TOP 6 COMPRESSOR TIPS | Gear Corner | Kris Barocsi

A compressor pedal can do so much more, than just the squashy sound most of us associate with this type of effect. In this episode I'm showing you my top 6 important things you need to know about compressors.
Welcome to Gear Corner and enjoy the video!
Timestamps:
00:00 - intro playing
00:24 - introduction
00:48 - the compressor I'm using in the video
01:11 - 1. make a quiet tube amp sound BIG
02:01 - playing without comp
02:23 - same thing with comp
02:54 - 2. cut through the mix with a compressor
04:00 - playing without the comp
04:19 - same thing with the comp
04:40 - 3. easier to play clean with a compressor
05:19 - playing with the comp
06:04 - 4. compressor for clean boost??
06:50 - playing without the comp
07:04 - same thing the the comp
07:44 - 5. more exciting clean sounds with a compressor
07:53 - playing without the comp
08:02 - same thing with the comp
08:42 - 6. longer sustain with low gain sounds
09:23 - playing without the comp
09:36 - same thing with the comp
10:24 - what's up with higher gain sounds?
Gear used in this video:
-Wampler Mini Ego: bit.ly/2POViX5
-Fender Telecaster Custom Shop '53 reissue
(a similar custom shop tele: bit.ly/2KFVJld)
-REVV Dynamis 7/40 head: bit.ly/2IxwoId
-One Control Agamidae switcher: bit.ly/2KCXwZ3
-Ernie Ball cables and strap: bit.ly/2Io0dfg
-Cordial CRI series cables: bit.ly/2XiVLBR
-Evidence Audio patch cables: bit.ly/2Ixylo1
-Universal Audio OX BOX bit.ly/2IyOeuj
Other gear I use in my videos:
-Gibson Les Paul Custom Shop '58 reissue bit.ly/2FxKvek
-Harley Benton Fusion-II Roasted SSP bit.ly/31FVawf
-Gibson ES-335 Traditional
(here's a specs wise very similar ES-335: bit.ly/2pTo92j)
-Barocsi "Frankenstrat" (2000 Fender American Standard body + Warmoth neck)
-Gibson Les Paul CM 2015 - heavily modified (thin nitro refin; Lollar Dog Ear P90; Emerson electronics)
-Barocsi Exploder - with a Gibson 498T in the bridge and a Gibson 57 Classic in the neck position
-Barocsi Troublecaster - Custom built T-style guitar with Gretsch Filtertrons
-REVV G2: bit.ly/2NbpV9R
-REVV G3: bit.ly/2FvuANy
-REVV G4: bit.ly/2ZhxX39
-J Rockett Archer overdrive: bit.ly/2Ges1z8
-Source Audio Nemesis delay: bit.ly/2Dft6Gd
-Dunlop Gypsy Fuzz pedal: bit.ly/2VKw4K0
-NUX SOS Looper bit.ly/31TMxPx
-Morgan 1x12 cab Twilight: bit.ly/2KFihDq
The speech mic:
- Rode SmartLav+
bit.ly/31eXFFi
Check out the Thomann Music channel for some wicked guitar videos:
/ musikhausthomann
Follow me on instagram:
kris_barocs...
Cheers,
Kris Barocsi

[@yanngiraud]

Best explanation / demonstration of how a compressor works I've seen on YT. And that makes a great case for Brian Wampler's awesome pedal, too. You might have sold another one of those.

[@KrisBarocsi]

Thanks a lot! Yeah this compressor is a clear recommendation. 🙌

[@MK-tj5bf]

Great explanation how to use this pedal! The best explanation I’ve found on KZbin. Thanks a lot!

[@kalvineytor4239]

Couldn't agree more

[@MK-tj5bf]

@@kalvineytor4239 :))))

[@tomdameek]

Thanks Kris. You’ve made me realize I’m not using my compression pedal enough. I hope you had a nice Christmas 👍😊

[@puremusic68]

I got mine in today thnx for your relaxed demonstration. think it's gonna make my clean tone a lot better

[@brianrollins7275]

Glad I watched this because I just ordered a mini ego. Good tips that I will definitely check out when mine arrives. Thanks for the post, always enjoy your videos. ✌🏻

[@Briansgate]

Thanks, Kris, really shed some light on comps!

[@KrisBarocsi]

Briansgate cheers man, thanks a lot!

[@payamelahian7511]

Thank you, Kris you made a beginner proof compressor video, now I understand when and why I need compressor in my sound.

[@sergiodurana8546]

Great thanks.

[@austinmidwest7062]

super useful

[@BadMofoMusicCritic]

Great video!

[@KrisBarocsi]

Thanks a lot!

[@aarondaniels629]

good video...i just bought a walrus audio deep 6 compressor and it is AMAZING at pushing my keeley D&M drive...so i have compressor set ABOVE unity going into a clean vox ac15...that is my clean...i then hit the mick side of the d&m drive (volume at unity) and it is a perfect light crunch...like...the compressor made the d&m go from good to great in my oppinion

[@KrisBarocsi]

Aaron Daniels great pedals man, I can imagine how majestic those sound together. Love the d&m and pretty much all Walrus pedals. Haha! Thanks for sharing your rig with us! Cheers!

[@Oilid]

Thank you!

[@KrisBarocsi]

Oilid Anytime man, anytime! 🤘

[@MrCarlos1335]

GOOD JOB, WELL DONE

[@KrisBarocsi]

Thank you!

[@aitken1965]

It took a bit of fiddling, but my BOSS CS3 is now "dialed in" to the point where it enhances my sound without dominating it. It was more fiddly that my other pedals in that regard and the "good sound envelope" was much narrower than my other effect pedals.

[@javierthewish]

Man... that Strat with tele pickup is veeeeery cool

[@MikeLute]

Thanks, looking forward on videos about boosters, noise gates and other unsung heroes of the pedal board

[@KrisBarocsi]

Michael Löhner Hey Michael, thanks for the suggestions. I’ve noted them. Haha! Cheers!

[@stanislavmigra]

boosts, yes, they dont get the love they deserve.

[@PaoloC.]

nice examples! I also have the mini ego, very neat.

[@KrisBarocsi]

Thanks! Yes it’s a really good pedal.

[@pauldncn1]

Kris lthank you so much tomorrow me and my kemper are going to have a long session I have a nice compressor preset I'l swap into.an AC30 mid gain profile Thanks again Kris really grateful as always

[@KrisBarocsi]

Paul Dugdale have fun Paul! :) cheers!

[@GtrPknMama]

Love your vids😎👍🎵 I use AM Juicer before KOT.

[@allmendoubt4784]

Acoustic all my life - first electric 2 years ago, plus 15 pedal experiments. Settled for 3, reverb, blues driver, and sustain. Wasn't sure why but it's clearer after seeing this...

[@maxwesmont]

So you dislike compressors?

[@bobdeluxeandtheideals1356]

🔥🔥🔥

[@harungonzalo3072]

Hi sir 👋, I have only one guitar and an amp.. my amp is a 15g frontman by squier pack.. so it's a cheap solid state, can I use overdrive pedal alone or I should buy a compressor pedal first?

[@kevinprado1380]

I don’t like lots of gain. So the perfect tone for me is overdrive pushed by a compressor. But its a bit dificult to dial everything to the perfect spot. Thanks for the tips.

[@Cheguebuddha]

Wampler Ego Mini on the way ... should have it by the end of this week! Need some good tips on it and got here! Thanks!

[@KrisBarocsi]

You will like that little thing. It’s a tiny box of Magic. Haha

[@Renav21]

Hi Kris, great video! I have a question. If I play songs with very low gain overdrive, as is the case with The Strokes, would it be useful using a compressor? Would it help to accentuate each note individually as it usually happens when I play clean?

[@Steven_SK]

Very informative Kris. I will have to tinker with those suggestions. Thanks for the video. Hey... at about 7:14 there was a quick lick that was very Chris Buckish...... later!

[@KrisBarocsi]

Tempissed Thanks a lot!! You’re right about 7:14 that bend-slide combination is Buckish / Nick Johnstonish for sure. Haha! It’s nice sometimes to play around in the style of awesome guitarists. Both are great dudes and fantastic players. Cheers!

[@BasBach]

Some say comp is a crutch, and I don't care I love that pedal I use it in everything I play. I use mxr super comp but want to get one of those jhs tighti whities

[@hunkydorian]

That first thing is what I do, and I don't even use a compressor, more like a limiter, and it just brushes down the tops of the waves so I get a little crush and presence without distortion.

[@jasonlee8497]

I have found that a decent comp pedal can really help a solid state amp....i once had to use a loaner ss amp....and i tried everything....then finally dug out my old Super Comp....done!

[@KrisBarocsi]

Jason Lee ! Thanks for sharing your experiences Jason! Really useful info. Cheers!

[@sarahhey8654]

Using a Ross style compressor after a drive pedal will also allow you to still retain all your pick dynamics and act as a limiter for feeding modulation / delays downstream. Thanks for the video Kris!

[@KrisBarocsi]

Sarah Hey Those are incredible and you’re absolutely right! :) cheers!

[@FLdb-wj4wc]

? Limiter for mod/delays. I hate mod & delay in front of amp. I only like them in a good fx loop. Are you saying a compressor helps tame modulation & delay if you have no fx loop?

[@jerrysolonsmith8471]

I can't fully agree here. I have played the original Ross grey box.......the attack seems slow enough for what you're saying, but the Ross seems VERY sensitive to input gain, and I find it difficult to use with more than moderate output humbuckers. It seems to like 6k bridge telecasters just fine and that is said in the context of having the Ross proximal in the signal chain to the guitar. Thusly running it distal to drive would be counter productive for retaining attack at least with my experience. This is said through the prism of me liking clean amps (ab165 twin) and using input gain to saturate rather than post tonestack gain and having tried literally most popular flavors of compression over the last 25 years of being in the industry. Certainly our ears are all different so to each his own I guess

[@markbodal1949]

For tip 6, was the compressor going into the low gain pedal or was the low gain pedal going into the compressor?

[@DarkoP9.13]

Were you using the morgan cab? is it Realy,REALY good? Cause its not the cheapest 1x12.

[@KrisBarocsi]

Darko P dude, seriously, it’s the best 1x12 I’ve ever tried. It sounds HUGE. Bigger and fuller than most 2x12 cabs. If you can, go for it. Awesome from super clean to really heavy styles.

[@belo1971]

Hi, is it useful for any guitar style, clean rhythm, soul, classic rock, jazz, solos , funk ? Or just for solos and funk ? Do not know what if I need one....

[@KrisBarocsi]

I enjoy a subtle compressor for every style of clean guitar playing. If you’re using it for funk (Cory Wong etc) you can see it up for a little more radical compression. 👍

[@fredraccoon2958]

This might be a stupid question, but as you are using the compressor at different levels for different purposes, can you stack compressor pedals?

[@KrisBarocsi]

Fred Raccoon yes of course. That’s what a sound engineer does all the time when mixing an album. But be aware of raising the noise level. Every compressor pulls up the noise floor a bit, so stacking them can end up in a lot of noise. Not that much of course if both compressors are quality pedals and you don’t set them up for high compression levels.

[@kristanbenson803]

Loved that intro riff, what’s it from?

[@KrisBarocsi]

Kristan Benson Thanks man, it’s a song I’m currently working on. Cheers!

[@RafaelBittencourt-si9uq]

Hi Cris, great video. what is this stratocaster w reverse headstock?

[@KrisBarocsi]

It's my old and heavily modded 2000 American Standard strat. Here's the story: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qJjMpZqYi6eFb7s

[@jeffreyeagen4896]

Where in the effects chain would you put the compressor? Between the guitar and other pedals or between the amp and the other pedals?

[@KrisBarocsi]

Jeffrey Eagen I would go guitar fuzz comp drives modulations time based FXs then amp. That will work pretty much always. You can swap the order of course, the only rule is that there are no rules. Haha! Cheers!

[@bluesound666]

@@KrisBarocsi should I put the compressor before or after Wah pedal?

[@olafnelsonduerksen9676]

@@bluesound666 After the Wah. It needs the direct punches from the guitar without filter. With a compressed signal the Sound wouldn't be so Wah wah.

[@PooNinja]

Comp helps to push it to the limit but not enter the danger zone unless ya want to 🤘🏽 Appy olidays To you and yours 🤘🏽

[@PooNinja]

Comp, gate and EQ three pedals that don’t seem exciting but make a world of difference 🤘🏽

[@KrisBarocsi]

Poo Ninja well said, wise Ninja, well said. And every now and then it’s nice to enter the danger zone too. Haha!

[@tomfoolery2082]

I have the bigger ego , I mean the bigger enclosure . I tried a few but a wampler ego is probably the last 1 for me . Do like the channel.

[@LewWelchThePoet]

🤘👍🏿

[@DarkoP9.13]

How about RC booster instead of compressor?

[@KrisBarocsi]

Darko P well is a different animal. Haha! Incredible booster, so for that it’s at least as good as the Ego, if not even better. For the rest mentioned in this video, the Ego is the better choice. Cheers!

[@justinpaquette224]

How would you dial it in for funk?

[@KrisBarocsi]

Hey, for a Cory Wong style funk tone: fast attack, fast release, higher ratio (if your compressor lets you change that) and a higher compressor/mix setting. That evens out the dynamics and makes the single notes super powerful sounding.

[@justinpaquette224]

@@KrisBarocsi Cool, I have the Nyle by Vertex so it don't have a release or ratio but I set it up mostly like you mention the only difference is that I set the attack at med rather than fast. When you say higher mix, you mean blend in a lot of the compressed signal rather than than the uncompressed tone, right?

[@InfiniteRhombus]

so an easy way to say what it does is that it makes things "sharper" kind of?

[@KrisBarocsi]

Absolutely! That’s a perfect description of what a good compressor does! 👏

[@tomfoolery2082]

Dan Stienhardt of TPS says a compressor is the overdrive for ur clean sound . But u probably knew tht.

[@KrisBarocsi]

Hey Tom, yeah Dan is awesome. We had a few good talks about compressors and we seem to have a very similar taste. Love the guy!

[@dezionlion]

Try a mirage compressor! It’s the secret weapon of Nashville studio musicians! Johnny cash’s daughter just bought one and she could afford any compressor!

[@theamericanaromantic]

Am I the only one that thinks compression doesn't really do as much as people claim? Maybe on gainy soloing but that's about it...

[@bossesg1]

compression can do a lot, sometimes too much. Sometimes it sounds better with less compression, which isn't as noticeable but can be really effective.

[@Monkeypole]

So you've never played funk guitar then?

[@MrWildboy214]

It does wonders for a solid soulful clean tone as well .

[@orbithesun1]

The problem with electric guitar, especially clean guitar is it makes women dry. LOL Women want to listen to computer programed EDM. If you want to pickup chicks and have them think you're not a bore, don't tell them you play guitar. :P

[@KrisBarocsi]

Yeah you tell that to John Mayer. It worked out pretty well for him I think. 😅

[@orbithesun1]

@@KrisBarocsi it didn’t hurt that he looked like a male model. Lmao

[@KrisBarocsi]

@@orbithesun1 true that 😅

[@maxwesmont]

lol what a funny comment. Is this serious?

[@orbithesun1]

@@maxwesmont 😜