£1,549.00 (Inc VAT)
£1,290.83 (Ex VAT). Shipping calculated at checkout.
The Distressor is the product that started it all for Empirical Labs. Born of founder Dave Derr`s love of classic compressors like the 1176, LA-2A and Gain Brain (among others), the Distressor incorporates his favourite sonic characteristics of these, along with other unique and interesting features that have made it a staple for audio engineers all over the world. With over 22,000 units in the field, it`s safe to say that the Distressor is one of the best selling high end compressors of all time...if not THE best selling. A prominent recording engineer recently wagered that there probably was not a top 40 record made in the last five years that didn`t have at least one Distressor on it.
Besides providing a wide range of control and a unique feature set, the Distressor offers a warm, vintage sound by using a custom designed gain control circuit. This "warmth" or "vintage sound" has become a major issue in the last few decades, as the super clear and linear digital technology does next to nothing to soften "harsh" sounds, nor emphasise the bass frequencies in music sources. Conversely, older analog tape, vinyl records and tube equipment could not be prevented from colouring the sound, often to the frustration of recording engineers. However, many people now realise that this colouring can be extremely pleasant and musical. Digital technology is often referred to as "cold" and "brittle" among other terms (although we prefer "unforgiving").
All eight of the Distressor`s curves are unique and distinctive, from the 1:1 mode that simply warms up signal with low order harmonics without intentional compression, to the "Nuke" setting - a brick wall limiting curve that shines on live drum room mics. Each curve has its own personality and several actually use different circuitry, and are effectively different compressors. Most exceptional is the 10:1 "Opto" ratio which uses separate detector circuitry to emulate the oldest (and valued) "light controlled" devices, such as the LA-2A.
Another large part of the Distressor`s personality and power derive from three modes that colour the signal, even without compression. These extended audio modes were designed to allow emulation of some very old and expensive vintage compressors & limiters, and let the Distressor deliver a classic "knee" sound all its own by providing user programmable, warm harmonic distortion. In addition to the basic distortion mode, Distort 2 emphasises tube-like 2nd order harmonics, while in Distort 3 setting the distortion becomes dominated by 3rd harmonics more closely resembling tape. Two HP filters - one in the audio path, one in the detector path - are also available to help with low frequencies that can cause pumping and breathing.
The Distressor is available in either its original form (EL8), or in a modified version (EL8-X) with two additional functions - British Mode, and Image Link.
UK Mainland – Orders over £99 qualify for FREE standard shipping (1-3 working days) We also offer a range of chargeable express shipping options for next working day, pre 12pm, pre 10.30am, Saturday deliveries and deliveries on a specific date. Our main UK courier is DPD.
UK Non Mainland – Not eligible for free shipping. These areas include (but are not limited to) Isle of Man, Isle of Wight, Isles of Scilly, Jersey, Guernsey, Northern Ireland, Orkney, Scottish Highlands and Shetland. Shipping costs for these ares will be calculated at checkout.
International/Export – Delivery charges will be calculated at checkout. All orders that are in stock we aim to dispatch from our warehouse within 48 hours. We ship all orders outside of the UK, NI, Isle of Man, Channel Islands via Fedex. All prices and delivery charges are exclusive of VAT for export. The customer is responsible to pay for any additional duties and charges.
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