DryBell Module 4

The Module 4 is DryBells highly versatile take on a classic vintage compressor – Dan Armstrong’s Orange Squeezer from the ‘70s. Some people may know this, but two interesting facts contribute to the unique tone, player’s feel and iconic character of this type of compressor. Direct cable connection between the electric guitar (pickup) and the Orange Squeezer’s front-end circuit results in a specific EQ change – a shift in the mid and top end frequencies. This provides a pleasant vintage tonal character, similar to low impedance inputs on some other types of gear. On top of that, the frequency shifting is controlled by the player’s pick attack; you can feel this warm dynamic tone response while playing.

In other words, the Orange Squeezer acts as a kind of envelope followed EQ. This combination of unique signal EQ ‘treatment’ followed by a precisely biased vintage JFET compressor is the key to this historic tone and feel. This is the reason why guitarists love this unit and why it’s used on so many great records in rock and roll history.

The DryBell Module 4 has the same spirit in its analog core. But, it’s equipped with several useful, colorful and practical options. For example, The Module 4 can be transformed to a “normal” Full Frequency range compressor by switching the Orange button off. Basically, you have two flavors available and they are easily distinguishable. Orange mode is warm, vintage sounding while Full Frequency range mode has a more modern, brighter, clearer tone.

In either mode, you can easily avoid ‘pumping’ or unwanted transients with the external Attack & Release controls, even on high compression. One of the greatest features of the Orange mode is the playful interaction with the guitar’s pickups which makes playing feel really pleasant. In order to experience that feeling, you’ll need to use it first in the chain and avoid any kind of buffers in front of it. Think of it as a great vintage Fuzz, if you use it right, it will sound right!

One essential improvement from the original design is an added preamp attenuation/gain control. This ensures that you can use various low or high output pickups, single coils or humbuckers. For example, in order to achieve a longer sustain, it was sometimes necessary to boost the guitar signal going into a compressor. In that case, the magical impedance interaction between the guitar’s pickups and the Front-end circuit was gone. That’s why in our Module 4 the preamp stage is placed after the Front-end circuit, so you can easily adjust compression level to your needs, while keeping the original ‘Orange’ feel unaffected.