Premier Rock Forum

tommy wrote: Thu Aug 10, 2023 9:00 am

llllllllllllllllllll wrote: Tue Aug 08, 2023 7:55 pm I need to setup a compressor inline after the mic preamp as a safety to catch nasty peaks while tracking pedal steel. It’s difficult to set up outboard gear and play this instrument at the same time. I can’t get situated with a long cord before tracking like I can with guitar and bass.

Have you considered just using a compressor between the pedal steel and the amp so you don’t ever have the peaks to begin with before it hits the mic? One could also do this with a tube amp or tube preamp (going into the amp) that doesn’t have a ton of headroom left.

I wonder how many steel players use compressor pedals.

I'm a big believer in 2 or more compressors doing a little bit instead of 1 trying to do it all. A guitar pedal compressor could absolutely be part of that.

I've been getting a lot of use out of a MXR Bass Compressor lately. Great thing. I also really like a Dynacomp. I bet those would be great on Pedal steel.

IIRC, those super $$$ cali76 comps are popular with steel players?
MXR makes a cool little 1176-ish compressor in pedal form (m76 studio comp, m87 bass comp - afaik the same thing?) which might do the job.

One thing to keep in mind is that this is one area where price does seem to matter. The cheaper the compressor, the more noise you're going to add to your signal path and for something known for pristine, glassy cleans like pedal steel, it might be a challenge to cheap out on.

My first recommendation would be an RNC. It also has a "Super Nice" button that may get you that soft knee mentioned up thread and these are very quiet and the price point for a new one is comparable to the better pedal compressors.

And yeah as mentioned above, would consider putting it on the pedal board between the steel and the amp and not just after the mic preamp.

Yeah I’ve got some pedals I can try - I usually avoid them on pedal steel (besides the volume pedal and amp reverb) as there is already a whole lot happening in that sound. That’s a really good idea though.

I think most steel players do use effects these days and I guarantee they are getter players than me - even octogenarians are rocking Fender Mustang modeling amps with delays and stuff on them.

In the past I’ve tried overdrive, eq, and delay, but I haven’t given a compressor a shot. I don’t know how to describe it but it starts to sound more generic or more like a regular guitar when you go too far with it. Distortion should sound cooler than it does, but I think lap steel guys are generally better suited to that.

llllllllllllllllllll wrote: Thu Aug 10, 2023 11:42 am In the past I’ve tried overdrive, eq, and delay,

No Emmons String Machine?

I have an old but barely-used RNC if you're interested. 100 bucks?

I thought volume pedal swells were a big part of steel playing? Maybe that's not what you're going for here or there are transients that need attention in a different way?

twelvepoint wrote: Thu Aug 10, 2023 3:49 pm I thought volume pedal swells were a big part of steel playing? Maybe that's not what you're going for here or there are transients that need attention in a different way?

Right, it’s all swells. When you’re playing don’t really ever put your vol pedal on the full toe down position so sometimes w/ sloppy right foot technique you can blow past the mark a little bit and get these awful peaks through a big Fender amp. Not a big deal playing in the room but you don’t want that in the recording.

It’s a thing that’s hard to explain but easier to show.