Marc Daniel Nelson A/Bs acoustic guitars with and without a parallel channel, showing how it keeps the strums lifted and forward in the mix instead of sitting back, without squashing the original takes.
He builds the chain with Klanghelm's SDRR, combining compression, sharp transient emphasis, some low end cut and highs pushed, and transistor-desk distortion to add snap and grit to the duplicated signal.
That signal then runs into a dbx 160 for extra compression.
Soloed, the parallel chain sounds distorted and a little aggressive. Blended in at a low level, it reads as brightness and harmonic movement, giving the guitars sparkle without tipping into harshness.