MXR Dyna Comp Pedal

Overview

The MXR Dyna Comp is a very practical pedal. It gives you the basic sound and functionality of a compressor pedal for a great price. The output and sensitivity controls allow you to keep it simple while dialing in some nice rhythm and lead tones. The output control helps to add that extra punch and sustain while the sensitivity control allows you to smooth things out by choosing how much compression you want too add.

I am not much of a compressor guy, but when I do find myself in need of one, I like it to sound good and be easy to use. This pedal colors your tone a bit and it can be a bit noisy, but I do like the overall sound that I got out of the Dyna Comp. It was easy to use.

This pedal won’t be for everyone but if you have had a fever for a compressor, like to keep things simple, and don’t want to spend a lot of money you will probably like the Dyna Comp.

Price  -  10/10

$69.99

The Dyna Comp is very reasonably priced especially when compared to the competition. The features are kind of limited but that makes the pedal super easy to use. You might love or hate that.

Sound Quality  -  7.5/10

I actually liked the way this compressor sounded on low to moderate gain settings. The only draw backs that I could find were that the Dyna Comp can be quite noisy depending on the settings that you use and it colors your tone a bit by rolling off on the bass just a touch. That may be a negative point for some of you guys, but I liked the tone and it didn’t bother me.

I found this pedal to be most useful for clean rhythm tones and moderate gain lead tones. It sounds how a compressor should sound. There are other compressors out there that sound better and have more options but most of them are far more expensive and complicated.

Build Quality  -  8/10

Most people are familiar with MXR build quality and there are no complaints here. I found the build quality on the Dyna Comp to be slightly above average.

Features  -  7.5/10

• True bypass

• Output and sensitivity controls

• On/Off switch

• Power Supply: 9V battery or AC adapter (sold separately)

• Knob covers

Ease of Use  -  9/10

It doesn’t get much easier to use than the Dyna Comp. There are only two knobs, output and sensitivity. You have to mess with the pedal a bit to find the best settings for your rig. Once you find out what you like you are good to go.

If you have several overdrive or distortion pedals it may take you a while to discover your favorites settings for each one. The Dyna Comp reacts and sounds differently depending on the pedals that you might be running.

Pros

• Great price

• Easy to use

• Useful for many music styles

Cons

• Can be a bit noisy

• Colors your tone just a bit

Overall Rating  -  8.4/10

It is nice to have a compressor in your arsenal just in case you ever need one.

I liked the overall sound and functionality of the Dyna Comp for the price but it was kind of noisy. For $69 you can’t really beat the Dyna Comp, but if you want to spend a lot more money there are better things out there.

If you want to add a simple, good-sounding compressor to your pedalboard but don’t want to spend a lot of cash you will probably dig the Dyna Comp. It gets the job done nicely.

If you want a ton of control and options without the noise or tone coloring you will want to look into some other compressor pedals.