Walrus Audio has unveiled the Highpoint, a high-end analogue compressor pedal based around an old-school optical circuit, with added old-school mojo courtesy of the console-style VU meter on the front of the enclosure.
And while the VU meter is both useful and cool – it tells you just how hard the compressor is working – it is but one of many super helpful features on this high-end stompbox. Walrus Audio promises “the depth, warmth, and dimensionality expected from high-end studio hardware”, all in this compact format.
“A comprehensive control set lets you shape your compression exactly to your taste,” says the brand. “True parallel compression via the Blend control allows you to preserve the integrity of your transients while layering in harmonic density and sustain.”
Players are given all the control they need to apply forensic processing to their electric guitar signal. Compressors are never the most sexy pedals on our pedalboards; they just cannot compete with a fully stacked delay pedal. But if you’ve used one you know the value they can have, as this always-on flatterer of your tone, boosting sustain, letting the notes sing that bit more, or simply tidying up busy passages as when pushing the squash on the transients when playing country guitar.
There are dials for Attack, Release, and Ratio. There is a quote/unquote “carefully tuned” Make-Up control to even up the gain and maintain your signal’s authority. The options for configuring the Highpoint makes it a serious candidate for players serious about their compression, and that cohort includes those who want their compressor to be doing the bear minimum, scarcely noticeable, just a stage of refinement on their tone.
If you’re looking for something simple, this probably isn’t it. But that said, the Highpoint is the kind of all-singing, all-dancing solution that once you find the settings that work for you, you might never adjust it again.
And yet, that option is there should you want it. The aforementioned LED VU monitoring is actually configurable, allowing you to visually monitor Input, Output, and Gain Reduction (that’s kind of cool).
Also, this thing can keep your low end clean and tight, with a Hi-Pass filter on the sidechain circuit dialling out all frequencies from 160Hz and below and stopping them from triggering the compressor.
“The result is articulate bass response, preserved punch, and dramatic low-frequency dynamics,” says Walrus – and it works just as well for bass guitar and the 7-string guitar in your life.
The Highpoint is available now, priced $349. For more details, head over to Walrus Audio.
