Anasounds is a small boutique pedal builder from Nice, France. Their designs are the melding of beauty and function, each being hand made featuring laser engraved bamboo and mahogany tops and plexiglass. Each piece of wood goes through multiple rounds of wet sanding and dry sanding followed by varnish. Each pedal has a unique look and the design is quite unlike anything else on the market.
The Lazy Comp was created to deliver a subtle blend of compression and dynamics. Anasounds’ team wondered if it was possible to find compression, dynamics, and harmonics in one pedal. The Lazy Comp is their intended result of these three attributes.
On the outside, there is just one dial. That single dial is there to mix the amount of dry and wet signal. That's it. Thus the reason for the name, "Lazy Comp".
Just turn the mix potentiometer until you find your happy spot.
It doesn't get more plug-and-play than this folks.
Clearly the intended audience for this compressor is not those wanting full control of every aspect of compression. Things like ratio, threshold, attack, knee, and release. No, the idea here is to keep it simple and subtle.
Here's how it works.
Sound entering the device is separated into two paths: Clean and Compressed.
The output of those paths is controlled by the blend knob.
The amount of optical compression is achieved by the mixture of those two paths.
However, there are some secret potentiometers on the inside, two of which effect the sound of the pedal.
A volume pot which allows you to establish the amount of volume that departs the pedal. This does interact with how much volume is increased as you Mix dial clockwise.
A compression pot which allows you to increase the amount of compression (squash) that is available to blend with dry signal. Turning that pot too high will cause distortion easily.
A Light pot which allows you to increase or decrease the intensity behind the LED that lights when the pedal is activated.
So how does it sound?
Put succinctly, subtle. My perspective is that the Lazy Comp is designed to be an always on compressor. It is all about subtle smoothing. It isn't a limiter. It isn't a device to add heft to a note. It doesn't make your output more "round" or "tube like". The Lazy Comp is working silently in the background refining your tone. You won't even notice it until you turn it off.
At higher settings (less dry mixed in) you can tell it is working and you get used to the feel after a while. It's easy to forget it is there. But when you turn it off you realize the subtle the impact.
To my ear, it doesn't really restrict lows but it isn't adding anything either. There is more happening in high mids and highs. Almost like a subtle sheen applied to the top. Makes things sound a bit more open. It is nice in that regard.
If you have a dark sounding bass or guitar you might enjoy how the Lazy Comp responds.
I suspect the Lazy Comp would make for a great compressor for someone who doesn't really like compression. For the person who doesn't want a lot of dials to mess with or someone who things compressors suck the life out of your playing. The Lazy Comp might surprise that person.
For those wanting obvious coloration, this is not the device for you.
But if you want something subtle with super simple configuration, the Lazy Comp might be for you.
Input and output jacks are top mounted as is the 9-volt power input.
The on/off foot switch is the soft switch type that I prefer.
The green circle above the foot switch contains the Anasounds logo and beautifully illuminates when the pedal is activated.
The enclosure is lightweight aluminum and seems well made.
It really is a beautiful pedal though I'd hate to damage the bamboo laser engraved top with frivolous lack of care.
It is simple, quiet, and subtle refining you get with the Anasounds Lazy Comp wrapped up in a beautiful package.
Pros:
Simple to use (whether you are lazy or not)
Unique to the market
Interesting pedal design
Subtle refining of tone might be just what the doctor ordered
Cons
Not versatile
Sort of a one-trick-pony
Might not offer enough functionality for many
Retail price: $169-$199 USD at time of writing