How To Use A Compressor Pedal (feat. Empress Compressor MKII + Bass)

[@jamieholmes6087]

Your my new favorite channel dude. I've leaned so much from just 2 of your vidz its unreal. Never go away.

[@IRONSILVER22]

Man, the production quality of these videos are going up exponentially.

[@LouisSerieusement]

I was a bit disapointed when you changed your channel name (and the benn and gear jingle which was so awesome) but I must admitt I'm more and more happy with your content and would like to thank you a lot for sharing all of this with us

[@ofthenoise8661]

First off, nice incense burner, I have the same exact one. Secondly, thank you for this video, I would say this year I finally got to a point where I really started grasping how to use a compressor and also how much it can do in terms of improving mixes or just anything in general. I feel like this video provided me that last little bit to completely understanding compression and using it in several formats and now I’m going to start using it on literally everything. Thanks Benn.

[@plainpotatotay]

I don’t even make music. I just like watching content like this. Fantastic video, so well produced!

[@chucksmyth2598]

Awesome. I ordered a few weeks ago. I can’t wait to get it.

[@sparga]

Thanks for Compressor School

[@bawseeeee602]

Couldn't agree more, got a the mkii recently, outstanding pedal, best pedal board compressor ive ever used

[@Taeufer]

Yep, got the Bass version a week ago and.... damn it sounds so good with everything I put through it. Even layered sounds, different effects with the dry signal together just sounds absolute gluey. Very present. Ordered the Normal non bass version today to join this

[@nafis6668]

that sidechain can turn any delay into dynamic delay. put in WET delay only signal into the pedal, side chain your DI into the middle female jack. Now u have dynamic delay for dry wet rig. The delay will duck when u play fast technical stuff and raise back up when u hole note or rest. Hence more clarity and automatic wetter delay when it is needed.

[@kevon217]

wow, this video tickled all the right audio information content for me. thanks!

[@gerdownes3278]

Very good explanation of compression in general. As someone in the game a couple of decades I've read and heard a looot of people wax compression. It's one of the hurdles beginners should get over as quickly as possible. Simply because there's so much waffle and fuss about it. And at first before you understand the concept, it's very daunting and hard to get good results. And at first many just use presets and use it, as Benn mentions, as a soundgooderizer. And you can get so much more from far less extreme use once you get it. At this stage it's very refreshing to hear anyone break it down so simply. Benn basically outlines in the first few minutes, even before he really gets into it. There's so many thousands of hours of tutorials of using it on different material ad infinatum. And countless books and magazine articles. But really when it boils down to it, it's not that complicated. It's just you can such an infinite variety of sound from it. But once you just understand the basics of it and just concentrate on that, it's so much more productive to just experiment and hear with your own ears, on your own material, what it's doing. Same applies to eq. There's way too much overdone deep looks into both these subjects. And it can all be learned so much more efficiently and intuitively with just experimentation and a solid grasp of the basics.... TLDR: every producer starting out should get a look at this video early on, and bypass a whole lot of dribble about the subject. (tbf, it's a very powerful tool that can have such a wide range of end result, and multiply that by the variety of what sound it's used on, it's a big subject.)

[@outze]

Benn Jordan the best salesman Empress could ask for, cause now I want to buy one....

[@Mitsch76]

Great! Well explained and shown by examples. You are a true artist man!!

[@MrSnivs]

I'm so glad you kept the opening bit.

[@НитинРаимаджий]

As a person that doesnt have real instruments i now want both of the pedals - great video!

[@Polyend]

Hey Benn, thank you for featuring!

[@mgmcdb7606]

Dude. Right off the bat this is informative and beautifully presented. Great work!

[@robertsyrett1992]

10:56 Thanks Benn, I always wondered if I was super cool. Now I know I am.

[@Moseslinmusic]

Love this video! Haven't seen compression this well explained before. Question about the sidechain send/return. If I have a kick drum signal going into the sidechain, is the original signal only being compressed when the kick drum hits? Or is it still being compressed normally and then the kick drum makes it compress harder momentarily due to its higher input volume?

[@firesailstudios1003]

I have the electro harmonix platform that seems good for some extra smack and color... not too advanced, but seems to offer some nice flavor.

[@MH-rt9ts]

Benn, off topic, but are you planning to do a Best Software of 2020 at the end of the year? I really enjoyed last year's review.

[@joelkulesha8284]

I'd love to see this too.

[@superjubs]

He’s gonna pick that bat sonar analysis tool for sure

[@BennJordan]

I want to! Tbh I might have to change it up a little since so much stuff was delayed this year. 🤔

[@why2k87]

@@BennJordan you could just do a "stuff I liked in 2020"- with instruments, software, and whatnot.

[@user-th6rh8zp3t]

Their ECM-519 comp lives on my vocal chain after a shadow hills pre... and it sounds amazing

[@vincenttiggelman4978]

Just one picture of the Mighty Boosh and i know you rule! But seriously: great video, very informative, thank you!

[@PaulAup62]

Happy to see you sport the M8 !

[@makkietakkie]

The Neon Egg Planetarium pedal has a sidechain option, but it's not in the same realm as this compressor. Great video!

[@GedCartwright]

Would love a deep dive into the Echo System man!

[@katabatica]

Rewatching this a year later, and yeah, great content. I still haven't used the sidechain insert on mine, but good to know that it's feedback style so additive.

[@michaelinglis8516]

It's a great compressor, I used a diamond clone for years an it's a great compressor but the Empress is so so so much more versatile and transparent. I still have the diamond on my board for when an optical compressor with it's own coloration is what I'm going for. Both are great but the Empress is everything I always wished a compressor was.

[@SleepingCocoon]

love the showcase of creative compressor use - compressors are wild instruments and victim to the "it's just a tool" mindset. put in as much time with them as anything else and you'll be surprised!

[@IRONSILVER22]

Very very, cool! Thank you for the demo! ZOIA as an opener hahah, that's a clever idea.

[@toss74]

nice to have you back Benn :}

[@unfinishedmonkeyrecords]

that part from 16.18 onward is so rad =)

[@sichtbeton]

The a / b segment got me :-)

[@informationcake]

15:39 Loving the subtle Dirtblog how-to :D

[@KunchangLeeMusic]

More videos like this please - sold on the pedal

[@isaacandhismusic1153]

Still super confused and don’t think I’ll ever use side chain but this is a great review and a great compressor

[@djwhit5745]

Loved those Medusa patches.

[@blaablaa22]

So Benn... watching your videos has made me previously buy the ZOIA, and now I ordered the Empress Compressor MKII. I hope Empress gives you some money for these GAS awakening videos. :D

[@Jesusprayerwarriorbw]

Just crazy how u make music so quick

[@stepheniansavage]

What a fantasticly informative vid. Our band needs some compression for amplified strings, so we'll definitely check them out!

[@_DRMR_]

Really nice explanation and superb examples. This definitely gave me some fresh ideas on how to utilize the rack units, pedals and modules I already have and will try to mix in delays/reverbs in different configurations. These empress pedals seem really neat, but still not sure which one I would get for my setup and what the differences really are.

[@MDJ5]

dang, how about a tutorial on getting those crunchy percussive tones out of the Medusa?

[@loganshirah3804]

Have a Fairfield Circuitry Accountant on pedal duty and an FMR RNC for mixing and side-chains. The Accountant, like all the Fairfield pedals, does a great job of giving the most usefulness out of a really limited set of controls (and sounds excellent to my ear.) I'm curious how compressor dorks would rate the Empress among entry-level studio pieces like the RNC, though. Does it anticipate a "hi-z" signal or will it respond the same to any impedance level?

[@michaeltan_]

It has +15dbu of headroom according to the manual, so yes. This might be the case if running at 18volts.

[@Pandangus]

OMG! The Boosh!!

[@mojoemurphy]

I like this compressor but I still think I'm leaning towards the darkglass hyper luminal. It's a bit more money, but the 1176 all in mode it has really caught my interest

[@JamesRamboPearce]

More Medusa content 🙏🙏🙏❤️ great video as always!

[@JazzyFizzleDrummers]

The og empress compressor has the sidechain input as well. It lacks the tone control, but if you have other ways of eqing the signal it's less of an issue.

[@jordanrivers7736]

Very informative video, thank you. FYI MK II is pronounced “Mark Two”.

[@Efkts]

I can't wait for mine!!!!

[@jameshoy380]

My favorite comp was an FEA Labs OptiFET. I let go of it before I really learned how to use it.

[@m.f.3347]

Have you ever tried the FMR "Really Nice Compressor"? More of a studio tool than a pedal but there's no reason you couldn't gig with it, and for around $200 it punches well above its price range. Steve Albini has one in his studio

[@BaileyHeredge]

Never considered an analog comp, nice 1!

[@lunchpin403]

Thanks Benn

[@iskariot3180]

wow, you demystefied sidechaining in a couple of minutes for me. I also learned i apparently need more pedals. Do you ever use fuzz on synths? If so, any pedal you think i should take into consideration?

[@ipatchphd]

howdy M8 ;)

[@leajenkins7957]

Please do a review of M8 at some point, I've been following it's development and as an LSDJ user I'm really hype for it to come out

[@CHONKERBOT]

This will be my next purchase after I get the Empress Reverb \m/

[@JohnHancotte]

Hard to find a pedal compressor with LED's or a VU meter. Attack is good to have as well, speaking as a bassist.

[@vegeta897]

Just sneaking that M8 in there Benn? :)

[@kylewalsh9124]

what is that ?

[@vegeta897]

@@kylewalsh9124 the M8 tracker. He did a stream with it last month for his Patreon.

[@18JR78]

Best review

[@MrKubass]

Have you ever tried the Cali76 Compact Bass? If so, how would you compare those? I had the Cali, but it was stolen (with lots of other stuff), so I am contemplating about whether to get it again or maybe get this instead..

[@MrCompdan]

Nice video and nice pedals but comparisons at the same volume would've been nice

[@sushant2095]

Fantastic video as always Benn! These two seem to be in high demand (and of course) out of stock, perhaps this video had something to do with that! FMR RNC is not quite a pedal, but seems close enough footprint-wise. I wonder how they stack up against each other.

[@michaeltan_]

thanks for introducing these pedals. I was about to buy a cali76 so this came out just at the right time. A compressor is the last piece I need to complete my pedalboard. One question can it take line level? I assume so from your examples...

[@kntuchy]

He used synths and fed audio stems through it so i think yes, it can take line level. I guess you just have to turn down the input

[@josephfelice601]

Please check out the Effectrode Leveling Amplifier. Be curious how these "stack up"

[@my4trackmachine]

I SEE YOUR M8.... *nods in approval*

[@randomaztec2208]

Is it a portable multitracker? I'm looking for something like that

[@reginaldbraithewaite5833]

I can't believe you had a Dirtywave M8 in 2020. Do you ever track it with your DAW (or go headless) or is it mostly a DAW-away-from-my-DAW device for you? Do you still use it? I'm still trying to decide which of the two compressors to buy. I don't even own a bass guitar, but I do play piano, keys, guitar and an awful lot of bass synth. And yes, I read the Empress blog post well before wending my way back to this channel.

[@dandelionboy7820]

Could you explain how threshold works on this pedal. Is it something built in and unchanged? Or is it adjustable by the input knob?

[@Sousless]

I don't doubt that Empress Compressor is super good (I have Reverb and Zoia too, they are amazing!), have you tried Oto machines Boum? It's not just compressor, it's a warming unit, but it has one and I wounder if it's good and usable. Thanks for the video!

[@ronylanssiers7694]

I would like to know what software you are using for showing the frequency spectrum around 2 minutes from the start of the video?

[@francoishtzl157]

What do you think about the Darkglass Hyper Luminal ? It's completely Analog too

[@fluxlinkages]

Great video Benn! This is a massive argument for taking compression out of a eurorack modular. At 250USD, the best closest you can get is WMD's MSCL but it doesn't allow parallel compression, though 4HP, stereo and tidy. Otherwise its 12-24HP of precious rack space to achieve the same functionality. Any chance of a future B&G getting into eurorack dynamics modules vs. alternatives?

[@randomaztec2208]

The mighty boosh!

[@gebhardmeilinger8578]

Nice shirt, nice dude. Ben rulez!

[@AndersChristensenFilms]

Hey Benn. You should really check out the live coding software Orca. It's a open source live coding environment for midi sequencing, I think you would really dig it.

[@noostroi]

Haha - I'm using a set of M40x's to listen to you... 🤘

[@marcwav]

I missed that opening jingle

[@lesterfalcon1350]

Just to add, when working with stereo, two mono pedals can cause a problem with the stereo field, and stereo compressors have both channels respond to a combined mono inputs on the sidechain. Also, pretty sure it's Mark II, not Make II, unless that's an American thing.

[@blackwatchbandstudio]

As an American myself I'm pretty sure it's a Benn thing

[@joshuaselser7210]

I got a deal on the MK two and didn’t realize that I should’ve got the bass guitar version instead what kind of results will I have if I put the pedal that I got on my board instead of the bass guitar version?

[@javiermp81]

How does the Empress MKII compare to the Cali76? I play guitar only and am trying to decide on one. Unfortunately I cannot get to a store to try them both...

[@reginaldbraithewaite5833]

What's the best stereo compressor pedal alternative?

[@awilsonator]

Can the sidechain connection be controlled by one of the outputs of, say, a Dreadbox semi modular?

[@SomeDud-lm1mi]

What do you think of Neutron 2 VST compressor?

[@BennJordan]

Honestly? Not a fan. For some reason Neutron just doesn't sound right to me, but it's super subjective, of course!

[@SomeDud-lm1mi]

@@BennJordan i'm just trying to find anything good in VST, maybe you can recommend something? I also use NUGEN Audio plugins.

[@JUNO-69]

Have you checked out the Suono Buono nABC (not another boring compressor). I just ordered mine after almost pulling the trigger on the RNC 1773 to use with my synth setup. It’s opens so many creative avenues and seems much easier to use than other compressors in terms of routing options.

[@BennJordan]

Yes! They're nice little units for synths and whatnot. An A and B comparison will likely favor Empress due to the circuit design, but they're different circuits for a reason (off-beat sidechaining vs mixing the compressed signal back in), and these MKII's are mono while the nABC is stereo.

[@jr6786]

@@BennJordan i dont know why I thought this was stereo 🤦‍♂️

[@jr6786]

stupid question...do I need two of these to use on a stereo synth or would that defeat the purpose? I have a poly beebo that has digital compression and an art pro via ii optical compressor. I ordered this for the signal chain but not sure I need it 😕

[@jr6786]

BTW, preordered this to use with the deluge.

[@jyryhalonen4990]

I wonder how it compares to Becos Stella

[@boimesa8190]

Does the empress colour the sound when flat?

[@afrotsk3181]

How to us it to duck the sibilance only?

[@arcsibo]

What is that small black box at 13:00?

[@arcsibo]

Finally found it: M8 tracker www.gearnews.com/dirtywave-m8-handheld-synth-and-tracker-project-is-looking-stunning/

[@recursinginging117]

Are these THAT 4301/5 based? You can pry the WMD MSCL from my cold dead hands.

[@ArmanHajirAzad]

I like your shirt.

[@8Junio76]

For bass, I found the guitar compressor sounds better than the bass compressor.

[@_B.C_]

I blamed 15:40 on the dog…

[@joemiglionico6527]

Not to be "that guy" but pretty sure MKII means "Mark II" as in version 2, not "Make II"

[@anthonyk5496]

Boosh crimping > Lars cramping

[@halilizran1052]

I thought he is trent reznor.

[@SunnyBeeRandomTuber]

Charlie puth meets Jeffrey Dean Morgan. Now you can't compress that.

[@mauchkimberly]

I always want all, the stuff you use in your videos. Is there subliminal messaging? Imo some companies owe you some money because your videos, using their products, are way more appealing than the crappy ones on their websites.

[@gecko82]

You use the guitar wrong. Both laterally and vertically :)

[@TheMrPalich]

What a great aroma pyramid you have there. Sorry...

[@UBERLADEN69]

Thanks I learned a lot