Re: Compressor-Sustain Pedal Advice Pigtronix OT

[Mark Hamburg <mark@grubmah.com>]

On Feb 6, 2011, at 4:42 AM, andy butler wrote:

> Perhaps that's the noise problem Mark has, although of course being in 
>uk I don't have the exact same wall wart.

My "noise" issues aren't hum. I think I may just be amplifying noise from 
the pickups. (My Taylor seems particularly sensitive to my iMac.)

My issue with the grit control is that it seems mostly to just add a layer 
of fizz or sizzle over the top of the note. Maybe that's why it is called 
"grit". Interesting, maybe, but it's also interesting that the "manual" 
for the pedal even advises to leave grit turned all the way down. Why 
include a knob that you then advise people to not use?

Backing off on the controls, however, does yield some very nice, 
relatively subtle compression. I find myself better able to play those 
funk rhythms Bill was teaching me 20 years ago. Or rather, the results are 
better articulated.

With regard to the switch, I don't notice any popping in the actual audio 
when hitting it, but it is a really loud foot switch.

We'll see how the thing holds up. I keep being intrigued by Pigtronix's 
products and then disappointed when I actually try them. I may just not 
like the sounds that David Koltai does. The Philosopher's Tone, however, 
looks likely to find a permanent home in my pedal chain whereas my 
previous exploration of a standalone compressor -- a Digitech Main Squeeze 
-- got used briefly and then just sat on a shelf.

Mark