Tag: Boss CS3

Going Cheap and Classic

There’s a lot of new gear out there. Some of it is worth the price, some of it may be hype. I’m not here to say what anyone should buy, only what I know from experience as to what’s reliable and usually less expensive. What I find as a general rule is that there are some pieces of gear that never change and have been in use for a long time, for good reason:

  1. Tech 21 GT2- say what you will about the new digital stuff, this analog pedal is the OG of amp simulators (actually the Sansamp classic). The foundation tone.
  2. MXR Phase 90- one knob, lots of phase sounds, from Pink Floyd vibe to rotary speaker sounds.
  3. Boss DD3- get the new one with tap tempo, the DD3T. This covers every ambience on stage.
  4. TC Ditto Looper- the easiest, most reliable looper.
  5. Pedaltrain nano or nano plus- the most organized pedalboard. Your spouse will thank you.
  6. Boss BD2- clean boost to overdrive to hard rock.
  7. Boss CS3- clean boost and transparent compression. Boss really made it right.
  8. Yamaha CP Reface- a really good set of keys to have and easy to transport.
  9. Mackie CRT desk monitors- great sound for $99.
  10. Shure Sm58- good vocals already EQed for you. And yes, you can mic instruments with it.

These pieces will save you money in the long run because you wont keep replacing them. So stop the gear acquisition syndrome and go classic.

And that’s that.

How to Use Compression

While conscious dynamics are an important part of music, accidental ones such as uneven picking can make you sound less than stellar.

I have spent most of my life playing solid state amps, with the exception of a few great times where I played a nice Marshall or a Fender tube amp. In my experience,most solid state amps don’t accurately represent the envelope of the note you’re playing. There is this “runaway” feel, even on clean settings, that makes you lose confidence in your ability to control their playing, resulting in sometimes overly weak picking.

A good compressor can actually shape the envelope of sound. Every sound has what we call it’s envelope, or in synthesizer terminology, its ADSR ( attack decay sustain release).

Attack is how fast a sound comes in. Guitars, drums, anything percussive has a quick attack. Violins or woodwind instruments come in more slowly, so they have a slower attack.

Decay is how much time an instrument takes to go from it’s initial attack to the main body of the sound. Sustain is how life by the main body lasts, and release is how long the sound fades out.

One should use a compressor to mimic the ideal envelope or ADSR of the sound, but there are exceptions. Some styles of playing require a more flat (squashed) envelope to even out all the notes, while others demand an audibly obvious entry and exit of the compressor (pumping).

I personally like a very subtle compression that clamps down certain frequencies and levels and gives a smooth feeling to the song. For this I use a Boss CS3 compressor. It’s not really obvious, but if you A / B on and off the difference is there.

I run everything thru this compressor, even drum loops. It’s not expensive and it can really help to make your sound more complete.

I used to be against compressors, but they’ve added a lot of value to my pedal board.

And that’s that.