D&R Comp - A Workalike for ei ther DynaCo mp or Ross
Compressors
The lazy, sustain-for-days sound of a lot of rock guitar sounds was only partially the result of the guitar c onstruction
and/or amp settings. In many cases, the guitarist was using a compressor, a kind of volume controller that varied its
internal gain to keep the sound through it at about the same level no matter what the actual signal level was. The
original Dynac omp compres sor, built by MXR, was a very popul ar means of ac hieving this sound. The D-comp uses
the same technology as the original Dynacomp to get the same tone. A later variant of the same circuitry was the
Ross Compressor. This effect
varied from the Dynacomp by
using a bit of additional bypassing
and filtering. Otherwise, they are
identical. It's possible to make a
single board to do both - this is the
D&R Comp.
The heart of the D&Rcomp is a
variable gain amplifier built
around a Operational
Q1-5 = high gain
NPN silicon, such
as 2N5088; will
work with 2N3904
or 2N4124.
Diodes 1N914 or
1N4148.
Transconductance Amplifier or
OTA. The CA3080 OTA IC (U1
on the schematic) has a
differential input, and a gain that
in the original
but included for
modern pedal
practices.
is dependent on the amount of
bias current supplied to its pin 5,
which sets the bias current of the
device, and its gain. The rest of
the circuit is housekeeping, to
make the OTA happy in its role of
providing variable gain, or the
level detecting circuit to supply
Copyright 1999 R.G. Keen All rights reserved. Fair use only if this notice is reproduced.
No permission to serve from web pages other than http://www.geofex.com/
that proper bias current.
Parts not
Electro
Cap
Polarity
In
Vb Vb
R3
C6
Q1
C1
R2
R1
R5
D-Comp Compressor
9V
TRIM1
R8
R7
Shown with True Bypass switching for the Millenium Bypass. Connect this point to
the conrol pad of the MB to get an LED indicator with the same DPDT switch.
R15
R10
2
3
C10
R11
U1
R13
D1
7
6
5
4
R14
C8
C4
Vb
C11
R12
R19
Q5
R21
C13
C14
C15
Out
C9
R17
Q2
Q3
C16
R18
Q4
R20
SUST
LEVEL
R16
D2
D3
How it works:
Input capacitor C1
isolates the effect's internal DC
bias level from the 0Vdc level of
the guitar. In the D-Comp, Q1 is
biased to a reference DC level by
resistor R3 to the Vb bias voltage
source created by the R13/R15
divider. In the R-comp, R4 is
added in series with R3 and the
junction bypassed to ground by
capacitor C4. Q1 supplies a lowimpedance buffered signal at its
emitter. This buffered signal is
routed to the inverting input
(pin2) of the OTA. The noninverting input (pin 3) of the O TA
is held at the same D C level as pin
2. The OTA is biased by R10 to
the +9V supply and R7/R8 to
ground at th e two ends of the 2K
bias-balance trimmer . The
trimmer serves to balance the
R-Comp Compressor
R4
C5
C7
TRIM 1
R9
Vb
9V
R6
Shown with True Bypass switching for the Millenium Bypass. Connect this point to
the conrol pad of the MB to get an LED indicator with the same DPDT switch.
R13
C12
R10
2
3
R7
D1
U1
C10
R11
Vb
R14
7
6
5
4
C8
In
C2
R2
Not in
original
pedal
Copyright 1999 R.G. Keen All rights reserved. Fair use only if this notice is reproduced.
No permission to serve from web pages other than http://www.geofex.com/
C1
R1
C4
R3
Q1
C6
R5
R8
Vb
R15
C3
C11
R12
Q5
R19
R21
C13
C14
C15
Out
R18
Q4
SUST
C9
R20
LEVEL
Q2
R16
D2
Q3
C16
R17
D3
D-Comp and R-Comp Compressors
input currents of the differential inputs and balance out any control voltage noises as the gain of the OTA changes.
In the R-Comp, R6 is added in series with R10, and the junction of the two are bypassed to ground by C5.
The maximum gain of the OTA is set by the R14 load resistor attached from pin 6 to the bias voltage, and the high
frequency rolloff is set by the parallel combination of R14 and C11. From pin 6, the signal goes to the base of Q2.
Q2 performs two tasks - it acts as an output buffer to drive the output signal, and also as a phase inverter to help
derive the DC level signal which controls the gain of the whole circuit. The output signal is tapped from the emitter
of Q2, while both the emitter and collector of Q2 provide out-of-phase signals to a rectifier-filter arrangement built
from Q3 an d Q4.
Th e m ost nega t i ve p ea k of t h e bot h p h a s es of t he si g n a l fr om Q2 i s cl a mp ed to groun d by the di od es at th e bases of
Q3 and Q4, providing a "rectified" signal that is as large as the peak-to-peak Q2 signal. Since there are two of these
wo rking on the two ou t- of-phase signals from Q2 , the signal is effectively full wave rectified . Q 3 and Q 4 inv ert; that
is, higher signals cause them to pull their collectors to a lower voltage. The collectors pull this current from R18 to
+9V, pulling down on the voltage of C16. In the absence of a signal, C16's v oltage rises to nearly the supply voltage.
When large signals are passed through, Q3 and Q4 pull the voltage on capacitor C16 lower. The voltage on this
capacitor is buffered by Q5, and in turn dr ives the bias current of the OTA through the 500K sensitivity control and
the 27K resistor.
So as a result, if there is a very small or no signal at the input, Q3 and Q4 do not pull down on C16, and the voltage
at the emitter of Q 5 is high; this supplies a current to the b ias pin which is determined by the v oltage at Q5's emitter
and the Sustain control in series with R12. With a high voltage at Q5's emitter, the bias voltage into Pin 5 of the
OTA is hi gh, and the gain of the OTA is high . As the signal level rises, Q3 and Q4 pull the voltage on the 10uF
capacitor down, so the voltage across Sustain and R12 are lower, and current is reduced to the bias pin so the OTA
gain goes down. Note that the sustain control can vary the current over a wide range as it varies from 0 to 500K.
This setup effectively forms a negative feedback loop which attempts to adjust the signal level at the output of Q2 so
it is almost constant. When a note is first hit, it is loud and the level feedback adjusts the OTA to a low gain. As the
note trails off, the feedback circuit lets the gain come up to hold the output signal almost constant until the
maximum gain of the circuit is reached and the OTA can no longer keep the tiny signal up to the desired level.
The stomp sw itch on the vintage units is a DPDT switch, but not wired for true bypass . The g uitar always connecte d
to the input of the effect unit. Because the input signal must go through a 10K resistor at the input to the effect, the
loading may be bad enough to cause "tone sucking". I have drawn the circuit with true bypass switching to get
around this. I have also shown how to wire the u nits for true b ypass with an LED status indictor; s ee the "Millenium
Bypass" at GEO , h ttp://www.geo f e x.c o m for ho w to build the circuit to do th at.
Building it:
much easier, y ou will ne ed to pay attention to the di ffere nces be twee n the D- comp and R- comp v ersions. In the Parts
List that follows, I h ave shaded the entries where the D-comp and R-comp version s are different. The R-comp
version uses more parts, but the D-comp version needs jumpers strategically placed. It's probably a good idea to
study the diff e rences in the two population diagrams before beginning building, or in fact before ordering your parts,
just to be sure that you get the right set of parts.
I like to build things in a specific order:
•
•
•
While neither circuit is complicated, and the use of a printed circuit board (PCB) does make things
clean the copper side of the board to ensure easy soldering. Acetone, kitchen scrubbing powde r or just 0000
steel wool a ll d o a good job
insert and solder in any jumpers; the jumpers on this board all replace resistors, so they are on the same
0.4" spaci ng as the resistor s.
ins ert r es i s tors; all t he resistor holes are on 0.4" cen ters, so you could make a pi ece of wood or pl a s tic that's
the right width to bend many of them to the right spacing at the same time; I also use a lead bender gadget
that I got at Mouser. Very, very handy.
•
Bend the resistor leads slightly to hold them in the board as you insert them, and clip them off, leaving
about 1/16" of lead protru ding above the copper.
•
Solder in the resistors.
•
Place the capacitors next, clenching the leads slightly and then clipping and soldering.
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Copyrigh t 1999-2001 R.G. Keen. All rights reserved.
D-Comp and R-Comp Compressors
•
Once a ll the passive par ts ar e in place, d ouble check t he values an d cor rect an y pla cement mistak es . I often
mistake 4.7K for 47K, as I confuse the red with the orange bands.
•
Double check the pinouts of the transistors, then insert them and solder them into position
•
Finally, solder the IC in. I like to tack-solder pins 4 and 8 to get the IC placed and flat on the PCB, and
once it's all in position, solder the rest of the pins.
You're probably wondering if there is any difference in the sound of the D-comp and R-comp versions.
There is. It's not big, but there is a slight advantage in smoothness of compression in favor of the R-comp.
Notes on the parts list:
[1.] The origin al t ransistor type number is not know. 2N5088's worked well in the prototype. You can probably get
away with 2N3904 and 2N4124 as well.
[2.] The D &R Comp PCB is designed to fit into the Hammond 1590BB die cast aluminum box. This is a sturdy
unit, and with care in fitting parts into it, you can make a pedal which will stand up to the rigors of road gigs.
[3.] Parts different between the two versions are shown shaded gray in the parts list. Be sure to check and buy the
right parts for the version you want.
[4] Part numbers and prices listed were current when this was written. Since part numbers and prices change all the
time, do not be surprised if some of them have changes. Just ask the sales rep to help you find a replacement part
that they do have.
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Copyrigh t 1999-2001 R.G. Keen. All rights reserved.
D-Comp and R-Comp Compressors
Parts List
Part D-Comp R-Comp Description Mouser Stock
Est. $$$
No.
U1 CA3080 CA3080 Operational Transconductance Amplifer 570-CA3080E 0.68
Q1-Q5 2N5088 2N5088 High gain, low noise NPN transistor 610-2N5088 0.26
D1-D3 1N914/4148 1N914/4148 Signal diode 625-1N914 0.06
R1 4.7M 4.7M ¼ W carbon film resistor 29SJ250-4.7M 0.07
R2 10K 10K ¼ W carbon film resistor 29SJ250-10K 0.07
R3 1M 470K ¼ W carbon film resistor 29SJ 250-1M or 470K 0.07
R4 jumper 470K ¼ W carbon film resistor 29SJ250-470K 0.07
R5 10K 10K ¼ W carbon film resistor 29SJ250-10K 0.07
R6 jumper 220K ¼ W carbon film resistor 29SJ250-22K 0.07
R7 1M 1M ¼ W carbon film resistor 29SJ250-1M 0.07
R8 1M 1M ¼ W carbon film resistor 29SJ250-1M 0.07
R9 jumper 10K ¼ W carbon film resistor 29SJ250-10K 0.07
R10 470K 220K ¼ W carbon film resistor 29SJ250-470K or 220K 0.07
R11 15K 15K ¼ W carbon film resistor 29SJ250-15K 0.07
R12 27K 27K ¼ W carbon film resistor 29SJ250-27K 0.07
R13 56K 56K ¼ W carbon film resistor 29SJ250-56K 0.07
R14 150K 150K ¼ W carbon film resistor 29SJ250-150K 0.07
R15 27K 27K ¼ W carbon film resistor 29SJ250-27K 0.07
R16 1M 1M ¼ W carbon film resistor 29SJ250-1M 0.07
R17 1M 1M ¼ W carbon film resistor 29SJ250-1M 0.07
R18 150K 150K ¼ W carbon film resistor 29SJ250-150K 0.07
R19 10K 10K ¼ W carbon film resistor 29SJ250-10K 0.07
R20 10K 10K ¼ W carbon film resistor 29SJ250-10K 0.07
R21 10K 10K ¼ W carbon film resistor 29SJ250-10K 0.07
C1 0.01uF 0.01uF Film capacitor 140-PF1H103K 0.11
C2 not used 0.0022uF Film capacitor 140-PF2A222K 0.10
C3 1uF electro 1uF electro Radial package aluminum electrolytic cap 140-XRL25V1.0 0.05
C4 not used 1uF electro Radial package aluminum electrolytic cap 140-XRL25V1.0 0.05
C5 not used 1uF electro Radial package aluminum electrolytic cap 140-XRL25V1.0 0.05
C6 1uF electro 1uF electro Radial package aluminum electrolytic cap 140-XRL25V1.0 0.05
C7 not used 1uF electro Radial package aluminum electrolytic cap 140-XRL25V1.0 0.05
C8 1uF electro 1uF electro Radial package aluminum electrolytic cap 140-XRL25V1.0 0.05
C9 10uF electro 10uF electro Radial package aluminum electrolytic cap 140-XRL25V10 0.05
C10 0.01uF 0.01uF Film capacitor 140-PF1H103K 0.11
C11 0.01uF 0.01uF Film capacitor 140-PF1H103K 0.11
C12 optional 0.1uF cer. Ceramic capacitor 21RZ310 0.08
C13 0.01uF film 0.01uF film Fi l m capacitor 140-PF1H103K 0.11
C14 0.01uF film 0.01uF film Fi l m capacitor 140-PF1H103K 0.11
C15 0.047uF film 0.047uF film Film capacitor 140-PF1H473K 0.17
C16 10uF electro 10uF electro Radial package aluminum electrolytic cap 140-XRL25V10 0.05
Sust 500K lin pot 500K lin pot Potentiometer 313-1000-500K 1.21
Level 50K log pot 50K log pot Potentiometer 313-4000-50K 1.74
Part Description Mouser Stock No. Est. $$$
enclosure Hammond 1590BB or eq.
stomp switch DPDT stomp switch. Preferably Carling 317PP Not stocked by Mouser
knobs to your own taste.
batt clip PP3 / 9V battery clip
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Copyrigh t 1999-2001 R.G. Keen. All rights reserved.
D-Comp and R-Comp Compressors
5
Copyrigh t 1999-2001 R.G. Keen. All rights reserved.
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