Low To Mid Gain Soloing Tone Options

[PosterBoy]

I've always struggled to get that low/mid gain tone that guitarists like Andy Timmons, Rick Graham and more recently Larisa sometimes use.

So as I'm studiously working on my assignment for Gab I'm unhappy with my tone, its in that low gain area but it seems just a little wimpy, I checked my axe fx patch and noticed the compressor block wasn't on (I thought I assigned it to my solo pedal which adds a low gain boost and delay) as soon as I put the compressor into the mix it filled the tone out nicely.

I've always had a theoretical knowledge of what a compressor does but struggled it's use in application completely.

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[Mertay]

I've always struggled to get that low/mid gain tone that guitarists like Andy Timmons, Rick Graham and more recently Larisa sometimes use.

So as I'm studiously working on my assignment for Gab I'm unhappy with my tone, its in that low gain area but it seems just a little wimpy, I checked my axe fx patch and noticed the compressor block wasn't on (I thought I assigned it to my solo pedal which adds a low gain boost and delay) as soon as I put the compressor into the mix it filled the tone out nicely.

I've always had a theoretical knowledge of what a compressor does but struggled it's use in application completely.

Keep in mind, most compressor explanations have studio use in mid and this is usually tameing the sound. With guitarits actually about the opposite.

Unlike boosting with an overdrive you get all the bass+the dynamics of the solo can improve. As even mild distortion can sometimes mask hard picking, with the help of the compressor this effect can be musically enhanced. Like, the moment you hit the first note the guitars rips into the music and while shredding the notes "flow" as the attack time won't keep up with the fast playing. This is one way to find the best attack/release time for the compressor but usually no need to be super critical about adjusting.

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[Darius Wave]

Personally I'm a against using compressor for mid-gained tones. Not for a recording or live playing at least. Mixing is something different though. I do not like how compressor affects dynamics when plugged before distortion. It also pull out some noise. The only situation I see compressor as necessary tool, is wah wah on clean tones. That's of course my subjective point of view.

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