Impressed by the Dan Armstrong Orange Squeezer, Drybell Musical Digital Laboratory’s Module 4 Compressor provides a number of extremely usable options.

Operating on a 9-volt adapter, the Module 4 permits customers to regulate Output, Tone, Mix, Assault, Launch, and Preamp. Plugged in between a Bassman clone and a superstrat, the controls on our tester did superb issues to sculpt squish and resonance whereas permitting the essence of the guitar to shine via; Orange Squeezer Mode was particularly on level.

Musical, heat, and vintage-sounding, customers will discover Steely Dan-adjacent sounds, and whereas the Full Frequency Vary Mode yields a brighter, clearer sound, perky funk tones may be had within the vein of Nile Rodgers and Prince. No matter settings, the Mode 4 delivers touch-sensitivity and responsiveness.

Tone shaping? Enhance? Maintain? Oh, yeah! Customers can trend quite a lot of sounds with choices for brightness, lows, and sparkle, with variable quantities of enhance for funk etudes or velvet soloing. True or buffered bypass are choices, and presets may be saved.
No matter pickups, the Module 4 works splendidly with filth packing containers or by itself to get that tight, punchy sound made well-known by Lowell George, Mark Knopfler, and Jeff “Skunk” Baxter.

This text initially appeared in VG’s December 2023 problem. All copyrights are by the writer and Classic Guitar journal. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.