Compressor Hiss?

[Folkie]

I'd like to address a problem I've had with every compressor I've tried (my onboard compressor on my Boss GT-3, the Boss CS-3, the MXR Dynacomp, the Keeleys, and, believe it or not, my Janglebox JB2, which excels in all other regards). I understand that a compressor goes to full gain when you stop playing, and that this can amplify normal noise, so maybe what I'm experiencing is totally routine. What I'm hearing is some excess hiss when I kick on the JB2 that completely disappears when I start picking. Then within a few seconds of when I stop playing, the hiss starts again. I've done a lot of troubleshooting, but nothing (short of backing down on the attack and the treble controls) seems to eliminate the noise. The Janglebox has such an amazing sound that I'm willing to put up with some degree of hiss, if necessary. On the other hand, if I'm doing something to cause the problem, I'd like to remedy that as soon as possible. Steve Lasko has made some very useful suggestions, but I thought I would pitch this one to the Forum. Does anyone out there have any insights?

[paologregorio]

Every JB or JB2 I've heard live has a noticeable hiss. I don't know how to eliminate this.

[beatbyrd]

Every JB or JB2 I've heard live has a noticeable hiss. I don't know how to eliminate this.

I have an older DynaComp and a JB2 and have not had a real hiss problem with either on my recordings. Would a noise gate help? Or possibly, getting a good parametric (or 31 band) equalizer and notching the offending frequency down might reduce it. I only notice a noise (more like hum) when I'm using the JB2 and not touching the strings.
Tom

[Clint]

The bigger the squeeze, the bigger the noise. Don't sweat it, when the drummer kicks in, no one will notice.

[janglebox]

Every JB or JB2 I've heard live has a noticeable hiss. I don't know how to eliminate this.

I have an older DynaComp and a JB2 and have not had a real hiss problem with either on my recordings. Would a noise gate help? Or possibly, getting a good parametric (or 31 band) equalizer and notching the offending frequency down might reduce it. I only notice a noise (more like hum) when I'm using the JB2 and not touching the strings.
Tom

If you have the gain and attack past 3:00, guitar idling, no hands on strings, and you're in close proximity to your amp, that "hiss" is normal.

Think of a noise gate. When you stop playing or play very quietly and the sound starts decaying, a noise gate immediately kills the signal to create "silence". A compressor is the exact opposite: when the signal is very faint or quiet, a compressor goes to full gain. It will stay at full gain until it reaches the threshold point where it begins limiting or compressing the signal. In this regard, the compressor isn't "creating" noise or hiss, it's simply amplifying any noise that's already in your signal chain created by tubes, circuits, pickups, grounding, 60-cycle hum, high capacitance/low conductivity from your cables, etc, etc.

Any hiss is canceled the moment you start playing and the compression is engaged. You can test it by recording DI. You'll hear no extraneous noise in the recorded signal with a JB or JB2.

BTW, I'm not a fan of noise gates because to my ears they tend to roll off the highs. Just my $.02.

[Folkie]

I was speaking about my experiences with all compressors, not just the JB2. But I'm glad Steve was able to clear that up. The sound of the JB2 is absolutely sublime! There's simply nothing else like it. And I can't wait to direct record with mine!