Taurus Tux (Black Line)

The Taurus Tux (Black Line) is an optical compressor pedal from Taurus, a boutique company in Poland¹. Optical compressors use a light-dependent element to control gain reduction rather than the voltage-controlled amplifier of a typical studio comp, which many players find gives a smoother, less grabby action. What sets the Tux apart is its trigger: the compression is driven by a sidechain system, similar to the ones in the FEA OptiFet and the Daring Audio Phat Beam¹. A sidechain means the circuit that detects your signal and decides when to compress is separate from the audio path itself.

Taurus builds its pedals in two lines, Black and Silver, where the Silver version has added features and fancier cosmetics¹. The Black Line is the simpler, plainer option, and the later Tux MK2 carries the design forward.

How it works and how you control it

The Black Line keeps its control set simple. The single Compression knob controls the threshold, meaning it sets how hard your signal has to hit before gain reduction kicks in¹. Turn it up and quieter playing stays uncompressed; turn it down and the pedal grabs more of everything.

The sidechain trigger is the interesting part for an experienced player. Because the detection circuit is separate from the audio path, the pedal can be tuned to respond to your attack without that response coloring the compressed signal itself. Ovnilab's review notes the same approach appears in the FEA OptiFet and the Daring Audio Phat Beam, so if you have played either of those, you have a reference point for how the Tux behaves¹.

On tone, the review found the pedal stays out of the way:

That matters for a compressor more than for most pedals, since some designs shave off top end or thin the low end as they squeeze.

Power and bypass

The Tux does not take batteries, so it will need an isolated-outlet power supply or an individual wall wart¹. That rules out sharing a daisy chain with your other pedals. The review of the Black Line states it runs on 12V DC¹; the MK2 product page gives a range of 9 to 12V, center negative², so a supply covering that range will cover both. The MK2 page also describes a built-in internal voltage converter that raises the supply voltage up to 24V internally².

The footswitch is labeled true bypass, and the review reports it appears to be a relay system like Exar uses¹. Relay true bypass switches the signal with an electronic relay rather than a mechanical footswitch contact directly in the audio path.

Size and build

The enclosure is pretty large, about the same size as the Joemeek FloorQ, and the review found most of the inside of the housing is empty space¹. If board real estate is tight, that is worth knowing before you commit. The Black Line uses plastic knobs, where the Silver model gets metal dome knobs³.

Black Line versus Silver Line

The Silver Line Tux is a fancier version of the same pedal: the exact same quality, but with extra features³. Here is what the extra money gets you:

The Silver model's comp mode has the same medium-strong ratio as the Black Line model, while its limit mode is a very high ratio, possibly infinity:1, working as an effective peak limiter that can also be used for extreme squashing effects³. Its punch and range controls set fully clockwise give the widest frequency-range limiting, and balancing threshold, attack and frequency-range can dial in what the reviewer calls a very exciting percussive quality³.

Ovnilab's verdict on which to buy:

The reviewer found the Black Line a perfectly good choice and possibly a better value otherwise³. One caveat on the Silver model at its extremes: with attack very fast and the frequency range wide, it significantly dulls the highs and robs notes of crispness, though dialing punch and range back finds a sweet spot with effective limiting and good tone and articulation³.

The MK2

The design continues in the Taurus MK2, which RockBoard's PedalPedia lists as an analog compressor designed for both guitar and bass². It uses a passive, sound-transparent optical system designed not to alter the original sound and to be virtually noiseless, and its bass mode is described as a crystal-clear sound with high dynamics and an expressive punch².

Videos

Click to load

Click to load

Click to load

Questions