Said to be more than a decade in the making, the Atlas pedal boasts six types of compression, with more varieties of the effect accessible via Source Audio's Neuro app
(Image credit: Source Audio)
Source Audio has unveiled the Atlas compressor pedal, a stompbox that aims to serve up a buffet of classic compression sounds in a small, pedalboard-friendly enclosure.
Said to be more than a decade in the making, the pedal features the Massachusetts company's take on both high-end rack compressors, and classic compressor stompboxes.
At the pedal's heart is a choice of six types of compression, accessible via a three-way switch, and stored in two banks of presets that can be switched between via the pedal's top-mounted control/Alt switch.
Among these are the company's take on the Diamond Compressor pedal, and emulations of high-end rack units such as the LA2A optical and 1176 FET compressors. Peak, RMS, VCA, and a dual band compression also come aboard.
All of these can be tweaked by a quartet of control knobs, all of which have alternate functionality via the Alt switch – Threshold, Ratio (Tone), Blend (Attack), and Output (Release).
Threshold's Alt-triggered function is Makeup Gain, which allows users to recoup lost output volume caused by the compressed signal.
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(Image credit: Source Audio)
(Image credit: Source Audio)
(Image credit: Source Audio)
(Image credit: Source Audio)
It's also worth nothing that the Atlas is bass guitar-compatible, too. The low-end mode is activated by holding down, you guessed it, the control/Alt switch.
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Speaking of the top of the pedal, the Atlas also features dual inputs and outputs, and a USB port from which users can connect to Source Audio's Neuro app, access MIDI features, or connect to a DAW.
The Neuro app is available for free on mobile or desktop, and provides Atlas users with yet more varieties of compression – including an attack-smoothing "look ahead" compressor and one modeled after the legendary Dan Armstrong Orange Squeezer pedal – and advanced editing tools, like 3-band parametric and 8-band graphic EQs.
The Source Audio Atlas Compressor features buffered bypass or true bypass functionality, runs on an included 9v DC power supply, and is available now for $229.
For more info on the stompbox, visit Source Audio.
Jackson is an Associate Editor at GuitarWorld.com. He’s been writing and editing stories about new gear, technique and guitar-driven music both old and new since 2014, and has also written extensively on the same topics for Guitar Player. Elsewhere, his album reviews and essays have appeared in Louder and Unrecorded. Though open to music of all kinds, his greatest love has always been indie, and everything that falls under its massive umbrella. To that end, you can find him on Twitter crowing about whatever great new guitar band you need to drop everything to hear right now.
