MusicRadar Verdict
One of the best compressors around now fits on your 'board. Excellent.
Pros
- +
Compact size.
Cons
- -
Very few.
MusicRadar's got your back Our team of expert musicians and producers spends hours testing products to help you choose the best music-making gear for you. Find out more about how we test.
Origin Effects compressor pedals are well-respected and used by many famous players, but their large footprint doesn't exactly make them pedalboard-friendly, so the company has shoehorned the circuitry into a new range of compact pedals about one third of the size.
The original Cali76 is based on an all- time great studio compressor, the Urei 1176, and, likewise, this version retains the low-noise circuitry and Class A signal path while simplifying the control surface.
Besides the input and output knobs common to all the pedals, there's a high/low ratio switch for lighter and heavier compression. The single combined Attack/Release knob has a completely useful range from slow attack/fast release, which works well for percussive playing with equally weighted notes, to fast attack/slow release for smooth overall feel.
“I played in 29 punk rock bands, but I loved Prince. 1999 became the soundtrack to my life”: How the Purple One’s classic album was life-changing for a Guns N’ Roses star
“Imagine not knowing Eric Johnson, Vai and Satriani and seeing this for the first time? It literally blows your mind”: Matteo Mancuso – 10 albums that changed my life
Play like Jimmy Page! Exclusive video lesson
