'Always on' Effects

therose789 · October 2013

Hi all,

What drives, compressors do you guys use/recommend that you leave on all the time?

I read and see a lot of people who have pedal that claim to 'bring their amps to life'

What do you use???

Si

monquixote · October 2013

I have an Xotic SP comp on most of the time.

I find always on comps only work if you have one with a clean blend.

Other pedals I can imagine using in that way that I've had include the Hotcake and the Liquid Sunshine.

Kebabkid · October 2013

Keeley 2 Knob Compressor - sustain at 10 o'clock works well enough so as not to get in the way and suffocate my sound but tightens up cleans and smooths out lead parts.

When I had an Xotic RC Booster, I used to leave that on.

dogload · October 2013

Sometimes I find I have to have my Nobels ODR1+ on a clean/ slightly edgy setting, on everything to give a bit of poke, but other times I don't. Atmospheric changes perhaps.

At one time I used to have my Boss CS1 compressor on at all times, but these days I find I don't need to do that.

Drew_TNBD · October 2013

I don't really have any tbh. I like comp on clean and slightly driven tones, but hate what it does to fully distorted tones. I also really like pristine cleans, so I don't have any distortions that are always on either.

Paul_C · October 2013

I use an ART TubePac (preamp/compressor) with both acoustic guitar and bass as it does something to that sound that pleases me.

ThePrettyDamned · October 2013

Used to have a Marshall guvnor maxed out on gain set just above unity volume on all the time. Now looking for something with more gain, probably getting a Duncan power grid.

I don't really use much clean sound, and when I do, I switch off my always on

for cleans, I always have the comp side of the route 66 on, with only a little compression and gain. Makes cleans more interesting sounding. I'd also like a chorus, which would be set low and always on, clean, crunch or lead.

EricTheWeary · October 2013

I am sure there are folks who have reverb or delay always on.

I went through a patch of having my Seymour Duncan Pick Up Booster always on. I think that was my only pedal I was using at the time and was just because I wanted my strat to sound less stratty TBH. I find it quite hard not to have something on between a strat and a valve amp.
A clean boost on but not doing much can be handy on the kind of gigs where all the backline is behind the drums/ bar/ in the snug and you find once the band starts up the balance is shit. It is then easier to bend down and tweak the boost rather than get to the amp.

mike_l · October 2013

On my home-board, I have an MXR Micro Chorus on half of my preset dirty sounds, and all my clean sounds.

Other than that, I like the dirty sounds from an MXR Dist.3.

But, no, no "on all the time" pedals

not_the_dj · October 2013

In the past I have used a Suhr Koko boost on all the time. I've just put it back on my gigging board but I need to see how it sounds with my latest set-up.

I have just recently got a Catalinbread DLSiii which is on all the time for my regular crunch sound. That's only turned off a couple of times in the set for really clean stuff.

streethawk · October 2013

A little thing I like to call Mojo, sits just behind Attitude in my always on chain.

(no facepalm button. lol.)

longi · October 2013

I don't have any "always on" effects other than reverb for my overdriven sounds, I always feel like I'm cheating when I try it. I prefer a straight guitar sound until I get to the solos then ill switch on a bit of delay. For cleans I use a tiny bit of chorus and sometimes delay for a bit of space. Guess I'm a bit boring really! Heh!

EricTheWeary · October 2013

streethawk said:

A little thing I like to call Mojo, sits just behind Attitude in my always on chain.

(no facepalm button. lol.)

And running Heart and Soul through the FX loop?

|)

steamabacus · October 2013

EricTheWeary said:

streethawk said:

A little thing I like to call Mojo, sits just behind Attitude in my always on chain.

(no facepalm button. lol.)

And running Heart and Soul through the FX loop?
|)

Don't forget a touch of Turn That Bloody Thing Down! on FOH.

rich75 · October 2013

monquixote said:

I have an Xotic SP comp on most of the time.

I find always on comps only work if you have one with a clean blend.

+1 for this: my SP comp stays on all the time and the blend control means the sound doesn't get too squashed and you don't lose all the dynamics.

Also used to do the same thing with a Barber Tonepress but I prefer the SP.

Sporky · October 2013

EricTheWeary said:

I am sure there are folks who have reverb or delay always on.

We refer to such people as "good", "honest" and "morally upstanding".

steamabacus · October 2013

I have a Rothwell Love Squeeze that's never off. Also, an Arion SAD-1 analogue delay that I've had for years and years and has become part of my sound - set very subtle, but something's missing when it's not on.

JohnPerry · October 2013

+1 on the RC Booster. The Fromel Shape maybe even edges it for me. A touch warmer.

ROOG · October 2013

Flint verb, even if its just a smidge.

I also like my Line 6 Constrictor compressor, that usually seems to be in there.

dogload · October 2013

EricTheWeary said:

I am sure there are folks who have reverb or delay always on.

I just assumed that that was a given!

bertie · October 2013

nothing

monquixote · October 2013

bertie said:

nothing

It's not a thread about clothes Bert

EricTheWeary · October 2013

dogload said:

EricTheWeary said:

I am sure there are folks who have reverb or delay always on.

I just assumed that that was a given!

I have never routinely used reverb live. To a large extent it just disappears in many rooms anyway and higher levels can reduce what you are doing to smush. Of course, sometimes smush is exactly what you are after so there is a reverb pedal on my board...

>-

Dave_Mc · October 2013

For heavier tones I'd normally leave a fairly transparent overdrive on (danelectro timmy clone or digitech screamin blues, normally) all the time, as i prefer the tone that way at the (low) volumes I normally play at.

steamabacus · October 2013

EricTheWeary said:

dogload said:

EricTheWeary said:

I am sure there are folks who have reverb or delay always on.

I just assumed that that was a given!

I have never routinely used reverb live. To a large extent it just disappears in many rooms anyway and higher levels can reduce what you are doing to smush. Of course, sometimes smush is exactly what you are after so there is a reverb pedal on my board...
>-

I agree - I keep the amp reverb switched off live unless I want an obvious 'reverby' effect. I think an analogue delay set subtly keeps things a lot clearer and punchier.
There's usually too much room reverb at most gigs anyway, given the normal room size-punters ratio.

Fez · October 2013

A little reverb that's all

Roland · October 2013

Sporky said:

EricTheWeary said:

I am sure there are folks who have reverb or delay always on.

We refer to such people as "good", "honest" and "morally upstanding".

@Fez and I are on Sporky's list of top people. Other effects I turn on and off as required.

ICBM · October 2013

I always have reverb on. I've never come across a problem with it muddying the guitar sound... maybe I don't play fast enough for it to.

I went for a very long time with tremolo always on too - actually I had two, one was used as a 'tremolo effect' as you would expect and turned on and off, and the other was always on but set so subtle you didn't really notice it. It did add a lot of 'life' to the sound though. I only really stopped when I started playing more acoustic where you don't normally have that option.

mike_l · October 2013

monquixote said:

bertie said:

nothing

It's not a thread about clothes Bert

you sure? Bertie's often seen wearing nothing but a Mooer phaser to cover his modesty....

Lixarto · October 2013

bertie said:

nothing

Nothing will come of nothing.

d_rainger · October 2013

I spent decades playing through my Boss CS3 compressor (3 knobs, can be quite severe) - for everything. Just loved the muscle it gave to a clean sound, and how it pushed a fuzzbox over the edge...! Then I recently turned it off sometimes... and the notes jumping out untamed was OK!

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'Always on' Effects

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