Becos CompIQ Pro Stella

The Becos CompIQ Pro Stella is a studio-style analog compressor pedal from Romanian maker Becos FX, first unveiled in April 2019¹. MusicRadar described it at launch as "rack-style compression in a compact pedal," and the premise has stayed the same through every version since: a true VCA compressor, the kind of circuit found in rack units rather than the optical or OTA designs common in pedals, squeezed into a stompbox with a full set of controls².

What sets it apart from most pedal compressors is the control count and the extras. The original carries nine knobs, seven LEDs and four switches³, covering ratio, threshold, attack, release, tone and make-up gain, plus a dry/wet blend for parallel compression and an analog tape saturation circuit with its own saturation and level controls⁴⁵. A balanced DI output is available, and later versions add selectable feed-forward and feed-back compression modes.

A VCA compressor with tape-style saturation

The core of the Pro Stella is compression done the studio way: a true RMS-level sensor and a Blackmer VCA (voltage-controlled amplifier) doing the gain reduction¹. Around that sits the feature that most pedal compressors do not offer, an analog tape saturation circuit with independent saturation and level controls, Lo- and Hi-cut filters, and a wet/dry mix knob⁴. Guitar World's reviewer highlighted "the option to add tape-style saturation to the dry signal when the effect is engaged," noting it is designed to emulate driving a classic studio compressor's preamp hard⁶. The same reviewer wished it were available as a switchable overdrive-style saturation rather than tied to the engaged signal⁶.

For a player, that means the pedal can do two jobs at once: transparent level control from the VCA, and a separate, always-available harmonic thickening on the dry portion of the signal that survives even at heavy wet/dry blends⁶⁴.

The controls: nine knobs and four switches

The original Pro Stella's front panel is dense by pedal standards. Guitar.com counted "nine knobs, seven LEDs and four switches"³, and the layout maps onto the compression controls a rack unit would give you.

The four switches cover:

• Compression Knee: soft or hard knee, choosing whether compression eases in gradually or snaps in at the threshold⁵²
• Timing: Manual, Auto Fast or Auto Slower, letting you bypass the attack and release knobs for preset behavior⁵²
• Side Chain Filter: Normal, Low or Deep on the original⁸
• EQ Pivot: selects the tilt EQ's center frequency⁶⁹¹⁰

The attack and release knobs can therefore be bypassed entirely with the fast or slow presets if you would rather not dial timing by hand¹¹.

Circuit: THAT Analog Engine and Blackmer VCA

Becos built the Pro Stella around the THAT Corporation Analog Engine, the same technology used in rack compressors from makers like DBX and Presonus⁴⁷. The circuit pairs a true RMS-level detector with a Blackmer VCA, which is where the compression, limiting and harmonic distortion come from¹. Delicious Audio described the pedal as hand-built around "the top-class THAT Analog Engine," the same engine used in rack compressors made by the likes of DBX, Presonus, Dangerous Music and Revive Audio⁸.

In practical terms, a Blackmer VCA compressor tracks the signal's actual energy rather than its peaks alone, which is the behavior studio engineers associate with smooth, musical gain reduction. The MK2 version uses the THAT 4320 Analog Engine with a true RMS level detector, the same family of parts⁹.

Power and connections

The original Pro Stella runs on a 9V battery or a mains supply⁴¹¹. The MK2 broadens the external range: 9 to 18 V DC, center negative, with a 5.1/2.1mm plug and a 12mm-long barrel⁹. The MK2 also runs on a standard 9V internal battery, but only when the optional DITOS DI module is not installed¹⁰⁹.

Connections on the original include a balanced DI output, which Guitar World called "a super-clean, studio quality second output to send to a desk or soundcard"⁶. MusicRadar's review likewise singled out "the balanced DI output, which extends the usefulness of the Stella to above and beyond" typical pedal duty². On the MK2, the DITOS board is a transformer-coupled balanced output in 1/4" TRS format for direct recording or sending to front of house, available pre-installed or added later by the user; the main output always works either way¹⁰.

Versions: the Pro Stella, MK2 and V2

Five years after the original, Becos released the CompIQ Stella Pro MK2 in March 2024¹⁰. The MK2 keeps the analog VCA design and true bypass but makes several changes:

• Adds selectable Feed-Forward and Feed-Back compression modes: Feed Forward uses a pre-VCA copy of the input for speed and accuracy, from subtle compression to brick-wall limiting, while Feed-Back uses a post-VCA copy for a smoother, more transparent response¹⁰
• Adds four internal DIP-switch Voicing options: Flat, Spark (brilliance in the highs), Tight (dips low-mids for depth) and Punch (a tube-like feel with velvety lows and warm highs), and Voicing can be turned off entirely for the most transparent response¹⁰
• Reworks the side chain with a variable Lo-cut/boost filter at ±12dB @ 90Hz, 12dB/octave, aimed at bass players¹⁰
• Removes the saturation engine on the dry line that the original carried¹⁰
• Adds the optional DITOS transformer DI board¹⁰

The MK2 is hand-assembled in Vienna, Austria, in a Hammond black powder-coated aluminum enclosure, with a 3-year transferable international warranty¹⁰. Bass Gear Magazine's review measured it at 61mm long, 102mm deep and 51mm high, weighing 227g, or 250g with the DITOS DI, with input impedance above 1.1MΩ and output impedance around 100Ω⁹. US pricing was $329 to $389 depending on options, as of October 2024⁹.

A later version, listed by Guitar Pedal X in October 2026 as the CompIQ Stella Pro V2, carries 13 controls including Comp (Ratio plus Threshold), Gain, Wet/Dry Mix, Timing, Speed, X-EQ, EQ Pivot and SCF, soft and hard knee action, and the DITOS output, at €369 / $429 / £329¹². The same writer noted the range has since grown around it: the CompIQ Pro Yuna is "a slightly more streamlined take on the CompIQ Pro Stella"⁷, and the CompIQ Twain is a dual-band, stacked design that Guitar Pedal X called "more of a specialist tool than the Stella, where each has its own advantages"¹³.

What reviewers said

Guitar Pedal X's Stefan Karlsson has reviewed the whole Becos compressor line and calls the Stella his most favored compressor, praising its precision and granularity⁷. On the MK2, Bass Gear Magazine's Dan Veall found both Feed Forward and Feed Back modes "quiet and free from noise or artifacts in my tests," and with the DITOS module installed called it "a fantastic-sounding DI for venues where miking up isn't practical"⁹. He also detailed the timing ranges: manual attack of 0.12 to 12 ms/dB and release of 1.2 to 120 ms/dB of gain reduction, with Auto Fast typically using 5 to 7ms attack and 70ms release, and Auto Slower using 10 to 15ms attack and 100 to 220ms release⁹. An 8-LED gain reduction meter, calibrated for a -20dBu (77.5mV) reference input level, shows what the circuit is doing⁹.

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