Empirical Labs^® EL8 Distressor

distressor

I've put off getting it for 2 years and now i have it i have a crush on my drums))

Gnarly

This things adds the nasty with just a few twists but is also capable of subtle compression.

Excellent

Super versatile and great sound!

I Keep Coming Back to the EL8

The main strength of the Distressor is how fast it is. Even on a 2:1 ratio, the attack and release times make it quick and smooth, especially for vocals. I've also used it as hard limiter. Add to this its detection and color features (such as distortion) and it is a great go-to compressor.

Amazing!

Just like the hardware units. Put it on drumbus and Bam!

Just like the hardware

I own a pair of EL-8X's. Now I can slap several of these on my mix without having to do the hybrid setup thing a few at a time to find the blended sound I want. thumbs up.

Toolbox Staple

A must have in your arsenal, especially for drum parallel compression...distression*

Such a vibe

Added this to a track to try give it a bit of extra vibe and life. Works very well on drums and vocals. Have used on rhythm guitar bus tracks to make the stereo width sound fuller too. Love it, hopefully a UADx variant soon :)

No explanation needed

There's a reason everyone loves this unit. and this plugin delivers it. so so good!

Perfect sound

good plugin! hot sound!

Recently purchased and already loving it on my mixes.
UA has the best plug-ins

If you could only have one

Demo this plugin on my drum buss using a preset with a little adjustment I stop the song and immediately purchased this plugin!!!!!!!

Great for tracking

Just finished tracking vocals without the need of a preamp, thanks to the distortion modes… thanks UA

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Stress!

A must have!

Great Tool

Great compressor, very useful, great tool for every professional ...

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.

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.

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.