New Software Review: Universal Audio EL8 Distressor
Universal Audio and Empirical Labs team up to deliver the first-ever Distressor plugin.
The Empirical Labs EL8 Distressor, designed by Dave Derr (previously part of the famed Eventide team), has long been a studio staple.
Originally released in 1993, the Distressor has gone on to sell many thousands of units, and is amongst the most ubiquitous pieces of outboard gear around.
While the Distressor is still available as a hardware unit (along with the slightly newer, modified version, the EL8-X), audio geeks have been clamoring for a software version for years.
Recently, Universal Audio, purveyor of so many top-notch plugin emulations of analog and digital outboard gear, has teamed up with Empirical Labs to make this vision a reality. Let’s dive in to take a look at their new offering.
Features
The user interface for the Universal Audio EL8 Distressor is very similar to the hardware unit, with a few minor features added. While the hardware unit is a one-rack-space affair, the plugin GUI effectively cuts the unit in half and stacks them to appear as two half-rack modules. Anyone familiar with the layout of the Distressor will instantly feel at home, and new users should be able to adapt very quickly.
A series of 16 LEDs across the top display gain reduction (1-6dB in green, 7-10dB in yellow, and 12-26dB in red). Directly underneath the GR meters is the Bypass button, writ large and right in the center with a bright red LED to indicate if the unit is currently bypassed. (I wish more manufacturers would follow suit in regards to the importance of bypass. Human ears adapt incredibly quickly, and toggling between two distinct states is much more revealing than slowly changing values over time.)
Further down are the ratio controls, utilizing the familiar Empirical Labs button (now with skeumorphic design!). Available ratios are 1:1, 2:1, 3:1, 4:1, 6:1, 10:1, 20:1, and NUKE, which acts as a brickwall limiter. It’s important to note that changing ratios also affects the operating knee of this compressor, which opens up a whole slew of tone-shaping options.
In very simplified terms, the knee of a compressor refers to the onset of compression as a signal approaches the threshold. A “hard” or steep knee means that compression doesn’t happen until the threshold is crossed (signals below the threshold are not compressed), whereas a “soft” knee setting means that compression will begin slowly and gently well before the threshold, resulting in a smoother and more natural sounding compression onset.
With the Distressor, generally as the ratio increases, the shape of the knee will become more steep. 1:1 offers only saturation and no compression, allowing distortion and warming of the signal. 2:1 and 3:1 offer a gentle knee for mild compression, and can have a knee of up to 30dB depending on your attack and release times. (Yes, attack and release times affect the knee as well. Remember, kids: none of these controls operate inside a vacuum.) 4:1 and 6:1 offer a mid-level compression. 10:1 (labeled as “Opto”) has a different detection architecture, which closely resembles dynamics processors that use optical gain reduction methods, such as the LA-2A, just to name one. 20:1 and NUKE also offer separate detection circuits, and act more as hard-limiting devices than compressors.
It’s helpful that the EL8 offers a wide range of attack times (from 50 microseconds to 30 milliseconds), and many release times as well (.05 seconds to 3.5 seconds). But here’s the great thing about the Distressor: even those constants aren’t really… well, constant. For example, with lower ratios (2:1, 3:1, 4:1) and the attack parameter set to 0 (fastest), the EL8 can achieve even faster attack times than those stated above. And at the Opto setting (10:1), release times can extend up to 20 seconds, modeling the program-dependent behavior of those famous optical compressors.
Just to the right of the ratio controls are the detector modes. One button and three LEDs indicate 8 possible combinations for detection circuit behavior. The Distressor is a feedback compressor, so the signal leaving the VCA gain change element is fed back into the detection circuit (as opposed to a feedforward design, where the input signal feeds the gain change element as well as the detection circuit). The default here is flat.
Available detector options include High-Pass (a 100Hz, 6dB/octave slope is applied), Band Emphasis (a peaking boost is applied to the detection circuit at approximately 6kHz), and Link, which effectively sums the left and right signals and feeds the combined signal into both detection circuits. In Link mode, if either side sees the onset of compression, the other side will see it as well to preserve the stereo image. Any combination of the above settings is also offered, exactly mirroring the hardware unit—to the point where engaging Link on a monophonic source will still affect the behavior of the unit.
At the top right portion of the GUI is the power switch (different from bypass, which still emulates the sound of the signal passing through the internal circuitry) and the Audio controls, which allow for further tone shaping. Available parameters here are Off (default), High-Pass (which applies an 18dB/octave filter at 80Hz to the incoming audio signal), and Dist 2 & Dist 3, which add harmonic distortion predominantly to the 2nd and 3rd harmonics, respectively (though some of both are present in either case). Some combinations of these are available as well.
Lastly, we come to two LEDs labeled “1% THD” and “REDLINE”, which give a visual indication of Total Harmonic Distortion based on the input signal and the “Dist” controls, with a bright red “REDLINE” LED kicking in at 3% THD.
The bottom half of the unit is very simple. On the far left is a control labeled “HR” (headroom), which is a small rotary knob that adjusts the “virtual I/O” of the plugin. This allows any signal coming in to hit the unit at the desired level without having to attenuate or amplify the signal beforehand. Laid out left-to-right from there are four giant knobs to control input level, attack time, release time, and output level. Lastly, there is a “Mix” control (not available on the hardware unit) that allows you to blend the wet and dry controls for parallel compression within the plugin.
In Use
The Distressor plugin is a dream to use. Right out of the gate, I loved the GUI. When opened up, this plugin takes up a lot of screen real estate, and is much larger than most similar interfaces. While some may not like this, I found it made the Distressor incredibly simple to use and allowed for critical adjustments to be made quickly.
The Empirical Labs EL8-X and EL8 Distressors.
On the hardware version of the Distressor, all buttons are cyclical, meaning if you want to go from 6:1 to 4:1, you have to cycle all the way to the end of the ratios and back through the beginning. While this isn’t difficult, it makes realistic and uncolored A/B comparisons impossible. Not so with the plugin model; you can easily click on any setting and jump around as your needs dictate.
I’m a huge fan of the headroom control as well. While this kind of control may not matter with plugins that have always existed in the digital domain, it’s especially nice to have on those modeled after physical hardware units. Gain stages in the box can vary wildly, and it’s nice to have the option to not have to drive/starve the input or even place another gain stage before the Distressor in order to hit it exactly how I want. Whether it’s a supplementary room mic, or an entire mix, I can optimize use of this plugin.
On electric rhythm guitar, I was able to shave off just enough attack to make it sit right in the mix, and just as easily squeeze a solo and make it sit upfront where it needs to be. The various ratios were useful here for deciding between nudging or hammering dynamic variances into place. The headroom feature allowed me to dial in the right amount of grit independent from the gain reduction I needed. 6:1 with a medium-fast attack and Dist 3 selected added energy, movement, and sustain to a rock bass track that made the song cook.
Drums responded very well to the Distressor. Stereo rooms set at 20:1 with the Band Emphasis selected gave immense size and helped quell the harsh cymbals a touch. The baseline settings all around (each knob on 5, 6:1 ratio) controlled overheads in a very smooth manner, and Dist 2 added just a touch of hair. Various combinations of the detector settings here allowed me to bring forward or backward the kick or snare in the overheads, which is a huge boon.
Vocals were also a joy to work with. The recommended Opto settings smoothed out a growly vocal in a seamless manner while the High-Pass stopped the compressor from undesirably responding to low frequency energy. The Band Emphasis on a vocal bus totally glued leads and backgrounds together, while faster attack and release times allowed for a much more aggressive hand in controlling the same vocal.
To Be Critical
On the whole, Universal Audio’s take on the Distressor is a huge success, however there are a few minor points I think could show some improvement in regards to flexibility and usage.
First off, like all UA plugins, there is no easy way to A/B between various extreme settings. Many plugin manufacturers have adopted models that allow quick and easy storage/comparison of different settings, which makes trying out different vibes a dream. That being said, UA takes a firm stance on creating accurate models of the hardware, and in this case, it behaves exactly as such.
Secondly, there is a well-known mod available called “British Mode”, or the EL8-X. This has been available for many years now, and offers an extra aggressive profile tantamount to the famed 1176 “All-buttons-in” mode. It’s a popular modification, and many users order this version right out of the factory. Any reason why this mod was left off the plugin would be purely speculation, but it would certainly be a beloved addition to what is referred to as an “exhaustive end-to-end emulation.”
Summing it Up
Whether on individual tracks, submixes, or your stereo bus, the Universal Audio EL8 Distressor is a wildly flexible tool. Each ratio’s unique knee allows for smooth and gentle control, or outright mangling of your source signal—and everywhere in between.
The Distressor is a many-headed hydra of compression; it’s incredibly easy to get way more gain reduction than you may need without realizing it. For inexperienced users, this could easily be an issue, but only experience will fix that. The very well-written manual will lay out all the possibilities and set you on the right path [Editor’s note: Refer to SonicScoop’s “Inventor Insights” article for Distressor tips from Dave Derr himself]. Priced at $299, Universal Audio has made this classic tool more accessible than ever. It’s easy to learn, difficult to master, but ultimately very rewarding.
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