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Post subject: Whats the best compressor to buy for Mark Knopfler Tone?
Posted: Mon Feb 22, 2010 11:28 pm
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Hey i just wanted your guys opinions on your compressor of choice for Mark Knopfler tone. Im looking for a compressor that gets close to his sound from his first and second album. Mostly his second album (Communique).

Also im expecting you guys to say Orange squeezer pedal. BUt i want something you can buy brand new at the shop. Thanks.


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Post subject: Re: Whats the best compressor to buy for Mark Knopfler Tone?
Posted: Tue Feb 23, 2010 9:35 am
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Dragz wrote:
Also im expecting you guys to say Orange squeezer pedal. BUt i want something you can buy brand new at the shop.

Hi Dragz: well yes, I am going to say Orange Squeezer and indeed you can buy it new - from the guy who made it in the first place:

http://www.wdmusic.com/orange_squeezer.html

That's what Knopfler famously used, so I guess that is as close as you can get to the sound.

BTW: to be pedantic, the idea is you plug it straight into your guitar's output jack, so it ain't really a pedal. Nothing to step on.

More generally on the subject of compressors, there have been very useful threads on the subject here before, so rather than give my mangled version of what more knowledgeable people have recommended I'll just give a couple of links instead:

http://www.fender.com/community/forums/ ... hp?t=26406

And that very informative gentleman went on his own search for the "perfect" compressor here:

http://www.fender.com/community/forums/ ... hp?t=24483

That should get you a way down the road...

Cheers - C


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Posted: Tue Feb 23, 2010 6:23 pm
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The Keeley Compressor is very highly rated. I have one in my rig and I have to say it's significantly better than the BOSS it replaced. The only thing I don't care for is the position of the power jack.

http://www.robertkeeley.com/product.php?id=8

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Post subject: Re: Whats the best compressor to buy for Mark Knopfler Tone?
Posted: Tue Feb 23, 2010 11:03 pm
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Hey thanks for that. But i noticed in his second album the compression is much richer??? much more full??? Would that be a different compressor pedal or he just turned up the compression on the orange squeezer?


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Posted: Wed Feb 24, 2010 4:56 am
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No Communique was recorded direct into the desk with everything added after, to the best of my knowledge.

I think its Knop's best sound too.

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Posted: Wed Feb 24, 2010 10:19 pm
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nikininja wrote:
No Communique was recorded direct into the desk with everything added after, to the best of my knowledge.

I think its Knop's best sound too.


Damn :/ But yea. i think it's his best sound too.


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Posted: Thu Feb 25, 2010 5:41 am
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I found this on the sultans of swing demo recordings.

Quote:
On the demo version Mark Knopfler played most likely his 1961 Stratocaster (S-No #68354) , at this time he only had one Strat. It was probably not painted red yet but had a wood finish. The pick-up position seems to be the middle pick-up. The sound engineer at Pathway – Chas Herington – was later the lighting designer on the Brothers in Arms tour in the mid 80ies. It was 1985 in Arnhem, Netherlands, when I spoke with him and asked him about the equipment on these sessions. He told me that Mark played an old Fender Vibrolux amp which was recorded with a Neumann microphone. He also stated that Mark’s typical sound came out of the amp this way, and was not created with outboard effects and processing.
I assume that on the single version Mark Knopfler played his maple-neck Strat (S-No. #80470), also through the Vibrolux. This time there is a subtle distortion, possibly also compression (remember the rumour about the Dan Armstrong Orange Squeezer). The pick-up position seems to be bridge & middle to achieve that nasal sound.


Theres loads of great info at this site.
MK-GUITAR

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Posted: Thu Feb 25, 2010 6:06 am
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Niki - phew! Thank goodness for the second paragraph of that quote. I was getting nervous for a minute there...! Middle pickup - what? :lol:

On the finished version of Sultans - and much else from the period - I addtionally feel I'm hearing a fair bit of reverb and also a very subtle delay, set to that "can't quite tell if it's there or not" level. I think that is where some of the glistening quality of the tone comes from - at least, that's what I have to do with my gear to get somewhere close.

Whether that stuff is coming from pedals, desk or post-production I couldn't begin to guess, however. That's the province of the studio minded types round here...

Cheers - C


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Posted: Thu Feb 25, 2010 6:10 am
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Theres a load on that website about Rhett Davies engineering those tracks and apparently being smitten with the Roland Space echo at the time.

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Posted: Thu Feb 25, 2010 6:14 am
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nikininja wrote:
Theres a load on that website about Rhett Davies engineering those tracks and apparently being smitten with the Roland Space echo at the time.


Ha - good!

Strange thing: the closest I ever heard someone get trying to emulate the Sultans sound was a busker down in the tube (subway) station. His notes came echoing through the circular passageways laden with natural verb and delay - it sounded flippin' fabulous! :lol:

Cheers - C


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Posted: Thu Feb 25, 2010 6:53 am
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It's useful to know how compressor's work, before choosing one, IMO :

http://www.theguitarfiles.com/guitarfile115.html

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Posted: Thu Feb 25, 2010 9:39 am
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Jay its all bridge/middle with Knopfler. Theres a clear shot here at 4:17.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_duNqDMSQDU

That Old Grey WhistleTest performance by them is one of my faves. Check out the little known number Eastbound Train from Rockpalast in 79.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VyxZ0KAQpb8

Plenty of clear shots of the selector switch in that. I think you maybe associating the softer sound of his picking style on Alnico2 pickups to a neck pickup sound.
The Alinco2's I have are exceptionaly responsive to attack. I've had to completely forget about using a plectrum on that guitar. They go from supersoft to super percussive without ever touching the selector switch.

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