Carl Martin Classic Opto-Compressor User Manual

Manual

One day while Carl was adding some compression to a guitar
track in his studio, he thought, why hasn’t anyone built a small
opto-compressor for guitarists? An optical compressor performs
gain reduction control via a light source into a photo sensitive
cell... as the light source gets brighter, the photo sensitive cell
sends a signal to reduce dynamic range, or what becomes a
compressed signal. Welcome to the Vintage
Opto-Compressor….an old-school compressor from the days
where colouring was an important factor to the sound. The four
controls (from left to right) are the Gain, which controls the ‘pre
glow’ of the optical circuit (the more you turn this up, the fatter
the sound); Level, which controls the overall volume of the
compressor; Compression, which controls how hard or soft the
compression is, and the Attack control which takes the signal
from transparent to outright total squeeze. A short time with this
compressor will allow you to find some of those classic guitar
sounds which may somehow have escaped you before. Again,
like all the Vintage pedals, the Opto-Compressor comes in a
solid diecast housing with cool chicken-head knobs, CM colour
and graphics and a 9v battery compartment. Due to the nature
of compressors, we highly recommend a regulated power
supply (like the CM ProPower,- PowerJack) or a large stock of
batteries…..

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COMP

ATTACK

When you have set the gain knob to
the right amount of signal you want to
be compressed, you set the amount or
degree of compression on the Comp
knob, going from nearly nothing at full
left, to extreme hard compression at
full right, again here note that the
efficiency of the knob depends on how
the gain & attack knobs are set.
The more gain & attack the more
compression you get.

The Attack knob what is that? It's to
adjust/set how fast attack/release time
shall be, at full left the attack is fast, in
this mode the compression is more
neutral limiter like. While at full right
the compression is much more
effective and effect like, the effect will
then be more suitable for finger
picking style.
Again here note that the attack setting
will be interactive with the other
knobs.

BYPASS

The Bypass footswitch engages or bypasses
the pedal….turns it on or off.

The Blue LED will be on when the pedal is
engaged

GAIN

On the Gain knob you adjust how much of the
guitar signal you would load the circuitry with, if
you set the knob at left the compressor will not
be very effective, the more you turn right the
more effective the compressor get.
It can go from a very mild soft compression to
really hard beefed up compression at full right.
The gain knob will be interactive with the rest
of the knobs, so i.e. the harder you load the
circuitry, the more effective the comp knob get.

LEVEL

The Level knob you use the adjust the output
level from the pedal to match you clean sound
when you finished setting the gain,-comp &
attack knobs, for the comp effect you want.
The level knob can go from below unity level to
several dB boost, so you can actually use the
Classic Opto-Comp as a boost sustain pedal,
to make your singing lead cut through to the
audience.

Specifications

Input……..........……........ 1M Ohm

Output………………........ 100 Ohm

S/N Ratio......................... 60 dB

Attack.............................. 1mS to 15mS

Release........................... 200mS

Compression................... 12:1

Gain................................ 12dB

Dimensions ..................... 120 (W) x 95 (D) x 56 (H) mm

4.72” (W) x 3.74” (D) x 2.2” (H)

Weight.............................. 350g / 0,78lbs

Warranty: Carl Martin Research warrants the manufacturing, material and proper operation for a period of one year from
date of purchase. Carl Martin will replace defective parts, make necessary repairs or replace the unit at the discression of
our technicians. The warranty applies only to the original purchaser of this product, and excludes any damage or faulty
operation resulting from misuse, neglect or unauthorized service.

Made in China.
East Sound Research Raadmandsvej 24 8500 Grenaa Denmark Phone: [phone]
E-Mail: [e-mail]

Power Requirements

Battery: The Classic Opto Comp requires a 9V battery. To
replace the battery, carefully remove the back panel by
loosening and removing the 4 screws, install the new battery
and then re-install the back panel.
Power consumption: max. 20mA.
Power supply: 9 V DC (regulated), 40 mA minimum, 2.1 mm
female plug, center negative (-)
ATTENTION: Please Use DC Power Supply Only! Failure to
do so may damage the unit and void the warranty.