Behringer CL9

The Behringer CL9 is a compressor pedal that Behringer sells as a "Classic Compressor/Limiter Effects Pedal"¹. A compressor raises quieter notes and pulls down louder ones so your playing sits at a more even volume, and the added sustain that comes with heavier compression lets notes ring longer. Behringer describes the effect in its own words:

The pedal is an analog design, according to RockBoard's PedalPedia listing². It is a circuit with a lineage: JHS Pedals identifies the CL9 as based on the Ibanez CP9 Compressor/Limiter, a 9 Series pedal from 1982, matching the original's color and knob labels³⁴.

What it does for your sound

Compression is the effect most players feel rather than hear. With the CL9, Behringer promises "virtually-endless sustain and ultra-stable dynamics"¹. In practice that means notes sustain longer, single-note lines sit at a steadier volume, and the peaks of hard strums are tamed alongside the quiet tail of a phrase.

Because it is a limiter as well as a compressor, the same circuit can be pushed toward simply capping peaks rather than shaping overall dynamics. The distinction is one of degree rather than a switch: heavier compression and faster attack move the pedal toward limiting. The Ibanez CP9 it descends from carried the same combined name, and TONEHOME lists that original as a 1982 Compressor/Limiter pedal with high collectibility and no reissue⁴.

The controls: Level, Attack and Sustain

The CL9 keeps compression simple with three knobs, which Behringer calls "dedicated Sustain, Level and Attack time controls"¹.

A slower attack lets the initial pick transient through before compression clamps down, which keeps picking articulation intact. A faster attack catches the transient itself, smoothing the note's attack for a more even, less spiky feel. Level then compensates for the volume the compression removes, or adds a small boost if you want the pedal to push your amp.

Three knobs is fewer than many compressors offer. The Maxon CP-9 Pro+, a later relative in the same family tree, adds Threshold, Ratio, and Gain controls⁵, giving a player finer control over where compression starts and how hard it works. The CL9 instead folds those decisions into the Sustain knob, which favors simplicity over precision.

Powering it

The CL9 runs on a 9 V battery or on Behringer's PSU-SB DC power supply, which is not included with the pedal¹. RockBoard's listing gives the external power specification as 9V DC, center negative, with a current draw of 30mA², the same format and polarity as most compact pedals, so a standard boss-style output on a pedalboard power supply fits it.

Where it came from

The CL9 is an analog compressor/limiter, and Behringer describes what it does in plain terms: "By pumping up quieter notes and bringing down the louder ones, this little magic box packages your sound into one velvety-smooth and consistent volume"²¹⁶. Its circuit type is listed as analog⁷, and its high-quality on/off switch maintains signal integrity in bypass mode²¹⁶. For players comparing compressors, that combination of a simple analog circuit and a clean bypass is the practical starting point for what the CL9 offers.

JHS's Josh went further than tracing the lineage. Comparing the CL9 against the original, he wrote³:

That is a notable verdict from a maker of competing pedals: on low-end response, at least, the modern copy held its own against the 1980s original in his comparison³.

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