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Ego Compressor

TM

TM

Compressors are often misunderstood. A compressor, in the most straightfor-

ward terms, makes loud sounds quieter and quiet sounds louder, "compressing" 

the signal's dynamic range. The loudest part of your instrument's note is the 

pluck, strum, or pick. That's referred to as the "transient" or the "attack" of the 

note, and it is usually quite percussive. The signal gets really loud for a fraction of 

a second before the note resonates and fades out. The actual character of the 

transient is a huge part of what defines the sound of a given instrument. Control-

ling its level is part of what compressors do, but there's more.

Compressors work to control the overall level of your playing, keeping peaks 

from getting too loud and raising the level of the note as it starts to fade out. 

Think of it like an automatic volume knob that turns down for loud signals and 

turns up for quiet signals. Raising the Sustain control makes it work harder to 

make lower volume sounds louder. Raising the Sustain is useful when playing 

clean. Careful, though, compressors don't know the difference between notes 

and noise, so the more you raise the Sustain, the more noise you can expect. A 

compressor usually works best early in the signal chain if you're concerned about 

noise!

Some compressors have a really noticeable "pop-in" effect, where they squash 

the transient and then quickly raise up to the level of the note. That's because 

they are reacting to what they see as a HUGE volume jump in the transient. An 

"Attack" knob, which adjusts how quickly the compressor responds, offers some 

control. Slower attack will mean less pop-in, but it also won't do as much to 

control the loud transient. Faster attack is great for chicken-pickin'.

The most flexible compressors are compressors with "Blend" functionality. A blend compressor lets you mix clean signal with the 

compressed signal. That lets the loud transient through, preserving your playing dynamics, but seamlessly takes over to add 

sustain and fullness. You can adjust the balance of clean to compressed signal for your needs.

At Wampler Pedals, we make the Ego Compressor, which gives you control over every aspect of an instrument compressor, 

including Sustain, Attack, Blend functionality, and even a special Tone knob Brian cooked up over time that can add some extra 

sparkle for tones that jangle with the best of 'em. It's a no-compromises compressor that offers the best of all worlds. What else 

would you expect from Brian Wampler?

To get the most out of your new pedal, you'll want to become very familiar with the controls. For the Compressor side of things, it 

features Volume, Sustain, and Attack controls to dial in your preferred compression behavior, as well as a special Tone control 

which lets you go from nothing added to lots of sparkle and chime on top of your signal, adjustable to your preference. It also 

features the fantastic Blend knob, letting you easily adjust the degree of compressed to natural signal. If you've never tried a 

blend compressor before, you're in for a treat! As with all Wampler Pedals products, the Ego Compressor includes a high-quality 

true-bypass switch which takes it completely out of the signal path when bypassed. Experiment and enjoy!

Bypass Switch

 – A true-bypass footswitch ensures solid, mechanical removal of the circuit when it isn't wanted, meaning you 

don't lose any tone when the pedal is off.

Volume

 – This control adjusts the output level of the Ego Compressor. There's plenty of volume on tap, so whether you want to 

go farther than your input level or just make sure it can do unity volume (the same level of signal going out as you feed it, when 

active), you're covered. The Sustain and Blend controls will have an effect on the total output volume, so you're probably better 

off waiting to adjust the Volume until you've dialed in the other controls. Re-adjustment might be necessary if you get it to the 

desired level and still need to tweak the sound.

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