Carl Martin introduces his new optical compressor
November 3, 2008 -- Ever wished someone would build a small opto-compressor for guitarists? You''re in luck.
Meet Carl Martin''s Vintage Opto-Compressor -- an old-school compressor from the days where coloring was an important factor to the sound. The four controls (from left to right) are the Gain, which controls the ‘pre-glow’ of the optical circuit (the more you turn this up, the fatter the sound); Level, which controls the overall volume of the compressor; Compression, which controls how hard or soft the compression is, and the Attack control which takes the signal from transparent to outright total squeeze.
An optical compressor performs gain reduction control via a light source into a photo sensitive cell--as the light source gets brighter, the photo sensitive cell sends a signal to reduce dynamic range, or what becomes a compressed signal.
Martin says a short time with the Vintage Opto-Compressor will allow you to find some of those classic guitar sounds which may somehow have escaped you before.
Like all the Vintage pedals, the Opto-Compressor comes in a solid diecast housing with chicken-head knobs, CM color and graphics and a 9v battery compartment. Due to the nature of compressors, Martin highly recommends a regulated power supply or a large stock of batteries when using the compressor.
For more info:
Carl Martin
Meet Carl Martin''s Vintage Opto-Compressor -- an old-school compressor from the days where coloring was an important factor to the sound. The four controls (from left to right) are the Gain, which controls the ‘pre-glow’ of the optical circuit (the more you turn this up, the fatter the sound); Level, which controls the overall volume of the compressor; Compression, which controls how hard or soft the compression is, and the Attack control which takes the signal from transparent to outright total squeeze.
An optical compressor performs gain reduction control via a light source into a photo sensitive cell--as the light source gets brighter, the photo sensitive cell sends a signal to reduce dynamic range, or what becomes a compressed signal.
Martin says a short time with the Vintage Opto-Compressor will allow you to find some of those classic guitar sounds which may somehow have escaped you before.
Like all the Vintage pedals, the Opto-Compressor comes in a solid diecast housing with chicken-head knobs, CM color and graphics and a 9v battery compartment. Due to the nature of compressors, Martin highly recommends a regulated power supply or a large stock of batteries when using the compressor.
For more info:
Carl Martin
