The MXR Dyna Comp is an
effects unit
An effects unit or effects pedal is an electronic device that alters the sound of a musical instrument or other audio source through audio signal processing.
Common effects include distortion/overdrive, often used with electric guitar in el ...
, which is an electronic device that alters the sound of a musical instrument. This effects unit is produced by the
MXR company intended for use with
electric guitar
An electric guitar is a guitar that requires external amplification in order to be heard at typical performance volumes, unlike a standard acoustic guitar (however combinations of the two - a semi-acoustic guitar and an electric acoustic gui ...
. Made since the 1970s, the MXR Dyna Comp, which adds its own coloring to the tone, has become a frequently copied and widely used
guitar effect
An effects unit or effects pedal is an electronic device that alters the sound of a musical instrument or other audio source through audio signal processing.
Common effects include distortion/overdrive, often used with electric guitar in el ...
, even a standard.
History
The MXR Dyna Comp was first produced in the 1970s and became "a Nashville standard".
[ It is frequently copied by other builders and hobbyists.][ MXR also produces a 'vintage' Dyna Comp, with the 1970s "script" logo, and an updated version, the Super Comp, which has an "Attack" control that determines its "bite-/squash ratio".][
]
Description
The unit produces a dynamic range compression
Dynamic range compression (DRC) or simply compression is an audio signal processing operation that reduces the volume of loud sounds or amplifies quiet sounds, thus reducing or ''compressing'' an audio signal's dynamic range. Compression is ...
effect. It has two controls: "Output" controls the output level, and "Sensitivity" determines the amount of compression.
Use
The compression effect helps to smooth out differences in volume between notes, such as in quick runs played by chicken picking.[ It also fattens up the sound, giving more body and ]sustain
In sound and music, an envelope describes how a sound changes over time. It may relate to elements such as amplitude (volume), frequencies (with the use of filters) or pitch. For example, a piano key, when struck and held, creates a near-immedi ...
to lead guitar lines, and can be used as a booster.[ Its "thickening" effect is especially appreciated in ]Nashville
Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and the ...
, where many country music
Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...
guitar players who use Fender Telecaster
The Fender Telecaster, colloquially known as the Tele , is an electric guitar produced by Fender. Together with its sister model the Esquire, it is the world's first mass-produced, commercially successful Les Paul had built a prototype solid bo ...
s use it to thicken the otherwise thin sound of the single-coil guitar; besides, the compressor's lessening of the initial attack "gives the effect of a pedal steel player working his volume pedal".
Notable users
*Adrian Belew
Robert Steven "Adrian" Belew (born December 23, 1949) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. A multi-instrumentalist primarily known as a guitarist and singer, he is noted for his unusual and impressionistic approach to ...
[
*]Lowell George
Lowell Thomas George (April 13, 1945 – June 29, 1979) was an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer, who was the primary guitarist, vocalist, songwriter and founder/leader for the rock band Little Feat.
Earl ...
*David Gilmour
David Jon Gilmour ( ; born 6 March 1946) is an English guitarist, singer, songwriter, and member of the rock band Pink Floyd. He joined as guitarist and co-lead vocalist in 1967, shortly before the departure of founding member Syd Barrett. P ...
*Sonny Landreth
Clide Vernon "Sonny" Landreth (born February 1, 1951) is an American blues musician from southwest Louisiana who is especially known as a slide guitar player. He was born in Canton, Mississippi, and settled in Lafayette, Louisiana. He lives in Bre ...
* Jim Messina
*John Frusciante
John Anthony Frusciante (; born March 5, 1970) is an American musician, best known as the guitarist for the Red Hot Chili Peppers across three stints since 1988. He has released 11 solo albums and 7 EPs, ranging in style from acoustic guitar to e ...
*Masayoshi Takanaka
is a Japanese guitarist, composer, and producer. He was born in 1953 in the Shinagawa ward in Tokyo, Japan. Takanaka's music was influential in the city pop genre of the late 1970s and '80s.
Early life
Takanaka was born to a Chinese fathe ...
[https://www.discogs.com/master/1050166-Masayoshi-Takanaka-On-Guitar/image/SW1hZ2U6NDYzNTgyMTA=]
References
{{Reflist, 2
External links
Dyna Comp product page'76 Vintage Dyna Comp product page
Effects units