Should I build a compressor?

[soggybag]

Lately I notice I want to add a riff here and there against a chord. But I can't here it. So I was thinking about building a compressor. What would you recommend?

[Mark Hammer]

Well of course you should build a compressor!!

If you have a 3080, make a Dynacomp derivative (i.e., Dynacomp, Saffron Squeeze, Ross, etc.).  If you can find a 2N5457 easier than you can find a 3080, make an Orange Squeezer.  If you can find an optoisolator easier than you can find either of those two, make a Flatline.

[oldrocker]

I'm still going to say the Orange Squeezer.  It's a matter of opinion but I love it.

[oldrocker]

.

[frank_p]

Is it me or the Boss compressor is "very drastic".  I would want to build one too but not if it is as effective as the Boss one.

[Processaurus]

The orange squeezer does a good job of subtly evening out chord and single note parts, I benefited from it most playing with a loud band rather than tinkering at home, it had a subconcsious kind of effect where you could just hear what you're playing better and sweeter.  that sounds like marketing, ha, but it is a musical (though subtle) effect.

It is noisy (by noisy I mean self noise, not just the inevitable rise in noise floor from using compression) if you run it in front of distortion, but it doesn't really help with distortion (unlike the dynacomp/ross, which is a great distortion accessory), so it's more of a clean guitar tool.

Either that or an optical compressor with a slow release, I'd avoid the dynacomp type pedals unless you wanted obvious, sound effect type compression.  Also I believe the OS acts more like a compressor vs the dynacomp, which acts like a limiter (albeit with a slow attack).

Actually, building both into a box is a handy combination:
http://www.aronnelson.com/gallery/main.php/v/Processaurus/project-leavings/dairygroup.jpg.html

[frank_p]

Ok, Thanks Ben for all the infos.  I'll meditate on that.  But I think the double one is a good idea.
I remember your dairy product post by looking at your picture: nice design.  I'll have a look at those circuits because I never looked at compressors seriously.  I am playing in a very loud band with barely no distortion so.  Yesterday I had a pratice and my sound disappeared in the rest of the band: and it's not because my amp is tame.  Maybe the Orange squeezer could help me.  And thanks also for the previous advice to...   (; 

[FlyingZ]

Is it me or the Boss compressor is "very drastic".  I would want to build one too but not if it is as effective as the Boss one.

Oh yes, on my live rig the OS bumped the CS-3 instantly and without question although the CS-3 still sounds killer on recordings as a limiter.

I find it odd that in my four OS builds there is such a difference in quality. Maybe its the vintage RC4558P's IDK

[Crazyyellowfox]

The Orange Squeezer is probably the most _useable_ of any of the boxes I've built, and by that I mean I usually have it on all the time!
it just adds mojo to the tone that you really miss when it's not there. I've tried other compressors, but they are not as subtle or
as sparkly clean and color the tone a lot more. The only drawback to the OS is it is a bit noisy, but I will never hold that against
it for the magic that it does far outweighs the hiss.

Very easy to build too, I've put three of these together.

I always find myself going back to the one I built back in '99 where I
had to sub 2N5484 FETs because that's all I had and instead of the 1N100 I used a 1N34 I robbed out of an old '70s 8-track deck.
A few years back I found some real 1N100s and made another OS with the proper 2N5457 FETs and it just didn't have the same
mojo going on. But my most recently built OS is fantastic and even noisier than the other two, because I subbed the opamp for
Joe Davisson's discrete diode-comp opamp with germanium transistors. It's gonna take the place as my 'clean' compressor while
my original ten year old OS will be my pre-distortion compressor.

[soggybag]

Great info, keep it coming. I'm planning to build something. I have the parts to build any of these, OS, Ross or Flatline.

I found a broken Coron Compressor in the "pile of stuff that I was going to fix some day..." I took a look inside. There appears to be two boards. One looks like a bypass circuit. The other is the compressor. It has two knobs Volume and Intensity.

The effect looks to be built around a 741, a couple transistors and an Optocoupler. Very interesting. I couldn't place as anything I had seen before. I could take a few pictures if anyone is interested.

[Ben N]

Yes. Next question?

Take a look at your Coron thingie, and see if it is anything like the DOD 280 (one of the more popular optical designs; not at all subtle, but do a search, I think there are siome threads around here for how to modify to taste).

[aziltz]

if you go with the OS, find some way to add a sustain control.  there are a couple of different ways but its a great way to add more versatility to the box.

[punkin]

My appologies if I derail the thread. I hope my question will help to add/enhance.

I don't have access to any compressor pedals nor have I really demo'd any but my POD 2.0 does have a compressor feature. I too am looking to build one and, while I can appreciate a clean-ish compressor, I would like one that can go over the top as well. Something full-range to flatten a nice clean guitar as well as going over the top for some heavy metal stuff.

Could someone suggest a DIY pedal with this kind of flexibility?

[soggybag]

This Coron looks like it has a 741, which is a single op-amp. The DOD 280 uses two op-amps. The Coron is something different I suspect.