MXR Dynacomp Reviews

Good quality, functional, but a bit noisy

The pedal sounds great, and I can see why it is one of the most popular compressor pedals.

Note that the product is listed as 'MXR Dyna comp 1976', but it is in reality the 'MXR Dyna comp M102' (this is what is stated on the side of the box).

One thing to note is that the pedal is very noisy. Perhaps this is typical for compressor pedals, and can be mitigated with a noise gate; but worth noting nonetheless.

The pedal feels good quality, and well built.

Really squishes the sound

Its a very hard compressor, so be prepared to lose a little bit of the attack.

Does one thing, but does it really well.

Dynacomp is an extremely simple-to-use compressor pedal. That does one thing and does it really well with its extremely characteristic compression ratio, attack and release times. As with many compressors, it mostly changes the transients of your tone rather than the actual sound (of course you can also use it as a boost with the compression sensitivity knob turned to zero). Compression and general transient control are definitely something you should experiment with, and this is a good starting point.

The classic comp for CLEAN

Very simple to operate compressor, with a classic sound as heard on numerous recordings.

I don’t like to use it with overdriven sounds as it adds significant hiss to the signal ( I guess by design).

But for clean sounds it adds a certain magic that non of my other compressors do (Keeley, Carl Martin, Diamond).

It is not transparent. It DOES color the sound significantly. But for clean sounds, what a beautiful coloration that is ( in my opinion).

Hence for clean sounds this became my main compressor.

Timeless pedal

Got that item for a pink floyd tribute.. you can get very close to gilmours sound. The pedal is sounding great even with no mods.

Small box, Big effect

A compressor isn't the first pedal you'd think of or look for when buying more pedals. I can only talk from my own experience and that was exactly what i was thinking.

For that "large" (compared to size and features) amount of money you could get a relatively good distortion pedal or almost a delay pedal. And i fell for that trap multiple times and I underestimated the affect a comp-pedal can bring.

Now knowing the effect it has to the tone i couldn't be more pleased, i have it right next to my guitar in the pedal chain and sometimes the Dyna comp is the only thing needed to get some amazing tones out of a Vox AC-15. I usually have the sens around 9 o'clock and then the output relatively low (to allow my amp to be cranked up). And it's a dramatic difference between having it turned on and off.

There is only one word to describe the tone when turned on - Smooth.

So should you buy it? Yes but don't prioritize it over ex Amps and the most basic effect pedals - of course i'd choose my delay pedal over the dynacomp and that's not strange.

The point i'm trying to express is that the dynacomp "boosts" the overall tone and for it to boost the tone you need to have a tone.

So if you want to advance your sound quality, then this little red thing is for you - solid and characteristic!

Does what it says on the tin

Great compressor for that really funky Spanky sound, Also great for long picking stuff for country music. Must have for your pedal board. It's a classic! :D

Simple and amazing

Killer sound for both guitar and bass. I mostly use it for bluesy situations with my PRS and I really love how easy it is to achieve that chicken-picking sound with only a few buttons. Love and definitely recommend it!

Excellent workhorse

I use it for guitar and bass, it's great for slamming the signal. With a tele and a wee bit of crunch you dial in that chickenpicking sound in no time. Slap it on a bass guitar with a fuzz pedal and you get notes that will sustain until the end of the millenium...

THE compressor (for me)

I looked into a lot of compressors. I was looking for a pedal that would give a warmer, thicker sound, but that would be easy to use. The MXR Dynacomp, with just two knobs, is very easy to play with and reach the warm, punchy sound you are looking for. So this pedal combines perfectly the features I was looking for. It is also well built; I've had it for more than seven years and never has given me any issue.

great compressor

I've been playing with this comp for roughly 6 years with mostly strats and jaguars (reggae, groove and post-rock)

This pedal brings an amazing percussive sound and warm sounding compression overall

On the other hand, the noise brought by this comp is LOUD - I strongly recommend the use of a well tuned noise gate for any clean recording of subtle solos.

I love to play this comp along with overdrive or distortion pedals (i.e Fulltone's OCD)

Was Expecting Better

The is a famous pedal, used by big names like Gilmour, so I was expecting better sound quality from it. I will probably change it for something else.

Classic!

This is a true classic. Clear tone with crispiness.

Built like a tank, been using it for years and never had any problems. Goes well with any power supply I tried.

One of the best compressors out there.

Very good compressor

This is an easy to use, good sounding pedal. It is compact like most of the MXR pedals in that size range. It doesn't have the features that some of it's competitors have (Boss CS for example) but it makes the job of compression easy. It is a good sounding pedal. I place it at the front of my signal chain and it keeps a nice consistent dynamic. It can also be cranked up to really squash your signal if that's what you're looking for.

Overall, a very good compressor.

Nice pedal, but with some drawbacks

Generally, I like this little pedal very much. It really does the job it is supposed to do. On the negative side, however, is the fact that there is no attack pot to play with. Also, the pedal adds quite a noticeable amount of "white noise" to the signal, although I believe the same applies to rival models. For example, I remember having a Boss compressor that seemed to produce a comparable level of noise.

Good simple compressor

I use this first in my signal chain to boost the volume of my clean tones to match my distortion and fuzz boxes, I also use it so I can shred into a clean amp and get that squished compression so that hammered on notes ring out. It works great, there aren't any fancy controls however I can live without them for the price. I recommend this to anyone looking for a simple and easy compressor

Fantastic squash

Certain versions of this pedal have been on the pedalboards of the best guitarists for years, including most of Nashville -and also helping Andy Summers get his sound. It's simple but effective. Not sure which version this is... but it certainly gives the high end attenuation that the DynaComp has been (in)famous for in the past.

Brilliant.

Did not realise I needed one until I had one.

A game changer, don't hesitate - worth every penny.

Amazing quality build and solidity.

Delighted.

Very easy to use, simple layout.

Will improve your playing and listening ability in every way as well as being great fun.

Very basic features, works great!

This is a great compressor. although the features are very basic, it sounds great. The controls are very intuitive so it is easy to get the sound that you are looking for.

The build quality is great - its built like a tank. You can probably drive over it with a tour bus and take it to a gig right after without any issues. The switch itself is nice and clicky, feels like its going to last a long time (using it for 4 years already).

The only thing that I would like it to have is a bit more specific controls. Other than that its a great pedal.

Good budget compressor

At this price its hard to go wrong with this rugged little pedal.Just 2 parameters to adjust...Output and Sensitivity.No attack or release settings but it doesnt really matter.Its easy to get a workable compression very quickly.With the output at 12 and the sensitivity at 4 and a strat through a Fender Blues deville,I managed to get a lovely sustained Jazz tone...and when I added some O/D it got lovely and even and creamy.Great value for money...not the most ultimate compressor on the market but a great one to have in your arsenal.