Compression is an effect that subtly shapes the dynamics of your playing, often unnoticed by many but greatly appreciated by experienced musicians for its ability to enhance and refine the sound. It can smooth out the tone of a brittle-sounding Telecaster, accentuate the punch of a bass, and bring clarity and presence to the attack of a pick on strings. In more extreme settings, it can significantly squash the signal, contributing to the distinctive 'cluck' and 'pop' of a Stratocaster in a country music setting or the nuanced playing of artists like Mark Knopfler.
Matthew Holl founded Wren and Cuff in 2006 as a part-time hobby, making guitar and bass effects. In 2007, as the business gained popularity, Holl transitioned to running Wren and Cuff full-time, expanded operations, and hired staff to meet increasing demand. Wren and Cuff earned a reputation for durable, high-quality effects with great tone. The brand has since been embraced by professionals across various music genres, with notable users like J Mascis, Brian Ray, and Troy Sanders.
The Universal Audio MAX Preamp and Dual Compressor Footswitch Effects Pedal is a sophisticated digital device that leverages UAFX dual-engine processing technology to emulate the sound of three legendary compressors and an iconic tube preamp, providing a wide range of tonal possibilities. Here's a brief overview of its features:
Dual-Engine Processing: Utilizes UAFX's advanced processing for high-fidelity sound reproduction.
The Universal Audio UAFX 1176 Studio Compressor effects pedal brings the legendary compression characteristics of the iconic 1176 Limiting Amplifier into a compact and pedalboard-friendly format. Designed to provide guitarists with a range of dynamic control and tonal enhancement, this pedal is notable for its accurate emulation and versatile functionality. Key features include:
Accurate 1176 Algorithm: The pedal boasts the most precise 1176 algorithm to date, capturing the essence of the original hardware's compression characteristics.
The Universal Audio LA-2A Studio Compressor pedal brings the renowned sound of the original optical tube limiter into a compact guitar effects pedal format. This pedal is designed to replicate the warmth, character, and dynamic control of the Teletronix LA-2A, a legendary piece of studio equipment known for its smooth compression and tonal enhancement. Here's a concise overview of its features:
The Animals Pedal 1927 Home Run King Compressor V2 offers studio-quality compression in a pedalboard- and budget-friendly package. It features a simple control system to level high- and low-frequencies while controlling tonal density and sustain. A Volume control sets the overall output level of the pedal, EQ controls the frequency range and Comp sets how much or how little compression you want running through your signal path. It also boasts two LED lightsone to indicate if the pedal is active or bypassed, and one to show whether or not the output signal is currently being compressed. .
Emma Electronic is a Danish guitar effects pedal company. The company has been active since around 2000 and was founded by former electronics engineer and music store owner Jan Behncke.
JOYO Technology are co-founders of Dr J guitar effect pedals. Dee Leung, head of the Dr.J engineering team in Shenzhen, began his career as a musician. He liked fiddling with various pedals when he was a student in college, analyzing tones and circuits from low-end pedals to advanced handmade ones. Dee Leung continued focusing on his pedal designs in his evenings, at home as his passion for electronics grew into an obsession. Although he had bought some pedals, he couldn’t afford to collect so many of the costlier effects, so he made an effort to network with local guitarists and other effects-using musicians with sizeable pedal collections of their own.
Dreadbox is a boutique synth and effects company based in Athens, Greece. It was founded in 2012 by Yiannis Diakoumakos and Dimitra Manthou. Dreadbox is a small company and everything is built and assembled in their workshop.
Jacques Charbit is a French guitar effects builder, based in Marseilles. He had been making effects pedals since the 1970s but in 1995 came up with a new distortion effect called the Fuse Blower. This led him to start Jacques Stompboxes in 1999.
DSM & Humboldt was founded in 2019 in Chile by Jano Acevedo and Daniel Schwartz. They became well known for their Simplifier Zero Watt Amp and Cab Sim Pedal.
ROSS Electronics, founded in 1977 by Charles "Bud" Ross (1940 - 2018), evolved from Kustom Amplification (founded in 1964), famous for its distinctive "tuck-and-roll" Naugahyde covered amplifiers. Ross's innovations extended to ROSS Musical Products, which introduced a range of guitar pedals. These pedals became iconic in the music industry for their simple design, quality and sound. Ross pedals were made in the USA until 1980 when Ross Musical Products was sold to IMC who moved production to Taiwan. Under IMC ownership, ROSS continued to manufacture various products offshore through the eighties and nineties before discontinuing the brand name.
The company was revived by Bud Ross' grandson Cameron Ross who in collaboration with JHS pedals released a new range of Ross pedals in 2023.
Jackson Audio is a guitar effects company founded in 2017 by Brad Jackson & Juan Kyle from Jackson Ampworks and Nigel Hendroff from Hillsong Church in Sydney Australia.
