better compressor pedal??

[mr_deadmaxxx]

which pedal do u think is the best for compression?

these are my options:

dod 280
ibanez cp9
mxr dynacomp
ross compressor
orange squeezer

i cant decide which pedal to clone.any ideas?

[CynicalMan]

Those are all decent pedals. So, what do you want from a compressor? Versatility? An easy build? High attack? Low attack? Transparency? Give us a few more details. Also, I'd suggest breadboarding these to see what you think of them.

[petemoore]

  !

[Zapp Brannigan]

I like this one:
http://www.sugardas.lt/~igoramps/article60.html
No need to tune after building - it works immediately, if built without mistakes, it is very versatile and suits for guitar and bass-guitar no matter what pickups are installed - passive or active. The second schematics is easier to build, 'cause it uses Jfets of one type (J201 without any mathing), opamp is LM324 The only trouble is twin jfet KP504HT3B, but it can be replaced with a matched pair of J271, 2N5461, 2N5462, J175, J174, 2N5115.
Forgot one thing: lm324 must be turned on 180⁰, Check datasheet.

[petemoore]

  That looks like a fancy circuit, Zapp !
  An interesting alternative to be sure, kudos for venturing into what looks like extensive entry-board to try it out !
  Word association/abbreviation:
 dod 280  Lights LED?/Photocell R changes. Simple, may let in blip of attack cause the photocell goes X fast, mods/function is 'open face', easy-ish to fiddle with, if strong/less than transparent, useful sound.
ibanez cp9  
 Ibanez, reviewed, would like to try one.
mxr dynacompross compressor
 Venerable, powerful can do 'hard comp'.
orange squeezer
 Has 1 knob for volume, can do 1 slick trick with peak supression, very stable and shallow gain ramps, may sound just like very nice booster, high speed light-transparent compression.
 Ramp rates and control [varies as stated.
 Distortion {OS has teeny bit of sweet dirt in it, the DOD attack-slip-blip lends itself to attack of harmonic-wall [requires post distortion] also called 'clunky's-cool'.
 The Dyna/Ross is good demonstration of voicing compressors, since they're nearly identical and: adjustable to strong = boosts low signal...the LP filtering comparison between these two is interesting study and choice.
 So we're talking about alteration of the dynamics right off the guitar here.
 All that said...letting the compressor have you find the sound as opposed to you finding the sound of the compressor is a suggested approach [especially useful for hard, slow comp sounds].
 One dude had a reverse attack thing...and played that sound the entire time, transforming the guitar from a percussive instrument that could add an accent to the top of a beat...lotta help that was to rythm knot, the novelty wore off after the first few measures.

[alfio]

My favourite compressor is by far the carl martin compressor limiter.
It is a studio-quality effect, absolutely trasparent and versatile going from strongly compressed tones to subtle effect with great sustain.

And the schematic is known...
http://freestompboxes.org/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=9287 

[Mark Hammer]

CP9, Dynacomp, and Ross all belong to the same family.  CP9 uses a slightly better (and certainly more available) chip, but you have to figure out whether you want the solid-state switching or not.  CP9 uses the variable recovery feature (Attack), but that is easily implemented in the MXR and Ross too.

The DOD is optical, which has a slightly different feel, and holds the promise of being potentially cleaner than OTA or FET-based.

The OS, when stock, behaves a little more like a limiter than a compressor, which those who like to pick fast are partial to.

[askwho69]

I like this one:
http://www.sugardas.lt/~igoramps/article60.html
No need to tune after building - it works immediately, if built without mistakes, it is very versatile and suits for guitar and bass-guitar no matter what pickups are installed - passive or active. The second schematics is easier to build, 'cause it uses Jfets of one type (J201 without any mathing), opamp is LM324 The only trouble is twin jfet KP504HT3B, but it can be replaced with a matched pair of J271, 2N5461, 2N5462, J175, J174, 2N5115.
Forgot one thing: lm324 must be turned on 180⁰, Check datasheet.

wow nice!

[merlinb]

Here's mine. Studio quality, full bandwidth, handles signals up to line level, modular so it is easily tweakable, probably lower noise and distortion than the Carl Martin, too. However, it does require an oscilloscope (or good ears) to set up the bias.

[Mark Hammer]

The purpose of the U1b stage puzzles me.  I'm not dissing it.  I'm just puzzled by why something that looks like a soft limiter is placed ahead of the rectifier stage....or is there some subtle detail I'm missing in either the functioning of that stage or some higher-order strategy on your part to achieve the right feel.

Note that it would not be the first time I've misunderstood a circuit because the way it was drawn was different than what I had in mind.

[FlyingZ]

The Orange Squeezer has a very light tube-ish overdrive that works great with single coils.

[merlinb]

The purpose of the U1b stage puzzles me.  I'm just puzzled by why something that looks like a soft limiter is placed ahead of the rectifier stage....or is there some subtle detail I'm missing in either the functioning of that stage or some higher-order strategy on your part to achieve the right feel.

It's a pseudo-logarithmic amplifier! It conditions the signal prior to rectification. Because of the non-linear characteristics of the FET I found it necessary to add the log amp so as to get a soft knee on the compression characteristic. Actually it does more than one job: it provides gain so the threshold can be adjusted, shapes the control signal, prevents large negative swings hitting the rectifier (which would otherwise cause it to hit the rail and invert, which is something TL07x opamps do), and it provides a convenient way to filter the control signal if desired- hence the treb/bass/normal switch.

[Mark Hammer]

Thanks for that.  Much appreciated.

Obviously a much more thoughtfully designed device than a quick glance might have sugegsted!  All of which merits a tip of the hat.

[JDoyle]

A tip of the hat indeed!

Well done.

[Processaurus]

It has real attack, release, threshold, and ratio controls!  And a soft knee.  Rare in the guitar compressor pedal world.  Thanks for sharing your design!

[mr_deadmaxxx]

the ones i listed above are my only choices since i already have the layouts for them..

but if you were to rank them, which would come first?

[petemoore]

  but if you were to rank them, which would come first?
 Dod 280  Would be..My #1 Cobblecomp.
 Ibanez cp9  My #1 Comp I have least exp./knowledge of, it's of Ibanez design release

• .
   Mxr dynacomp #1 hands down, requires CA3080 and requires more parts than the Ibanez?
   Ross compressor is #1 when the DYNA circuit tames the highs more than desired, and it's ''compressor-compromises'' otherwise fits player preferences.
   Orange Squeezer is outstanding for it's lack of control features:
    #1 for least adjustable compression control.
       
   
  
  

[David]

The purpose of the U1b stage puzzles me.  I'm just puzzled by why something that looks like a soft limiter is placed ahead of the rectifier stage....or is there some subtle detail I'm missing in either the functioning of that stage or some higher-order strategy on your part to achieve the right feel.

It's a pseudo-logarithmic amplifier! It conditions the signal prior to rectification. Because of the non-linear characteristics of the FET I found it necessary to add the log amp so as to get a soft knee on the compression characteristic. Actually it does more than one job: it provides gain so the threshold can be adjusted, shapes the control signal, prevents large negative swings hitting the rectifier (which would otherwise cause it to hit the rail and invert, which is something TL07x opamps do), and it provides a convenient way to filter the control signal if desired- hence the treb/bass/normal switch.

Merlin, that compressor is SLICK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!   

Any chance of hearing a sound clip or two?

[Morocotopo]

Here's mine. Studio quality, full bandwidth, handles signals up to line level, modular so it is easily tweakable, probably lower noise and distortion than the Carl Martin, too. However, it does require an oscilloscope (or good ears) to set up the bias.

Well, I do have an oscilloscope, so if you want to tell us more about it...



How should it be biased?

[thedefog]

I own a Dynacomp, Orange Squeezer, and a DOD.

My personal favorite is the Orange Squeezer. It warms up the sound a bit and squishes it in a very reactively pleasant manner that works beautifully with clean, whether it be plucking with fingers, using a slide or using a pick. It sounds nice on pedal steel as well. Works great on all pick ups. It doesn't seem to play well with overdrives though, IMHO. It's a fun sounding compressor though that you definitely can hear working when it is on.

Dynacomp sounds like the inbetween of the DOD and the Squeezer. It has a nice squish, but doesn't overly color the tone. Not totally transparent, but not warm like the OS either. It has a fairly fast attack and a long release that is similar to the OS. It works better before an overdrive than the OS due to the limited tonal coloration. I've used it on a number of recordings, but it is never my first choice in any situation.

The DOD is very transparent and is what is currently on my effect board. I just leave it on all the time for live. It is definitely the "Can't tell if it's even on until I turn it off" compressor of the bunch. Works very well in conjunction with other pedals.

If I had the room, I'd put both the orange squeezer and DOD on my pedal board because there are times where I wish I had the OS for clean parts. But for me because I use a lot of overdrive and I want to control the overall dynamics of my playing all the time, the DOD wins.