Crossword Genius

It brings down the tone when depressed (4,5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

soft pedal

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'it brings down' is the definition.
The definition suggests a singular noun which matches the answer.

'tone when depressed' is the wordplay.
I cannot really understand how this works, but
'tone' could be 'pedal' (pedal is a kind of tone) and 'pedal' is present in the answer.
The remaining letters 'soft' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't see.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

'the' is the link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for soft pedal that I've seen before include "Play down" , "Be restrained, take it easy - on bicycle?" , "forte being fluid" , "moderate" , "piano maker?" .)

I've seen this clue in The Globe and Mail.
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