What are the functions and uses of guitar compressor pedals?
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a compressor makes the quiet parts louder and the loud parts quieter, so everything becomes a more uniform level
Most guitars have those “spots” where the note you play is just inexplicably louder than all the others or twangier than anywhere else on the guitar- especially if you’re playing an acoustic-electric or playing an electric with no overdrive or distortion.
A compressor evens it out and warms the overall tone so those notes don’t stick out as extra loud or twangy and make people notice the note more than the rest of the music around it.
I’ve also seen it used by rock guitarists with OD/dist because there are some really light electric guitars out there that look cool and can be really fun to play, but they aren’t built by expert luthiers to have a really consistent sound and can be really unpredictable- you don’t need one obnoxious, shrill note at full gain and high volume to ruin the middle of your guitar solo.
When the signal exceeds a certain threshold of volume, the compressor kicks in and starts reducing the volume by a certain amount (the ratio). How fast it does this is determined by the “attack” and the “release” controls how long it takes for the compression to go away after the input signal goes back under the threshold. Guitar compressors are often simplified and some of these features might not be adjustable.
Compressors are used to control dynamics in audio and for the guitar this helps to even out the volume going into the amp so that the tone is more even (distortion is nonlinear meaning that the volume going into it affects the sound). They’re also useful for clean tones because the uncompressed sound might simply be too dynamic with drastic changes in volume.
The function of a compressor is to compress(reduces the highs, bring up the lows) the signals level, and even out the overall volume and dynamics. A signal from, say, a violin, would have alot of dynamic data. If you were to overcompress it, it would squash the dynamic range and sound flat. So you’d want to use very little comp to maintain the dynamics. Volume swells and such.
You may elect to squash a drum signal though, because you want an even and consistent signal.
The same applies with guitars. You can use comp in a variety of ways.
1st would be utility. You might use a comp to even out a clean guitar tone.
2nd would be as an effect. You can use a compressors attack, decay, sustain, and release to shape the timbre of your signal.
An example of this would be country and chicken pickin. A common trick to enhance the pluck on the strings is to set your compressors attack very tight. The comp will grab the signal quick and boost the front end giving you more bite on the attack.
You can also increase the sustain on a comp to allow your notes to ring out longer. Or raise the level of a delay in your chain, squeeze the reverb, or sidechain.
Fun fact: Distortion is naturally compressed. So you wouldn’t add a comp to a super distorted signal.
You can also use a comp as a limiter, a booster, and more…
Source: have degree in music production and engineering from Berklee.
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