The Walrus Audio Deep Six Voyager Combo is a dual effects pedal that puts two of Walrus Audio's pedals in one enclosure: the Deep Six Compressor and the Voyager Overdrive. As Sweetwater's Don Carr put it in his demo of the pedal, "This pedal is a combination of two of Walrus Audio's pedals, the Deep Six Compressor and the Voyager Overdrive."1
The idea is a compact board solution for the classic pairing of a compressor feeding an overdrive. On the compressor side, the Deep Six is a studio-grade design inspired by Universal Audio's rackmount 1176 FET compressor, a circuit Walrus Audio describes as a true bypass studio-grade compressor in stomp box form23. On the overdrive side, the Voyager carries volume, gain, and tone controls1.
How the two sides work together
The pedal's key routing feature is its D/V switch, which sets how the compressor and overdrive interact. In D+V mode, both sides of the pedal can be turned on at the same time, so compression and overdrive stack. In D/V mode, the pedal switches back and forth between one side and the other, one to the other1.
Beyond the switch, the effects can be operated individually, exclusively, or combined, which Don Carr said allows you to dial in a myriad of sounds1. For a player, that means the combo can serve as a compressor only, an overdrive only, or both at once, without needing two separate boxes and the patch cables between them.
The controls
The Deep Six side carries four controls: Level, Sustain, Attack, and Blend784. The V3 version of the Deep Six added a Tone knob, described by the maker as a bass cut for shaping the low end of your guitar signal8.
| Control | Side | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Level | Deep Six | Sets output level, with plenty of level to make up signal lost in compression and push beyond that16 |
| Sustain | Deep Six | Sets the amount of compression, like the ratio16 |
| Attack | Deep Six | Sets how quickly the compression kicks in, shaping the front end of the note envelope6 |
| Blend | Deep Six | Mixes dry and compressed signal16 |
| Tone | Deep Six | Bass cut; the more you turn it up, the more bass it cuts18 |
| Volume | Voyager | Output level for the overdrive side1 |
| Gain | Voyager | Overdrive amount1 |
| Tone | Voyager | Tone shaping for the overdrive side1 |
The Blend control is worth a closer look for anyone comparing compressors. MusicRadar's Trevor Curwen found it lets you create parallel blends, "keeping a more natural guitar sound yet with extra tightness and sustain instead of the full signal compressed"6. Pedal of the Day's Mike B described it as the knob "which allows you to determine how much of the compressed signal is fed into your path"9. Walrus Audio says the Blend and Attack controls together allow the pedal to be used with active pickups or humbuckers, and that the blend feature lets you use high output instruments while truly being able to dial out any distortion that may be present4.
The Attack control shapes how quickly the compression engages. Curwen found it allows shaping of the front end of the note envelope, while also having a notable effect on the top end tonal content under heavy compression6.
Where the Deep Six came from
The Deep Six first appeared as a standalone compressor in 2014, when Pedal of the Day featured it as a guitar effects pedal from Walrus Audio5. Walrus Audio brought studio grade compression to guitar effects with the Deep Six, as GuitarPlayer's Christopher Scapelliti wrote, describing it as a pedal inspired by Universal Audio's industry standard rackmount 1176 FET compressor3.
The third version, the Deep Six Compressor V3, was announced in February 2019 alongside the Lillian Phaser. Its updates included the added Tone knob (bass cut), soft switch and relay bypassing, top mounted input and output jacks, updated components for overall improved sound, and updated art by Adam Forster8102. Guitar.com's Michael Watts reviewed the V3 in September 2019 as a hand wired studio quality compressor pedal, made in the USA11. The original Deep Six remains a FET type in the Walrus line, and was still available as of April 202612.
Walrus Audio recommends an isolated power supply for all of its pedals and does not recommend daisy chain power supplies2.
What reviewers and demoers said
In Sweetwater's demo of the combo, Don Carr demonstrated the pedal with a Fender Tele through a Supro Galaxy's clean channel, and a Les Paul through the amp's dirty channel, saying the setup really shows off how versatile the pedal is1. On the compressor side, he called it "a really clean sounding, super versatile, with a lot of variation possibilities"1.
MusicRadar's Trevor Curwen found the Deep Six's combined controls deliver compression to suit a myriad of guitar and bass tasks6. Pedal of the Day's Mike B found it works great with single-coils and humbuckers9. Guitar.com's Michael Watts gave the V3 9 out of 10, calling it "A beautifully made and elegantly articulate studio-quality compressor in pedal form"11.
Sweetwater's full demo walks through both sides of the pedal and the D/V switching1:
Videos
shnobel
Questions
Can the Deep Six and Voyager sides be used separately?
Yes. The combo's D/V switch sets how the two sides relate. In D+V mode both the compressor and the overdrive can be on at the same time, while in D/V mode the pedal switches back and forth between one side and the other. Each effect can also be operated individually or exclusively.
What does the Tone knob do on the Deep Six side?
The Tone knob acts as a bass cut. Turning it up cuts more low end from the signal, which lets you shape the low end of your guitar and help the compressed signal cut through a mix. It was added to the Deep Six line with the V3 update.
What does the Blend knob do on the Deep Six Compressor?
Blend mixes your dry, uncompressed signal with the compressed signal. Because only part of the signal is compressed, you keep a more natural guitar sound while still gaining tightness and sustain. It also lets high output instruments be used while dialing out any distortion the compression might add.
Does the Deep Six work with single-coils and humbuckers?
Yes. Reviewers found the Deep Six works great with both single-coils and humbuckers, and Walrus Audio says its Blend and Attack controls allow use with active pickups or humbuckers, including dialing out distortion from high output instruments.
Sources (12)
- Walrus Audio Voyager / Deep Six Pedal Demo, Sweetwater, 2019-09-03
- Deep Six Compressor Stomp Box, Walrus Audio
- Walrus Audio Mira Compressor Review, GuitarPlayer.com, 2022-09-27
- Deep Six Compressor Stomp Box, Walrus Audio
- Walrus Audio Deep Six Compressor, Pedal of the Day, 2014-06-30
- Walrus Audio Deep Six review, MusicRadar, 2017-05-22
- Walrus Audio Deep Six and Mayflower; Celestial Effects’ Cancer Wah the Fuzz?, Vintage Guitar magazine, 2015-10-14
- Deep Six Compressor Stomp Box, Walrus Audio
- Walrus Audio Deep Six Compressor, Pedal of the Day, 2014-07-05
- Walrus Audio Deep Six Compressor V3, Pedal of the Day, 2019-04-05
- Review: Walrus Audio Deep Six Compressor V3, Guitar.com, 2019-09-16
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2026-04-23
