Best compressor block for clean percussive sound

S

stereotactic

Experienced
Hello all, anybody have a suggestion for a compressor block for a clean, percussive rhythm sound, ala Madonna Lucky Star? I know it's probably a Strat with a chorus, but what's the compressor and is it a direct sound? If so is there a way to mimic a direct sound on the Axe2? Thanks!
 
For a direct sound, you can find a "null" IR and then use the Preamp section of the Cab block (no Amp block).
 
unix-guy said:
For a direct sound, you can find a "null" IR and then use the Preamp section of the Cab block (no Amp block).
Click to expand...

Very cool, would not have thought of that, thanks!

Does that track sound direct to you?

There's another Soul Sonic Force track from that era, "Shango", which I know first hand is direct. But "Lucky Star" has an almost slap back quality that makes me wonder if there are speakers involved...
 
stereotactic said:
Very cool, would not have thought of that, thanks!

Does that track sound direct to you?

There's another Soul Sonic Force track from that era, "Shango", which I know first hand is direct. But "Lucky Star" has an almost slap back quality that makes me wonder if there are speakers involved...
Click to expand...
Hard to say if it's direct for sure... It definitely has some of that quality.

I would guess it's likely a Strat...

As far as "slap back", in a direct scenario you can always add delay on mix down or as an insert on the mixer.

You could do the same on the Axe Fx - just stick a delay after your Cab block.
 
That's a nice guitar sound on that song. Most important is the snap. I think it has more to do with the way you have to overplay the strings than with a specific sound setting.

unix-guy said:
For a direct sound, you can find a "null" IR and then use the Preamp section of the Cab block (no Amp block).
Click to expand...

Where can I find a null IR?
 
Bodde said:
That's a nice guitar sound on that song. Most important is the snap. I think it has more to do with the way you have to overplay the strings than with a specific sound setting.



Where can I find a null IR?
Click to expand...
I've not used one... But I have seen numerous references here for one. Try a forum search?

I know there is one included on the Axe Fx III.

EDIT:

I found it:

http://axechange.fractalaudio.com/detail.php?cab=418
 
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Search YouTube for Nile Rodgers guitar videos. He pretty much invented funk guitar in the 70's. A Strat straight into the board is pretty common there.
 
stereotactic said:
Pardon my ignorance, but I've never downloaded anything from the exchange. I should use Fractal-Bot right? Do I need any other app to open it?
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I've never downloaded an IR from the exchange... I would assume you use FractalBot to load into a user cab slot.
 
Here's a preset I made on my AX8 and converted with FracTool. I gave a crack at it with headphones...it should be somewhere in the vicinity of the ballpark.

To me, a lot of that sound comes from the eq and a really fast delay. I tried the optical compressor with unix-guy's settings, and that seemed to help as well. Let me know what you think.
 

Attachments

  • Lucky Star - Direct - AxeFX II.syx
    6.3 KB · Views: 11
mr_fender said:
Search YouTube for Nile Rodgers guitar videos. He pretty much invented funk guitar in the 70's. A Strat straight into the board is pretty common there.
Click to expand...

That Lucky Star sound does sound very different than Niles' sound though. Not all funk guitar is the same.
 
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DanGuitarMan said:
Here's a preset I made on my AX8 and converted with FracTool. I gave a crack at it with headphones...it should be somewhere in the vicinity of the ballpark.

To me, a lot of that sound comes from the eq and a really fast delay. I tried the optical compressor with unix-guy's settings, and that seemed to help as well. Let me know what you think.
Click to expand...

Will do, thanks!
 
Niles uses very thin picks apparently. I'm sure that has something to do with his sound
 
Bodde said:
That Lucky Star sound does sound very different than Niles' sound though. Not all funk guitar is the same
Click to expand...

At the risk of stating the obvious, a lot of that tone is coming from the playing style itself.

Every single note is plucked really hard, so that the string "clanks" against the frets, and creates a form of "physical compression". Blues guys who play with their thumb or with their fingers get a very similar tone, since that kind of plucking tends to pull the string AWAY from the body, and the resultant recoil clanks against the fret. Bass players do the same thing w/ "slap n' pop" style.

I suspect that's what's going on in that single-note rhythm guitar style heard on this track.
 
A lot of the snap in Lucky Star has to do with picking technique. But you can help it along by dialing in a compressor with slow enough attack to let the initial snap come through before the compressor clamps down.
 
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Here's the preset after dialing it in on my CLR at gig volume. I would be fine taking it for a test spin in a live setting.
 

Attachments

  • Lucky Star - Direct 2.syx
    12.6 KB · Views: 15
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