AFX Compression Tips (including the new 9.02 features)

I am very happy that users here are finding these tips helpful! Compression has always been an important part of my sounds, and the AFX has a lot to offer in this department (much more than other 'hi-end' units).

PS: Any more tips I may decide to add will be added to the original (long) post, so you may want to refer back to it from time to time to 'update' any copies you may have saved or printed.

~Radster~

PPS: I am hoping that these tips will spark a new interest in the AFX compression and that the discussion & experimentation will be ongoing - no one has learned all the tricks & techniques possible within the AFX. I look forward to hearing other's ideas. ;)
 
I was enjoying the post until you said,"So easy a caveman can do it!"
GeicoCavemen2.jpg

:lol:

Great tutorial! Very easy to follow and apply.Very much appreciated!
Thx Rad!!
 
Radley:

As usual, your tips and assistance are both greatly appreciated, and EXTREMELY helpful (not all 'how-to's' are so comprehensive and baseline for us less knowledgeable folks!) You make a huge difference for those of us who want to learn, but need a step through like you've described.

And I've tried out your settings. I have to say I have NOT been a fan of the compressor, and it turns out I just don't know how to dial one in (assumed the default settings should be just fine...or close). I've added compression to 3 presets already, and working on a fourth. I LOVE the kick it gives to the JCM and Plexi amps...instant controllable feedback at whisper volumes!

I have not gone through the actual tutorial piece in action (only read through), as I am one of those 'give me the settings, and I'll get right to it' kind of guys.

Thanks again!

Ron
 
Radley, eventhough I'm not new to compression, I have to say that you really have an inspiring way of writing. Meant in the most positive way possible !
I pretty much spend the whole of last evening with just listening to the tiny little subtleties. Little things like how a 'smooth' setting together with RMS compares to 'hard' with RMS and so on. By now I'm actually almost blown away by how versatile the Axe's comp has become and how transparent you can get it to sound. I think the first pedal I'm really gonna sell in years is my Keeley C4. Don't see any need for that anymore.

Do you have some post-amp-compression settings to share ? IIRC, not just Lukather, but also Landau uses p-a-c in his main rig. Maybe you've got some good settings to get us started.

Thanks again. Looking forward to your next 'article' :D !
 
VegaBaby said:
Do you have some post-amp-compression settings to share ? IIRC, not just Lukather, but also Landau uses p-a-c in his main rig. Maybe you've got some good settings to get us started.

Thanks again. Looking forward to your next 'article' :D !
Click to expand...

Although I'm not presently using PAC, I have used it in the past mainly for containing overdriven low end, especially with low sustained notes using the Neck PU. You might try starting with a 2.5:1 Ratio with the Auto ON, RMS, and LookAhead 1.0. Now adjust the Threshold to where it only hits the loudest parts (or a bit more, if you dig the effect). Once you find a good setting, you can try using the Filter - it may or may not improve things, depending on many variables. You can also try manually setting both Attack and Release to 10 - this can sometimes avoid 'synthetic' attacks and pumping from the post compression.

Good Luck!

~Rad~
 
Thanks for the tips Radley - it's quite helpful. I like a touch of compression just to keep the volume on cleans more consistent for live shows, and your suggested settings were much more subtle and natural than what I was able to manage. :D
 
Radley said:
VegaBaby said:
Do you have some post-amp-compression settings to share ? IIRC, not just Lukather, but also Landau uses p-a-c in his main rig. Maybe you've got some good settings to get us started.

Thanks again. Looking forward to your next 'article' :D !
Click to expand...

Although I'm not presently using PAC, I have used it in the past mainly for containing overdriven low end, especially with low sustained notes using the Neck PU. You might try starting with a 2.5:1 Ratio with the Auto ON, RMS, and LookAhead 1.0. Now adjust the Threshold to where it only hits the loudest parts (or a bit more, if you dig the effect). Once you find a good setting, you can try using the Filter - it may or may not improve things, depending on many variables. You can also try manually setting both Attack and Release to 10 - this can sometimes avoid 'synthetic' attacks and pumping from the post compression.

Good Luck!

~Rad~
Click to expand...
I did a very quick setup yesterday night, setting it up pretty much like a 160a. Had ratio at around 3:1, threshold around -20 and attack and release on auto, but set up approximately to how the 160a reacts. Wasn't perfect yet, but thanks to 'mix' still subtle enough. I'll play around with it some more though when I find a couple of hours :)
 
Finally had a chance to actually follow along and tweak whilst reading. Wow - what a great way to write a tutorial and an even better way to learn!! This has really opened up the compressor for me and made it really usable - and I still have a lot of parameters/settings to get my head around. I have never owned a comp and I really had no clue before trying to dial it in.

Listening to all the little differences in settings (and being clued in as to what to expect thanks to the tutorial) was awesome! I found I was digging lower ratios better - 3:1 and under, but I was just tweaking by myself - we'll se how it sits with the band on the weekend. As was said above it was also neat to see how the comp can help get feedback at low levels with a saturated amp. Thanks again Radley - your tips are insanely good!!
 
Axisman5150 said:
I was enjoying the post until you said,"So easy a caveman can do it!"
GeicoCavemen2.jpg

:lol:

Great tutorial! Very easy to follow and apply.Very much appreciated!
Thx Rad!!
Click to expand...
I love this Caveman dude - somehow I feel he is a part of my recent family tree!!! ('Deliverance Theme' playing softly in the background....)
 
A lot of useful info compressed in one post, Radley! I had not expected this anymore :cool:
Already saw a few eye-opening bits in the first half. Hopefully ear-opening bits and more reaction when I get to experimenting (I tend to be Axe-lazy, switching between hobbies all the time... :oops: )
So THANKS!! & a deserved *bump*

Here's someone else mentioning the DBX160A used only as a limiter by Mike Landau:
www.hugeracksinc.com/forum/viewtopic.ph ... 63#p669433
 
I must be missing something. 22 years I cant get into compressors. I have gone threw everything Radley is saying (Two hours now) at the end of it all I still have the same opinion on guitar based compressor as I did 15 years ago (It makes your hard loud hits quit and your soft hits loud) It just feels so backwards to me. I hit the guitar hard because I want it loud I hit it soft cause I want it soft. But dammit everyone uses compression to Fatten up there sound I just dont hear it all that is fatter is the tail of the not just gets louder. Am I the only one that does not like guitar compression?? I feel like an odd ball the fish swimming the wrong way. Worse yet like I am missing out on BETTER tone. I should note that all my editing has lead me to ratio at 2, hard knee filter 10hz attack 9 release 6.5 thres at 50 mix 100 so I am going to call this a very subtle compressing?
 
Harley, what kind of music/style/tones are you going for? Depending on context, you may not need them. On the other hand, it may just be a matter of fine tuning and your expectation of what a compressor is supposed to "sound" like....and that is a dilemma, as generally speaking, properly used compression is not terribly noticeable unless you are using very drastic settings for a particular desired "effect" (sucking or pseudo-reverse, or slow attack "slow gear" effect, or that "John Bonham" room drum sound, etc.).
 
Harley said:
I must be missing something. 22 years I cant get into compressors. I have gone threw everything Radley is saying (Two hours now) at the end of it all I still have the same opinion on guitar based compressor as I did 15 years ago (It makes your hard loud hits quit and your soft hits loud) It just feels so backwards to me. I hit the guitar hard because I want it loud I hit it soft cause I want it soft. But dammit everyone uses compression to Fatten up there sound I just dont hear it all that is fatter is the tail of the not just gets louder. Am I the only one that does not like guitar compression?? I feel like an odd ball the fish swimming the wrong way. Worse yet like I am missing out on BETTER tone. I should note that all my editing has lead me to ratio at 2, hard knee filter 10hz attack 9 release 6.5 thres at 50 mix 100 so I am going to call this a very subtle compressing?
Click to expand...

No you're not. I never could get the compressor patches I made to "feel right" when I played live. When I was experimenting with that I did one gig with one on per accident and was going completely nuts from the
change in dynamic response. After that I just stopped looking for a way to use them (for now anyway.....) There are plenty of good sounding guitarists who do not use a compressor.

Using them on a recorded track is completely different to me since I then don't have to feel it.

Jens
 
Thanks so much Radley. this post has helped me a lot and i just wanted to thank you. Its people like you that make this place one of the best forums to belong to.
 
Radley -

First off - AWE-SOME! This is one of the best pieces I have read on guitar compression (and one of the best overall as well). Thank you for taking the time to do this! I saw a reference to it in a recent thread, found it, and have printed it out for my 'Tips & Tricks' binder on the Axe-FX II.

Now the question... I have been a compression junkie for years, and certainly since the mid-90's when I first heard the Hellecasters. I have adapted it to my patch building process, and frequently do add a compressor at the front of the signal chain for various reasons (the effect itself, boost, sustain, it depends...). After reading your paper/msg, I was surprised to find your statements about the ATTACK and RELEASE rates. I have used compressors for ages, pedal and otherwise, and this was the first time I had heard these being labled as RATES as opposed to absolute times.

I went through your tutorial section and what I saw on the gain reduction meter (page 2 of the compressor edit screen) bore out my previous experiences... larger numbers don't appear to be faster, but slower. A simple test of changing the RELEASE time from 100ms to 600ms showed that the meter's recovery time was much slower with the 600ms setting. It also seems to be true (albeit judged by ear) of the ATTACK settings as well.

So, I went back to the manual. Here's what I dug out:

ATT – Attack rate sets how fast the Compressor reduces the volume once the threshold is exceeded. Forguitar, a fast attack rate often works best.


REL – Release rate determines how quickly the output volume returns to normal once the input level fallsbelow the compressor’s threshold. Fast release rates can produce a snappy attack, but a setting that is too fast
can cause distortion if used in conjunction with fast attack times and high compression ratios. Slow releasetimes can keep the entire signal quiet, reducing the gain of passages even though they are below the setthreshold.
In general the release rate should be set slightly faster than the natural release rate of the program material.An easy way to set the release rate is to strum a chord, watch the gain reduction meter (on PG2 of the EDITmenu) and set RELEASE rate so the decay observed is slightly faster than the natural decay of the instrument.




So, while I do notice the use of the word rate here, empirically it appears to be just a time. Can you please verify? Another thing that tipped me was that rates are usually expressed in terms of {variable}/per unit-of-time. These appear to be labeled as just units of the variable, in this case milliseconds. Do you think the word rate was just used inadvertently in the description?

In any case, I need a recalibration. Please let me know what the scoop is.

Thanks!
 
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