Post by Phil (aka Phil) on Oct 30, 2006 8:53:55 GMT -7
A while back I went on a compressor hunt. I already owned an AnalogMan Juicer (which I love), a AnalogMan CompROSSor, a Menatone JAC, and an Aphex Punch Factory. I had been hearing a lot about the Keeley and wanted to try it. I called up Stu at Fatsound to see if he had one in stock. He didn't, but said he had another comp that I might like to try that they were very impressed by. It's called a FX Engineering Mirage, and it's made by a local NC guy named Montez Aldridge. Stu said that he brings down a few pedals every couple of weeks, and that they fly off the shelf. I have learned over the years that Stu and my tastes are very similar and his recommendations are always great. So, I had him send me the Mirage. Then I was at a local store a couple of days later, and they had one new Keeley Comp in stock, so I bought it too! Now I could compare....
To make a long story short, I like the Keeley a lot but it's still in the "modified Ross" category, like the CompROSSor. The Mirage is in a class of its own. It's the most transparent compressor I've ever used. FX's claims about not being able to tell when it's on are true. It has a great "feel" that I've not experienced with any other compressor, solid state or optical.
If I could have my "dream compressor" it would be one that would produce at lower volumes the compression and "easy to play" feel that you get from a good tube amp at high volumes. This comes closer than anything else I've played. I've been meaning to write about this pedal for a while but just haven't got around to it. I just noticed that Stu has added the Mirage pedals to his web site, and thought I'd get the word out about this great pedal. The FX web site is www.fxeng.com.
Note: as always, these are my opinions only. Compressors are very "personal" type effects; what works for one player and style might not work for another. I know for my style that mostly ranges from Dire Straits like clean to SRV type blues, I love it.
PDW
To make a long story short, I like the Keeley a lot but it's still in the "modified Ross" category, like the CompROSSor. The Mirage is in a class of its own. It's the most transparent compressor I've ever used. FX's claims about not being able to tell when it's on are true. It has a great "feel" that I've not experienced with any other compressor, solid state or optical.
If I could have my "dream compressor" it would be one that would produce at lower volumes the compression and "easy to play" feel that you get from a good tube amp at high volumes. This comes closer than anything else I've played. I've been meaning to write about this pedal for a while but just haven't got around to it. I just noticed that Stu has added the Mirage pedals to his web site, and thought I'd get the word out about this great pedal. The FX web site is www.fxeng.com.
Note: as always, these are my opinions only. Compressors are very "personal" type effects; what works for one player and style might not work for another. I know for my style that mostly ranges from Dire Straits like clean to SRV type blues, I love it.
PDW