Incorporating guitar pedals into studio workflows has become increasingly popular lately. I’ve seen everyone from Walrus Audio collaborating with Aaron Sterling to Chandler offering inserts specifically for guitar pedals in their new REDD Mixing System. Needless to say, everyone’s quickly catching on to a trend that all the cool kids have been doing for years. Pedals aren’t just for guitarists anymore!
TipTone is a new company founded by my friend, Peter Tissot. Peter has always been the go-to guy when I have questions no one else can answer and gear projects other people are too scared to tackle. He’s been passing around and refining prototypes for years. Right now, TipTone is offering the OP-12 Discrete Op Amp Preamplifier, LA-62 FET Leveling Amplifier, and BC-4K Stereo VCA Buss Compressor. I’m focusing on the compressor, as I think it’s the most universally appealing option to the Tape Op audience. Although all three of the TipTone offerings appear to be guitar pedals at a glance, don’t let the format fool you. They’re equally at home strapped into your inserts or patched into your tracking chain during recording. What’s especially appealing about the BC-4K is that it’s a stereo unit. For line-level stereo synth and guitar tracking, it’s as easy as having a few 1/4-inch TRS split cables available to get in and out of everything, as the BC-4K has single input and output TRS jacks.
Maybe the first major hurdle to get over is how the TipTone stuff is priced. With the BC-4K at $375, it’s definitely a larger investment than some guitar pedals. But considering it’s a stereo unit and definitely falls into the "boutique" category with the quality of its build, it’s priced appropriately. If you look at it from a pro audio perspective, well under $500 for a solid stereo compressor is chump change, even when compared to budget-minded 500 Series offerings. It’s a unique proposition regardless of how it’s labeled – it just takes a minute to realize the possibilities and potential.
As a guitar or instrument pedal, I’ve been on the lookout for a good compressor that reacts more like I’ve become accustomed to studio compressors reacting. Many guitar pedal compressors have felt too aggressive and unpredictable to me, but the BC-4K felt familiar and adaptable. With all the typical studio options such as Attack, Release, variable Ratios, and a switchable 160 Hz sidechain filter, I felt at home being able to dial in anything from subtle to aggressive. A wet/dry Mix is icing on the cake. I can confidently say I’ve enjoyed this more than any other guitar pedal compressor I’ve used to date.
When shifting gears into the studio world, the first thing I’ll say is to not let the 9V power supply scare you away. TipTone internally bumped that up to +/-15V, and I’ve yet to have any issues with headroom, even when pushing a full mix through it. It’s an all-analog VCA-based (voltage-controlled amplifier) compressor, with an obvious tip of the hat to familiar SSL-style designs… but it's definitely got its own voice. I wouldn’t necessarily reach for it as a colorful compressor, but it’s proven itself to be extremely utilitarian with an amazing ability to control dynamics. That’s pretty obvious when using it on sources such as aggressively strummed acoustic guitar, where it’s normal to have random spikes and transients all over the place without any compression. Throwing the BC-4K on during tracking gave that nice “gluing” effect to the guitar once the attack and release were dialed in, while not sounding as if it was pumping. TipTone did a great job with the compact, four-LED metering, as each light represents around 2.5 dB. Hovering near 3 to 4 dB of compression seems to be my happy place with this type of compression, and I’ve found it’s been convenient to quickly set in the sweet spot using the LEDs.
If you’re looking for a bit more aggression on sources like drums and bass guitar, the highest 10:1 ratio is solid during tracking duties. On drum overheads or rooms, it can definitely bring out a bit more decay and sustain and make sounds bigger without going overboard. I’m definitely not reaching for the BC-4K for any crazy “all buttons in” or “nuke” type of compression tones, but it will control and shape everything well. With the Mix blend, one can definitely get crazier without any unpleasant artifacts.
With all the TipTone pedals, I’ve had a hard time finding a physical place in the studio for them to permanently live. They’re constantly moving from the live room to various pedal boards and then back into the control room patched to various pieces of outboard. At first glance it might seem an unconventional choice to render something like this in pedal form, but it quickly becomes apparent why that was the best choice when you start to understand and appreciate how utilitarian they can be. The choice isn’t a gimmick; it’s an obvious necessity!