Feb
12th
First batch of pedals…Alrighty, well this is tougher than I thought. The differences in compressors can be kind of ‘liquid’…. it can behave one way at one gain/comp setting and then be completely different at another and the more knobs the more probs….and it will be difficult to relate useful information any units usefulness will have alot to do with its application. It seems there are two main comp camps: Chicken or Fish (or the country Chicken pickers and the Phish freaks or the squashers and the sustainers)
And are they looking for a true effect that is recognizable or something that sounds like a straight guitar, just leveled and sustained….
Every one of these so far sounds great into a TS10, I wish I would have found this out along time ago… I will never be without a comp again, and none of them is terribly noisy unless set up to do too much…
So it seems the differences come down to features , tweekability, true bypass, size and ease of use……. there is some EQ and tone difference……….anyway here we go……
Like with wine or beer tasting, you are supposed to start with the lightest first…
DOD Milk Box
- I assume its not true bypass. 4 knobs with 2 names each, but the control is over: level Threshold Tone (but its a high end expander) and Attack…..
- this one is a bit noisy if you start cranking the levels and thresholds, but it has a nice control for the high end and you can actually get a nice top end improvement which helps if you are trying to do the squashed thing and keep clarity and attack……..and it will do the crazy squash thing that feels like Grandma pinching you cheek…….pretty good unit, Im suprised.
Korg CMP-1
- Output and Sensitivity knobs and soft/hard attack switch, another nice suprise. this is really pretty quiet and will do a nice Phish fillet, it does kind of thicken the middle and take a hair off the top, great into a TS10.
Menatone JAC
- Gain /Gain Reduction/volume - Second LED that shows comp level rising and falling (and Im a sucker for ‘living’ LEDs)
- this is a studio compressor in a pedal. its paterned after the old LA-2As that were and are in most pro studios…. this is very nice and will get an ‘is it on?’ gold star. This is not really for saturated chicken picking or sustain crazy Phishing, but it sounds real natural and is ‘amplike’ the way most Menatone pedals are described, very nice openess in the lower strings, almost more of an ‘overeasy’ limiting with some compression in there…. this would be a good one to just leave on, and maybe use a different comp for the ‘Squishies’.
Blackbox Oxygen
- Gain/Gate/Limit/Comp/Release/Dirt
- (Flak jacket on - check) Ok I’m going to make some people mad here. It can be noisy, and it does take off some top end. This has ALOT of options, but many of them get noisy. This would be fun in the studio because it will do everything!! But I dont hear the Dirt control giving any real dirt. Maybe its just that I hate that Noisegating sound alot, and if this isnt set just right (tone Dog - you got any frequent flyer miles you can jet over here on) it gets well noisy. BUT it also has a beautiful FAT sustain with some limiting that is addictive. There are great tones in this pedal, but it will take work. and it is taller than the regular Hammond box….. (more…)
