TC Electronics TC SpectraComp

The TC SpectraComp is a multiband compressor pedal for bass from TC Electronic, announced at NAMM 2016¹. It takes the multiband bass compression TC first introduced in its RH-series bass amps and puts it in an ultra-compact pedal, keeping the one-knob approach from the amps while improving the compression algorithm². The maker describes it as a "Studio-quality multiband compressor - perfectly tuned for bass"².

What multiband compression does for bass

A conventional compressor squeezes the whole signal at once. Multiband compression splits the signal and applies different amounts of compression to the high, mid and low frequencies, as MusicRadar's Trevor Curwen explains in his review⁴. For bass, that matters because the low end and the upper harmonics often need different treatment: the low notes can be evened out without dulling the attack and presence that cut through a mix.

TC says the SpectraComp is made to "bring out all of the glorious low-end punch and presence of your beloved bass in the most transparent and musical way you've ever heard"². That is the maker's own description, but the design behind it has studio pedigree: the pedal contains the MD3 dynamics engine from TC's System 6000 studio processor, the same high-end unit gearnews.com points to as its source²³.

Studio circuitry in a one-knob pedal

The SpectraComp's lineage runs from TC's RH-series bass amps, where the company first introduced multiband bass compression and where the simplistic one-knob approach was established². On the pedal, that single knob adjusts the amount of compression in real time, and that is the whole manual control set: "There's a single knob to dial in more compression and that's it," as MusicRadar puts it⁴.

The front footswitch turns the effect on and off, and the pedal is true bypass, so when it is not engaged your signal passes straight through unprocessed³.

For players who want more than one knob, the free TonePrint software editor allows deep tweaking of the settings or loading complete tones from TC's library⁴. The frequencies themselves are selected and pre-configured for bass, since the pedal was designed from the ground up for that instrument³.

Size, price and what reviewers said

The SpectraComp was announced at NAMM 2016¹, with gearnews.com reporting an RRP of GBP £75 in the UK at the time³. In a Guitar World buying guide, reviewers Connor Godfrey and Richard Blenkinsop summed up its appeal as "Tiny, ideal for cramped boards" and "Inexpensive"⁵, which makes it a straightforward choice for a crowded pedalboard or a first compressor.

MusicRadar's review frames the pedal around that idea: multiband compression as the method, and the SpectraComp as a compact way to apply it, with TonePrint editing covering whatever the single knob leaves out⁴.

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