The MayFly Flat Earth is an analog compressor pedal from MayFly Audio, built in Ottawa, Canada. Rather than recreating a vintage circuit, it uses a feed-forward design: the pedal determines how much compression to apply by analyzing the signal before it reaches the compressor block. RockBoard's PedalPedia says this approach is built to avoid issues like pumping, noise and tone loss often found in older compressor designs1.
The pedal keeps its control layout deliberately small: Level, Sustain and Attack. When Premier Guitar covered the pedal's release, the company explained the thinking behind it: "The Flat Earth has minimal knob count to allow guitarists to get to 'wow' quicker."2
The controls
The Flat Earth has three knobs, and each does one job2:
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Level | Output level |
| Sustain | Amount of compression |
| Attack | Allows some pick attack through |
That is the whole panel. There are no ratio, threshold or makeup controls to set, which puts the Flat Earth in the camp of compressors aimed at players who want a quick, musical setting rather than deep tweakability. Premier Guitar's press release on the pedal put it plainly: "Level, sustain, and attack controls. That's all you need"2.
The feed-forward design
Most traditional compressor pedals measure the signal after it has already been compressed and adjust from there, which is where artifacts like pumping can creep in. The Flat Earth works the other way around. RockBoard's PedalPedia describes it as a "feed-forward" design which determines compression by analyzing the signal before the compressor block1. Premier Guitar's release describes the same topology: "The Mayfly Flat Earth uses Feed-Forward circuitry which determines the amount of compression by analyzing the signal before it's compressed"2.
The stated benefit for a player is a cleaner, more transparent squeeze. The maker says the pedal is built to avoid pumping, noise and tone loss, and Premier Guitar's release lists "No pumping or other compression artifacts" among its features2.
Bypass, power and build
The Flat Earth uses full bypass with relay switching, and it adds a fail-safe circuit: if the board power is lost, the pedal automatically goes to bypass, so your signal keeps flowing even when the pedal is dead1. It runs on 9V DC, center negative, and draws 36mA1.
The Flat Earth draws 36mA and uses relay switching, so it needs a proper pedalboard power supply rather than a battery. A supply with enough spare current on one outlet will run it comfortably.
The pedal is housed in a cast aluminum enclosure, which Premier Guitar's release notes comes with what the company calls stunning artwork2.
Flat Earth and Flat Earth Compressor
The pedal has appeared under two names. Premier Guitar's November 3, 2022 announcement introduced it as the MayFly Flat Earth Compressor, with an MSRP of $149 USD ($199 CAD) sold direct online2. RockBoard's PedalPedia page, dated 2026, lists it simply as the Flat Earth, a compressor pedal1. They are the same pedal: a three-knob, feed-forward analog compressor from MayFly Audio.
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Questions
Is the MayFly Flat Earth a clone of a classic compressor?
No. MayFly Audio describes the Flat Earth as a compressor pedal whose design is not a clone of a classic circuit. Instead of recreating an older design, the company built it around a feed-forward topology intended to avoid issues like pumping, noise and tone loss that it says are often found in older compressor designs.
What does a feed-forward compressor do differently?
In a feed-forward design, the amount of compression is determined by analyzing the signal before it reaches the compressor block. MayFly Audio says this lets the Flat Earth avoid problems such as pumping, noise and tone loss that it associates with older compressor designs, and the company states the pedal produces no pumping or other compression artifacts.
Does the MayFly Flat Earth use true bypass?
The Flat Earth uses full bypass with relay switching, along with a fail-safe circuit: if the pedal loses power, it automatically switches to bypass, so your signal keeps passing through even on a dead board.
What power supply does the MayFly Flat Earth need?
The Flat Earth runs on 9V DC, center negative, and draws 36mA. That is modest enough for most standard pedalboard power supplies, but because it has no battery option mentioned and uses relay switching, a reliable supply is worth using.
Is the MayFly Flat Earth analog?
Yes. MayFly Audio lists the Flat Earth's circuit type as analog.
Where is the MayFly Flat Earth made?
The pedal is built in Ottawa, Canada by MayFly Audio.
Sources (2)
- Flat Earth by MayFly, RockBoard PedalPedia, 2026
- MayFly Introduces the Flat Earth Compressor, Premier Guitar, 2022-11-03