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Walrus Audio Highpoint Compressor

#61
rcmbass said:
Ok TB crew, I spent two hours testing compressors! Shootout complete!

I tested the Tube & Transistor Union LAB, the new Walrus Audio Highpoint, and the UAFX 1176 Pedal.

I tested with a rock song, modern worship song, a jazz tune, and a pop song. I played my Fender Jazz with Seymor Duncan SBJ-1 pickups, neck at 100%, bridge at 80%, full tone on both pickups. I am using LaBella Ian Martin Allison strings (love these...they are a year old and still sound great!).

I tried all levels, ratios - 4:1, 8:1, 12:1, 20:1, fast and slow attack/release. The full gamut. I tested in my home studio on headphones and with JBL 306P MkII active powered monitors with the JBL LSR310S Sub.

The clear (but close) winner in my ears...

The Union LAB

It sounds so good, feels best under my fingers, has the best tone, clarity, response, etc.

View attachment 7486179
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Hey rcm, I've been thinking about the excellent test that you did (btw, thank you again for doing that), and I'm kinda amazed that even though the Highpoint and UA1176 have lots of control parameters, the Lab with only two knobs (gain and comp) still sounds and feels better in this test (to your ears). I say that because I see lots of posts where TB'ers say how important it is to them to have a wet/dry blend control and a high pass option for the side chain and the ability to adjust attack and release and ratio etc etc etc, and yet the Lab with only a gain adjuster and comp adjuster and none of those other parameter choices is still rated so highly by so many TB'ers. It makes me scratch my head trying to figure out why the Lab sounds and feels so good to so many players and is their preferred comp choice and yet it only has those two adjustments with no ability to adjust attack, release, ratio, and no HPF in the side chain. Is it perhaps the Lab's "custom made" optocoupler that makes it sound and feel so good?? 🤷‍♂️

Please note that I am only focusing on sound and feel. I'm not considering ease of use, LED metering, or other factors that players consider when selecting a comp pedal.
 
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#62
SactoBass said:
Hey rcm, I've been thinking about the excellent test that you did (btw, thank you again for doing that), and I'm kinda amazed that even though the Highpoint and UA1176 have lots of control parameters, the Lab with only two knobs (gain and comp) still sounds and feels better in this test (to your ears). I say that because I see lots of posts where TB'ers say how important it is to them to have a wet/dry blend control and a high pass option for the side chain and the ability to adjust attack and release and ratio etc etc etc, and yet the Lab with only a gain adjuster and comp adjuster and none of those other parameter choices is still rated so highly by so many TB'ers. It makes me scratch my head trying to figure out why the Lab sounds and feels so good to so many players and is their preferred comp choice and yet it only has those two adjustments with no ability to adjust attack, release, ratio, and no HPF in the side chain. Is it perhaps the Lab's "custom made" optocoupler that makes it sound and feel so good?? 🤷‍♂️

Please note that I am only focusing on sound and feel. I'm not considering ease of use, LED metering, or other factors that players consider when selecting a comp pedal.
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There is some kind of special sauce inside this box. I was skeptical at first but am very pleased with the feel and sound.

I’ve heard many TB’ers say forget the specs, play the bass, play the pedal, fire up the amp…it sometimes comes down to the sound and feel.

You can always get one, try it out, and resell it if it doesn’t work for you. They move very quickly.
 
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#67
Anyone have any tweaking insights, commentary, or favorite settings thus far on the Highpoint? I'm playing a passive P bass at church, silent stage, Walrus Mantle DI, IEMs, and use both finger style and harder driving pick tones. Compressor shoot out in progress.
 

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#68
projectapollo said:
Anyone have any tweaking insights, commentary, or favorite settings thus far on the Highpoint? I'm playing a passive P bass at church, silent stage, Walrus Mantle DI, IEMs, and use both finger style and harder driving pick tones. Compressor shoot out in progress.
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Looking forward to the results of your shootout! :thumbsup:

So far, what is your opinion of how the Highpoint sounds? I ask because I am considering buying one. :cool:
 
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#69
Here’s my latest settings. I love it with my Walrus DI.

Walrus Highpoint Compressor Settings
IMG_2420.jpeg


• Sidechain HPF → ON ✅
• Blend → 1:30 – 2:00
• Attack → 1:30 – 2:00
• Release → 12:00
• Ratio → 12:00 – 1:00
• Threshold → 11:00 – 12:00 (adjust for 4–8 dB gain reduction)
• Makeup → 1:00 – 2:00
• Output → 12:00 – 1:00 (unity or slight boost)
 
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#70
I once had master amp builder Ed Quidley take the top off my Union Lab, and his words were “these are the nicest optocouplers I’ve ever seen used in a pedal. Look exactly like the ones in my LA-3A”
Maybe that’s the magic sauce? I agree it’s the best compressor
 
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#71
tleebassist11 said:
I once had master amp builder Ed Quidley take the top off my Union Lab, and his words were “these are the nicest optocouplers I’ve ever seen used in a pedal. Look exactly like the ones in my LA-3A”
Maybe that’s the magic sauce? I agree it’s the best compressor
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Thanks for that info. :cool: I think I've narrowed my search to two compressors: the Union Lab and the new Walrus Audio Highpoint. I'm looking forward to @scubaduba's detailed review of the Highpoint and what his thoughts are comparing the Union Lab to the Highpoint.
 
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#78
scubaduba said:
Here's my review of the Walrus Highpoint: Walrus Audio Highpoint Compressor Review
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Great review, thank you. Could you perhaps expand on this non-fixed ratio concept? When Walrus says ratio control is "unlike traditional compressors", what do they mean? I think the original LA-2A had a variable ratio that depended on the program content. Is that the nature of an optical compression?

Original Manual: RATIO: Controls how much volume reduction occurs after the signal crosses the threshold. Lower knob levels will yield more transparent smoothing that feels open. Higher knob levels will give you tight, controlled, punchy tones with added sustain. Technical range: 1:1 to 2.1:1, up to -30dB of reduction.

Revised Manual: RATIO: Controls the maximum amount of gain reduction the compressor can apply. Unlike traditional compressors, this does not set a fixed ratio (like 4:1 or 10:1). Instead, it determines how strongly the signal is compressed overall. Turn it up for heavier compression and a more “squashed” feel, or turn it down for a lighter touch. At minimum, no compression is applied. Technical range: From 0dB up to -20dB gain reduction.
 
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#79
The bottom line is this: Turn the ratio dial clockwise to produce heavier compression which results in a more “squashed” feel. To me it's as if the by doing so you are lowering the threshold at which compression is taking place and simultaneously having the effect of a higher ratio being applied to the compression. The result is much more clamping down on the signal overall. Then you use the blend and side chain filter function to restore dry signal to offset the more intense clamping down. It works well in practice.

I did correspond with Walrus about it and suggested the new verbiage would be confusing to users. Maybe somebody from Walrus can step in here and shed more light.
 
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