Thom’s live pedalboard at the BoA Pavillion in Boston in June, 2006. From right to left: Boss FS-5U, MXR Distortion+, Proco Turbo Rat, Boss DD5, Boss RV3, Boss LS2, MXR Dyna Comp. The FS-5U is a tap-tempo for the Boss DD5. The Boss LS-2 selects between clean and distorted channels for his acoustic guitar. Thom also had some extra pedals on a board by his amp, which were turned on and off by his tech, Plank.
Thom didn’t use the Telenordia TK-23 Kompressor on In Rainbows. He originally used an MXR Dyna Comp at shows during the recording of In Rainbows in 2006, and a Boss CS3 at the first shows after the album was released in 2007. He didn’t get the Telenorida TK-23 until 2008.
On the album itself, Thom probably didn’t use any compressor pedals. Instead, Nigel likely added compression with his rack units, as he’d done on all the band’s albums since Ok Computer. Nigel’s favorite compressor is the UREI / Universal Audio 1176, in particularly the black panel version. The company Origin Effects makes a pedal clone of the 1176, which they call the Cali76. They also have a mini version. However, both versions are pretty expensive for a compressor pedal.
When Nigel went to Rajasthan to record Junun, he only brought half a dozen rack units, but two of them were black-panel 1176 compressors.
In the 80s and 90s, compressor pedals had limited control, and for different sounds you’d need to buy multiple pedals. Luckily, there’s now plenty of compressor pedals with independent attack, decay, and ratio controls. With those, you can dial in Nigel’s favorite setting on his 1176: attack at ~1ms, decay at ~50ms, and ratio at 4:1. Nigel doubtless used some of his other compressors while recording the album, but that’s a good starting point. For pedals, the Earthquaker Devices Warden V2 is a good option, plus it’s optical like the Telenordia. The MXR M76 Studio Compressor could also get the job done, and probably has a more transparent tone. The Boss CP-1X has no release control, but it seems like a good choice as well.
But while you shop around, remember that Nigel only used so much compression on In Rainbows because Thom began to finger-strum his guitar so gently, giving a warmer sound. Nigel is NOT using the compressor to squash Thom’s sound, as is often the case with “chicken picking” guitar styles, for example. Instead, he’s using the compressor to bring out the quiet details of Thom’s playing.
It’s also worth considering that some compression is added by the PAF humbuckers in Thom’s vintage Gibson SG guitars. Single coils have a more dynamic sound. In addition, Thom’s Vox amp also adds compression when it starts to gently distort. That’s not to say you need that gear to get a similar vibe, but rather that the compressor effect is only one part of the picture.
Thom playing his 1960s Gibson SG through his fawn 1960s Vox AC30 at Nigel’s “Hospital” studio in Winter 2007, during later parts of the recording of In Rainbows.