Aphex Punch Factory Compressor

Two knob. And sounds good in any settings. The manual is too much long for this product.

This comp is a lot subtle, but is really great! It give you a subtle punch through te mix and more clarity in any note. Is great! It isn't noisy if you don't use extreme settings like 10 and 10. I think if this comp can stay in Tim Commerford pedalboard is good enough for mine. Is really good enough

I would use a backup if I have enough money to get another one. But maybe there is too much plastic in this pedal

Never have deal with them

I like it. I use it in any music I play and is any very great. It help make my sound. If this were stolen I'll buy another Punch Factory. Is a real punch in your face. Is great 'cause it don't change my tone, but it help me having a great tone.

Fairly easy to use once you understand the switches. Essentially a two knob compressor with volume and drive(amount of compression).

No freaking manual available online or elsewhere? Come on Aphex, get someone competent to do documentation, oh, and your website sucks. Some inadequate instructions are printed on the pedal itself. Pedal has phenomenal features though, just crappy instructions. I am downgrading this category strictly for the lack of decent documentation. Once you understand the features this is actually a very easy pedal to use.

Here are some important points for users of the pedal:

1. The wet/dry pushbutton is strictly for when you are using the DI(XLR) jack. It determines whether or not the signal coming out of the DI(XLR) jack is compressed or not when the pedal is switched on.

2. Ground lift. What a great feature, if your signal chain gets hum or noise, particularly while using the DI, try changing the setting on this pushbutton. I have definitely found this feature handy, particularly when running out of a guitar that has piezo and magnetic pickups. I have found that a stereo cable running to my amp from my magnetic pickups and to the PA from the piezos using a DI has required a ground lift to eliminate hum and noise.

3. Active/Passive. Set to Active if you have Active pickups or are providing a particulary hot signal.

4. The db meter stays on wether the pedal is switched to compression mode or bypass. Actually a very cool feature.

5. DI will provide phantom power if attached to board or power source that provides phantom.

Using this with variety of guitars, electric and acoustic. Fan-frigging-tastic! I love this compressor! It is however comparatively, a subtle sound; while poking around the web I noticed several newbie compressor users who had returned it because they were not sure it was "working". Believe me, this thing works!

If you are looking for a thick compressor with sustain for hours this should not be your choice. This compressor is more subtle but fantastic nonetheless. It is almost completely noiseless, no hiss, even at max settings. It is tranparent, it gives additional sustain and evens out the volume and attack without any of the "squashing" and "breathing" inherent in so many other compressors.

This compressor is absolutely unrivaled in its price range. It sounds boutique at a Boss pedal price.

It is a beautifully implemented optical compressor which means it is extremely responsive to your playing and becomes even more responsive as it "learns" as you play. Read up on optical compression if you want a better explanation of how this works.

This is by far the best compressor I have tried for acoustic guitar. Unbelievable! I had a Boss CS-3(great for acoustic) which I thought sounded just dandy until I tried this unit. It promptly replaced the CS-3 on my pedal board. It lets the sound of the acoustic shine through with no mud. Sound awesome with electric as well.

What more can I say, this pedal sounds great, particularly if you are experienced with other compressors and their strengths and weaknesses.

If you are looking for boutique quality compressor at a great price, grab this pedal and you will never look back. If you do get this pedal it should be because you are not looking for or already have a compressor with over the top sustain(and the noise, mud, tone squashing, and bizzare attack characteristics that ofthen go with it).

This pedal has just enough sustain and leveling to make you happy while maintaining your guitar's voice. Perfect compromise.

Seems well made. Have not owned it long enough to say. I have read that they solder the plastic jacks right to the board and that they can break more easily as a result. A shame for such a great pedal but eminently fixable if they go.

Never used it.

Play all sort of music including my own originals, acoustic and electric. Mostly rock, metal and even some folk music.

Have been playing for over 30 years, have tried and owned all sorts of gear.

I would buy this in a heartbeat after subjecting the thief to the tortures of the dammned.

I lover everthing about this pedal with the exception of the input/output jack construction. Let's quickly review what you get: ground lift switch, active/passive swich, db meter(very cool), high quality feel noiseless switch, a built in DI.

And let us not forget this astounding feature. This pedal can handle almost any power supply made with a wide range of voltages. You heard me right "any power supply" AC or DC that has the Boss style barrel connector will work with any ring tip +/- combination. I mean whether it is the power supply from a toaster, old vaccuum cleaner, pacemaker, Ipod, whatever. All pedal makers should take their lead from Aphex! What a great feature! There is almost no way to accidentally blow this thing up with the wrong power supply. I have never seen any other pedal that has a power supply designed with this degree of flexibility and power capability.

First and foremost is the great transparent sound this pedal delivers. If you are an experienced player with a good ear and don't require over the top compression, buy it now!

If I could change anything in this pedal I would have the max drive setting provide more extreme compression for those times when I want it. This would probably wreck the sound of this incredibly musical sounding pedal however. I would also provide a second input jack so that I could loop the signal back to the DI from the end of my effects chain. Compressors usually go at the front of an effects chain therefore this is not necessarily the best place to have the DI. A small concern however and one that would drive up the cost of the unit.

This pedal truly helps you cut through the band, hold a note, and levels out your dynamics while still maintaining the full range of your guitar's sound.

I believe this pedal has been discontinued and that is truly a shame! Please Aphex, keep up the innovation and continue to set an example for all other pedal makers as to how a pedal should be powered.

Two knobs, and a choice of passive or active. That's pretty easy. Points off for not having a proper manual. EVERYTHING should come with a manual. A manufacturer should never assume that a buyer knows how to use their product.

It does add a bit of noise to my tone, but I crank the settings so high, that I couldnt expect anything else. I can get a pretty decent sound out of a cheap compressor pedal, but with my Aphex, I dont have to fight the feedback that the cheaper pedals tend to coax at the higher settings, and that makes it much more invisible. I play through a KB100, which is a keyboard amp. I like playing through keyboard amps becasue I like the brightness that they add to my tone. But then I need a compressor to get the punch in there. This definately fits the bill and then some. At the lower settings, it is much more subtle than cheaper compressors, so you may wonder if it is working. It is. As I mentioned, it's a very invisible compressor, and that is a good thing.

Works every time I step on it, and doesnt suck battery life. I would never dream of gigging without a backup compressor in my case, but if I could only take one, it would definately be my Aphex.

Never dealt with them.

I mainly play funk and jazzy blues. This will work well for any style of music. If this were stolen, I might try something diferent just out of curiosity. But I would never willingly replace it. Did I mention that it can also be used as a DI box? Thats a nice feature. It's not as useful as it could be, since it holds the first spot in my effects chain, but, if push came to shove, I could put it last and take advantage of the DI feature. It's not a Keely, but it beats Boss, or DOD, in my opinion. They found a good middle ground between a "boutique" and "mass production". I have no real complaints about this unit. I would reccomend it to a firend without hesitation.

Latest version with phantom power.

Very easy to use. Some like more control in a compressor (I have several other that do) but this fits the bill for what it does.

I've only had it a week or two but for the money it seems to be quite nice. Obviously it's not a million dollar compressor but if your looking at a Boss or Digitech forget it. This thing beats them hands down and costs just about the same.

I haven't had it long enough to tell. I doesn't appear to be incredibly heavy duty. I'm not sure how long it would last on a pedal board. I'm not too worried though, I baby my stuff and it usually only see's studio work.

?

For the money... I'd buy it again.

2 knobs - easy. I like that the newer version will let you run it off of phantom power if you're using it as a DI. I have found the unit to be clean and very smooth in it's compression. I'd personally like a little more control (attack, release, ratio, etc.), I feel that this is a very easy to use unit.

I picked this compressor because I have always been impressed with Aphex products. The Compellor is an excellent compressor and I was hoping that this one would be good as well. While it's not a Compellor (and since it costs $1,100 less, I wasn't really expecting it to be), this compressor is clean and sounds very good. Any compressor will raise the noise floor because that's what they do - limit the dynamic range, but I have found that this one doesn't add any noise to it. And the compressor itself is very musical sounding.

It's a metal chassis, so it appears to be pretty well built, but I'm a little concerned with the plastic jacks. It's pretty new so time will tell.

When I've had to contact Aphex in the past (on other products), they've always been very helpful.

Aphex's reputation speaks for itself, and with this pedal, they have another winner. I play Fender Jazz basses (fretted and fretless) as well as a Ibanez SR905 though it, and it sounds great. My effects chain is this, a Korg tuner, and a Ashdown Drive Plus pedal going to an Ampeg SVT200T and a SVT410. So far, it's been exactly what I wanted. I was using a Digitech BP200 and tried a Korg AX3000B, but found this analog compressor to sound far superior to them. The only concern I have is the plastic jacks.

Very straight forward: Two knobs (got your "drive", got your volume), one on/off button. Manual? We don't need no stinkin' manual!

This pedal kicks ass. It makes my Chinese-made Gretsch Pro-Jet sound cleaner, sustain longer, and doesn't take away any tone. This optical compressor rules. It's like my sound now glistens--that is, the effect is transparent but adds "that something special." It is quiet, without a doubt, though the noise problem I do have is because of my Pignose G40V tube amp. I need to figure out where the stray interference is coming from. That aside, if you have the dough to throw down, I strongly recommend this compressor pedal. This pedal clearly adds without taking anything away.

This thing is pretty solid in construction. My only gripe is the power plug and where it jacks into the pedal. I have to turn or wobble the thing around a bit until I get juice flowing into the pedal. I could use a battery if I wanted, but I shouldn't have to be forced into the choice. I suppose I could do my own little tweaking to make the contacts contact properly. Oh well... Outside of this issue, I have no complaints.

I haven't tried.

The transparent nature of this pedal would be an asset for anyone wanting to preserve their tone while getting a little more clean sustain. If this pedal was lost or stolen, I would cry for a long time, as the price was a bit dear. Eventually, I would save the money to get another. This one is so good, I wouldn't waste the time comparing to others. This pedal would be a true asset for those who love tone.

This is a very, very simple pedal. It only has two knobs, one for the level of compression (called "drive") and one for volume. The most confusing thing about it is all the power input options, including a phantom-power feature which I have not been able to get working right. It does, however, work just fine with a traditional adapter.

This is a perfect compressor for someone who doesn't want their audience to know they're using a compressor. It evens your attack out without squashing your sound, and the volume knob allows you to give your signal a kick in the pants before sending it to the rest of your effects/amp. The name is appropriate, because the most obvious effect of using the pedal is that it makes you tone "punchier" rather than crushing your attack down like other pedals. You notice it the most on the higher strings, which get a nice boost while the bass strings are toned down.

This pedal is very quiet. When it is off, it has a true bypass which keeps your tone from being damaged. Of course, I never, ever, have this pedal turned off. I just switch it on and forget about it. If I accidentally turn it off, I can tell after a few seconds because the guitar just doesn't sound as good. When the pedal is on, there isn't a great deal of extra hiss or hum. This is probably because the pedal doesn't do the extreme compression of other models.

The punch-factory works fine with other pedals. I have it running first in the chain along with a Jeckyll and Hyde OD/Distortion pedal and a Line 6 Verbzilla in the effects loop. My amp is a Mesa/Boogie Rect-O-Verb 50 which, I feel, is very pedal friendly.

This is why I am writing a new review after having this pedal for a while. Previously, I noted that the input jacks were flimsy. I am now having issues, and I think this is the problem. Many times, after I start playing, the sound will drop off and I will get a bunch of crackling/hissing. If I move the input guitar cable a bit, the problem goes away. It seems that the jack has become loose or developed a break where it is connected to the circuit board. I blame myself, I suppose, because I have the pedal sitting on top of my amp and the vibration has probably done it. Of course, none of my other pedals are so flimsy that this vibration causes the same problem. This is annoying because this is such an outstanding pedal in every other area. I just wish they would have put some money and time into making the thing more robust. I would never gig with this pedal without a box of backups because they just seem flimsy, despite the metal case. The plastic input/output jacks are a major Achilles Heel. Maybe Aphex will fix this in future versions...

Never dealt with them. I don't think sending it out to be repaired would be worth the time or money. If the things craps out on me, I'll just get another pedal.

In every respect except durability, this is the perfect compressor for me. It is subtle, easy to use, and completely transparent. I never play without it turned on. Sadly, it is flimsy. This may be a deal-breaker when it comes time to replace it. I believe I'll probably be looking into a Barber Tone-Press next time around. They're more expensive than the surprisingly cheap punch-factory, but they have a reputation for durability. If Aphex would beef up their product so it can take a little bit of wear-and-tear, I'd buy another one in a heartbeat.

Very easy to use. Two knobs, one for drive, the other for volume. Adjusting one affects the other. Has avtive/passive inputs, a wet/dry switch, and a ground lift.

doesn't squeeze the tone too much. very quiet. Accents the higher strings and quiets the lower strings so there is a better balance, basically. My tone went from flabby and uneven to beautifully balanced and full. YOu can get a bit of drive out of the pedal but too much doesn't sound good in my opinion. I consider this pedal the key to getting the tone that I get. very full with lots of headroom.

Seems realiable so far. The only thing I am worried about is the flimsy input jacks. I never unplug the cables because I use a power supply, but with a little force I'm sure you could break them in some way. Don't let this discourage you though. Tim Commerford uses it so you know its good enough for us.

have't had to deal with them.

This is the key to getting even full tone without spending six grand on expensive heads and guitars. makes your rig sounds ten times better. My friend denton turned me on to one and I love him for it. Thanks denton.

This is really quite simple to use. Select passive/active depending on your instrument; drive to alter compression; and volume to balance out the level. Takes a 9v battery or AC adaptor (not included).

The sound is quite transparent. Really helps lift the instrument into the foreground without sounding unnatural. Also, unlike a lot of other compressors (such as the BLACKFINGER by ELECTRO HARMONIX) this thing is quiet. This really helps me in the recording process when using my soundcard. I use this especially with bass. I thought that not having control over ratio/attack/etc. would be its downfall, but really its preconfigured to sound good, so you don't have to worry about extraneous options.

Haven't had it long enough to say.

NA

Some compressors, I find, take a lot of the life out of an instrument; the opposite has been the case with the APHEX unit. This unit has a lot of versatility and has now become a new and welcome member of my studio. Ordinarily I don't bother writting reviews about gear, but I have been very pleased with this, so have felt the need to share.

Very easy to set up. Has 2 knobs, for Drive (ie. compression) and output Volume. There are also extras, such as DI out, wet/dry switch on the DI out, active/passive switch on the input, and an LED-meter that visually displays the amount of compression.

This unit does not color or change your tone in any way. It is very transparent and appears to have true bypass (ie. there is no noticeable tone change or volume loss, when the unit is turned off). There is no noise or hiss. It does what you want it to do. It adds sustain and unifies/compresses all of the notes in a chord or a lead.

I have had the unit for three years and it ran great until recently it started experiencing intermittent volume problems (ie. the volume would periodically drop and then return to normal). Here's where Aphex's customer service kicked butt!

I shipped the three year old unit to Aphex for repair. They replaced the board for free and shipped the unit back to me. Unbelievable! No company has ever provided me with this quality of customer service.

If you want a compressor that adds sustain and uniformity of chord and lead volume and clarity, then this unit is for you. If you want a pedal that shapes the tone a little, then check out the Robert Keeley compressor. If you want the best customer service on the planet (at least in my experience with Aphex), then buy this unit.