Ibanez TC999 Compressor

- What are the effects, or types of effects available?
Compression

- What technology is used? (analog, digital, tube...)
Analogue, tube.

- Can they be edited? through a Mac/PC editor utility program?
Nope

- What connection types are there? (Audio/MIDI)
In & out.

UTILIZATION

- Is the general configuration/setup simple?
Yes, very.

- Is the sound or effects editing easy?
Yes, but settings are powerful so u need to be careful and use them with subtlety. Too much can really kill the sound.

- Is the manual clear and sufficient?...
Yes, very clear, with preset examples.

SOUND QUALITY

- Are the effects good, usable and sufficiently realistic?
This is fine for electric guitar during a gig but be careful when recording cos you can add hiss easily. You might want to dehiss the track afterwards, actually.
This is no Neve gear...

- With what instruments do you use them?
Useless on bass unless you're looking for a special effect.

OVERALL OPINION

- For how long have you been using it?
About 8 years.

- What thing do you like most/least about it?
Great for added sustain. Goes well with the TK-999 distortion.

- Did you try many other models before getting this one?
Not sure there is much competition, really, or there was none at the time...a tube compressor pedal? Do you know of any?

- What is your opinion about the value for the price?
Was about 150 € (£100 back then), which was not cheap, and i'd seriously hesitate now before spending as much. As ever, second hand this would be a good choice, though, if you can get it for about half as much.

What's good is that the settings are very powerful, as for the EQ on the distortion model, and you can really transform your sound drastically. This can be used creatively or just naturally. Worth a test drive, i say!

It is therefore an analog compressor pedal 12AX7 (ECC83).

UTILIZATION

Usage is childishly simple. After all, it's just a pedal with four knobs and two switches traditional. All settings are fully useable in the game Be careful, this compressor performs better with clean sounds or sounds with the distorted crunch (breath it takes then filter with a noise-gate). Ideal on a Start 'or a Tele'.

SOUND QUALITY

A warm, easy to sculpt with different parameters (Attack, sliced ​​for sounds and beautiful arpeggios; Sensitivity to adjust the output level of your instruments, microphones, Sustain, to extend the duration of the notes - ideal for a small solo in The Wall, Master, to compensate for the loss of volume due to other parameters) and a boost function that provide all the 12AX7's interest: in one click, you move from one rhythm to the lead that brings a little crunch delicious. A marvel.

OVERALL OPINION

I use the TC-999 for 5 years. I do not have many points of comparison for before I had the compressor of a multi-effect Yamaha GW50 (crap). But I can tell you what is available with this compressor, I have never had to look elsewhere.

Compressor and Booster Tube 12AX7 from the early '90s.
Made in Japan
The lamp is equipped with a shield.

2 switches:
- Effect
- Boost

4 knobs:
- Sensitivity (entry level)
- Master (output)
- Attack
- Sustain

UTILIZATION

Usage is not complicated:

1. You plug the guitar
2. It adjusts the input level to prevent the lamp saturates
3. You can find the desired effect (attack and sustain)
4. It adjusts the output level

SOUND QUALITY

Quality can be very good, provided you use a guitar with an output level low enough.
The sustainer produced many blows to the bottom, more than a compressor model without lamp.
With humbuckers pedal saturates funny. Looks like the lamp chimes and resonates a little.
It is then necessary to sharply reduce the input level. But to compensate, increase all the Masters, which increases the breath, especially with a high sustain. In practice, this configuration is not usable.
It's a shame because this compressor heats pretty sound.
I got a fantastic result on a Yamaha nylon electro-AEX500N.
Microphones on it pretty simple: you can set the input level was nearly fully, and thus minimize the background noise.

This pedal

OVERALL OPINION

inflexible.
It is to be reserved for guitars with microphones rather simple vintage or electro. It's really not made for humbuckers.
I would prefer a Boss CS-2 or an Ibanez CP-835.