The Fine Points of Compression

In my last column, we talked about compressor basics, so now you’re totally comfortable with all the compressor controls. You’ve cracked the code on what all those little knobs and switches do and now comes the real fun: figuring out how to actually use the thing.

Maybe more than any other effect, compression is a type of seasoning, and like salt, the line between tastefully enhanced and completely ruined can be a thin one.

Clean Tone Glue
If you play clean, or even edge-of-breakup, compression might be the secret sauce you didn’t know you were missing. A compressor in front of your amp smooths out dynamics, helping every note ring with equal authority—great for funk rhythms, arpeggiated picking, and those bell-like Strat runs that just need a little more shimmer and staying power. Compression reins in dynamics, unifying your sound and gluing it together.

Country players have stuck with compression for decades. And not just any compression—often high ratios and fast attacks with liberal makeup gain to keep those percussive chicken-pickin’ runs present without being overwhelming.

Tightening Dirty Tones
You might think compressors are only for clean tones, but they can actually bring order to the chaos of an overdriven rig. Place a compressor before a dirt pedal or amp and it can tame uneven pick attack, keeping the signal more consistent. While compression can help make up for a slightly undisciplined right hand, don’t stop those picking exercises cold turkey. Too much compression into distortion can flatten your dynamics.

Some players also run compressors after overdrive. It can be a more surgical application, less about sustain and more about volume consistency. Think like a mastering engineer, and subtly control the chirps and squawks that fast, articulate playing sometimes produces.

Sustained Leads Without SaturationWant sustain for days without drowning in distortion? Try compression. By squashing the initial transient and boosting the tail of the note, a compressor can keep a solo singing even at lower gain settings. Add in some delay and reverb and you’ve just entered the realm of David Gilmour. Origin Effects’ SlideRIG stacks two compressors in series to add obscene amounts of sustain without getting into Soldano levels of distortion.