Help me decide on a compressor pedal please.

[Kornflake]

I've been looking at a lot of compressor pedals lately.  I'm really digging the TC Dynamics compressor pedal but it's kind of pricey.  I found a MXR Dyna Comp on kijiji for $40 Canadian.  Should I just settle for this pedal or should I hold out and spend the extra money on the TC pedal?

What compressor do you use/recommend?

[SnakeEyes]

I recommend the same pedal that I'm going to buy soon:  the Keeley compressor.  Look it up on You Tube.  It's about $250, but it's amazing. 

[kirbywelch92]

I recommend the same pedal that I'm going to buy soon:  the Keeley compressor.  Look it up on You Tube.  It's about $250, but it's amazing. 

I would highly recommend this advice, but from someone who owns a Dyna Comp it is a great pedal, it is noisy though. Make sure you have a noise gate.

[SnakeEyes]

Yeah, I had the Dyna Comp for a while (I borrowed it from someone) and it was INSANELY noisy.  Sounded great, but I just couldn't take the noise.  It was ridiculous. 

[Kornflake]

Thanks for the heads up on the noise.  I don't have a noise gate so I guess I'll stay away from the Dyna.  I'll have to check out the Keeley next time I'm at Guitar Center.  Thanks for the info.

[SnakeEyes]

If the Guitar Centers around your area are anything like they are around here, you won't find a Keeley there.  Guitar Center doesn't sell any of that really cool boutique stuff.  You'll find a crappy, mid-priced Jackson there, but not a really nice Suhr or Tom Anderson, for example.  They cater to all the teenagers who just want to plug in to an amp with tons of distortion and go "CHUGGA CHUGGA" or "WEEEDLY WEEEEDLY."  Sorry for the rant on GC, but it's true.  LOL

[Basekick]

If the Guitar Centers around your area are anything like they are around here, you won't find a Keeley there.  Guitar Center doesn't sell any of that really cool boutique stuff.  You'll find a crappy, mid-priced Jackson there, but not a really nice Suhr or Tom Anderson, for example.  They cater to all the teenagers who just want to plug in to an amp with tons of distortion and go "CHUGGA CHUGGA" or "WEEEDLY WEEEEDLY."  Sorry for the rant on GC, but it's true.  LOL

As someone who has worked at Guitar Center, I can certainly agree with the lack of Keeley accessories.  We generally stick to big names and rarely receive items from smaller companies (there are exceptions, such as Godin guitars), but we did carry some cool stuff normally in our used sections.  I am going to say though that we certainly did not "cater to all the teenagers who just want to plug in to an amp with tons of distortion".  We fucking hated these people (we called em "Wankers") Lol.  I sold electric guitars, and about 90% of the customers I dealt amps or guitars to had no such opinion. 

I'm just saying to be fair here, don't get the opinion that I'm trying to defend Guitar Center like it's a holy sanctuary.  While it wasn't a horrible company at all, there's a reason I don't work there anymore 

[guysullavin]

As someone who has worked at Guitar Center, I can certainly agree with the lack of Keeley accessories.  We generally stick to big names and rarely receive items from smaller companies (there are exceptions, such as Godin guitars)

Godin only looks like a small company outside of Canada

[Kornflake]

I live in Canada near the U.S. border.  Guitar Center has a billion times the selection that I get at the music stores in my area.  Not saying that it's a great store, but compared to what I have near my house it's like heaven.
Where might I find Keeley products?  I'd really prefer to try one in person before I commit $200+ to buying a compressor pedal online or something.

[rumborak]

Slightly off-topic, but the noise issues are one of the main reasons why these days I go solely for integrated solutions, i.e. multi-FX units (I have the Axe-FX). Since internally everything is digital, noise problems are a total thing of the past for me.

rumborak

[Sir GuitarCozmo]

Speaking of noise, I had a Hush IICX noise reducer in my rack, once.  It made my tone sound like absolute shit.

[SnakeEyes]

Slightly off-topic, but the noise issues are one of the main reasons why these days I go solely for integrated solutions, i.e. multi-FX units (I have the Axe-FX). Since internally everything is digital, noise problems are a total thing of the past for me.

Depending on the unit, there is a compromise with tone, though.  For example, I think that using pedals SOUNDS better than rack gear/ effects processors, but there's no doubt that it's a little noisier.  But, the solution is to just use a gate.  You end up using a gate on the rack stuff, too.  If you try to turn off the gate on those units, you'll hear just as much noise (probably even more) than with pedals. 

Not arguing, by the way, just giving a different point of view on what you said. 

[Sir GuitarCozmo]

I've always kinda thought that way about pedals.  That pedal has ONE purpose.  To provide distortion (or delay or chorus or whatever).  It devotes all of its circuits to providing that one part of your sound.  I always figured that multi-fx compromised that some, by all of the units cirtuis trying to provide you LOTS of things at once instead of being solely focused on giving you ONE thing.

That said, I use an ADA MP-1 and an Alesis Quadraverb. 

[Kornflake]

I have never been a fan of multi-pedals either.  My standpoint has always been "why get a pedal that does everything ok, when you can get a few pedals and have it all sound great?"  Especially since multi-pedals have so much stuff in them that I will never use in a million years.
That said, I just traded in a few of my pedals for a Line 6 M13 about a month or two ago and I love it.  It has compressors on it, but I'm not in love with them.
I think that with the way technology has been moving, the digital stuff is getting so much better that it's not nearly as far off from the analog pedals as it used to be.  10 years ago, I would have never considered getting a multi-pedal, but now I have one and I love it.

[rumborak]

But, the solution is to just use a gate.  You end up using a gate on the rack stuff, too.  If you try to turn off the gate on those units, you'll hear just as much noise (probably even more) than with pedals. 

A couple of points:

1. "Just use a gate". A noise gate is the absolute sledgehammer of signal management; it is essentially a capitulation against your sound, where you say "everything below this level is complete crap, and thus I shut it out". So, noise gates in and themselves are a bad sign and should never be taken lightly.
2. "If you try to turn off the gate on those units, you'll hear just as much noise (probably even more) than with pedals." Sorry, but what a nonsense statement. What causes the noise in the signal chain are A/D converters. In a multi-effect unit there are 2, one for input, the other for output. In-between everything is digital and thus suffers no signal degradation. In pedal world, each pedal has 2 A/D converters, which means you're stacking up noise over noise the more pedals you concatenate. Sure, if you use 3 really high-end pedals and compare it against one really shitty multi-effect you might end up with less noise with the pedals, but in general the multi-effects are better with signal degradation.
The problem of multi-effects used to be that they tried to Jack of all trades, master of none. That's essentially the only valid reason for going for pedals, since they focus on doing one thing right. But, I think that criticism against multi-effect is no longer really valid either, since units like the Axe-FX have phenomenal effects, and on top you get software updates that continuously improve the sound.

rumborak

[SnakeEyes]

No, that's not the only valid reason for going with pedals.  With pedals, you can easily choose which ones go through the loop (and in what order) and which ones go through the front of the amp.  For example, I like my delay, chorus and reverb to go through the loop with an order of:  chorus, delay, reverb  .... but, I like my compression, boost and wah to go into the front of the amp.  Some units, you can't even do that with.

Secondly - concerning the noise gate issue - I'm happy for you that you don't get a ton of noise if you turn off your gate.  But, I had a T.C. Electronics G Major and it was extremely noisy with the gate off. 

Thirdly - I've heard tons of clips of the Axe FX.  I haven't heard anything that makes me piss my pants over it.  I mean, it doesn't sound bad, but for $1,500-$2000 (depending on the model).... the clips I've heard don't justify the price. 

[SnakeEyes]

(edit.... sorry, getting redundant)