Gear Watch: FEA Labs Opti-FET Compressor Pedal

FEA Labs has unveiled the newest pedal in their product line: the Opti-FET Compressor. The pedal uses a combination of optical elements for compression as well as 100% “class A” FET-discrete amplification for the signal path. The Opti-FET has a side-chain control circuit with a 3-band equalizer and a loop to give you tons of control over your compression. The EQ allows you to determine which frequencies are compressed more or less, and the loop can be used to use an external graphic equalizer or any other outboard processor.

The pedal has all the standard compressor settings including threshold, ratio, attack, release, and gain, as well as low, mid, and high controls for the onboard EQ. There is two stomp switches: one to activate the compressor, and the other to enable or disable the side-chain EQ and loop. There is also an LED that indicates when the threshold has been reached on the compressor. The pedal runs can run either on a 9-volt battery or an AC power adapter of 9 volts or greater.

The FEA Labs Opti-FET Compressor is available for $245.00 plus shipping and handling.