GR-55 - Compressor (what do the settings mean?)

Started by strummingforjesuslord, January 10, 2018, 12:49:41 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

strummingforjesuslord

The choices if you go in through MFX are attached




When I look at the manual, it only describes compressor in terms that don't give you any practical information to act on.

I understand the basic idea of compressor. But all youtube vids on the subject speak of terms like Ratio and explain it well, but the GR-55 doesn't provide a Ratio choice (which is the lynch pin of all explanations of what compressor does and how it works)

I would like to apply compressor so that I can get a little better separation in the mix at the Church, but the option in the Gr-55 is completely void of anything that looks familiar.

Brent Flash

Are you asking what does a compressor do? It compresses the dynamic range of the signal. Brings the soft louder and the louder softer. The threshold is where the compressor starts working. A limiter is a compressor with a high ratio.

Compressors will rob dynamic expression.

admin


strummingforjesuslord

Thanks for the reply. Yes, I understand what it does, but I don't know how the explanation of what it does can be applied when looking at the choices on the screen. I don't hear any difference at all when I change the setting all over the place. I think it's great in theory, but I see no evidence that in reality that the MFX does anything in a real world setting.

Let me ask this way. What would you set the setting at based on the screen shot provided, to result in your guitar sitting better in the mix?

I'm just looking for some real world, rubber hit the road, type advice. All the mumbo jumbo has me confused as to how I can set the threshold to say a 4:1 Ratio and how to set the other parameters to a normal and customary setting to bring a guitar out in a nice even way. (sort of like the old EQ settings that gave you a choice of say "Pop", "Rock" etc)

I need some advice on settings that actually meet up with reality.

admin

#4
Quote from: strummingforjesuslord on January 10, 2018, 01:01:11 PM
Thanks for the reply. Yes, I understand what it does, but I don't know how the explanation of what it does can be applied when looking at the choices on the screen. I don't hear any difference at all when I change the setting all over the place. I think it's great in theory, but I see no evidence that in reality that the MFX does anything in a real world setting.

Let me ask this way. What would you set the setting at based on the screen shot provided, to result in your guitar sitting better in the mix?

I'm just looking for some real world, rubber hit the road, type advice. All the mumbo jumbo has me confused as to how I can set the threshold to say a 4:1 Ratio and how to set the other parameters to a normal and customary setting to bring a guitar out in a nice even way. (sort of like the old EQ settings that gave you a choice of say "Pop", "Rock" etc)

I need some advice on settings that actually meet up with reality.

Since Roland GR-55 used essentially the same FX building blocks in their Boss GT product line  - its valuable to read the real world user tutorials originally created for  those older MFX  - to learn tricks that can be directly applied with the latest generation ( GR-55, GP-10, GT-1,GT-100, GT-001, Katana, MS-3)   
answers contained in the docs here

Learn to Program Roland/Boss MultiFX Processors
https://www.vguitarforums.com/smf/index.php?topic=88.0


Roland GS-10 COSM dynamic processor
https://www.vguitarforums.com/smf/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=88.0;attach=68

Roland GS-10 COSM Speaker
https://www.vguitarforums.com/smf/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=88.0;attach=69

Boss_GT-x_Set-up_v02.pdf
https://www.vguitarforums.com/smf/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=88.0;attach=462


Boss_GT-8 Brilliance.pdf
https://www.vguitarforums.com/smf/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=88.0;attach=464

GR-55 - How can I get more "sustain" up the neck
https://www.vguitarforums.com/smf/index.php?topic=13053.0





Brent Flash

Quote from: strummingforjesuslord on January 10, 2018, 01:01:11 PM
Thanks for the reply. Yes, I understand what it does, but I don't know how the explanation of what it does can be applied when looking at the choices on the screen. I don't hear any difference at all when I change the setting all over the place. I think it's great in theory, but I see no evidence that in reality that the MFX does anything in a real world setting.

Let me ask this way. What would you set the setting at based on the screen shot provided, to result in your guitar sitting better in the mix?

I'm just looking for some real world, rubber hit the road, type advice. All the mumbo jumbo has me confused as to how I can set the threshold to say a 4:1 Ratio and how to set the other parameters to a normal and customary setting to bring a guitar out in a nice even way. (sort of like the old EQ settings that gave you a choice of say "Pop", "Rock" etc)

I need some advice on settings that actually meet up with reality.
What you will hear is only perceivable as volume change. Compressors mainly help control the volume of an audio feed. It will not (in my humble opinion) help you sit better in a mix. That would be accomplished with getting your guitar to occupy frequencies where there is not much competition from other instruments like piano or keys.

strummingforjesuslord

Are those PDF's something over and above the GR-55 Owners Manual? The owners manual is pretty good. I've learned a great deal. I've created a ton of patches from scratch and learned the pedal assigns (the Dan Dorion Youtube Video on Assigning Chorus, Gain, and other items is a must for anyone serious).

I've dove deep on Amp Modeling and have a Patch for Every Guitar they offer and have then pair to an appropriate amp (the Hughes & Kettner is amazing)

What the manual leaves me short on is little short statements next to the technical mumbo jumbo that gives a real world short example of what that knob actually does. I tried to figure it out by toggling the knobs and charting the waters as to what they did, but I can't hear any difference in the sound regardless of how drastic I change the settings.

I'm going through a KM-750 into a couple Bugera Cabs and I'm turned up plenty loud enough to have a good sample level of what these settings do to the sound as you move them around. I can't hear any change.

strummingforjesuslord

I'm really happy with the GR-55, but I've come to the conclusion on the Compressor that I'm going to end up going down a Rabbit Hole only to find that it's just not a very robust feature in the GR-55. I'm going to cut my losses on this one. Thanks everybody.

admin


Brent Flash

Quote from: strummingforjesuslord on January 10, 2018, 01:16:49 PM
I'm really happy with the GR-55, but I've come to the conclusion on the Compressor that I'm going to end up going down a Rabbit Hole only to find that it's just not a very robust feature in the GR-55. I'm going to cut my losses on this one. Thanks everybody.
Most guitar players use compressors for more sustain. This is also my opinion. But it does work.

Majiken

Hi, when I read your questions it would seem to me that if you are generally happy with your sound, you might want to look further down the road:

- are you giving a strong signal to the mixer, or does a lot of gain have to be added at the board? An anemic signal can be made loud, but still sounds anemic
- how big is the band, and what are the instruments involved?
- is your mixing board of good quality, especially regarding preamps and eq?  Preamps make a huge difference in clarity, panning and eq can help instrument separation
- are you and others running in stereo? If so, your mixer might consider switching to mono and panning to give each instrument "its" space- what sounds killer on its own may be too much in a band mix
- as a twist to what Brent Flash said about eq, there might well be instances where instruments are stepping on each other's toes by covering the same frequencies, even the same notes. Eq and panning help, you might also want to consider playing elsewhere on the neck (example an acoustic duo of mine, where my partner is generally in the 1st position and I've got a capo on fret 5 or 7).

Again, this is assuming you are satisfied with your basic sound- then the fix may be in the mix.  Apologize if I'm telling you stuff you already know, but thought I'd mention it just to ensure all bases are covered.
Take what you need, put back a bit more, leave the place behind you better than it was before :-)

www.majiken.rocks