BOSS CS-3 Compression/Sustainer Settings & Other EQ'ing Questions

[JeffWiredBeck24]

I have the CS-3 Compressor and was wondering if you guys had any setting suggestions for it. I've been fiddling around with it, and I usually find that it makes my bass strings very tinny and bright and adds a lot of feedback. Usually in order to get it to affect my tone the least I have to up the tone knob to max, which adds a considerable amount of feedback. Is there any way to get it to add sustain and compress without drastically changing my tone and keeping my bass strings sounding lie they should? Thanks.

Also, even without the sustainer, my bass strings sometimes sound too bright. The settings on my main lead channel are:
Drive - 3
Bass - 5
Mid - 9
Treble - 6
Presence - 7
If I lower the bass anymore it'll make the low strings even more tinny and bright. I keep the drive at 3 because I use a TS-9 over it for a subtle OD while my main distortion comes from my DS-1.

One more problem! Clarity! I can't seem to get the type of tone I want without chords being WAY too dirty. I call on the EQ'ing experts to help me out here, since I've been EQ'ing for days and days and days to no avail.

EQ'ing is a bitch.

Any and all help is appreciated. Thanks!

New Idea: Maybe use my first channel as main distortion, use channel two for OD, and then use the TS9 to kick it into a different type of distortion, and use my DS-1 on my clean channel for a tasteful-type of distortion? Hmm.

For the EQ'ing problems and tones I was thinking for my main lead channel (1) a Petrucci/Vai-type heavy distortion but with chord clarity. For the lead 2, a type of very subtle OD, like the solo in "Lines In The Sand", the TS9 can boost to a bluesy-type OD. The DS-1 on the clean channel I'm looking for a tasteful, Al Di Meola-type distortion, good for fusion.

I know this is a wall of problems, but any and all help is appreciated.

EDIT: I run an Ibanez RG550RXX through a Carvin V3 combo with a Breed in the bridge and an Air Norton in the neck.

[dragsternj]

you may should have indicated what amp you have

[JeffWiredBeck24]

Right right - it's a Carvin V3 Combo.

[Manticore]

I just bought a Humphrey audio modified boss CS-3
fixes a lot of those problems, very good for a stomp box
$150 on ****
not quite noiseless like the ads say, but the rest of the bragging is pretty accurate.

(haha won't let me write the evil bay
lol thats good!)

[LonePhantom]

The settings I use to try and make the CS-3 as neutral on my tone as possible is with the Level knob at about one o' clock, Tone about two o' clock, Attack on full and Sustain on close to three o'clock.

This gives me a tone pretty close to my amp tone when the pedal is off, a good amount of sustain, and not too much noise (the CS-3 is a noisy bugger stock).

I'm planning to mod it some time soon to hopefully drop the noise, and get rid of any colouring of my tone.

[nickcoumbe]

Originally Posted by LonePhantom

The settings I use to try and make the CS-3 as neutral on my tone as possible is with the Level knob at about one o' clock, Tone about two o' clock, Attack on full and Sustain on close to three o'clock.

This gives me a tone pretty close to my amp tone when the pedal is off, a good amount of sustain, and not too much noise (the CS-3 is a noisy bugger stock).

I'm planning to mod it some time soon to hopefully drop the noise, and get rid of any colouring of my tone.

I do pretty much the same, but with less attack. I think compressors should be in the back ground, so less is more.

Try starting with the compressor with all the dials at 12 o'clock

It really sounds as though you have more EQ issues than compressor issues. The tone setting on the CS-3 really wont help your native sound. It sounds like you are adding pedals to a tone you aren't happy with, and the pedals are making it worse. Which is their jon afterall

I would say you are using too much distortion to get the clarity you want. I personally have found that using a distortion pedal on an already driven channel does make things really muddy.

How does it all sound just using the amps normal channels with no pedals? Is there still an eq issue?

I assume that you have tried changing every tone control methodically by one notch from 0-10. Once you have tried one value all the way through find level you like and move onto the next one. ONce you have done that, start tweaking again to see if you can improve.

Get your amp right before you add anything.