Compressor with acoustic amp/gypsy guitar

guit_box

I've been using a combination of the audio technica soundhole mic (the better one with the flatter frequency response -- i forget the model) and a bigtone pickup. I mix it so the bigtone is giving the bulk of the mid to low end and use just little of the mic to brighten up the sound. All this gets run through an AER compact 60. The sound is acceptable, but the attack can be a bit harsh and I think some compression to squash the heavy attacks would even out the sound a bit. Since I use the AER piezo input to preamp the bigtone, I can't use a stompbox compressor such as the MXR dynacomp to do the job. Also, since the mxr is designed more for electric it tends to cut a lot of the high end and the compression is a little too intense even on the lowest setting. I'd like to find something that works at line-level that I could use in the effects send of the AER. I'd also prefer something small (like a stomp box) that will be easy to pack in my gig bag. But the standard electric guitar stomp boxes don't seem to be compatible for a line-level send. Does anyone have a suggestion that has worked for them?

pinkgary

Turn the gain up on your compact 60 & the master down as it has a built in limiter. Or get a fishman ProEQ platinum preamp that has a nice compressor in it.

guit_box

I hadn't seen that the fishman has a compressor. It won't solve my problem since it doesn't have a mic input, but it still looks interesting so I'll give it a listen.

I think I need something that will work in an effects send.

pinkgary

From my understanding a compressor won't work properly on the effects send of something like the compact 60. You get a mix of an original signal with a compressed one.

guit_box

The manual for the AER is not the best, but the way I read it, the signal is going exclusively thru the external effect, unless you blend in some of the internal effect using the pan. So you use the mix/blend control on your external effect to mix the dry/wet signals. You use the aer pan control in an odd way to combine or remove the external effects and internal effects. You can also purchase a double footswitch to turn off (bypass) the internal and external effects. I may have to get the footswitch to use the external effect on both channels without using the internal effects, which I don't care for. I don't have any line level effects to try it, so I can't say for sure. I'll see if I can get the footswitch and an effect to try this out and report back to the forum.

pinkgary

I tried putting my Jamman through the effects chain, as the mic i use only uses phantom power (which my compact 60 provides, but the jamman does not), but end up with a real quiet jamman & loud guitar that ends up quiet when being looped, with the same settings as when i put it (jamman) in between the guitar & amp, like i usually do.

If you can picture that.

Which seems to indicate some kind of blend.... I don't know... & when i unplug the Effects return, you can still hear the mic, but that may be that without a return plugged in, it uses the send as an AUX output.


Whatever, it's a clever little box. I now use the mic in channel 2, going out the effects chain, into the jamman, that is then plugged into channel 1. So, there is bound to be a solution somewhere in all the options the compact 60 offers you.

guit_box

I still haven't found an effect to try out the sends, but you migh try this:

1. I don't think you can have the ext effect work on both channels (without blending the internal effects) unless you have a double footswitch to turn off the int. effects

2. Try running thru channel 1 with your guitar and turn the eff. pan all the way clockwise and make sure the effect/return nob is at 10. Don't run anything in channel 2.

This is how I understand the manual. If you want to use only channel 2, turn the eff. pan all the counter clockwise. return must be at 10 for no blending

Let me know if that works. Perhaps the jam man is not designed for line level? Does it work in the send on any other amps you've tried?