Vox Valvenergy Smooth Impact

The Vox Valvenergy Smooth Impact is a compressor pedal in Vox's Valvenergy line, and it sits alongside the Vox Snake Charmer Compressor as a compression option in that family.¹

Controls and modes

The pedal keeps its control set simple: Output, Tube Gain and Comp. There is no variable attack or release, a point Premier Guitar's reviewer flagged, noting the pedal "lacks some familiar features like variable attack and release."²

Three modes set the character of the compression:¹

Vintage: described by Guitar World as a traditional compressor, said to be perfect for pop and country¹
Natural: the second of the three modes¹
SAG: compression more like what you get from tube saturation²

What the Nutube does

The Smooth Impact and the Tone Sculptor are the two pedals Vox added to the Valvenergy series that use a Nutube valve to generate their dynamics and tone ranges.²

What a reviewer said across the compression range

Premier Guitar's reviewer worked through the pedal's compression range and found the middle of it the most rewarding. "I enjoyed the Smooth Impact most in its in-between ranges, where mass, mild, harmonious drive, and low noise showcase the pedal's sometimes studio-like personality," the reviewer wrote.²

At the extremes, the picture was more mixed:

Low compression: works well as a thickening agent, adding mass without much additional noise²
High compression: can sound snappy, crisp, and tight without feeling like you have bled every trace of overtone from your signal²
Most aggressive settings: the tube gain can get a little crispy, and really crushing the compression can flatline your tone without adding much extra sustain²

On SAG mode specifically, the reviewer found its compression "more like what you get from tube saturation," and useful for adding thickness and complexity to a thin amp tone at modest compression levels.²

Players used to setting attack and release on other compressors will not find those controls here. The Smooth Impact's compression is shaped through the Comp control and the mode switch instead.²

Videos

**VOX Valvenergy Smooth Impact Pedal Overview**
VOX Amps

**VOX VALVENERGY 2nd Generation SMOOTH IMPACT / Compressor -Sound Check-**
楽器好きにはたまらない! フーチーズ渋谷店 / Guitar Shop Hoochie's

Questions

Does the Vox Smooth Impact have attack and release controls?

No. Premier Guitar's reviewer noted that the Smooth Impact lacks variable attack and release, which are familiar controls on many compressors. Instead, the pedal is shaped through its Output, Tube Gain and Comp controls, with three modes, Vintage, Natural and SAG, setting the character of the compression.

What does SAG mode do on the Vox Smooth Impact?

According to Premier Guitar's reviewer, SAG mode's compression is more like what you get from tube saturation. The reviewer found it useful for adding thickness and complexity to a thin amp tone at modest compression levels, rather than acting like a conventional hard-knee compressor.

What is the Vintage mode on the Smooth Impact?

Vintage is one of the Smooth Impact's three modes, alongside Natural and SAG. Guitar World reports that Vintage is said to be a traditional compressor, one the publication describes as perfect for pop and country playing styles.

Does the Vox Valvenergy Smooth Impact use a NuTube?

Yes. The Smooth Impact is one of two new pedals Vox added to the Valvenergy series, alongside the Tone Sculptor, that use a Nutube valve to generate their dynamics and tone ranges, as Premier Guitar's review explains.

Sources (2)