BecosFX CompIQ Twain

The BecosFX CompIQ Twain is a dual-band/stacked pro compressor and limiter pedal for guitar and bass, built around two independent analog compression engines. At the flip of a switch it works either as a dual-band compressor/limiter with a variable crossover point, or as two stacked compressors with separate controls for each engine¹. Guitar World described it at launch as "a rack-mount-level compressor/limiter in a compact pedal"².

The current version is the Mk2, a refined and improved model over its predecessor with changes inside and out, hand-assembled in Vienna³. The original Twain was announced in February 2020 at a price of $329, available for preorder beginning March 1². The pedal sits in the wider family of compressor pedals as part of BecosFX's CompIQ series of VCA compressors².

Two analog engines, one pedal

The Twain's core is two independent 4320 THAT Analog Engines with RMS-level sensors coupled with high-performance Blackmer VCAs⁴. In plain terms, a VCA (voltage-controlled amplifier) compressor uses a control voltage to turn gain down and back up, the approach used in classic studio compressors, and the RMS-level sensor tracks the average energy of the signal rather than just its peaks. The Mk2 also uses Burr Brown FET technology and a 70Hz to 1kHz Linkwitz-Riley crossover for splitting the bands³.

The pedal is fully analog. RockBoard's PedalPedia lists its circuit type as analog¹, and the launch press material emphasized "the musical response and transparency of analog circuitry"⁶. Both engines run all the time; what changes is how the signal reaches them.

Working modes and compression types

The Twain has two working modes, selected by a switch¹:

The crossover point is variable, so a player chooses where the frequency split lands¹. Beyond the mode switch, the Mk2 offers Feed Forward, Feed-Back and Combined detection modes, side-chain filters, and Auto Fast/Slower timing³. Feed-forward detection reads the input signal to drive gain reduction; feed-back reads the output, which behaves more like vintage designs. The maker's Auto Timing settings are there to make setup and adjustment easier for professional results¹.

Each engine also has a knee switch, hard or soft, on both channels³. A hard knee starts full gain reduction the moment the signal passes the threshold; a soft knee eases in gradually, which sounds gentler on sustained notes.

The controls

Both VCA compressors have make-up gain, ratio and threshold controls, with the lows on the left and the highs on the right, a layout Guitar.com's reviewer noted should be familiar enough to anyone who has used a studio compressor⁵. The Mk2 carries Ratio B and Threshold B controls for the second engine, plus Knee A and Knee B hard/soft switches and a Feed Forward/Feedback selector³.

Each compressor has its own LED display indicating the amount of gain reduction, so a player can see what each engine is doing without guessing⁵.

The trim control deserves a note for anyone running hot pickups or active basses: because it sits ahead of the compression, pulling it down keeps a loud instrument from driving the engines into constant gain reduction⁵.

Parallel compression and the dry/wet mix

The dry/wet mix knob blends uncompressed signal back in, and it works in either of the two working modes⁶. This is parallel compression, a studio technique where the compressed path is leveled and sustained while the dry path keeps the attack and dynamics that heavy compression can smooth away. For bass players it is a common way to keep fingerstyle thump intact while still getting an even, present note foundation.

For bass as well as guitar

The Twain is a stompbox for guitar and bass², and the bass angle is more than a footnote. Guitar Pedal X describes the Twain as a larger mid-size dual-band/stacked variant in the CompIQ line, "more intended for Bass players," with hard and soft knee options on both channels⁷. The same reviewer wrote of the Mk2: "I feel that the Twain excels in particular for Bass applications, and getting more snap into those lower frequency ranges"³, and in a 2024 roundup called it "A fantastic Dual Band / Stacked Compressor - particularly brilliant for Bass"⁸.

The side chain filter switch supports this directly, with its three positions matched to guitar, bass, and the extended depth of five-string basses⁵. Because it works on the lows only, it keeps very low frequencies from triggering heavy gain reduction, which is what causes that pumping, squashed feel on low B strings.

Power and connections

The maker's current product page lists 9V DC, center negative¹, with a 5.1/2.1mm barrel plug 12mm long³. Earlier material gives a wider range: the Mk2 press release specifies a 9 to 18V DC external supply, center negative, not included, with a 12mm long barrel plug⁴, and the 2020 launch material and Guitar.com review also cite 9 to 18V DC center negative⁵, while the original Premier Guitar announcement says 9 to 12V DC⁶. Connections are a 1/4-inch jack instrument input and output⁵.

The CompIQ series and the Mk2

The Twain is part of BecosFX's CompIQ series of VCA compressors². The series also includes the CompIQ Pro Mini, a compact studio-grade Blackmer VCA compressor with hard and soft knee, dynamic fast and slow attack and release, wet/dry mix, and feed-forward and feed-back modes⁹¹⁰, and the CompIQ Stella Pro, a full analog compressor with true bypass that Bass Gear Magazine's reviewer found versatile for studio work like bus compression and tracking as well as live performance⁹¹⁰.

The Mk2, released in 2024, is a refined and improved model over the original 2020 Twain, with serial changes inside and out³⁶. Its feature set grew along the way: the original launch already had the dual-band/stacked concept, true bypass, adaptive auto attack and release timing presets, and the dry/wet mix⁶², while the Mk2 added refinements such as the hard/soft knee switches on both channels and the wider feed-forward/feedback options⁴².

What reviewers said

Guitar.com reviewed the original Twain in 2020 and found a lot to like, with one caveat about its depth¹¹:

Guitar.com, Best Guitar Pedals of 2020¹¹

The same awards feature noted the pedal "cooks up every style of guitar compression from subtle and transparent detail enhancement through Lowell George and onto brickwall limiting with unlimited sustain overall," while warning that "a lengthy familiarisation period will be required for any guitarists who decide to take the plunge"¹¹. That matches the control count: with two engines, per-band threshold, ratio, knee and make-up gain, timing switches, trim, side chain filtering and a dry/wet mix, the Twain asks more of a player than a one-knob compressor, and rewards the time spent with it.

Videos

Click to load

Click to load

Click to load

Questions