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Origin Eects Cali76 FET Compressor
Bypass Switch: This switch toggles the pedal on and o. The Cali76 FET Compressor uses buered bypass
and electronic switching for low-noise operation. When powered up, the pedal will automatically default to
being switched on. This is so that it can easily be used with switching systems and rack systems, where pedals
need to be left active and may be inaccessible.
NOTE: It is good practice to always turn on your pedalboard first, before turning your amp on or connecting any DI
outputs, as some pedals can produce a “pop” noise when powered on.
ON / OFF Operation:
It is important to take care when dialling in your compressor to guarantee the best noise performance. Because
compressors increase the level of quiet signals relative to peak level, they will increase any background noise
from devices placed before them, such as overdrive or distortion pedals. For this reason, most players tend to
place their compressor near the beginning of the chain, with drive pedals placed afterwards so that any back-
ground noise is not exaggerated by the compressor.
Compressors will also increase the level of hum picked up by single coil pickups. This can be reduced by using
more subtle compression settings.
Compressors & Noise:
Minimising noise is one important reason to use a compressor near the start of your signal chain, so that it does
not amplify noise from other pedals. Another reason to use a compressor near the start of your chain is so that
it can easily respond to the natural dynamics of your instrument. Running your compressor first in the chain
means that it can work with the raw signal from your guitar, shaping the dynamics exactly as you want before
passing this signal on to other pedals.
This is more dicult if using a compressor after overdrive or distortion, as these eects have their own eect
on dynamics which prevents the compressor from shaping transients and sustain. A funk or country player
would place their compressor first, as clean tones are the priority, and the compression eect needs to be ob-
vious. This placement is also useful when adding unnatural sustain without needing extra overdrive, as is popular
for slide guitar tones.
However, some players like to use compression after overdrive or distortion. This signal chain order allows
the guitar to interact naturally with the overdrive eect. The player is then able to clean up their tone from the
guitar volume knob, while the compressor keeps the overall volume constant. This placement is more likely to
be favoured by rock and blues players, who favour edge-of-breakup and overdriven tones with less obvious
compression. Using a compressor near the end of the chain can also add a studio-style gloss to your tone,
helping it to sit well in the mix.
To keep noise to a minimum and to preserve some of the natural dynamics of the instrument, more subtle
compression settings are best when using the compressor after overdrive or distortion.
NOTE: The Cali76 FET Compressor uses buered bypass to achieve consistent tone and low-noise operation. Any
pedals that do not work well after a buer should be placed before the Cali76, such as some vintage Fuzz and Wah
pedals.
Signal Chain Tips:
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