The TonePrint collection of pedals from TC Electronic have been pretty outstanding so far, enabling some exact dialing in of flangers, delays, reverbs and chorus, among others, all with pretty good sonic results. Today’s pedal ventures into a bit different territory, and into an effect that most players have a love-it-or-hate-it relationship with: The Compressor. Some swear by it for their tone, some can’t stand it, and some…well, that’s really it, not too many in-betweens with compression. The HyperGravity boasts more options than most compressors, enabling even the biggest of skeptics to possibly change their compressed (hehe) minds.
The Sustain control starts us off, and really is the key to all compressor pedals. Adjusting the amount of overall compression present, this knob will go from a nice, transparent tone to a fat, squishy, vintage-sounding compressed sound, with tons of sustain as well. Level sets the output volume when the HyperGravity is engaged, and can both keep your guitar’s regular volume in tact, or act as a sweet boost, perfect for solos and lead runs.
Attack gives the compression its depth, from super-fast to open and airy, this control has a lot to do with the overall sound as well. Blend does what you think it would, mixing your Wet and Dry signals, enabling you to pinpoint exactly how much compression is present in your signal chain. Finally, the mini-toggle switch lets you select from even more transparent to vintage sound, or select the now-classic TonePrint, where you can create your own perfect setting.
With all the discussion back and forth over the years about compression and how it does or doesn’t fit into a guitar rig, the HyperGravity from TC Electronic really makes a case for the former, no matter how anti-compression you might be. If you happen to get the opportunity to try one out, do yourself a favor and give it a go – it just might open up a whole new world of sonic possibilities you never knew existed.
Submitted by Mike B, Website
Demo Rock pedalboard by West Coast Pedalboard
