Horizon Devices releases its own special take on ultra transparent compression - The Clarity Compressor
Misha Mannsoor’s Horizon Devices has quietly made its way to 4 superior modern tone enhancers. It kind of set the mould with its specialist Metal tone enhancing Precision Drive, then came its Apex High Gain Preamp, then the Flux Echo/Reverb - and here we have a very unique take on a Compressor.
Horizon Devices’ slogan is "Sound great, and be easy to use" and that theme is very clearly carried through all 4 pedals which are about as straightforward a pedals as you might expect to encounter - but yet with expansive range - all within that ’Modern Guitar Tone’ profile and very much optimised for Modern High Gain players in particular.
The one I’ve come closest to acquiring to date is the Apex Preamp - while I also really liked the look of the Flux Echo when that was announced. The Clarity Compressor is intended to be as transparent and non-invasive as can be - meaning that it’s perfect for an always-on tone enhancer.
There are so many smart Compressors on the market currently that competition is intense - and still this Clarity Compressor manages to define its own niche. Each of the Horizon Pedals is made by Jim Dunlop / MXR and is pretty reasonably priced, the Precision Drive @ $219, Apex Preamp @ $319, Flux Echo @ $199, and Clarity Compressor @ $199. All 4 can be ordered from the Horizon Devices Webstore and the Clarity Compressor should be arriving imminently at International dealers too.
Here follow the specific details for each :
Clarity Compressor - $199
Controls - Clarity, Mix, Intensity, Volume, Comp.
A beautifully simple yet really clever take on compression. Engineered for being an incredibly transparent always-on compressor that enhances your guitar's output while producing minimal colouration of and deviation from the core tone. 5 controls give you everything you need - where the Attack and Release vectors are cleverly internally calibrated by default. Compressor's tend to be used for Funk / Bass / and Low Gain Accentuation - there's not many that are specifically designed to get the most out of High Gain.
Flux Echo / Reverb - $199
Controls - Mix, Tone, Flux Mode : Ambient Reverb + Analog Delay / Modulated Reverb + Reverse Delay / Shimmer Reverb + Tape Echo, Reverb Decay, Delay Feedback, Tap/Freeze Footswitch, Bypass Footswitch.
A really cool combination EchoVerb with 3 killer modes - stereo ins and outs and smart footswitch action - super potent for the few controls it has - and brilliantly calibrated for maximum impact.
Precision Drive - $219
Controls - Volume, Bright, Attack, Gate, Drive.
The first proper breakthrough dedicated High Gain Overdrive / Boost. There are now several specifically High Gain Tightening and Enhancing Overdrives - while I believe this was the first one to make the mark.
Apex Preamp - $319
Controls - Volume, Bass, Mid, Treble, Gain, Cab Sim, Gate, Tight Footswitch, Bypass Footswitch.
A really tight modern-sounding high-gain preamp with smart controls. I've meaning to get this one for a while - it's one of those that's been on the wishlist since it first materialised - but I never got around to getting one yet. I guess the next time I do medium-and-above high gain distortion / preamp pedals I will consider this one hard to add to the reference collection - it's probably about time!
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