In this video I’m checking out the Iris Optical Compressor from CopperSound Pedals, and the big takeaway is how ridiculously easy it is to dial in studio-grade compression without getting lost in a bunch of controls. The whole pedal is basically a volume knob and a three-way compression switch: the center setting is the most transparent/low compression, down is medium, and up is the “very, very serious compression” mode. Those typical compressor parameters are essentially baked into the three presets, so you can get to a usable sound fast. I demo it clean first with my Fender American Standard Telecaster loaded with Porter Custom Tele pickups into my Rivera Venus Do, and you can really hear how it does some top-end limiting that works great for Tele country tones. It lets you push the treble on your amp a little more while adding that percussive, clicky thing—especially on the higher compression setting. I also point out that the output level can jump as you move from low to high compression, so the volume control is there to compensate and/or push the amp. Then I stack it into a CopperSound Foxcatcher overdrive using a Gibson Les Paul with David Allen P51 pickups, because most players aren’t only using a compressor clean. Overall, it’s a compressor you definitely notice, but it can go from subtle to massively thick, and it hits a sweet spot between “not enough controls” and “way too many.”