Empirical Labs^® EL8 Distressor

Intuitive and precise!

More than any other compressor I have ever used, physical or plugin, this puppy changes the sound the way my brain wants it change. In other words, with many other compressors I really have to think about ratios etc, but the Distressor is just full of great sounding options. It has lots of color and is a joy to use.

So many other compressors work, and work well — this thing is something special.

Instant vibe and power

I’ve always loved the original rack unit. This thing lives up to every bit of its “real world” origins. So much flexibility with the blend knob. Hard for me to not put this on EVERYTHING. The only negative is that the people at UA really modeled everything perfectly. Even the noise and hum. So be prepared for a little noise on your tracks. But other than that, it’s great. Very happy with my purchase.

Great for Particular Purposes

The Distressor creates punch for drums and pushed up the vocal without being harsh, so depending on the drum or vocal sound you are aiming for, it can be really helpful. It has a unique tone and I do like the adjustable "grit". I find that it works really well as a contributor to a chain as I like the vocals to cut through the mix, yet still remain warm and smooth and this helps with the former without negatively affecting the latter. For my voice, personally, this was a nice complement and once I got used to hearing my vocals through it, comparing it to bypass made it clear how much it was contributing to the tone. I really like it on drums; it smooths out the overly-dynamic while really bringing all the different drum contributions into the spotlight without them overpowering, which I find hard to accomplish in general. However, if you do want a drum kit to power through the mix with some good tones and maintain natural dynamics while still compressing enough, this is a great tool. I think this is a plugin that should be in most people's arsenal, though selectively. For the money, it's a winner and I've already incorporated it into multiple new recordings and prior ones, both of which it made significantly better.

Distressor

One of the best UAD Comp. Sounds amazing.

COMING INTO NEWNESS

I HAVE BEEN LEARNING MY WAY AROUND THE EMPIRICAL LABS EL8 DISTRESSOR COMPRESSOR FOR A COUPLE OF WEEKS. I USE IT AS A HARDWARE INSERT/RACK IN APOLLO 8:2.
I am loving the sonic spread through each I/O routing via CUE in Studio One Pro 5.5.3. it awakes all tracks with a seasoning spice, so tasteful in hearing--is its ultimate 10 Star results.
As wells as a little amount of flavor-is its secret.

Good times

Sounds killer

The ultimate for synth bass!

Top notch as always.

Amazing. No words needed.

See title.

Just.. WOW!

I use it on vocals en beats.. man man. Should've bought it much sooner.

Great Comp

Must have it!

Very Distressing!

Works as Advertised! A great addition to my other dynamics plug-ins - this one has a strong personality!

Great for Vocals

Puts vocals in place

I love it!
Just slap it on and then Work with %! I’m good

Distressor

Didn’t realize what I was missing. Great add to the arsenal.

Great Compressor

Amazing

No surprises here.

The Distressor is all it's cracked up to be and a welcome addition to the tool box. It has met all my expectations.

Distressor one of the best

This is one of the best plugin out there

Like using your pencil as hard as you can.

I barely touch it. I put it on the drum room mic and walk away. I have and love the empirical labs suite from softube and I absolutely love it. I was having a hard time justifying buying the distress or because I figured I could make the e-comp do what the distressor does. I took advantage of the sale and I’m happy I did. I am now happy using both and not becoming frustrated with my E comp for not being a distressor.

Authentic

Easy to use, flexible - multiple uses. Versatile on different instruments setups

Beautiful Classic

Go to plugin!