DryBell Module 4 Compressor Pedal Overview
The Module 4 is a highly versatile take on a classic vintage compressor – Dan Armstrong’s Orange Squeezer from the ‘70s.
Module 4 – Orange flavoured compression
The Module 4 analogue compressor is engineered with the highest precision to achieve versatility, low noise, expanded headroom and sound resolution while keeping Armstrong’s magic inside the pedal. You get that classic tone but you can tweak it to the finest detail. All of the Module 4 circuitry is completely original and unique in its design.
Module 4 can be transformed into a standard Full Frequency range compressor by switching the Orange button off. Basically, you have two flavours available and they are easily distinguishable. ORANGE mode is warm, vintage-sounding while Full Frequency range mode has a more modern, brighter, clearer tone. In either mode, you can easily avoid ‘pumping’ or unwanted transients with the external ATTACK & RELEASE controls, even on high compression. One of the greatest features of the ORANGE mode is the playful interaction with the guitar’s pickups which makes playing feel really pleasant. In order to experience that feeling, you’ll need to use it first in the chain and avoid any kind of buffers in front of it. Think of it as a great vintage Fuzz, if you use it right, it will sound right!
One essential improvement from the original design is an added PREAMP attenuation/gain control. This ensures that you can use various low or high-output pickups, single coils or humbuckers. For example, in order to achieve a longer sustain, it was sometimes necessary to boost the guitar signal going into a compressor. In that case, the magical impedance interaction between the guitar’s pickups and the Front-end circuit was gone. That’s why in our Module 4 the PREAMP stage is placed after the Front-end circuit, so you can easily adjust the compression level to your needs while keeping the original ‘Orange’ feel unaffected.
We have also included a very useful BLEND control; it sets the mix of dry/compressed signals. You can balance the tone with this smooth parallel compression circuit while retaining pick attack dynamics. OUTPUT control (make-up gain) is a high headroom clean boost, useful for pushing your amp harder and adding, even more, sustain to your tone.
Do you want a more rounded, darker tone or high-end sparkle harmonics? The TONE control is tweaked just to the right frequencies, for a wide spectrum of usage on any guitar or any amp. Also, we have added the LOW END cut option which allows you to remove certain low-end frequencies.
