Extensive compressor reviews and FAQ

Boss LMB-3: This limiter pedal works and sounds much better than I expected. I have just spent a fair amount of time directly comparing it with several higher-priced comps, and the LMB-3 was almost as good as any of them. The lows are nice and full, and the highs are clear and present, although the overall tone is kind of dry, and not "fat". The noise level is very low. The compression ratio has a full range available, so it can be used for mild to extreme squashing. It is a limiter primarily though, it won't add noticeable sustain unless your notes stay mostly over the threshold. There are only two downsides to this pedal that I have found so far: First, there can be an audible "pop" or "click" artifact each time the limiting threshold is crossed, notably with higher ratios or harder playing. It is a small sound, that might not be audible in a full band mix, but it honestly would infuriate a solo jazz artist. Second, the "enhance" knob is, just like the ones on many amp heads, actually a "suck" knob. It scoops your mids and adds a lot of hiss. You'll want to leave the enhance turned off completely. I really wish Boss had given this pedal an "attack" knob instead. But aside from those two gripes, this thing is pretty good- all the more so when you realize they sell for around $50 used on Ebay every day. It's good enough to use on a pro gig, no problem, especially in a rock band. I imagine it might sound even better with some modding. The footswitch is not true bypass, but the bypassed tone is clean.
 

 
 
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