Compressor Pedals

Compressor pedals are useful, and easy to use pedals that can add a lot to your playing. Compressor pedals bring balance, and consistency to your playing by reducing the volume of your loudest notes, and increasing the volume of your quietest notes.  This control of the dynamic range brings a studio-quality level of sheen and polish to your sound.

Compressor pedals vary in their complexity, some are easy to use with dials that control the sensitivity of the compression, and the output making them very easy to plug in and play. More complex compression pedals offer a variety of options, allowing for more nuanced control of the dynamics and often come paired with sustain effects.

The difference between your loudest notes and your quietest notes is known as your ‘dynamics’. A really wide dynamic range can sound a bit sloppy and haphazard. Compressors are used to smooth out your playing; giving it a much more polished, consistent feel. Compressor pedals work by reducing the volume of your loudest notes and increasing the volume of your quietest notes. Most players aim to use compressors subtly. But some, particularly country players, will use it as a pronounced ‘squashed’ effect, where every note they play is compressed so that they are all the same volume.

Compressors are large studio units which are used on everything from vocals to drums. Compressor pedals, then, can be a bit confusing because they still use a lot of studio language like ‘Attack’, ‘Release’ and ‘Ratio’. ‘Attack’ is the first part of the note where you actually strike the string. The attack control adjusts how quickly the compressor starts working. The quicker it starts the more pronounced the compression effect. ‘Release’ is the end of the note, often called ‘Sustain’ for this reason. If you crank this control, you’ll be able to hold notes much longer. ‘Ratio’ is the difference between the loudest and quietest volume. A low ratio like 2:1 is very subtle whereas a high ratio like 32:1 is quite extreme.

If you are using a lot of overdrive and distortion, your sound is already compressed and you probably don’t need a dedicated compressor pedal. But for anyone using clean amps, compressor pedals are very useful. Compressor pedals are commonly used by players in genre's like country, pop and funk, where clean guitar sounds take centre stage. It's uncommon to find these pedals in use among metal and hard rock players, as the overdrive and distortion effects already compress the tone.

Why Should I Choose a Compressor Pedal?

• Provides balance and consistency to your performances
• Give every performance studio sheen
• Studio-quality sound
• Variety of brands and models to choose from
• Guitar compressor pedals smooth out haphazard playing
• Use subtly or in a pronounced, ‘squashed’ way
• Easy to use