Compression: Mix control

yek

yek

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My favorite album these days is Big Wreck's Albatross (brought to my attention through this forum).

I love the songs, singing, arrangements. And superb guitar tones too: powerful, great fuzz tones, and great transparent compression.

So I googled Ian Thornley's gear. He uses Fortin and Soldano amps and Pigtronix effects, such as the Philosophers Tone: a combined compressor/sustainer/overdrive (see video below). This compressor has a Blend control, which in fact is a mix control.

So I checked out the COMP block in the Axe-Fx (I used Pedal 2 mode) and realized it has a Mix control which I've never set below 100% (as advised in the manual).

I've been experimenting with that. And lower Mix settings work great, especially with distorted tones.

Just wanted to share this with you.


 
I used to use a Barber Tone Press (among other pedal compressors) for this reason- had a blend knob. Worked really well in fact..
 
Exactly, parallel compression. You can use lower thresholds, shorter attack times and higher ratios with that method without killing your transients or smashing the life out of it.
Really cool for thickening the signal.
 
merlin17 said:
Exactly, parallel compression. You can use lower thresholds, shorter attack times and higher ratios with that method without killing your transients or smashing the life out of it.
Really cool for thickening the signal.
Click to expand...

Exactly! This is key to my use of the Comp block for bass guitar tones, also. The transients and squishiness of the bass can go to he!! pretty quickly if you overdo the compression, especially with the Pedal 1 and Pedal 2 types. I use the pedal 2 type often, with Sustain set so that there is always a few db of compression, and then adjust the mix to recapture dynamics as needed. If not for the MIX parameter, the Comp Block would be seriously compromised IMHO, at least for the way I use it on bass. Would still love to see a vintage compressor emulation in the Comp block.
 
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this should work pretty good to get some sweet, controllable feedback going with a great lead tone. That's what I'm going to try
 
100% agreed on how freaking killer everything about that album is - and thanks for the tip on the compression!
 
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