Colorful Compressor for DI guitar

[Gone Fission]

I’ve gotten my Damage Control Liquid Blues out to mess with as a clean-ish amp equivalent in front of an IR box. Opto comp onboard helps a bit in maybe being more “whole-amp” than just “pre-amp.” Discontinued and I don’t know what they’re running for these days when they come up, as and I’m not sure this is my final answer.

[Bartimaeus]

are you playing DI to a mixing board, or to a computer?

if it's a computer, then the unsexy answer is to use a plugin compressor. there's a ton of bland plugins with vintage-looking designs, but one free compressor I've liked for color is the klanghelm dc1a. or if you want more grit and color there's the airwindows compresaturator (also free). since the comp would be after the rat, you could still get that interaction effect.

as for pedals, it's a shame the milk box has gone up in price! but i do like the vintage dod 280 comp for a nice optical feel. i haven't played the reissue, but they can be had for so cheap that they might be worth a shot?

[ratrod]

I’m playing direct into a Zoom H6 recorder, jamming with synths.

I love the DC1A! I use it all the time recording for guitars and drum bus.

I’ll look into the 280, all the old DOD stuff I’ve tried has been nice n vibey