DryBell
Module 4, User's manual, rev.1.0, 10/2022
Doc. No. DM1041 / Page 1
Orange Flavored Compression
I N T R O D U C T I O N
Thank
DryBell, Croatia.
for purchasing the Module 4 pedal from
you
The Module 4 is our highly versatile take on a classic vintage compressor
- Dan Armstrong's Orange Squeezer from the '70s. It’s an analog
compressor engineered with the highest precision to achieve versatility,
low noise, expanded headroom and sound resolution, while keeping
Armstrong's magic inside the pedal. You can choose between two
flavors - 'Orange' & 'Full Frequency range'. Orange brings a warm,
vintage sound and feel while 'Full Frequency range' brings a more
modern, brighter, clearer tone. A burst of inspiration is guaranteed. The
pedal is equipped with several usable, unique, colorful and cool options,
all packed into our new enclosure line - Enjo
y!
ORANGE (pushbutton switch with orange LED) 1
Enables/disables the ORANGE mode - an original, dynamic input
impedance which
. Y
is controlled by the player's pick attack
ou can feel
this warm dynamic tone response while playing. It gives you the unique
feel and tone of the classic design which can only be heard if you’re not
using active pickups or any type of buffer in front. When the ORANGE
mode is off, Module 4 becomes a Full Frequency range compressor. For
'
'
secondary functions of the Orange button, see the SWITCH ACTIONS
section below.
PREAMP (knob) 2
Controls the input gain of (any) instrument. This ensures that you can
use various low or high output pickups, single coils or humbuckers. It
drives the compressor stage so you can easily adjust the amount of
compression to your needs. Dot mark indicates unity gain (0 dB).
ATTACK (knob) 3
Controls the reaction time of the compressor, meaning how long it takes
for the unit to start compressing. The Attack is one of the essential
controls for retaining the initial pick attack, especially with humbuckers
or hotter pickups. Set the ATTACK knob CCW for faster (F) or CW for
slower (S) reaction times.
RELEASE (knob) 4
Controls the time before the unit releases or stops compression. It
shapes the sustain, adapting compression dynamic to the playing style.
During the natural fade out of the input guitar signal, the compressor
automatically increases its gain to maintain the volume. The rate at
which the compressor will do this is controlled by the Release control.
Set the RELEASE knob CCW for faster (F) or CW for slower (S) release
times, adjusting this gives the sustain a wide variaty of character.
BLEND (knob) 5
Sets
and
the mix of dry
compressed signals. You can balance the tone
with this smooth parallel compression circuit, while retaining pick
attack dynamics. Turn the BLEND knob fully CCW for clean, fully CW for
100% compressed signal or any desired Ratio in between.
TONE (knob) 6
Controls the
high frequency spectrum of
.
overall
the unit Flat tone
response
:30
(dot mark on the silkscreen).
is at 12
o'clock
The TONE
control is tweaked just to the right frequencies, for a wide spectrum of
usage on any guitar or any amp.
OUTPUT (knob) 7
Controls the output volume
of
. It
(make-up gain)
the compressor
also
acts as a high headroom and distortion free clean Boost, thanks to the
-
high internal power supply voltage. It’s useful for pushing your amp
harder and adding even more sustain to your tone. Turned fully CW, the
gain is
dB or can be reduced up to 7dB turned fully CCW. Unity gain
17
1
zone (0dB) is approx. at 1 o'clock.
2
DOT MARKS (on the silkscreen around knobs 8
)
O
,
the
.
n the pedal's front panel you will find
dot marks around the knobs
When the control knobs are set to those dot marks and the ORANGE
button is ON, Module 4 faithfully provides all the tonal flavors of the
original Also, those dots are a great starting point to explore the
.
Module 4's various possibilities.
BYPASS SYSTEM (footswitch, LED) 9,10
Each time you press the footswitch the effect is turned ON or OFF. The
Module 4
true and buffered
options Hold the ORANGE
has
bypass
.
button to select true or buffered bypass mode (see the SWITCH
ACTIONS section below for more details).
One additional feature of the buffered bypass mode is that the ORANGE
button can also work when the pedal is turned off. In this case, the
buffered bypass reacts like the Orange Squeezer's Front-end, keeping
the bypass EQ very similar to the EQ when the pedal is active. You will
find it helpful for resolving certain pedalboard buffer EQ issues, when
using various pedals in the chain.
EXPANDER option, disabled by default
(
)
When enabled, the EXPANDER's fade operation automatically
attenuates incoming background noise when you mute strings or vice
versa. Also, you can choose between slow (default) or fast expander
fade operation settings. A turquoise LED indicates active Expander. See
the SWITCH ACTIONS section below for more details.
COMPRESSION LEVEL METER LED) 10
(
The included 3-color compression level meter gives you a nice visual
representation of gain reduction
.
and input signal level A white LED
indicates active Module 4. When a signal appears, it lights up green,
then fades-to-orange for moderate compression, and the color changes
to red with hotter signals showing that you are getting the strongest
compression. Also, when you mute the strings you can see the
compressor release reaction in red.
LOW END CUT option, enabled by default
(
)
The LOW END cut feature allows you to keep or remove certain low-end
frequencies. Explore this option if you are a bass player or if you want to
hear the original full low end response of the Orange Squeezer. See the
switch actions section below for more details.
SWITCH ACTIONS:
1)
Press once shortly:
FOOTSWITCH
- engage/bypass the pedal
ORANGE
- toggle between 'Orange' or 'Full Frequency
range' compressor modes
(glowing orange button indicates 'Orange' mode)
2)
Hold for 2 secs:
FOOTSWITCH
- engage/disengage Expander
(glowing turquoise LED indicates working Expander)
ORANGE
- toggle between True bypass (TB) and Buffered
bypass mode
Note: True bypass enabled - LED flashes green 3x
Buffered bypass enabled - LED flashes red 2x
Note: The 'Orange' button also works in buffered bypass when the
pedal is turned off. In that case, the buffered bypass reacts
like the Orange Squeezer's Front-end, keeping the bypass
EQ very similar to the EQ when the pedal is active.
3)
Tap 5x fast:
FOOTSWITCH
- enable/disable LOW END cut
ORANGE
- toggle Expander fade in/out reaction time
between fast or slow
Note: LOW END cut enabled - LED flashes green 3x
LOW END cut disabled - LED flashes red 2x
FAST EXPANDER - LED flashes green 3x
SLOW EXPANDER - LED flashes red 2x
DryBell Musical Electronic Laboratory
