ny compression hack

In all my music, I like to apply NewYork Compression to phatten things up. However, I always do this with software plugins. I always dreamed of a simple hardware NY compression-device but I’ve never seen one.
This would make a huge improvement on the sounds coming from YAMAHA hardware devices (which always sound very sterile  and clean). An example would be all the good’old hardware grooveboxes out there, like my RM1X.

Get yourself a budget pedal compressor

So..I decided to create it..well..with the help of Behringer CS100. I figured, all I need is a dry/wet fader to make it happen. So instead of making a compressor myself (which I could really never do), I needed a starting point. I managed to buy a Behringer CS100 guitar compressor pedal around 15 dollars.

With some hints from Zephod (creator of blok modular), I did some amazing discoveries. I realized that adding a dry/wet fader on a guitar pedal is really easy! You only have to find out where the connections for the in/outputs are!

Hunting down the magic 3 wires

So, armed with some wires connected to a headphone, and an old potmeter, I started the adventure. Soon I discovered where the little bastards were hiding:

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The green wire represents the middle connection for the potmeter. The black and red represent the other connections of the potmeter (doesn’t really matter which one is which, at least, during my research).

(click image to enlarge)

Ok, and the black and red wires are connected on the back of the circuitboard.

Now you are ready to go!

Now find yourself a potmeter and you have a dry/wet fader on your gear!
Great inexpensive way to add some NewYork flavor to your hardware gear right?