I had heard this thing was good, but wow, my expectations were surpassed. I was in the market for a compressor because I wanted to balance out the volume a bit on the clean channel (TH30) and add a little sustain. After trying it in a few different spots in the signal chain, it's become an always-on pedal for me on both clean and dirty channels. Below are some of my findings.
Settings I've found the sweet spot for always-on use to be just barely past noon with both knobs and the compression switch on medium. Basically, they nailed it with the factory setting. Low had less sustain than I wanted, high was getting into squishy country chicken pickin' territory, which is fantastic if you're looking for it. The blend knob is just brilliant. I can't imagine using a compressor without it now. I absolutely love having my normal signal and then blending in the compressed signal for that singing sustain. Also note there are four internal dip switches to further tweak attack/release and add filters for single coils or humbuckers. I found I preferred the factory setting with the addition of the low cut filter for my humbuckers (4th dipswitch).
Sound The way I use it, it feels like having your amp cranked to that sweet spot where it wants to feed back a little and the notes just sing on their own. I can then blend that sweet spot into my regular tone with the blend knob, and enjoy it all at bedroom volume. Speaking of which, there's a ridiculous amount on tap with the volume knob. I actually scared myself the first time I turned it up because I wasn't expecting it to make my amp that loud (I was at <1 on the clean channel). This is a hell of a boost pedal if you decide you don't want compression.
As for the smoothing and evening of note volume, this has really helped my overall sound. You don't want to overdo it with too much compression, but dial in the right amount and there's a very wonderful place where every note you play is clearly defined. Nothing gets drowned out. It's just very easy to listen to. You still have enough natural dynamics (thanks to the blend knob), but your weaker notes come through and the overpowering, honking notes are reined in just enough. I feel like this would be particularly helpful in a band situation to ensure people are hearing everything you play, not just your volume spikes.
Compression on the Dirty Channel I didn't expect this to work as well, but it really does. I play a lot of fast metal riffs in standard tuning, and a little compression just adds such even consistency to the riffs. When I record a riff into my looper and listen back, it still sounds dynamic and "real" but I can't get over just how consistent and steady the riff sounds. It sounds more like a studio recording; just very even and deliberate. Add to that the singing sustain I mentioned earlier for lead lines, and it just sort of feels like playing on easy mode. It plays like your amp is pushed to its limit, yet everything is controlled and at bedroom volume if desired.
With Other Pedals I messed around with pedal order quite a bit, particularly with my tubescreamer and volume pedals. Ultimately I found the right combination to be Compressor -> Volume -> Dirt. This gave me a natural sounding gain with a perfect volume sweep on clean or dirty channels. Other orders weren't un-usable, but they concentrated the volume swell to the last 20% of the sweep and didn't sound as natural. When I found the right order, it was heaven. Everything responds naturally and controllably. Also noteworthy, having the compressor after my wah really helps even out the wah's sweep and make it all audible, as opposed to just hearing the loud "quack" at the top.
Conclusion Fantastic little pedal! I wish I'd had one years ago. It's a great way to polish and even out your tone or get that cranked amp sound without actually cranking your amp to painful levels. The blend knob is a godsend. I don't think this is ever leaving my board.
