The CRUSH3 is FINALLY HERE!
 
Shipping: This is a early preorder. We are currently aiming to start shipping the first orders in late May if all goes according to plan. To accommodate you for your extended wait, we are offering a 15% discount on the first 20 units sold! 
 
USE CODE: CRUSH15
 
Buy two or more pedals and save 20% until April 30th. CODE: DOUBLEDIP20
 
CRUSH3: THE PROFESSIONAL COMPRESSOR
Released around six years ago, and produced for only about a year, the original CRUSH was an instant hit with guitarists and bassists around the world, prized for its smooth, natural compression that feels organic while making your tone sound more forward, 3D and "finished". The CRUSH was a pedal industry first, integrating a mastering grade Discrete VCA (Voltage controlled amplifier) and a custom RMS style detector. This type of compression, while rare in the pedal world, is drawn from some of the most prized studio compressors in the world (Think SSL console and vintage DBX) that have the ability to make things sound bigger and more glued while sounding incredibly smooth and natural, and consequentially one of our favorite compressors on guitars and bass.  
 
DISCRETE VCA OH MY!
Pettyjohn is known for being the first and still one of only pedal companies offering Discrete Opamp equipped pedals, and now we are upgrading our original discrete VCA compressor. What's a Discrete VCA? VCA stands for Voltage Controlled Amplifier, and it is the core component of what makes compression possible in a VCA style compressor. "Discrete" means it is made from discrete components like transistors and resistors and capacitors instead of all of those parts lasered onto a small wafer of silicon (integrated circuit). This allows for the audio path to be more carefully controlled and optimized for audio through careful component selection and expert engineering (Shoutout Richard at Sonic Imagery Labs!). The result is what we perceive as a superior sound quality with measurably lower THD and noise. There are very few VCA compressors in the pedal world, and to our knowledge the CRUSH is the only Discrete VCA design. Some may say it's overkill, well, perhaps it is, but for us it's just the best sounding compressor we have ever heard in a pedal format.
 
SIDECHAIN WHAT!? (Sooo nerdy but cool too! )
So we got a fancy Discrete VCA, so what?! How do we get this VCA to make compression? Effectively this process can be thought of as a little audio gnome inside your pedal turning down the volume knob automatically when the signal gets to loud. To determine if the signal is "to loud", we need a sensor circuit to measure the signal and inform the VCA that the signal is past the THRESHOLD. So we split the signal into a "sidechain" circuit that does "math" on the signal to sense how loud it is. The sidechain signal is then fed into a special pin of a voltage controlled amplifier chip and essentially the VCA is able to turn down the volume of the signal based on what the sidechain sensor circuit measures.
 
So, needless to say, the sidechain is very important to a compressor design and nearly all of the controls a compressor has are actually adjusting settings in the sidechain signal, not the audio signal at all! This sensor can either be set up to see the peak level of the signal or the average loudness of the signal, called RMS. In the case of the CRUSH3 it is a finely tuned RMS sensor that measured the average volume of your signal. RMS detectors are used in famous VCA compressors like the SSL and API buss compressors and the DBX 160 series, three of our favorites that we draw inspiration from for the CRUSH3! 
 
THRESHOLD LIGHT NEW!
Yep, the jewel has an LED that starts turning on when the Threshold has been passed, finally giving you visual feedback when setting your compression! 
 
MINI TOGGLES FOR CLASSIC CONTROLS
ATTACK: NEW! Sets how quickly the compressor starts to engage after the signal passes the threshold. Original CRUSH was preset to fast only, now we have added the classic 10mS and 30mS settings we love from the SSL style compressor. Perfect for shaping how the pick attack feels and sounds.
Fast: 1mS
Med: 10mS
Slow: 30mS
 
RATIO: Sets the ratio of input to output gain once the signal passes the threshold. Classic Settings again borrowed from our favorite studio classics.
2:1 For soft, glue compression 
4:1 For classic SSL buss comp vibes great for adding sustain
10:1 For near limiting heavy compression, that may be just enough for chicken pickers who want a little less "pumpy" heavy compression setting.
 
RELEASE: Sets the time of the compressor returning to unity after the signal drops below the threshold. Slightly signal dependent. 
FAST: 75-100mS, this is the fastest it can go while staying clean
MED: 150-200mS nice natural balance for most sources
SLOW: 250-300mS for smooth sustain
 
KNEE: NEW! Switch between soft and hard knee compression. This sets the transition region, how quickly the compressor turns on to max ratio. SSL is generally hard and precise and DBX style is soft and eases into it for a smooth, natural transition. Found in professional compressors world wide and so you can now get the best of both in one pedal box! 
 
Rear Button: Sidechain HPF On/Off NEW!
On: Push in the button to engage a High Pass Filter that reduces lows into the sidechain sensor, making the compressor feel more smooth on some bass heavy sources.
Off: Bypass the filter and let the compressor see the full signal with the button "out"
 
CLEAN MIX, AKA PARALLEL COMPRESSION
A carry over from the original CRUSH, we kept the clean mix control which allows you to add back in the signal prior to the compression, accomplishing whats called parallel compression or New York compression in studios. 
 
TONE SHAPE WITH TILT EQ
While the core goal of the CRUSH3 is to provide transparent, musical compression, depending on settings you may find some tonal shift as a result of the compression, the TILT eq is a perfect way to shape the tone post compressor, to either balance it out or creatively tone shape to your liking. Our Tilt EQ has a neutral sound at noon, you add highs and cut lows as you turn to the right. Conversely, you cut highs and boost lows as you turn towards the left. 
 
DELUXE DISCRETE OPAMP MOD
The stock version of the CRUSH3 features a OPA Burr Brown buffers. The Deluxe Discrete Opamp Mod upgrades the input and output buffer to a custom 990 style discrete opamp. The output buffer also runs the TILT EQ, so this adds a hi-fi detailed sound to the pedal and Tilt EQ worthy of any studio rack.