The Polyend Press is a fully analog transparent VCA compressor that is all about preserving your tone without any introducing unwanted coloration. You can tell quality was a top priority when designing Press. I can confidently say the Press is one of those devices that will serve well in the studio and adding some control to a live performance on a pedalboard.
It offers everything from a little to a lot of compression and includes sidechain filters and the versatility of separate attack and release settings. There is plenty of clean headroom and offers a natural, snappy response. It is also very quiet.
On the face of the pedal, you will find controls for 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 emphasize the high or low frequencies of the output.
But along with these more standard features you also plugin-like conveniences such as sidechaining capabilities. More on this later. Versatile Control The Ratio dial adjusts the ratio of the compressor. This governs how much gain reduction is applied for every dB above the threshold. Range starts at a gentle 2:1 ratio. Turn more clockwise for increased aggressive compression. Infnity:1, fully clockwise operates like a limiter. You can dial in as subtle or as squishy compression as you could possibly want. There is plenty of range and the difference is quickly audible. The Threshold dial adjusts the threshold level in dB. This is the level at which the compressor will start to implement gain reduction. Range is -30dB to + 10dB. The lower the threshold, the less signal energy is required to trigger the compression circuit. Seems the folks at Polyend are attempting to suit a wide range of instruments and input gain with this device. For example, when using the Press compressor with a passive bass guitar you will likely find you have the threshold dial nearly all the way counterclockwise or else you simply won't find the circuit being triggered enough. Now, if you have the compressor further down your signal chain and have more gain in front of the Press it won't be an issue.
But this is my biggest complaint about the Press. I wish there was more sensitivity for threshold with lower gain required at the input stage.
Attack dial controls how fast the compressor reacts when crossing the threshold. The attack time determines how fast compression kicks in. Range is stated as Min-Max, representing 0.1ms to 30ms. Adjustment by ear is recommended to balance between the punch and softness of the application. Rotating the dial more clockwise increases the attack time meaning more transient is allowed through before the compression circuit clamps down.
Release dial controls how fast the compressor reacts when crossing the threshold. The release time determines how long it takes for compression to subside when released. Range is Min-Max, representing 1ms to 1000ms. Again, use your ear to dial in to suit your preference and playing style. Rotating the dial more clockwise increases the amount of time the compression is reacting delivering more sustain.
Make-Up Gain is available and applied after compression to adjust the overall level of the audio. This is usually applied to compensation for the compressed gain reduction and re-balance the overall audio level and loudness. There is 0-30dB which is plenty.
The font size and color of the words printed below the dials is very difficult to read. On stage it is virtually impossible to read.
Parallel compression
The Mix dial balances the mix of output audio between the original dry audio level and the wet, compressed audio. This applies parallel or what is often called New York style compression techniques to mix dry and wet signals. I find parallel compression to be one of the most useful features of compression devices because you can dial in more aggressive compression and then blend in some of your dry uncompressed signal to restore some natural dynamics. The implementation here is well executed.
There is a single knob to boost highs and cut lows or boost lows and cut highs which is active on the wet signal only. This adjusts the EQ frequency balance between the highs and lows. Clockwise the EQ tilts to boost highs and cut lows. Fully counterclockwise, boosts lows and cuts highs. The tilt pivot point is 450Hz.
I found this tilt EQ function to be much more useful with guitar than bass. It quickly becomes brittle sounding with lows fleeting quickly as you rotate the dial clockwise.
If you rotate the dial much counterclockwise past 11:00 or so it becomes mud city. With bass guitar I found I pretty much left the tilt EQ alone in the center noon position. This is disappointing as I often find a tilt EQ on a compressor quite useful for quick tweaks to the tone. Notably to brighten up a signal that might have become dull because of compression. It's not that the tilt EQ here on the Press doesn't do that, it's just a bit too artificial sounding to my ear.
Sidechain High and Low Pass Filters
Shape and filter the signal triggering the compressor without altering the dry tone. The High Pass Filter is there to filter out low end frequencies in sidechain level detection with a range of 20Hz to 1kHz. Don't think of it as reducing the amount of lows. Rather, as you rotate the HPF filter more clockwise you are telling the sidechain to not allow lows below the HPF setting to trigger the compression engine as much. This can be useful with bass guitars where you might not want the energy of the lows to overly trigger the compression circuit. Likewise, there is a Low Pass Filter control for sidechain input that allows you manipulate to what the higher frequencies trigger the compression circuit. The range of the Low Pass filter is 100Hz-20kHz. Very nice execution here.
External Sidechain
You can use the second footswitch on the pedal to introduce the external sidechain input audio into the compressor engine. The LED is lit when sidechain is active by the footswitch. The audio coming in from the TRS 3.5mm / 1/8” mini-input jack on the top of the pedal will be used to trigger the compressor. Sidechain compression can help separate and clarify mixes and make instruments cut through the mix. It's especially useful when mixing signals that occupy a similar frequency range, like kick drum and bass. For example, sidechain compression is often used to create room for a kick drum by making the bass drop when the kick hits. In this scenario the kick drum ‘ducks’ the bass audio at the point the kick drum hits. Use the footswitch to switch between triggering the gain reduction circuit via the signal passing through the compressor or an external stereo source via the dedicated stomp-switch. It's one of those features that isn't often found on a compressor pedal, but it is here and depending on your use case, could be a real benefit.
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. If you have the HPF at Max and LPF at minimum you aren’t going to get sound at all.
The external sidechain functionality works very well and if it suits your use case it is highly versatile and useful. A studio compression type of function at your feet.
How does it sound?
This all-analog studio-quality, stereo compressor is certainly more on the transparent side of the spectrum but definitely can be dialed in to add punch and highlight transients. On the other hand, it is easy to use the Press to seamlessly smooth out peaks on any instrument. It is highly versatile and though it might be described as transparent it is by no means a sterile sounding compressor. You can use the external sidechain to create a classic pumping effect with a lot of control. Try the external side chain function to avert over-compression on a full drum track by filtering out the sub frequencies of a kick. Use the on board HPF filter to control the lows on guitar or bass and not overly compress the low end. The Polyend Press compressor is nice and punchy. It can definitely be subtle or squishy and anywhere in between. Your choice. You could easily place it first in line as a more subtle compression effect or use it at the end of the chain as a final limiting effect.
It is one of those "more better" type of compression devices that seems to make the audible signal more coherent, fuller and polished.
I am pleased with the tone and feel. It's one of those compressors that will sound great with any instrument you push through it in a clean but non-surgical way. It is definitely versatile. Specifications There is a stereo input jack and output jack on the top of the pedal. Use TRS 6.35mm / 1/4” Jacks for stereo. You can also use typical TS instrument cables for mono. Use the toggle switch to select stereo or instrument mono. Use a TRS 3.5mm / 1/8”, Mini Jack for the external side chain option. The thru output is there to facilitate the output of whatever you have feeding into the external sidechain.
There are LED's that illuminate when the pedal footswitch is switched on and the sidechain footswitch is turned on. I prefer compressors with an array of LEDs as it makes it easier to understand to what degree the compressor is doing its work. The implementation here is pretty good though even with slow attack and fast release the LEDs tend to illuminate longer than compression is actually happening. That said, your ear is always your best guide anyway. The Polyend Press requires 9V DC and 350mA. It operates over an audio frequency range of 20Hz to 20kHz. Quality
The Polyend Press is enclosed in sturdy all-aluminum case that looks great in my opinion. Even the knobs are aluminum. It is larger than the typical Boss/MXR design but considering all of the versatility and functionality packed in the form factor is decently small (and certainly pedalboard friendly).
Everything about the Polyend Press compressor build is of high quality. It is beautifully finished and looks well put together.
Summary
The Polyend Press is certainly more pricey than other options, but it is quite a unique offering. There's a lot of functionality and versatility crammed into a small form factor. It is well built and sounds great. Things like stereo input and outputs, on board HPF and LPF filtering as well as extremal side chain functionality uniquely differentiates this device in crowded sea of compression devices on the market today. There's a lot to like. I'd like to see a v2 sometime with a lower range of threshold sensitivity for passive basses. It can be a bit tricky to get the threshold ideally set as it is implemented now. Having any kind of boost between the passive bass and Press compressor eliminates this problem. Features like the LED gain reduction meter and parallel compression are compelling options. You often hear words like "studio grade" tossed around in compressor product descriptions these days. With the Polyend Press in addition to studio level tonal qualities you really are also getting studio grade features and build quality.
Pros:
• Versatility
• Stereo in/out
• On board HPF/LPF sidechain filtering
• External sidechain option
• LED gain reduction meter
• Quality build
• Sound quality
Cons
• Threshold sensitivity not great for passive bass guitars
• LED gain reduction meter could be more responsive
• Words printed below dials are very difficult to read
• Price
Retail price: $399
Polyend.com
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