|
Here are some comps that I intend to try out and review when I get the opportunity:
Presonus Studio Channel
Overstayer Stereo Comp (FET and VCA versions)
Fuchs Royal Plush
MI Audio comp (though they have already told me it's not good for bass)
Roger Mayer RM58
Eleven Electrix Opto (they've emailed to say they are still in business, just reorganizing)
SolidGoldFX Comp Machine
FMR A.R.C.
G-LAB BC-1
Sebatron Caveman and Nitrous (the Caveman doesn't quite exist yet)
AMT Bass Packer/Krusher
Swell Mu-Comp (discontinued, but supposedly they're coming out with a new version)
Himmelstrutz Miss Nutcracker
BSS DPR-901 II and DPR-402
Fodera X-Caliper (they've offered to send me one when they make another batch, but they say that won't be any time soon)
Drawmer DS-241/251
ART TCS
Cranesong Trakker
Drawmer 1968 and TS1/TS2
SPL Charisma (though nobody outside SPL thinks it is actually a comp/limiter)
TL Audio C-2021
Rocksonics MB-3X
Mindprint En-Voice
Also I intend to review more multi-fx pedals/racks that include compression.
Note that most of these are either pedals or 1-space rack units. There are many fantastic compressors in 2RU or "API lunchbox" module formats which I won't bother reviewing at this time because they are impractical for most stage musicians' rigs. Maybe at some other time in life I'll take on the bigger studio units.
Also, the vast majority of "boutique" comp pedals are nothing more than tarted-up Ross/Dynacomp clones and variations, and I am absolutely sick of those. And frankly I'm irritated by the driveling, asinine hype written up by most of the people that build them. Same goes for some of the more boring Orange Squeezer clones. So if you are wondering about a pedal that's not on the list, that's probably why. I've already reviewed enough of them, and they're all tediously similar to each other. Yes, that includes the Wampler, no matter how nice of a Ross interpretation it may be.
Here are a few that I probably won't review, for other reasons:
Janglebox JB-2: Apparently it's just as noisy as the original, but bigger.
Akai Hexacomp: Probably cool in a geeky way; but very unpopular and uncommon, prone to internal breakdowns, and nearly impossible to repair.
AMT Slap Bass: It's actually a distortion pedal, not a compressor per se.
Artec Turbo: Two knobs, and one of them controls a noise gate? No thanks.
Original Ross and Dan Armstrong units: What I've read about them so far indicates they are just noisier, dirtier, and more prone to tone-suck than the newer copies and variants.
Same goes for any of the more ancient and obscure ("vintage and rare") guitar comp pedals that show up on Ebay; with compressor pedals, older is usually not better, and sometimes the reason it's "rare" is that it sucked, so not many were sold. |
 |
|
All text on this page written and owned by Cyrus J. Heiduska, 2006-2012, all rights reserved.
Copying is prohibited, but please feel free to link to this page using the link text "compressor reviews".
|