PRS Mary Cries Optical Compressor

The PRS Mary Cries is an optical compressor pedal made by PRS, and one of the Maryland brand's first three effects pedals, launched on 30 September 2022 alongside the Horsemeat overdrive and the Wind Through the Trees flanger¹. It is based on the Teletronix LA-2A, the famed rack-mount studio compressor, and it keeps things simple: two controls, Compression and Output Gain, with an LED that shows the onset of compression²³.

What it does to your sound

An optical compressor works by using a light-sensitive element to duck the signal, the approach the LA-2A made famous in studios. PRS's take on the design drew a consistent verdict from reviewers. Guitar World's Chris Gill found that "This pedal's compression effect is very transparent and refined, with none of the squash or flattened character of most" compressor pedals, and noted that it sounds particularly good with single-coil pickups, fattening up the body and enhancing sustain⁵⁶.

Guitar.com's Eric Dahl, reviewing all three of PRS's first pedals, called the Mary Cries "the pick of the bunch", describing it as a studio-quality compressor in a stomp pedal configuration⁶. GuitarPlayer's Art Thompson summed it up as "Mary Cries: A smooth-sounding compressor that can also double as a potent signal booster"².

Controls

The interface is deliberately minimal. Gearnews described it at launch as "a super simple control interface consisting of Output Gain and Compression"³.

Because the Output Gain control is separate from the compression amount, the pedal can be set as a straightforward compressor or pushed into boost territory. The maker's product listing puts it plainly: "Depending on your settings, it can be used as a boost as well as a straightforward compressor."⁴

Power and connections

The Mary Cries has no battery option. Guitar World's review states: "An external power source or adapter is necessary (no battery operation)."⁵

One layout detail worth knowing before you plan a board: on all three of PRS's first pedals, "the input, output and adapter jacks are on the front face to allow for placing the pedals close together"². That makes for tight side-by-side placement, but it means patch cables run in from the front rather than the top.

Where it came from

PRS entered the effects pedal market on 30 September 2022 with three designs: the Horsemeat transparent overdrive, the Mary Cries optical compressor and the Wind Through the Trees dual analog flanger¹³. GuitarPlayer's review of the range found the results reaffirmed "PRS's statement as to the new pedals being studio-grade devices"². Guitar.com's review of the first batch noted the pedals were made in the Maryland factory, with rumours of more to come⁶.

The LA-2A connection

The pedal's reference point is the Teletronix LA-2A, the optical tube compressor/limiter that has been a studio staple for decades. GuitarPlayer's Art Thompson wrote that "The Mary Cries Optical Compressor is based on the famed Teletronix LA-2A rack-mount studio compressor"², and Guitar.com's review likewise said "This effect was created with the LA-2A studio compressor in mind"⁶. For players who want the LA-2A sound in different formats, Universal Audio also makes the Teletronix LA-2A Studio Compressor, a compact stompbox the maker describes as an "Authentic emulation of iconic Teletronix LA-2A optical tube compressor/limiter, captured in a compact stompbox"⁷.

For more on how this kind of circuit sits alongside the alternatives, see the Compressor Pedals type page, and for the pedal that launched alongside it as an overdrive, see Overdrive Pedals.

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