Mars Compressor

FTelettronica is an Italian one-man shop in Isola del Liri, founded in 2008. They build faithful clones of rare and discontinued effects, using Alpha pots, Neutrik/Lumberg jacks, and a 2-year warranty.

The Mars Compressor has four controls: Attack, Sustain, Clip, and Output. The dedicated Clip knob adjusts the clipping threshold separately from the compression ratio, giving more control over how hard the signal hits the ceiling. 5mA, 117x71mm, adhesive-on-aluminum. True bypass.

Most compact compressors have three knobs at best. The separate Clip control here is a real addition that lets you dial in subtle limiting or obvious squash independently of the sustain setting.