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mooseherman
Published on 02/09/10 at 16:21
This is a pretty basic analog compression pedal for guitar. It's not a rackable unit, it's a pedal. It can't be edited through MIDI or any computer software.
UTILIZATION
This pedal is very small and compact. It's only got two knobs on it, one for Output and one for Sensitivity. It's got the footswitch and the standard guitar 1/4" ins and outs. The manual explains what each knob does pretty well, though to really appreciate the sounds that you can get out of it, you need to do some knob twiddling on your own.
SOUND QUALITY
I've used this with my Strat and the Les Paul, and I totally prefer it with the Les Paul without a doubt. Hands down the best thing about it is its relative lack of noise. Most pedals in this range are very noisy in comparison. However, it's not exactly the most faithful compressor to my original sound. In fact, the only time it's really useful when you're coloring your tone significantly. The best thing about it is sustain on leads. However, it tends to give it that 80s, fake-sounding sustain that I don't really prefer. Sometimes it's necessary when playing live, but I tend to prefer something a bit more natural sounding. The compressor makes clean tones sound pretty uninspired and boring, and I'm convinced that they're only good at hiding dynamics that would only make your playing sound more compelling. You might need to compress some of them while recording, but I honestly think that you'd be better off with a rackable or outboard compressor, as it's more versatile than this and won't rob your tone of its personality.
OVERALL OPINION
I was hoping that the lack of extremely precise controls would make this pedal less frustrating to use, but the tones themselves were what ended up frustrating me the most. For the price, I guess this isn't too bad, but you can do better. If noise is a huge issue for you, this might be a good purchase, but you'd be better off in the long run going for something with more control and more transparency.
UTILIZATION
This pedal is very small and compact. It's only got two knobs on it, one for Output and one for Sensitivity. It's got the footswitch and the standard guitar 1/4" ins and outs. The manual explains what each knob does pretty well, though to really appreciate the sounds that you can get out of it, you need to do some knob twiddling on your own.
SOUND QUALITY
I've used this with my Strat and the Les Paul, and I totally prefer it with the Les Paul without a doubt. Hands down the best thing about it is its relative lack of noise. Most pedals in this range are very noisy in comparison. However, it's not exactly the most faithful compressor to my original sound. In fact, the only time it's really useful when you're coloring your tone significantly. The best thing about it is sustain on leads. However, it tends to give it that 80s, fake-sounding sustain that I don't really prefer. Sometimes it's necessary when playing live, but I tend to prefer something a bit more natural sounding. The compressor makes clean tones sound pretty uninspired and boring, and I'm convinced that they're only good at hiding dynamics that would only make your playing sound more compelling. You might need to compress some of them while recording, but I honestly think that you'd be better off with a rackable or outboard compressor, as it's more versatile than this and won't rob your tone of its personality.
OVERALL OPINION
I was hoping that the lack of extremely precise controls would make this pedal less frustrating to use, but the tones themselves were what ended up frustrating me the most. For the price, I guess this isn't too bad, but you can do better. If noise is a huge issue for you, this might be a good purchase, but you'd be better off in the long run going for something with more control and more transparency.