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Extremely pleasant sound you want out of a compressor
By: Daniel Connor
Submitted: 7/5/2023
Product Rating
Product Review
I understand if you are hesitant about pulling the trigger because of the price, but this compressor really does sound beautiful. Plus with the different emulations, you can’t go wrong with picking this compressor. Best bang for your buck to get the quality you desire, professional quality.
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Regretted selling my first pair of Distressors, happy to have a pair again
By: Zane
Submitted: 7/4/2023
Product Review
This compressor is essential in my workflow. Period
I regrettably sold my first stereo pair because I thought the plugin was enough.
I was wrong.
After a month, I told myself that the worst mistake I ever made was getting rid of these. They just work on everything. Buy a pair, I strongly encourage it.
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Great on anything!
By: RG
Submitted: 6/30/2023
1 person found this review helpful.
Product Review
Bass, vocals, snare, kick it don't matter...great compressor but everyone knows this!
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Worth Every Penny
By: Keibway Greaves
Submitted: 5/2/2023
1 person found this review helpful.
Product Review
I own both types of compressors an 1176 and an La 2a. A must have for your home studio.
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you should Definitely shop with ams
By: mahr
Submitted: 4/24/2023
1 person found this review helpful.
Product Review
Sounds good on about everything I throw at it! I would definitely buy another one for stereo linking!
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Smooth Like Butter!
By: Phelix Jones
Submitted: 8/23/2022
Product Review
It’s no surprise that the Empirical Labs Distressor is a staple of every big studio. This unit is so versatile and can used on practically everything. When I purchased this, I already knew what it was capable of. Using it, I am constantly reminded of its capabilities. It’s really hard to get a bad sound out of this unit. From vocals to guitars to drums, this unit accents every signal being passed through it. I will definitely be getting at least one more, if not three more. It’s worth every penny. If you find yourself on the line of whether or not you should add one to your studio, just do it. You will not be disappointed!
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“Swiss Army Knife of Compressors” Is Right!
By: Jared aka Tru
Submitted: 4/28/2022
Product Review
Very simply this compressor lives up to its nickname! It is beyond amazing at the way it adds character to a vocal!
I was hesitant but the reason I made this choice is because most compressors have a distinct character and sometimes not saying all the time you may want another character at times when dealing with vocals.
This by far gives me the ability to emulate other compressors and still give me a sound that is at times undeliverable with certain compressors because of their distinct nature.
Again I’m not saying this the end all be all because when you getting gear it’s an endless race. However when you wanna make your first couple purchases this can be a work horse of a compressor til your able to get them all. Also, even with that being the case you will still find more then enough ways to use this because of its versatility.
Do the research and you will understand. You will not be disappointed in this purchase!
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Amazing!!!!!!!!!
By: Tony
Submitted: 3/7/2022
Product Review
This is the first compressor I ever brought and it will be the last wow this compressor is amazing legendary.
You can dial in so much with this compressor emulating the classic dbx 160 the 1176 and the la-2a I recommend getting this compressor for any application you won't regret it.
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I love this compressor
By: Quon
Submitted: 3/7/2022
2 people found this review helpful.
Product Review
I’m loving the distressor so far, it’s so clean and can pretty much do anything!
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Great compressor
By: Derrick Jackson
Submitted: 2/25/2022
Product Review
This compressor is a must have if you want to add some analog gear into your studio . It’s very versatile it hard to make this unit sound bad if you like the plug in you will love this unit and thanks to American Music Supply pay as you go plan you can use the unit instead of having it In Layaway
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Vocals never sounded better
By: Dylan
Submitted: 7/6/2021
1 person found this review helpful.
Product Review
I've been using plug-ins for over a decade and this was my first piece of gear in to the analog realm. I knew just using the emulations, I wanted a Distressor just based on the color and how versatile this unit is. The way I can slam -14dB of gain reduction is not the same in software, I can promise you that. I mainly got this for tracking/using the tape saturation to warm up colder, digital sounds, but they're so great, I plan on getting a second unit in the future for mix buss processing!
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The hype is real
By: Frog
Submitted: 12/10/2020
3 people found this review helpful.
Product Review
Such a fantastic piece. Easy to dial in, and it is actually hard to make it sound bad. Crikey, finally the hype follows thru on an item.
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The Best Compressor
By: Don
Submitted: 11/6/2020
2 people found this review helpful.
Product Review
This unit is a “must-have” I my opinion. I have worked with dozens of clone plugins over the last few years. Nothing quite match the real McCoy.
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Versatile compressor
By: Spencer
Submitted: 10/7/2019
Product Review
Such a versatile compressor. You can use it lightly during tracking to tame a vocal a little bit, or you can smash your drums to hell with it. And it sounds great either way. Super solid build.
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STUDIO WORKHORSE
By: banhmisandwichesandmusicemporium
Submitted: 4/5/2019
1 person found this review helpful.
Product Review
Everyone needs a Distressor. Classic compression with more of an edge. Sounds amazing on electric guitar, bass, drum overheads, analog synths, etc. Extremely durable, too. Every good studio owns a pair of these!
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Nice
By: DOC
Submitted: 1/31/2019
3 people found this review helpful.
Product Review
The optical settings are perfect for vocals.
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The Best Compressor in the game! Hands Down!
By: WB
Submitted: 1/5/2019
1 person found this review helpful.
Product Review
I think this is the best compressor for any sound source.
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Excellent compressor
By: Damiane Crenshaw
Submitted: 7/21/2018
Product Review
Track everything through it for great compression,distortion and color buy two and put them on mix busses and parallel channels for a stress free experience I highly recommend
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The best I’ve used!!
By: Damien HIS502 Williams
Submitted: 10/26/2017
Product Review
I own a few different compressors and this one is at the top! I have it paired with my Avalon 737 and I love the sound. It has so many different options to choose from in order to obtain your desired sound. I got it to add that professional sound to my vocal chain and I’m not disappointed. Makes mixing vocals so much easier because they tend to sit in the mix way better than using any of my other compressors.
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The Distressor Gives Pro Results
By: Cameron from Durham, NC USA
Submitted: 5/10/2010
3 people found this review helpful.
It's made very well...I imagine it will last a long time.
The best feature of this product is the sound coming out. It sounds amazing and gives me ways to help control sibilance and give a nice warmth to the track...very nice
The manual is one of the best made but there are some features that I've only seen on the distressor so read the manual. You will get better results if you do.
As said earlier...the tone coming out is great.
I've only had it for about a month but it seems built to last.
Your general opinion of this product.
I really didn't think a compressor would make this much a difference in tone and I think this is an amazing product.
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Excellent and Versatile Sound
By: Shaun Combs from Orlando, FL, US
Submitted: 2/8/2010
1 person found this review helpful.
Very well-made. Would love to have a rack full of them.
The most interesting feature is the distortion settings. They are subtle but sound great on many sources.
Very easy to use. The Gain Reduction meter is clear and the controls are strait forward. The Audio and Indicator functions were well explained in the manual which was very helpful and clear.
Fantastic. It can be subtle and transparent or colored and really slammed (amazing on drums)
Have only owned it for 2 months but haven't had any problems and don't foresee any. It's well constructed.
Your general opinion of this product.
I think this is the most versatile compressor on the market. The price is fantastic considering how well it emulates a wide range of pricier gear. It would be a great 'first' compressor for any studio engineer/producer.
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CAMELEON COMPRESSOR!
By: Trevor Thompson
Submitted: 2/5/2008
Your general opinion of this product.
QUALITY:
SOLID, SOLID AS A ROCK! (YOU KNOW THE TUNE)
FEATURES:
EAZY TO USE... HARMONIC DISTORTION GENERATOR...SIDE CHAIN... WHATS NOT TO LOVE!
FULL OF GREAT FEATURES! WILL EMULATE SIMILAR VARIUS COMPRESSORS.
EASE OF USE:
LIKE I SAID EZ TO USE. AND VERY AFFECTIVE! TURN SOME KNOBS! HAVE FUN!
VALUE:
ACTUALLY NOT CHEAP BUT....... CONSIDERING HOW VERSATILE IT IS, IT'S A GREAT VALUE!
I JUST PAID 1100.00 FOR ONE VINTAGE DBX 160VU. THIS THING DOES ALL KINDS OF COMPRESSION..
SOUND:
SOUND IS VERY HI-FI BUT, WITH THE WARMTH (YES WITHOUT A TUBE STRAPPED TO IT!,GET OVER IT!)
OF VINTAGE COMPRESSORS.