Extensive compressor reviews and FAQ

Ibanez UE 303B: This is an old analog multi-effect pedal, featuring an envelope filter, a chorus/flanger, and a compressor/limiter. It was made for bass, and the comp section is essentially a CP-9 adjusted for bass frequencies. It's got a punchy, beefy sound- somewhat dark and warm, but not muffled. The threshold knob is "backwards", in that the "low" marking is the highest threshold, and the "high" marking is the lowest threshold; if you turn it up to "high", the entire signal is squashed. As with many comp pedals, increasing the compression also increases the noise quite a bit, especially on the swell as your note trails off. But at lower settings, the noise is quite tolerable. The killer envelope filter and the chorus are the real reasons to buy this unit, but the compressor works and sounds pretty nice for a vintage pedal, especially at gentle settings. The high compression settings sound awesomely powerful, though, if you can tolerate the noise! The footswitches are not true bypass; if you just disengage the individual compressor switch, the "bypassed" signal still has a dark (tone sucking) quality, but if you disengage the "master" footswitch the bypassed tone is clear.
 

 
 
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