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OVNIFX Smoothie Compressor

#281
Killer pedal. I basically set my original Smoothie at the suggested settings and never played with it, because it sounds good. Now playing around with settings I can honestly say that there isn't a bad sound in this pedal. More like different shades of great.
 
#282
Used my Smoothie (batch #2) on a gig for the first time last night.

I'm not a pedalboard guy, by nature. I'll put a single box between the bass and the amp now and then (most often an HPF). Played around with a small pedalboard at one time (EBS compressor and chorus, a VT bass) but found I just didn't bother taking it to the gig. I dig what some folks do with effects on a bass, but it just isn't my thing, personally. I like to get a good sound in the room, and then get the tonal variation with my fingers and the bass's EQ.

Well, the Smoothie's gonna live in my gig bag, now.

Put it in front of the amp last night (rig: Sadowsky Metro RV5, Aggie TH500, LDS 15/6 cab), and boom! We've worked this room before, and it's a little tricky getting a good stage sound. The mids bloom a bit--so the guitar tends to crowd the bass--and the lows seem a bit washed out. Last night I was getting a nice taut low end and plenty of clarity in fingerstyle articulation. Left the compressor on all the time.

Repeating myself here, but I'm absolutely loving the ability to blend compressed and dry signal right in the box. Made the low end thick and punchy, and reined in pops and thumps that I hit a bit too hard and would otherwise have sounded harsh--but still let me get the nuances in right hand articulation that I like so much. The great design feature, IMHO, is having a knob for the level of the compressed signal and another for the dry (uncompressed) signal. On every other pedal compressor I've used, I had to look for a threshold/ratio setting that gave enough compression to make a difference but didn't make it sound squashed or rob the ability to get finger dynamics. On the Smoothie, I set the Sust knob so the compressor was working most of the time (the LED indicator is another great feature), and then "diluted" it with dry signal.

Dis is da shizz, yeah...
 
#289
smoothie64.jpg


Hey Cyrus, can those knobs be illuminated from under the skirt to light up the pointer?

-Frank
 
#291
bongomania said:
Not as they are now, but I like the idea!
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I really like that idea too. Currently digging the Fairfield Accountant that I purchased based on your review, but would like to eventually pick up one of your pieces which has more flexibility, eventually.

Also looking forward to your Duff Mckagen signature chorus pedal.:|
 
#296
Squawk said:
Obviously times differ based on where buyers live, but what's been average time to receive from date of order?
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10 calendar days from order to delivery - but then I live WAY down south! Really quick for shipping from the US and clearing customs.

Have had a chance to play around a bit with it, and I concur with what other's have said - incredibly flexible, very musical, and simple to dial in (and the -20dB pad works well with my Lakland 44-02 which has a really hot output). And crank up the sustain knob and the note will last for days! Being able to blend direct and compressed signal is a great feature.
 
#297
Cybersnyder,
I think you were a big fan of the 3leaf PWNZOR. Can you compare the action and use of the Smoothie to that optical comp?

Bongo, or anyone else,
I'm familiar with compression and how it works, but not as much with the subtleties between the types. What I'm after is more "polish and punch" than "smooth and sustained," and I like how optical comps are described as 'organic.' In what situations would you use the Smoothie instead of an optical (like the PWNZOR, Whirlwind, etc), or vice versa?
 
#298
It's been awhile since I've played the PWNZOR. I really can't compare them other than to say that I sold the PWNZOR and bought a second Smoothie. The PWNZOR is no slouch, but they are incredibly difficult to find and won't be produced in the future from what I understand. The Smoothie doesn't really color the sound much, but it just seems fuller. It will be my always on pedal, which is why I bought two.
 
#299
MultiScaleMale said:
It's been awhile since I've played the PWNZOR. I really can't compare them other than to say that I sold the PWNZOR and bought a second Smoothie. The PWNZOR is no slouch, but they are incredibly difficult to find and won't be produced in the future from what I understand. The Smoothie doesn't really color the sound much, but it just seems fuller. It will be my always on pedal, which is why I bought two.
Click to expand...

Thanks! I know the PWNZOR is not really an option. I guess I'm more interested in the general comparison between the action of the Smoothie and that of an optical. I've gravitated toward opticals in the past, but the descriptions given in this thread make the Smoothie sound like something I'd like.
 
#300
Note to Walter and Nick: For some reason the USPS site keeps crashing and won't let me print your postage--and on top of that my email server is acting up so it wouldn't let me email you to apologize for the delay! Must be the heat? Anyway I won't be able to get to the post office before closing today, but one way or another I will get your pedals in the mail tomorrow. Sorry I couldn't get it done today!

Johan, your postage was printed before the USPS site jammed up, so your pedal is en route. :)
 

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