The DMT Stage Compressor is an analog compressor pedal for guitar or bass. RockBoard's PedalPedia describes it as transparent, and says that because it is transparent, it can be used on guitar or bass1. If you are new to compressor pedals, a compressor evens out the difference between your quietest and loudest notes: it is the pedal that makes fingerpicking sit steady and strumming sound fuller.
Controls
The pedal's headline control is the BLEND knob. RockBoard's PedalPedia describes it as a "BLEND control for those looking to mix the effect and compressed signal"1. In practice, a blend control lets you set how much of your untouched signal runs alongside the compressed signal, which is how you keep attack and low end while still getting the evening-out effect. It is the control that makes a compressor workable on bass, where a fully squashed signal can thin out the fundamentals.
Power and bypass
The Stage Compressor runs on a 9V DC, center negative supply and accepts anywhere from 9V to 18V1. It draws 40mA1, which is within reach of most isolated pedalboard supplies but worth checking against a daisy chain's budget.
The pedal accepts 9V to 18V DC, center negative. At 40mA current draw, a low-output daisy chain connection may not carry it comfortably alongside other pedals.
Switching is true bypass1, so the circuit is removed from your signal path entirely when the pedal is off.
Demo
DMT's product page points to a video demo by Ian Pontes (PT)1.
Videos
Ian Pontes
Denis Silva
Fernando Molinari
Questions
Is the DMT Stage Compressor true bypass?
Yes. DMT lists the Stage Compressor as true bypass, so when the pedal is off, your guitar's signal passes straight to the amp without going through the compression circuit. That keeps the pedal from coloring your clean tone when it is switched out, which matters on a crowded pedalboard.
Can the DMT Stage Compressor run at 18V?
Yes. The Stage Compressor accepts a power supply from 9V to 18V DC, center negative. Running it at 18V gives the internal circuit more headroom, while 9V lets it share a standard pedalboard supply. It draws 40mA, so check your supply's per-output budget before daisy chaining.
Does the DMT Stage Compressor work with bass?
Yes. DMT describes the Stage Compressor as transparent, and says that because of that it can be used on guitar or bass. The BLEND control also helps bass players, since it lets you mix some of the uncompressed signal back in to keep the low end full while the compressed signal evens out the dynamics.
Is the DMT Stage Compressor analog or digital?
The Stage Compressor is an analog pedal. DMT lists its circuit type as analog, meaning the compression happens entirely in the analog signal path rather than through digital processing, which many players prefer for how it responds to picking dynamics.
Sources (1)
- Stage Compressor by DMT, RockBoard (PedalPedia), 2026