DSM & Humboldt ClearComp 1078 Dynamic Threshold Compressor Pedal
A studio-like compressor/limiter at your feet! Featuring 'Dynamic Threshold' topology for transparency, low-noise & higher dynamic range.
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Want to Click and Collect or try items at our Guildford Store?
The store is open 10am - 6pm Monday to Saturday and 11am - 5pm Sunday and bank holidays.
The stock information shows the quantity of units that are available to purchase at the Guildford store and the quantity of units that are available at our off-site Guildford warehouse. These stock levels are updated in real time.
Our Click and Collect service is available at our Guildford store from 10am - 6pm Monday to Saturday, and 11am - 5pm on Sunday. You can either choose click and collect as your delivery option online or, during store opening hours, call our sales team at 01483 456777 to place a 10% deposit.
If you have placed your order online, you will receive a confirmation email of your order and a separate follow-up text or email to confirm when your item is ready for collection.
Please do not come to the store before you have received the follow-up message, as your order may not yet be ready at the store.
If the only available stock is in our off-site warehouse it can be brought to the store location for you to try - you just need to contact the store within opening hours. Please note any requests received after 3.30pm will not arrive at the store until the following morning.
Please be aware that, unless you have paid a deposit to reserve the item, it will continue to be free, both online and in-store, for another customer to buy. Therefore we would advise you to place a 10% deposit by either using the on-line click and collect service or calling us 01483 456777.
SKU: CLEARCOMP
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Product Description
The talented folks at DSM & Humboldt pride themselves on working "restlessly in defining a new standard on analogue pedal fabrication, and bringing some freshness into an overly saturated market." With their latest pedal, the ClearComp 1078, they've done just that — essentially squeezing a versatile, pro-grade studio compressor into a compact pedalboard-friendly unit! It's like having a super-transparent, old-school compressor right at your feet — but with some modern, player-friendly features hidden up its sleeve.
What Makes the ClearComp Special?
The beauty of the ClearComp is its uniquely-engineered 'Dynamic Threshold' topology. What does this mean, though? Well, while most compressors dynamically reduce the gain progressively as the level rises above the threshold, DSM & Humboldt's DT Topology dynamically modifies the threshold with a fixed gain reduction — achieving a natural and transparent compression effect with a lower noise floor, less colouration and a higher dynamic range.
How does the ClearComp Sound?
In our opinion, amazing! The ClearComp's unique topology makes a difference, and while transparent, it really enhances and refines your guitar tone without drastically altering the EQ. The pedal's designer, Daniel Schwartz, has admitted that he didn't use a compressor in 30 years of playing guitar — but while developing the ClearComp, he became addicted and "now, it's always on my board!"
The DSM & Humboldt ClearComp's low-noise concept even makes it usable with drive pedals placed after it in a signal chain, so you can dial-in the unit to behave like a preamp or solo boost. This is something that you can really feel under your fingers, almost "like you're playing a high-gain amp, but with a cleaner tone."
Multicolour 5-Stage LED Bargraph
This vibrant feature visualizes the resulting envelope level in real-time. For example, if you have a high compression setting, then the envelope will be flatter and therefore the light will display more solid and consistent. It doesn't indicate gain reduction like most conventional compressors, so it's more interactive in that respect!
Controls
The ClearComp boasts various tactile knobs that allow you to achieve a flexible array of compressor sounds, just like you'd find on professional studio compressors:
- Compression: Controls the input gain of the compressor, hence, the resulting overall compression. As you turn it up, the compression effect becomes more pronounced and evident.
- Ratio: Adjusts the gain reduction ratio, from slight compression (1:2) to full limiting (1:20). If you have this set high, it yields a tight and super-squashed sound — like it's in a "dynamic box".
- Attack: Controls the attack time, or in other words, the amount of time it takes for the compressor to react to your picking. Ranges from 5ms for spanky funk slaps, to 100ms for a more natural feel that increases sustain.
- Release: Adjusts the length of time the gain reduction is applied, or rather, how long the the pedal compresses for. This ranges from 30ms to 3s. A quick release setting keeps things sound tight, while a slow release gives a more breathable "TV show"-like compression sound.
- Blend: Lets you mix the compressed signal with the unaffected input signal. This is a very handy, modern feature that allows you to attain a more natural response at just the twist of a knob.
- Threshold Switch: A 3-position toggle that lets you set the starting point of the dynamic threshold, so that you can optimise the pedal to the output level of your instrument. Select 'HI' for high-output pickups or active instruments, 'MID' for regular output guitars and basses, and 'LOW' for guitars equipped with vintage single-coils. The lower the threshold, the more the compression! In DSM & Humboldt's own words, they wanted to make a compressor "that will respect your dynamics", which is the exact the point of this cool feature.
- Level: Sets the output level of the compressor.
Specifications
- Voltage: 9-18V, Centre Negative DC Power Supply (Not Included)
- Current Draw: 100mA
- Dimensions (L x H x W): 120 x 57 x 65 mm
- Weight: 380g