The Horizon Devices Compressor is a compressor pedal from Horizon Devices, the maker best known for the Precision Drive. The maker's own pitch is transparency: the pedal "can be the most transparent compressor that you've ever played (meaning your sound doesn't change but the feel is elevated)," with increased touch sensitivity and tone enhancement available through the clarity control1. The maker's page lists it at £151.00 with a free warranty included1.
The pedal is Horizon's sixth release, following the Precision Drive, Apex Preamp, Flux Echo and Nano Attack gain/boost pedal2. Guitar World also reported it was used all over Periphery's album P52. As of late October 2026 the maker's product page lists it as sold out1.
The maker's page lists the pedal at £151.00, with a free warranty included1. That price is in pounds sterling, so US players may see a different figure depending on where and when a unit is available.
A transparent compressor with a Clarity control
The design goal, as Guitar Pedal X put it, is a compressor "intended to be as transparent and non-invasive as can be"3. For a player, that means the pedal evens out your dynamics and adds touch sensitivity without the audible pumping or tonal squash associated with heavier compression. Horizon Devices frames it two ways: transparent, with increased touch sensitivity, or with tone enhancement dialed in through the Clarity control1.
Guitar Pedal X's Stefan Karlsson noted how crowded the category is, and where this pedal sits in it3:
"There are so many smart Compressors on the market currently that competition is intense - and still this Clarity Compressor manages to define its own niche"3
Part of that niche comes from what the pedal leaves out. Attack and Release are internally calibrated by default rather than put on the front panel3, which keeps the surface simple. The enclosure follows the same idea: Guitar World described "minimal design and subtly sparkling silver finish"2. There is also a light that displays the compressor's intensity2.
The controls: Clarity, Volume, Mix, Compression and Intensity
The pedal has four knobs and one button3. Here is what each does, based on the maker's page:
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Clarity | Tone enhancement; the maker says "you can play with the clarity control to enhance your tone"1 |
| Compression | Sets the amount of compression; maker finds 1 to 3 o'clock optimal1 |
| Mix | Blends compressed and dry signal; maker typically sets it between noon and 2 o'clock1 |
| Volume | Output level; the maker warns it "doesn't help beyond the 10 o'clock position, don't do it"1 |
| Intensity (button) | "The intensity button has a slight effect, but it is noticeable"1 |
The Mix knob is the parallel compression approach: your dry signal keeps its attack and character while the compressed signal adds sustain underneath. The same idea appears in the Walrus Audio Mira Optical Compressor, whose Blend knob mixes compressed sound with clean tone to maintain note clarity4, and in the Empress Compressor MKII's mix knob for parallel compression5.
On settings, the maker's own recommendations are unusually specific:
- Mix: between noon and 2 o'clock1
- Compression: between 1 and 3 o'clock1
- Volume: no benefit past 10 o'clock1
Where it came from, and names it is not
The pedal launched on 18 January 2024 as the Horizon Devices Clarity Compressor, with pre-orders open and the first batch in limited production2. By 5 February 2024 it was available through the Horizon Devices Webstore, with international dealers expected3. Today the maker's page lists it simply as the Horizon Devices Compressor, sold out1. It is the same pedal under a shorter name.
Two other products share parts of its name, and neither is related:
- What the clarity control does: the maker describes the pedal as transparent, with increased touch sensitivity, and the clarity control is its route to tone enhancement when you want more than the unchanged-sound, elevated-feel setting1.
- What the maker promises: the pedal "can be the most transparent compressor that you've ever played (meaning your sound doesn't change but the feel is elevated)"1.
What the maker's page says
Beyond the controls, the maker's page notes free US shipping on orders over $30 and a free warranty included1. The page also describes the pedal's sound as transparent with increased touch sensitivity, or as a tone enhancement when the clarity control is engaged1.
Questions
What does the Clarity knob do on the Horizon Devices Compressor?
Clarity is the pedal's tone enhancement control. Horizon Devices says the compressor can be the most transparent you have played, meaning your sound does not change but the feel is elevated, and that you can play with the clarity control to enhance your tone. In other words, it dials in how much the pedal colors your sound versus simply adding touch sensitivity.
Is the Horizon Devices Compressor the same as the Clarity Compressor?
Yes. The pedal launched in January 2024 as the Horizon Devices Clarity Compressor, and it is the same product now listed on the maker's site as the Horizon Devices Compressor. It was Horizon's sixth pedal, following the Precision Drive, Apex Preamp, Flux Echo and Nano Attack.
Is the Horizon Devices Compressor still available?
As of late October 2026 the maker's product page lists it as sold out. When it launched in January 2024 the first batch was in limited production, and by February 2024 it was available through the Horizon Devices Webstore with international dealers expected. A used or remaining dealer unit may still turn up.
Is the Horizon Devices Compressor related to the SolidGoldFX Horizon?
No. They are different pedals from different makers that happen to share the word Horizon. The SolidGoldFX Horizon is an optical compressor with three knobs, released in 2015, while the Horizon Devices Compressor is a five-control pedal launched in 2024 by the maker of the Precision Drive.
Where should the Mix knob be set?
Horizon Devices says the mix knob is typically set between noon and 2 o'clock. The Mix control blends your compressed signal with your dry signal, the same parallel compression approach used in pedals like the Walrus Audio Mira and Empress Compressor MKII, so you keep note attack while adding sustain.
Sources (5)
- COMPRESSOR, Horizon Devices
- “Enhances your tone and feel with little to no effort”: Misha Mansoor wants Horizon Devices' new Clarity Compressor to be your new always-on pedal, Guitar World, 2024-01-18
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2024-02-05
- Mira Optical Compressor, Walrus Audio
- Compressor MKII, Empress Effects Inc.
