compressor with longest sustain?

[crawler486]

Any suggestion?

Its going to be my next build.

I just finished MXR Envelope Filter. Liked it!

[petemoore]

Comps attenuate the volume of the signal based on how strong it is.
 When the string is first attacked, it's amplitude is high, and the Comp responds to this by attenuating the signal, as the note fades, [actually right after the initial attack depending on comp and settings] the attenuation is lessened, and more signal is allowed to pass.
 If the guitar amp, etc. isn't about ready to cause sustain by way of feedback through amplitude and/or voicing, the compressor may have only a small effect on how long a note sustains.
 If the guitar dampens the string 'more' than the feedback from the amp through the speakers, air and guitar to the string, causing it to resonate at some pitch, the compressor may not compensate.
 The Ross/Dyna has more 'squash' at certain settings, I prefer [for the most part] not to have the noticable rise in amplitude that accompany's 'squashy' settings[very noticable amplitude attenuation rise and fall] as the rate of rise varies from high notes to low ones, string to string.
  Setup 'right', I like the sound of the Dyna/Roos.
  I built the one with the extra parts on the board, whichever that one is.

[crawler486]

How do you compare Ross/Dyna with Orange Squeezer?

Which do you think is better

[brett]

That's easy.  The Ross is the same as the Dyna, but with a substantial amount of treble lost.  The Dyna/Ross allows MUCH more compression than an orange squeezer.  But I agree very much with Pete - the severe settings on the Dyna/Ross sound....severe.  So the practical range is not as wide as you first expect.

The Orange Squeezer is subtle, but good.  To my mind, it's more suited to acoustic and bluesy or jazzy playing, while the Dyna/Ross is great for rock and making a "consistently loud wall of sound".

hope that helps.

[crawler486]

Dyna/Ross compressor user CA3080 Operational Transconductance Amplifier.

Is it not similar to other OP amps? I have lots lying around and I wonder if it'll work.

thanks.

[Chris Goodson]

How do you compare Ross/Dyna with Orange Squeezer?

Ross=lotsa sustain
OS=none

[D Wagner]

Dyna/Ross compressor user CA3080 Operational Transconductance Amplifier.

Is it not similar to other OP amps? I have lots lying around and I wonder if it'll work.

thanks.

No.  The CA3080 is an operational transconducance amplifier.  This is quite different from most op amps, and is required for this project.

Derek

[Torchy]

Just to muddy the waters abit, I breadboarded the Flatline Compressor on John Hollis' site and was quite impressed with it.  Havent built the others so cant compare them.

[Mark Hammer]

The apparent sustain created by a compressor. regardless of how it works and what it uses to do its dirty business is a functionof two things: 1) the degree to which the incomng signal "forces" a reduction in gain, and 2) the rate at which the instantaneous reduction in gain recovers back to normal.

The Dyna/Ross sidechain circuit, also used in a number of other commercial devices like the Boss CS-2, is set up for very slow recovery time., which is why it enjoys such a good reputation for great sustain.  The Boss can do exactly the same thing, but where the Dyna/Ross has a preset recovery time, the CS-2 has a variable recovery control which includes that recovery time.

The OS can probably be set up for a similar recovery time, or an even longer one, by tweaking the appropriate components.

Please note, however, that any time one uses an envelope follower to control things (and a compressor is just a envelope-controlled gain cell, not that different than an envelope-controlled filter), there are ALWAYS tradeoffs in what the envelope time constants (attack/decay time) make better and make worse.  If the gain/level/boost is made to return slowly, then - yes - hanging onto a note will seem to produce a long singing sustain.  At the same time, it can do so because the gain cell is slowly "waking up".  If your intention is to pick faster than that, however, the compressor will appear unresponsive and sluggish, like it is trying to "hide" the attack of your notes.  That's one of the reasons why companies like Boss, Nobels, Pearl, and others include an "attack" control as an addition to the same basic envelope follower circuit used in the Dyna/Ross. And, as I'm now weary of pointing out, this is NOT an attack control, but a "recovery" control.