Empirical Labs® EL8 Distressor
Customer Reviews
Empirical Labs EL8 Distressor Compressor
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C. Kaliampakas
One of the best!
Thats the comp i use most of the times. It works great on everything and it has an unbeatable "sound".
T. Hänel
Awesome Sound Machine!
Works with everything.. from vocals to guitars, synths, drums.. from subtle to extreme. Great compression and great distortion.
K. Gilroy
Will THE REAL DISTRESSOR PLEASE.....
I have been using the Slate version and after hearing the real difference at Conway, I bought it! Now after using it I notice an even bigger difference. It's a smoother warmer distortion. BEST PLUG OF THE YEAR! Thanks Again UAD! Note: This is how we made the kicks mixed with sinewaves sound so killer. The kids call 'em 808s and 909s. I bought my Roland 808 Drum Machine for 50 bucks at a pawn shop in the 80s. I sampled it to DAT and sold it in the LA RECYCLER for 1500. Still have the Tape. - Gilroy
C. Bell
Finally
The majority of my career has been on analog desks mixing with outboard gear. It's only been the last couple years I've been moving to a more hybrid mixing setup. The Distressor is one of my "go to" boxes for several pieces of the mix. I was really missing not having the distressor working "in the box". Finally I can use the same settings as the real box and have it translate into exactly what I get from the hardware. Thanks UA!
B. Krueger
Great comp for guitar
Works well with guitar, transparent to smashing the signal.
J. Nguyen
Modern day 1176
Beast!! Sounds great on almost anything. This hands down is a must have if you want you mix to stand out.
.
A++
The best emulation of one of the best and most versatile compressors ever made. A must-have.
j. tretta
Incredible
It’s my new go to for snare and kick.
G. Venkataraman
Works like magic
Whether you are a novice or pro, you can’t go wrong with this! It’s an amazing compresser with a generous dose of distortion to tame even the most unruly tracks in your mix. I use it to fatten vocals, drums and to make guitar tones cut thru the mix!! It works like a charm and I will never let go of this anytime!
A. Kirakosyan
YES YES YES this is really the best plugin for me.
This plugin I use everywhere.On drums, on basses, on vocals etc.
C. Wandzilak
UAD is out of control
Worse than Apple I tell ya! I bought this thing in a bundle sale because I have a UAD plug-in problem. You own me because I own you, all you’re plug-ins anyway. The Distressor is well…the one and only DISTRESSOR! It does anything to everything and back again. Drums are boom-bastic, bass can get downright dirty, and everything is just covered in saturated bliss OR not depends on what you're trying to achieve but the Distressor excels at bringing sounds to life by crushing the shite out of them! I’ve never owned this “swiss army knife” but now I know why it’s in just about every studio and I’m thankful (kinda) UAD partners with the studio “staple” hardware manufacturers to bring these tools to the average Joe. EL/UAD partnership makes perfect sense as EL has overtly bragged about emulating UA’s classic hardware for years. Either way, a clean yet dirty little plug that yields drastic results with the smallest adjustment which is probably why some users have a difficult time with it. It's not a one knob, one (amazing) trick pony like the LA2A, therefore you have to listen carefully as you dial in your desires. It’s for that reason I don’t necessarily track with it…just yet. It’s very easy to do more damage than good in the wrong unexperienced hands (ears) which is likely a big chunk of UAD’s audience-me included. It can be transparent but again, you can go down a slippery slope with the saturation and the ratios during a perceivably transparent vocal tracking session-can’t undo it so I save it for the mix. Still honing my skills with this beast but it works wonders on everything in parallel which UAD caught onto thus adding a “mix” knob. Distressor does a phenomenal job emulating LA2A/1176 but there is still some sonic differences that I can’t quite put my finger on but its close. You could spend hours in this sonic playground with a drum loop that could send you into psychosis but you only have 335 more hours to dial it in before the DEMO expires. Couldn’t pass it up during this sale. If you have a creative bone in your body, you want this.
c. kestner
AMAZING on drums!
This is by far the most amazing compressor I've ever used on drums. It really make the kick slam and the snare pop!
O. Glans
Amazing!
This is truly the most versatile tool in my arsenal!
C. Brown
Beware...if you demo, you will purchase!
It’s a Distressor...the Swiss Army knife of compressors. An incredible tool that has been missing from my itb toolbox for years!
F. Taglioli
essential
once you try it is impossible to do without it !!
R. Esposito
The best compressor ever
I love using this on everything. Particularly Vocals, Guitar & Bass. Before this I was fixated on the 1176 which is fantastic. But now that I started using this plug it’s added a sweetness that didn’t exist from teletronix or the 1176. I’ve never used one until recently so I look forward to seeing what else can be done with it.
J. Weaver
Hands down the best Distressor emulation
I've used all of the Distressor emulations relentlessly trying to find the character of the hardware. This does it. The others don't come close.
L. Zavala
Changes everything about how I produce...
Simply put, this thing has completely changed my sound forever. In the best possible way ever!
P. Moshay
The rumors are true
The rumors that you need a Distressor are very true and now that i have the UA plug in version, i can use them all over my sessions instead of only being able to use my pair. Its a MUST HAVE plug in, they nailed it
R. Gagl
Dangerous!
Whatever you throw on this beast rocks. Its not an emulation - its the original!