Polyend Press All-Analog Stereo Compressor Pedal


Polyend has introduced Press, a fully analog stereo compressor that they say “combines features usually exclusive to professional studio equipment with modern VST controls.”

Inspired by vintage rack units, Press is an all-analogue stereo compressor sold in a stompbox format. Its dynamics circuits are – according to its creator – designed for ‘premium’ sound quality with “extremely high headroom and an ultra-low noise floor.”

Press lets you control everything from the mix of compression to sidechain filters to separate attack and release settings.

Front panel controls offer access to standard compressor settings, including ratio, threshold, attack, release, make-up gain and a dry/wet mix. The pedal also features a tilt EQ control, which can apply a frequency boost and cut to emphasise the high or low frequencies of the output.

Along with these elements, Press also includes several modern, plugin-like conveniences, particularly when it comes to its sidechaining capabilities. This allows for an external audio signal to act as a sidechain trigger for the compression, with low- and high-pass filters for the sidechain signal. The front panel also features a row of LEDs to visualise the gain reduction from the compression.

Between all of these features, Press has the potential to be a highly versatile and useful compressor. In fact, Polyend touts its capabilities for a variety of use cases, from applying flattering compression to guitars and keys, to controlling the output of an effects chain, applying bus compression to drums or sitting on the master channel of a full mix.

Features:

  • An all-analog feedforward VCA signal path
  • Stereo I/O
  • Precise metering
  • Deep control
  • Stereo sidechain thru.

What they have to say about it:

“It offers the tight, natural response of classic analog rack units while incorporating unique controls and features not found in other pedals.

Press is an advanced compressor that works anywhere in the signal chain, from finalizing and limiting to adding control after gain staging or taming wild modulation and time-based effects. Dial in the exact amount of desired compression with Ratio and Threshold controls. Dedicated attack and release knobs can create aggressive punch or subtly tame peaks. Roll off the mix knob for New York-style compression to blend the dry and compressed signal, and add some color with the tilt control to shift the wet signal’s EQ balance across the low and high frequency range.

Press offers unique stereo sidechain control that cannot be found in another analog compressor pedal. The high and low pass filters work on either the Stereo input or the external stereo sidechain thru. This allows for precise control of the sound triggering the sidechain by stopping problem frequencies from triggering the gain reduction circuit. Use the LPF to filter out the high end of a bass guitar or the HPF to remove the boom from a kick drum to sculpt your sound in ways that were not possible in analog pedals before.

Even with all these features the press is a knob-per-function compressor designed to be simple to set up and operate.”

“Press is the compressor we always wanted but couldn’t find,” says Polyend founder Piotr Raczyński. “Whether for guitars, keys, or live electronic performances, we need a flexible analogue stereo compressor that handles sidechain duties without clipping or distorting. We want that same analogue sound quality of premium studio rackmount devices, coupled with deep control inspired by our favourite VSTs. It’s a straightforward, powerful tool that fits perfectly into any setup for studio use or live performance.”

Polyend Press Intro Video:

Polyend Press is available to preorder now for €/$399, and is due to start shipping 22 October. Find out more at the Polyend site.


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