Empirical Labs EL8 Distressor
The Empirical Labs EL8 Distressor Compressor by Universal Audio is currently 75% off at Plugin Boutique, dropping from $199 to $49.
What it is
The first-ever official plugin emulation of the legendary Empirical Labs Distressor hardware compressor. The hardware version costs over $1,500 and is found in virtually every professional studio in the world. Universal Audio faithfully modeled its character including all compression curves and harmonic distortion modes.
Key features
- 8 selectable compression ratios including the famous Nuke setting for extreme parallel compression
- Dist 2 and Dist 3 modes add harmonic saturation (tape-like warmth and tube-like grit respectively)
- Sidechain HP filter eliminates low-frequency pumping on drum buses
- Band Emphasis control tames harsh sibilance
- A Dry/Wet Mix control (plugin-only, not on the hardware) makes parallel compression easy
Who it's for
Mix engineers who want the industry-standard Distressor sound on vocals, drums, bass, and guitar. The Distressor is legendary for drum bus compression, and the Nuke setting is a go-to for aggressive parallel processing. At $49, this is a fraction of the $1,500+ hardware cost.
The deal
$49 at Plugin Boutique (down from $199). Requires free iLok account. VST3, AU, AAX on Mac and Windows. Deal ends April 30.
