Origin Effects Cali76 Compact Deluxe review

Now with added bells and whistles

  • £279
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MusicRadar Verdict

If you can handle the extra knobs, the Deluxe's added versatility is worth the coin.

Pros

  • +

    Crammed with features.

Cons

  • -

    Very few.

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For an extra £80, the Cali76 Compact Deluxe offers the same compression circuitry but adds more hands-on control in comparison to the non-Deluxe model.

You get a continuously variable compression ratio, plus separate attack and release knobs, which adds more flexibility in shaping the envelope.

That's not too different from the original large version, but what is new is a Dry knob (only previously seen on some of the company's limited-edition pedals) that can blend your input signal into the compressed sound for some parallel compression.

A common gripe about compression is that it affects your whole signal, taking away too much dynamic control, but by incorporating your dry signal you can have a proportional amount of your overall sound compressed. The advantageis a more natural sound but with the compressor's qualities of fattening and increasing sustain built in.

Trevor Curwen

Trevor Curwen has played guitar for several decades – he's also mimed it on the UK's Top of the Pops. Much of his working life, though, has been spent behind the mixing desk, during which time he has built up a solid collection of the guitars, amps and pedals needed to cover just about any studio session. He writes pedal reviews for Guitarist and has contributed to Total Guitar, MusicRadar and Future Music among others.