I have a question for all of you who have been around the ropes with all the effects, and have been practicing for years.....


Ya know how many people say "Oh don't do this...... or that..... cuz it'll hurt you in the long run........." ?

This is one of those questions.


-COMPRESSION-

I have a digitech RP200, and I have to say, I've never been dissapointed with it, and the tone is great compared to using my solid state distortion.

I usually set the compression very high, as to get max. sustain. I also turn the gain pretty far up too. (Oh by the way, I'm talking about a nice metal tone too.....) The compression makes everything the same volume, of course, but that doesn't bother me. All legato techniques come extremely easy, and everything has a fresh sound, as if it was just picked. Now, I've turned the compression off, and put it on a clean setting, and I usually can still get off all the stuff I was playing with the compressor on.

But the compressor makes everything soooo much easier and sound soooo much better.

So what I'm really trying to ask is, will compression hurt me in the long run? Will it make me a sloppy player whos mistakes are hidden by an effect? Or will I pretty much be OK?

I've listened to a lot of the recordings you guys post on the site, and I gotta say it sounds like you're doing something to make the guitars compressed, because they stay the smae level throughout. Well, except for the classical and jazz/blues stuff I hear.

Thanx a lot! I was really just wondering, because I don't want think I'm a great player then realize I actually just hide behind compression.