with no processing would be the most ideal
electronic representation of a guitar performance. Way last century I saw Andres Segovia perform in a a large auditorium with no sound reinforcement whatsoever. He used the size of the auditorium to create his reverb, very awe inspiring. When you plug in with a UST or magnetic p/u, it's game changer. I don't speak for anyone else but I like to judiciously experiment with reverb, delay and chorus effects to improve the raw sound you get everytime you plug in. Your mileage may vary.

We would be doing a disservice not to mention other types of reverb other than types produced by natural ambience. That's why quality multi-verb devices give us choices like plate and spring reverbs. In many cases those other reverb effects are preferred, so it's worth considering other reverberation producing techniques.