Empirical Labs® EL8 Distressor
Customer Reviews
Empirical Labs EL8 Distressor Compressor
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J. ter Borg
Awesome!
Not just flexible and versatile, but also a visually well-designed tool that really helps to understand limiting and compression in general if you don't have a lot of experience.
R. Matias
Best compressor available
It works with everything, glad it was finally on Tuesday sale
.
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.
C. Carouthers
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.
C. Leonard
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.
A. Belkacem
Distressor
One of the best UAD Comp. Sounds amazing.
J. Ross
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.
J. Solyom
Good times
Sounds killer
M. Barnes
The ultimate for synth bass!
Top notch as always.
D. Schaufelberger
Amazing. No words needed.
See title.
S. Bruinsma
Just.. WOW!
I use it on vocals en beats.. man man. Should've bought it much sooner.
J. Gang
Great Comp
Must have it!
D. Wershba
Very Distressing!
Works as Advertised! A great addition to my other dynamics plug-ins - this one has a strong personality!
P. Isaac
Great for Vocals
Puts vocals in place
Q. Adolphin
I love it!
Just slap it on and then Work with %! I’m good
S. Sweeney
Distressor
Didn’t realize what I was missing. Great add to the arsenal.
F. Lagacé
Great Compressor
Amazing
J. Love
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.
D. Holland
Distressor one of the best
This is one of the best plugin out there
J. Mengis
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.