# Compressors, I cant make up my mind



## jfk911 (May 23, 2008)

So I currently use a Mooer yellow comp that I got years ago. I have zero gripes except yesterday it went silent mid set at church. I managed to move it around enough to get it to turnback on, but I cant have that again. I use the Mooer as an always on with all the dials set at noon and then will adjust slightly depending how I feel at the time. 

In this day and age there are so many options I cant make up my mind. The obvious is to get the diamond, the full size diamond can fit on my board but I'd prefer a smaller footprint. L&M has a used Comp Jr. which is an option, the other ones I've thought of is the Jackson Audio Bloom, Barber TP, Pigtronix PT, EQD The Warden.

Any input before i pull the trigger? also if you have one of those for sale let me know maybe we can work something out.


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## knight_yyz (Mar 14, 2015)

I love my Diamond comp


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## BlueRocker (Jan 5, 2020)

Only one I've liked so far is the Keeley


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## guitarman2 (Aug 25, 2006)

I've used just about every high end and some lower end compressors on the market. I gravitate towards more "transparent" type compressors for people that don't really like compressors. I've had a love\hate relationship with compressors for 30 years. I had them off my board for a few years then came back to them about 3 years ago.
I finally settled on the Cali76 CD and can set it up pretty subtle or squashed if I desired.
I could probably easily be satisfied with a Diamond and have owned one a couple different times. I like the ego as well. The one thing that is a must for me on a compressor is a blend knob which the Diamond comp doesn't have but on that particular comp, I don't think needs it.


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## CDWaterloo (Jul 18, 2008)

I think the king is Origin Effects in compressor pedals nowadays. I used to have a Cali 76 compact deluxe. It was fine but expensive for my use so I sold it. I currently have Suhr Koji and Xotic SP-comp. Both are fine. Koji is quiter and works better in my setup. SP is great in small pedalboards. I used to have an EQD Warden, Keeley 2 knob, 4-knob. Warden was great as an always-on type pedal in my setup. I will get one of them in the future again. Keeley's were great with single coil pup guitars.


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## jfk911 (May 23, 2008)

knight_yyz said:


> I love my Diamond comp


I have never heard anything negative about the diamond except for its size, this is my gut feeling but don't want to be close minded.

@BlueRocker This one has come up quite a bit as a staple inexpensive compressor, I may look into this a bit more.

@CDWaterloo @guitarman2 The cali76 I've looked at that one quite a bit but feel its a bit expensive for how I would use it but every review absolutely sings its praises. The Jackson would be in the same category except I get an additional EQ and can be controlled via midi when I go there. However sometimes the old saying goes you get what you pay for and the Orgin falls into this category.


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## markxander (Oct 24, 2009)

Haven't turned my Fairfield The Accountant off since I got it a few months ago. Easy to use, same size as the one you're replacing, and made in Canada. There are a couple on Reverb right now for around $200


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## Chito (Feb 17, 2006)

If I were you, I would get the Diamond Jr and get it done with. If you were happy with the Mooer, you'll surely like the Jr as the Mooer is a clone of the Diamond Comp.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

The fork in the road is OTA vs FET vs optical. The Dynacomp is OTA-based, as are all the derivatives (Ross, Keeley, et al.). The Orange Squeezer and its derivatives are FET-based. The Diamond, and I believe the Origin and many others are optical. So, what's the difference?

OTA and FET-based compressors are more susceptible to distortion from hot signals than photocells are. Whether a given design makes that distortion *audible* is another thing. That said, photocells can vary in their response time, while OTAs and FETs are nearly always instantaneous. So optical compressors are better at some things than OTA/FET types, and vice versa.

Ideally, one wants to have variable gain-recovery (usually labelled as "Attack" in a great many commercial pedals), although a Blend control can also help to keep some of the snap of note attack. As this gutshot indicates - https://scontent.fybz2-1.fna.fbcdn....=8553b406fa268850ce653924e225f08a&oe=61A5C27D - the Mooer is indeed optical (LED/photocell module on the right with the yellow dot), and very likely a clone of the Diamond.

I don't know for absolute sure, but I gather the Wampler Ego and Mini-Ego compressors are OTA-based, and people seem to like them. The Mini replaces variable Tone and Attack controls with toggle switches, with I think is perfectly sufficient. EHX is quite content to use a 3-position switch for Attack (gain recovery time) on the Soul Preacher, and quite frankly, most players can't easily tell where the knob is set to, because the audible impact of Attack-time depends fundamentally on how fast one is picking.

I made myself a nice little compressor using the SSM2166 chip. The chip - a high-end OTA - was engineered to be the heart of a mic control strip, and will do compression, peak limiting, and noise reduction. Dead quiet due to the inclusion of downward expansion.


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## silvertonebetty (Jan 4, 2015)

BlueRocker said:


> Only one I've liked so far is the Keeley
> 
> View attachment 385693


I also have a keeley compressor plus and I was shocked to find out it was #1 on a list of compressor pedals.I find it doesn’t make your guitar sound fake. if you know what I mean


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## jfk911 (May 23, 2008)

markxander said:


> Haven't turned my Fairfield The Accountant off since I got it a few months ago. Easy to use, same size as the one you're replacing, and made in Canada. There are a couple on Reverb right now for around $200


I have seen the positive review but the seemingly lack of controls and toggles has me a bit apprehensive.

@mhammer I think optical compressor is what I want but the blend knob in a FET or OTA could help huge with the transparency. The plan was to build one once I get my (4) drives complete but the fact my current comp is shitting the bed is forcing my hands a bit quicker. I still have not received the parts for my first build and want to make sure I enjoy it before I start buying parts for another build.


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## Okay Player (May 24, 2020)

I have a JHS Pulp n Peel, and based on your description it seems like it might be a good candidate.


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## jfk911 (May 23, 2008)

Okay Player said:


> I have a JHS Pulp n Peel, and based on your description it seems like it might be a good candidate.


I may have to give this some more thought, I just have a mental thing about not having too many pedals from a certain brand and this would be 3 JHS pedals lol as I have the kilt V2 and Morning Glory already. However reading the description it does sound like it will fit the bill.


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## DavidP (Mar 7, 2006)

My top 2 choices (after playing more than a few):

Wampler Ego
Keeley Compressor Plus


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## crann (May 10, 2014)

I had a similar journey, from a cheap Chinese joyo comp to exploring a bunch of options. The Keeley comp and surprisingly Boss cp-1x were my favorites. I ended up preferring the cp-1x and that's what's on my board. A few good demos but here's Tim's unbiased, unpaid take on the pedal.


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## Ian (Aug 7, 2021)

mhammer said:


> The fork in the road is OTA vs FET vs optical. The Dynacomp is OTA-based, as are all the derivatives (Ross, Keeley, et al.). The Orange Squeezer and its derivatives are FET-based. The Diamond, and I believe the Origin and many others are optical. So, what's the difference?
> 
> OTA and FET-based compressors are more susceptible to distortion from hot signals than photocells are. Whether a given design makes that distortion *audible* is another thing. That said, photocells can vary in their response time, while OTAs and FETs are nearly always instantaneous. So optical compressors are better at some things than OTA/FET types, and vice versa.
> 
> ...


I use a cool pedal from FEA Labs called the "Opti-FET" compressor, and it has some properties of each of the types that you mentioned above.....It is also super quiet, and very tweakable....

Cheers
Ian


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## KapnKrunch (Jul 13, 2016)

knight_yyz said:


> I love my Diamond comp


Moi aussi. First in line. Always on lately.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

jfk911 said:


> I have seen the positive review but the seemingly lack of controls and toggles has me a bit apprehensive.
> 
> @mhammer I think optical compressor is what I want but the blend knob in a FET or OTA could help huge with the transparency. The plan was to build one once I get my (4) drives complete but the fact my current comp is shitting the bed is forcing my hands a bit quicker. I still have not received the parts for my first build and want to make sure I enjoy it before I start buying parts for another build.


I have a bunch of different ones. You're more than welcome to come over and try them out. Not to buy; just to have a better idea of what you like and don't like. As much as I delve into these things, my own favorite is an old '70s Univox I cloned. It was the 2nd pedal I ever bought, back in '76 or '77, and is just about the simplest optical design that could ever be. Not at ALL "transparent", it is very clearly an "effect", but I love what it does to a Telecaster bridge pickup. I had to sell it in 1980, but was thrilled to find the schematic online a couple years ago, and cloned it for myself. Sounds every bit as squishy as the original. I can understand it's not everyone's taste.


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## jfk911 (May 23, 2008)

Thanks for that! I’ll research a bit more and let you know. Also took my mooer apart and was surprised that it came with alpha pots and not cheaper generic pots it looks exactly like the photo you posted.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

It's hard to get cheaper than Alpha pots. I suppose it's _*possible*_; it's just not easy to come up with less costly materials and design.

My own experience is that the smaller the diameter of the pot (the little black-plastic-shaft-green-body ones are 9mm) the more abrasive the wipers are. So, they work and can feel just fine, but I wouldn't expect many years of service. It is also the case that at least some of the grime that can make a pot scratchy is material rubbed off the resistive strip inside the pot by the wiper. Sadly, the 9mm pots are sealed, meaning dust can't get in, but you can't shpritz in contact cleaner to remove the resistive-strip scrapings. So, a bargain purchase but a shorter usable lifespan. And it's not just $40 Chinese minipedals that use them.


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## player99 (Sep 5, 2019)

mhammer said:


> It's hard to get cheaper than Alpha pots. I suppose it's _*possible*_; it's just not easy to come up with less costly materials and design.
> 
> My own experience is that the smaller the diameter of the pot (the little black-plastic-shaft-green-body ones are 9mm) the more abrasive the wipers are. So, they work and can feel just fine, but I wouldn't expect many years of service. It is also the case that at least some of the grime that can make a pot scratchy is material rubbed off the resistive strip inside the pot by the wiper. Sadly, the 9mm pots are sealed, meaning dust can't get in, but you can't shpritz in contact cleaner to remove the resistive-strip scrapings. So, a bargain purchase but a shorter usable lifespan. And it's not just $40 Chinese minipedals that use them.


They can be carefully taken apart and cleaned?


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## shasha (Feb 17, 2018)

I have had a few over the years and settled on three - ego - carl martin - and diamond. My fave being the Carl Martin FWIW - but they are all killer. Diamond for funk and glass, the Carl Martin for gain and cascading and the ego a happy compromise. GLWS its half the fun.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

player99 said:


> They can be carefully taken apart and cleaned?


Ones like this, yes.








Ones like this,no.


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## ziggiemann (Sep 18, 2009)

I have had my Empress Compressor MK1 for coming up 10 years now, I also own a Wampler Ego, a V4 JHS P&P and a Pigtronix Mini Philo Stone, and the Empress is still my go to comp. The new MKII will be my next comp but only if I decide to create a smaller pedal board. LOL! Good luck with the search.


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## RBlakeney (Mar 12, 2017)

I have a Keeley compressor plus. I’m sure it does something when not on the shelf, maybe I’ll take it down and find out.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

ziggiemann said:


> I have had my Empress Compressor MK1 for coming up 10 years now, I also own a Wampler Ego, a V4 JHS P&P and a Pigtronix Mini Philo Stone, and the Empress is still my go to comp. The new MKII will be my next comp but only if I decide to create a smaller pedal board. LOL! Good luck with the search.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Although knobs labelled "Attack" on many stompbox compressors actually set gain-recovery time, the Empress provides for Attack and Release controls, which indicates a sidechain design more akin to rackmount studio compressor/limiters. In those instances, "Attack" really does set how long the compression takes to come on.


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## Nork (Mar 27, 2010)

markxander said:


> Haven't turned my Fairfield The Accountant off since I got it a few months ago. Easy to use, same size as the one you're replacing, and made in Canada. There are a couple on Reverb right now for around $200


Made across the river in fact!

That Empress one may be almost too tweakable? What about another Mooer if you were happy with it and it was cheap and quick?


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