Anyone using Speaker Compression?

boyce89976 said:
I've been using it some to match dynamics when running two different amps... like a Tweed Deluxe and an AC20. I'll use speaker compression on the Tweed for that last little bit of compression to match the AC20's dynamic range.
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Yes indeed, it does come in very handy for dual amp fine tune matching. Good point.
 
Clockwork Creep said:
So, to get the most authentic result (Especially for use with real guitar cabs) should I keep it on or not? Now Cliff says to make 0 the default...
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Speaker compression is simulating a guitar cab speaker so if you're using a real cab, it would be more "authentic" to have it off while with monitors/IEMs it's probably be more "authentic" to have it on.

There isn't a perfect default setting because there are multiple use cases. Maybe Cliff is saying use 0 now as he now prefers it generally (he sometimes changes his preferences and recommendations). Still "use your ears" applies to all cases.
 
I don’t dial in any speaker compression myself but I will take another look at it for sure. Boyce89976 use looks interesting.

As a thought ....I think crank a real amp/cab setup up and take note of when speaker compression kicks in (if any). Will most likely go beyond stage levels.

Note desirability and any sweet spots.

See if one can match the sound with the Axe using the speaker compression parameter.

Now that sound is available for you at any volume.

However, I think speaker compression is a dynamic phenomenon at higher SPL and compression varies during actual playing dynamics?

Not sure if once you dial some in on the Axe....compression is constant or varies with playing dynamics.
 
Clockwork Creep said:
That's the thing tho! Cliff said to keep it on when using real cabs before!
http://forum.fractalaudio.com/threa...2-00-public-beta-2.144615/page-2#post-1710669

So is it really a speaker property, and not an amp reaction to a speaker property? I don't get it!
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FAS say, 'If using a tube power amp into a traditional cab all should be zero. If using a solid-state amp into a traditional cab I would recommend Speaker Compression and Compliance not be zero.'

Tube power amp has its own interaction with speaker. SS power amp doesn't interact with speaker. With SS power amp into real cab, if you leave it on you get the interaction modelling. If you leave it on with a tube power amp you get both modeled interaction and real interaction.
 
I've always left speaker compression and speaker compliance at their default values. I'll have to see what it sounds like if I turn it down to 0...

As for Speaker Drive, I've found it adds a nice bit of flavor in trace amounts (I have 0.05 on one amp and 0.09 on another).
 
reclavea said:
However, I think speaker compression is a dynamic phenomenon at higher SPL and compression varies during actual playing dynamics?

Not sure if once you dial some in on the Axe....compression is constant or varies with playing dynamics.
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Speaker compression is caused by heating of the voice coil. This heating and cooling take place in a fraction of a second, so it is affected by how fast you play, how hard you play, how loudly you play...
 
Rex said:
Speaker compression is caused by heating of the voice coil. This heating and cooling take place in a fraction of a second, so it is affected by how fast you play, how hard you play, how loudly you play...
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Another factor is the strength of the magnet. There's a reason EVM12L magnets are 16 lbs. It makes the magnetic field stiffer even when pushing against it with 200W of force. AlNiCo has an interesting hysterisis that plays with the signal, too. IIRC, the old EV SRO speakers had a huge AlNiCo magnet. I wish Ted Weber were still around to explain this stuff, as he was pretty boned up on this stuff. Never got to meet him in person, but was online friends with him for almost 20 years. Got to meet his son TA, though, a couple years back when I rolled through Kokomo on my way to my mom's place in Winamac.
 
Rex said:
Speaker compression is caused by heating of the voice coil. This heating and cooling take place in a fraction of a second, so it is affected by how fast you play, how hard you play, how loudly you play...
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Thanks Rex. So it is a dynamically affected response.
 
Any compression is for that matter

I personally found that setting it to 0 was preferable by far as it gave me more dynamic feel, but for a more 'authentic' feel with a loud speaker you can dial in a bit
 
Compression is a funny beast. Depending on how it’s set up, it can make your tone bouncier and more lively instead of less dynamic.
 
austinbuddy said:
Sure. All the Dreams Rigs presets use zero SPKR COMP. It feels a little more immediate under your hands to me. But you can add a smidgeon and see if you like it, sometimes it is good.
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for me as a huge MESA amp sim user on these amps it feels sharp and kinda harsh when it set to 0 and it feels fat and big under my hands when it set at 3 but with less upper mids and air frequency details
 
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I finally got around to messing with the Speaker Compression. My main amps are the Tweed (default 1.83) and Plexi (default 3.00). Turning it down was the big piece I was missing in getting the dynamics and feel where I wanted. I landed on a lot less than the defaults but more than 0. Ultimately, this is a parameter that needs to be tweaked by ear. A default "authentic" value is dependent on too many variables on the speaker side to be possible.

I think 0 is a better default than what is in there currently, at least for the amps I use.
 
FractalAudio said:
I used to use it a lot but with the new modeling I'm finding I keep turning it way down or off. I'm thinking of making the default value 0.
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I still prefer this setting on 0.00 throughout the firmware iterations that have been released since this original post, and change it to 0.00 from the default which is still 1.00 after a block reset. Any thoughts on re-visiting this at all, especially in light of CNFB, etc.?
 
Stratoblaster said:
I still prefer this setting on 0.00 throughout the firmware iterations that have been released since this original post, and change it to 0.00 from the default which is still 1.00 after a block reset. Any thoughts on re-visiting this at all, especially in light of CNFB, etc.?
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Actually, there was a big overhaul of the speaker compression algorithm between when this post was originally written and now. Personally, I’m a pretty big fan of the speaker compression nowadays.
 
giantslayer said:
Actually, there was a big overhaul of the speaker compression algorithm between when this post was originally written and now. Personally, I’m a pretty big fan of the speaker compression nowadays.
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I thought as much too but haven't dug deep enough to track all the changes, release notes, etc. since then. Am curious as to what users might be doing with it these days. I'm generally not a fan of compression unless it's on cleaner tones. I like a rude, punchy, generally unrefined/unpolished articulate attack, like the amp output is plugged directly into your head heh.
 
If you like immediate feel of attack of string under your fingers like a stiffer amp, set it at zero. If you like your amp to be softer and squishier under your fingers, raise it - but not too much. When you raise, your overall volume goes down, so you may need to raise the Level to compensate. I generally leave it at zero myself, or maybe for some cleans add a small touch <1.0. But experiment! All that matters is what sound you like and how it feels to play it!
 
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