Free The Tone Silky Groove SG-1C

The Free The Tone Silky Groove SG-1C is an analog compressor pedal from Japanese builder Free The Tone, a company better known for its digital delay pedals. It is based on the Custom Series Silky Comp, one of the maker's most highly regarded circuits, and adds a dry mix circuit that guitarists and bassists had repeatedly asked for¹².

The idea behind the pedal is compression that stays out of the way of your playing. Pedal of the Day describes it as creating "silky-smooth and natural compression without impairing important elements during performance such as true sound characteristics of your guitar/bass, subtle plucking and picking nuance"³. Delicious Audio notes that it replaced the similarly named Silky Comp SC-1 on Free The Tone's roster when it arrived in late 2021².

What it does: compression that keeps picking nuance

A compressor evens out the difference between your loudest and quietest notes, raising sustain and tightening attack. The Silky Groove's particular aim, per both the maker and the press, is doing that job without flattening the character of the instrument. Free The Tone built the compression circuit to be easy to adjust, with the Attack control setting the strength of the incoming attack and Sustain setting how hard the compression works¹.

Two design points matter to players comparing compressors:

• Phase-safe dry blend. The dry mix circuit was designed with the phase between effect and dry signals in mind, so the two do not sound like separate signals when mixed². Pedal of the Day adds that the output signal stays in the same phase as the input, so there is no phase reversal to worry about³.
• HTS circuit. Both the Silky Groove and its companion release, the Crunchy Chime booster, use Free The Tone's original HTS (Holistic Tonal Solution) circuit³⁴.

The pedal suits guitar and bass alike; the maker's description addresses both²³.

The controls: Sustain, Attack, Dry Mix and Level

The SG-1C has four knobs¹:

The Attack and Sustain controls are designed with a gentle curve rather than an abrupt one, so the pedal responds smoothly at any settings and is easy to dial in¹³. Pedal of the Day describes this as "an easy-to-adjust gentle curve to prevent rapid changes, for smooth operation at any settings"³.

The Dry Mix knob is the headline difference over the older Silky Comp. Free The Tone added it in response to requests from guitarists and bassists¹, and it is what lets you keep picking dynamics and low end while still getting the sustain and evenness of compression.

Power and connections

The Silky Groove runs on a 9V 006P battery or a DC 9V AC adapter with a center negative plug, through a DC9V input jack for the adapter¹. The battery option is worth noting: many compact modern pedals drop it, and it means the SG-1C works standalone without a power supply.

Connections are simple: one 1/4-inch input jack and one 1/4-inch output jack¹. Input impedance is 500kΩ or higher and output load impedance is 10kΩ or higher¹, figures consistent with driving a normal amp or pedal chain.

Current draw is 7mA¹, low enough that the pedal is easy on a pedalboard power supply.

History and versions: from the Silky Comp SC-1 to the SG-1C

The Silky Groove's lineage runs through Free The Tone's Custom Series. The original Silky Comp SC-1 was a compressor in that series, praised for giving arpeggios "a flowing, smooth, and natural link between notes" while letting comping "create sharp grooves"⁵. Free The Tone ended its production in 2018⁶, and the SC-1-CS Custom Shop version was discontinued the same year⁷.

The SG-1C, released in 2021, is a standard model based on that well regarded Silky Comp circuit, with the dry mix circuit added¹³. Pedal of the Day describes it as inheriting the former pedal's sound and ease of use³. It became available worldwide on November 15, 2021, alongside the CC-1B Crunchy Chime booster³.

There is also a Custom Shop edition, the SG-1C-CS, limited to 150 units in a Custom Shop specific package. Free The Tone says it inherits the Custom Series Silky Comp sound and is finished for a more natural, smoother result⁸. It shares the same power arrangement: 9V 006P battery or DC 9V adapter, with the same jack layout¹.

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