Tech 21 Bass Compactor

The Tech 21 Bass Compactor is a bass pedal that puts compression and active tone controls in a single enclosure. Tech 21 describes it as "a very practical yet very cool combination of compression and active tone controls in a sensible pedal format," and the company says its 100% analog design delivers Tech 21's warm, natural tone. It is listed at an MSRP of $125, which Tech 21 called very economical¹. For players weighing up compressors, it sits in the wider field of compressor pedals and bass pedals.

Compression and EQ together

The pedal's two functions can be used independently or together. Tech 21 says it offers "the option of using just the compression, just the EQ, or, of course, both together"¹. The compression ratio is adjustable from as little as 1:1, effectively no compression, all the way to 15:1, which is heavy limiting¹.

The EQ section is a dual-band active design, meaning you can both cut and boost rather than only cut. Tech 21 specifies dual-band active tone controls that cut or boost ±12dB¹. The company adds that the two bands "effectively reduce the need for a typical fixed frequency mid control," allowing a wide variety of tones, including what the maker describes as a mid-cut or mid-boost without a dedicated mid knob¹. The independent Ovnilab review sums it up plainly: "It has a two-band EQ, allowing you to boost or cut the highs or lows"².

With the compression switched out, the pedal can also serve as a clean boost. Tech 21 says you can use the Bass Compactor solely to kick in up to 6dB of clean boost¹, which puts it in the same territory as dedicated boost pedals and EQ pedals for some players.

Power, connections and size

The Bass Compactor runs on standard Boss-type 9V DC power, so it will slot into a normal pedalboard supply setup². Its input is a high impedance F.E.T.-based design, which Tech 21 says is exceptionally responsive to your playing style¹. The enclosure is a medium size; the Ovnilab reviewer describes it as "the medium size of the Barber or Diamond," and notes the maker's claim that it is portable and fits right in your gig bag¹².

• Power: standard Boss-type 9V DC²
• Input: high impedance, F.E.T.-based¹
• Format: medium-size pedal enclosure, described by the maker as portable and gig-bag friendly¹²

Noise gate and reviewer's view

The pedal includes a noise gate, but this is the one area where the published review is sharply critical. Ovnilab's reviewer, Cyrus Joaquin Heiduska, writes: "This pedal can be extremely noisy, and the noise gate function is jittery and jumpy"². On the gate's behavior with space between notes, he describes "a nasty battle between feedback-y noise and the gate trying repeatedly to clamp down. It's horrible." He does allow that in some settings it works as what he calls a kind of cool lo-fi effect².

Questions