Universal Audio UAFX LA-2A Studio Compressor

If your looking for a quality compressor in the optical area this is as good as any from the competion. However If you are looking for the chicken picking with an obvious squish choose another pedal perhaps their other option, also there is no tone knob but for me this dont matter, the pedal makes the signal sound better clearer and leveled out and has other features you wont find on others. No noise either the 3 switches it has offer further options to try with the buffer or true bypass, the release speed switch and the choice of comp and limiter. For the more convensional use try the comp mode for rasing up quiet picking as well as reducing the loud levels, but if you need to have more picking dynamics but still keep control of the level use the limiter. Its easy to find a sound you like with a few minutes trying any of this stuff.
The mix knob adds in more of the guitar signal so for more obvious compression keep it low and make up the gain with the gain knob.There is plenty of gain make up available as well.
Do be aware of 2 things, first is it takes about 10 seconds to boot up before you can use it after powering up and you will also need an isolated power supply of 9v 250ma minimum they claim it wont work in a daisy chain at all so I did not try it.
The price is mid range and you may be surprised or not that its made in China bit so are iphones. This is a high quality unit so dont let the made in china put you off its not the cheapest option out there but not outrageous either. As it goes I think its worth it. I compared it to my Diamond comp Jr as it sounds similar but this has more options to try but no tone control. UA offer firmware updates but you have to register the product first, I did register and checked out of interest and there no updates just yet (May 2024) Anyway It sounds great as it is so I am happy.

The only experiece i have with a compressor pedal is with the MXR Dynacomb. A love, sometimes, and hate, mostly, experience. Never got the total hang of it. Probably my shortcomming. Sometimes i thought wow...this works fantastic...but then with another guitar...yuk...time to try out something else. Than this UAFX device came along for a starkly reduced price. Thought...well, lets try this thing out.....can always return it. But...i'll keep it. It works , in my world, completely different than the Dynacomb, There are no prominent quacky sounds, the sustain is not as prominent an long lasting....but it does something to the sound....lifts it up...gives it a subtle dynamic....helps me to reach 'the edge of breakup' with just my guitar's volume knob. use it for two weeks now. This one stays on my board. Like it very much!