Extensive compressor reviews and FAQ

Analogman Bi-Comprossor: This pedal is one of the most coveted "boutique" pedal comps. It is a combination of a Ross clone and an Orange Squeezer clone, which can be used one-at-a-time or both in series. The Ross side sounds almost identical to the Keeley- meaning killer mids and highs, but a bit of loss of low end. The Bi-Comp's lows might be just a touch better than the Keeley, as the signal is very strong just above the roll-off point; meaning the lows that it does put out are loud and clear, but below that point it drops off notably. Again, fine for a 4-string player, but not great for a low B. The noise level is identical to the Keeley, which is to say "not bad" but not silent either. The Orange Squeezer (AKA Juicer) side is a love/hate thing. On the one hand, the tone is one of the fattest, richest OS clone tones I've heard, really nice. And the action is excellent. On the other hand, the noise level is intolerable. I tried adjusting the internal bias trim pot, and it did what it normally does in terms of adjusting the compression response of the circuit, but it did not reduce the noise at any useful setting. The highs are excellent and clear; the lows are typical of an OS clone, similar to a Ross: good enough for some players in some circumstances, and nicely fat, but the lowest frequencies are rolled off enough to bother a 5-string player in the studio. The footswitches are true bypass, and the pedal seems well-built. I'd actually recommend buying Analogman's Ross and OS units separately rather than in this combined version, unless you're willing to live with the noise of the OS side.
 

 
 
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