I have been interested in doing some A/B comparisons of the Empress and Cali76 v2, it has been eye-opening since I cracked the boxes on both of these pedals last week. Here are some initial thoughts I have had cross my mind:
- I had no idea the Cali76 would instantly appeal so much to my ear - I realize now that I've heard that 1176 style compression on recordings for years, as soon as I began playing through the Cali it almost instantly gained "always on" status. I really like how the the combined ATT/REL control functions. Do ALL 1176-style compressors color tone similar to the Cali?
- Compared to the Cali, the Empress is VERY transparent as many have already stated. The separate Attack/Release controls are nice in comparison to the combined control the Cali has. Do I like THAT more? Or do I like the separate Attack and Release controls? Hmmmm...I need more experience and time for my own ear to "form an opinion". I am going to take a couple days and plug in my active J and have a go at the Empress and explore all the ways it works. I really am beginning to like the Empress granularity - need to explore the 'color' setting as well as take a look at the DIP switches and determine what setting I like best.
- I am taking a hard look at using dual compressors, thinking having the Empress first in chain and then the Cali, I DO love the color it adds. I'm going to be A/Bing both pedals both by themself and in front of both my pre and my Stomp. I'm super happy that I FINALLY bought an ES-5 to help me test/explore pedals. The Teletronix LA-2A is for limiting and will be near the end of my chain. (I got the idea from someone on line but I'll be darned if I can locate THAT post. Anyway, the idea is not all mine.)
- I'm interested in trying a couple "transparent" preamps with the Cali, and a couple of "coloured" preamps with my Empress and see if I can find some magic.
