Kev Posted September 9, 2015 Share Posted September 9, 2015 (edited) Glad your enjoying it buddy Well, I did end up ordering the Darkglass, from bass direct this time, so will hopefully have one next week Edited September 9, 2015 by Kev Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrammeFriday Posted September 10, 2015 Share Posted September 10, 2015 [quote name='Bearfist' timestamp='1441727749' post='2861266'] Arrived not long ago. Only had 10 minutes with it, I need to get it on the board and spend some more time with it but initial thoughts are its killer, the HPF is every bit as good as I hoped, and surprisingly perhaps I think I do prefer it to my old full size Cali (non transformer version, I suspect this isn't quite up to the transformer version standard). It really has a ton of depth, open up the HPF and its just a bottomless pit of Cali loveliness. The controls are very intuitive, wasn't sure about the combined Attack/Release control but having just used it its really nice and my main concern was the metering but the single light is pretty cool and I'm actually liking its making me use my ears more rather than just looking at a meter for 8 to 12 DB reduction which is my default. It feels like they have squeezed a lot in this little thing, its reassuringly heavy and is built like a tank. Its bloody good, if I had just spent that 10 minutes in a shop trying it I would have walked out £300 lighter. [attachment=200295:IMG_2128 (1).JPG] Edit - Had some more time with it now and yeah it is very very good indeed, for what I want out of a compressor pedal its as good as it gets, was going to give the Darkglass a try as well but not now I'm very happy with this. Couple of negatives would be there is a brief cut in sound when the pedal is engaged, but most will have this always on so not an issue I guess and the huge chunky screws holding the bass plate on, that means a single layer of Velcro on the bottom doesn't make contact with the pedalboard, so i had to stick a few layers of thick Gaffa tape on the bottom then put the Velcro on so it clears the screws, seems an odd flaw for a pedal that's selling point is its more pedal board friendly than the full size units. But these are minor things, the compressor its self is a work of art really. [/quote] EXCELLENT review - v helpful - many thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kev Posted September 10, 2015 Share Posted September 10, 2015 Really, the sound cuts when it engages? That doesn't sound right? True, it won't be an issue for most, but unless I am missing something that's quite a design flaw if its not faulty. Happens with digital pedals of course, but first I have heard with an analog. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roman_sub Posted September 10, 2015 Share Posted September 10, 2015 Agree, sound cutting out doesn't sound quite right... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bearfist Posted September 10, 2015 Share Posted September 10, 2015 (edited) Yeah I was surprised and thought I might have been short on m/a from my supply at first but have tried high current outlets on my cioks and still the same, it's very very brief with a slight swell back to full volume. Have messaged Simon to ask if that's right but he is away at the moment so as yet no reply, will keep you informed. Anyone else get one of these let me know if you're does that. Otherwise it's rad like I said. Edit - Have watched a few reviews of the other compact pedals and they do the same thing so I'm guessing its normal, like I said though not an issue for me. Edited September 13, 2015 by Bearfist Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryancowell25 Posted September 23, 2015 Share Posted September 23, 2015 Received mine today I part exchanged my Cali 76 transformer version earlier this year. I was an earlier adopter but I never really got in with it frequently reaching for other compressors and even swapping out on a number of dates over the summer for my Compressore. Ultimately I think it came down to the amount of control that I had and the difficulty in continually dealing in settings on the fly in high pressure live settings yet it as great in the studio. This already feels completely different. The same high quality compression but super easy to dial in a variety of compression settings from percussive to Levin-esque squishy and the build quality is stunning . I'm continually astounded by the work of Origin Effects. What an incredible time it is to be a British bass player with companies such as Origin, Barefaced and Cog Effects (to name but a handful) on our door steps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fretmeister Posted September 24, 2015 Share Posted September 24, 2015 Here's a difficult question for you lot... Which smaller compressor, The Cali, The Ego, The Warden, etc sounds most like the Empress? I love my Empress but it's quite a big unit and I love the idea of going smaller. ta Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bearfist Posted September 24, 2015 Share Posted September 24, 2015 [quote name='fretmeister' timestamp='1443085455' post='2872002'] Here's a difficult question for you lot... Which smaller compressor, The Cali, The Ego, The Warden, etc sounds most like the Empress? I love my Empress but it's quite a big unit and I love the idea of going smaller. ta [/quote] I cant speak for the others but the Cali isn't that similar to the Empress, it has a fairly distinctive flavour where as the stand out thing about the Empress is its transparency, I loved my old Empress particularly that it went down to 2:1 ratio, again quite different to the Cali which is around 5 to 1 minimum I believe? Both are killer units but a little different. I think the Darkglass is going to be quite similar to the Empress, i've not tried one but all reports point to its transparency and I bumped into Doug months ago in London and we were talking about his plans for a comp, he was saying the Empress was a favourite of his and I got the impression that was the direction his was going to go. That wouldn't really help to reduce the size however. [quote name='ryancowell25' timestamp='1443038558' post='2871802'] Received mine today I part exchanged my Cali 76 transformer version earlier this year. I was an earlier adopter but I never really got in with it frequently reaching for other compressors and even swapping out on a number of dates over the summer for my Compressore. Ultimately I think it came down to the amount of control that I had and the difficulty in continually dealing in settings on the fly in high pressure live settings yet it as great in the studio. This already feels completely different. The same high quality compression but super easy to dial in a variety of compression settings from percussive to Levin-esque squishy and the build quality is stunning . I'm continually astounded by the work of Origin Effects. What an incredible time it is to be a British bass player with companies such as Origin, Barefaced and Cog Effects (to name but a handful) on our door steps. [/quote] Its great isn't it, I'm preferring it to my old full size by some distance. Can I ask when you engage the pedal do you get that momentary cut is sound rather than seamless switching I mentioned a few posts up? Origin don't want to reply to any mails ive sent asking about that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fretmeister Posted September 24, 2015 Share Posted September 24, 2015 Of the new little Cali models - there is the bass specific model with the High Pass Filter, but that leaves you without separate Attack and Release controls. However - there is another model (not called "bass") that doesn't have the HPF but does have separate attack and release. It also still has a blend control. I'm wondering if the non-bass specific one might be a better choice for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryancowell25 Posted September 24, 2015 Share Posted September 24, 2015 i'm not getting a cut but a slight dip in volume for a split second when the pedal is engaged. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elephantgrey Posted September 24, 2015 Share Posted September 24, 2015 Is it true bypass? If it is then maybe the volume cut/drop when engaged is for when the true bypass pops when engaged? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bearfist Posted September 24, 2015 Share Posted September 24, 2015 (edited) Yeah that' sounds the same, cheers! No it's not true bypass, it's a new silent switching thing they are using (no click) and is buffered as a result. The dip is no issue really just wanted to make sure that was normal from someone else with one. Edited September 24, 2015 by Bearfist Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyxtiger Posted October 22, 2015 Share Posted October 22, 2015 mIne arrived today. Really nice quality finish and feel. Solid build. After a quick fiddle it seems really nice but I'll get a better play over the weekend and try to review a bit more. In short tho, a great unit. I liked the tone and feel of the original large unit which I sold because I found I couldn't get a tone which breathed enough, it always seemed to choke the notes. The mini one fixes that problem with the HPF. Also with the dry blend you get exactly what it says on the tin, your usual tone with a beefier bottom end blended in. I say usual tone, it's not 100% transparent but it does have a nice tone. I guess depending on your own goals this may be a deal breaker but I can't imagine anything else being a problem for most. So far so good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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