Strymon Compadre

This compressor provides everything we need to shape our tone right from the beginning of our signal chain. The wide range of tone-shaping features of Compadre is designed to sound great across a variety of setups.

The compression

Choose between two compression circuits, each with a unique character.

• Studio: Transparent and smooth compression, based on rack-mounted compressors used in recording studios.
• Squeeze: Harder compression with more sustain. It can resemble pedal-style compressors, specifically designed for guitar.

Automatic gain and auto threshold mean all you need to do is turn up the compression knob to your liking.

The "dry" knob allows us to add as much dry signal as desired into the mix, enabling what is known as parallel compression. This way, we can preserve the guitar's natural attack even under heavy compression.

The booster

Compadre features two built-in 'boost' circuits, switchable via a switch located on the back panel above the jack connectors.

• Clean Boost: Enhances our volume in a completely clean way.
• Dirty Boost: Introduces soft clipping to lightly saturate the signal.

These two circuits can also be modified through a switch to select among three different EQ curves, perfect for matching different guitars.

• Treble: Boosts the high frequencies, adding brightness.
• Mid: Enhances midrange frequencies for greater presence in the mix.
• Flat: Boosts all frequencies equally.

From the class A JFET input circuit to the VCA-based compression, the Clean Boost, and the soft clipping of the Dirty Boost, every aspect of Compadre’s audio signal processing is fully analog, with top-quality components, design, and craftsmanship. The audio signal is never converted to digital. The signal path includes a high-impedance, ultra low-noise class A JFET preamp, a low-impedance mono output, a VCA output for expression pedal, compatibility with MiniSwitch for remote selection of stored presets, and MultiSwitch Plus for remote selection of 3 presets. MIDI control provides access to 300 presets (requires Strymon MIDI EXP Cable or MIDI TRS interface). The chassis is made of anodized aluminum, with a power consumption of 150mA.

About Strymon
Talking about Strymon means high quality in effects pedals. They are known for their "High End" pedal lines that combine analog circuitry with digital signal processing, delivering truly stunning results. They describe themselves as a small company, yet their effects are used by world-renowned artists.