Collaboration Devices The Compressor

I’ve always been a fan of compressors – I know, it’s a love/hate relationship with a lot of players out there, but they’ve always seemed warm and useful in the majority of pedalboard builds I’ve done. Now, what if you take an incredible compressor and add in a parallel gain stage, fo an incredible 2-in-1 unit? That’s precisely what the folks at Collaboration Devices have done with the aptly named The Compressor, and it is glorious…

The Compressor is a take on the classic VCA buss compressor, helping to bridge the gap between your softest and loudest notes by narrowing the range and variances in your playing. This one was designed specifically to help both your playing and the signal path from your instrument to your amplifier, via a sonic “glue” of sorts. Increasing the Comp Level knob increases the compression ration and decreases the threshold, which are both dynamic and reactive to the incoming signal. Comp Blend is a parallel blend for your dry signal and the compressed one, while Make Up acts as a gain to bring your signal back to unity level, or give it an extra bit of boost if needed.

The gain stage adds saturation to your signal, without compromising the original audio. Working as sort of a top boost, Collaboration Devices describes it as “adding a British-inspired amp underneath your compressed signal.” When the Gain switch is engaged, that secondary stage kicks in, and is controlled by the Saturation knob, for fine-tuning and perfect adjustment. There are also internal trimpots which let you adjust the overall Make Up gain and harmonic trim of the saturation, too.

The meter on compression dB meter on the face of The Compressor just adds to its allure and vintage vibe, and the entire thing sounds just fantastic. Use it first in your chain, or after your dirt to smooth everything out, or right before your stereo pedals as a dialed-in signal booster – this one can do it all. Cheers to all at Collaboration Devices on this gem of a compressor/boost/gain unit – be sure to visit their website for ordering and more info, and if you dig compressors, you’ll definitely want to journey with us as we put it through the paces in our demo video below. Cheers!

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