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Post by indiehouse on Apr 20, 2016 15:15:57 GMT -6
What's the word on Distressors? Never used 'em before. I see they're popular though. Seem to be a staple.
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Post by stratboy on Apr 20, 2016 15:26:47 GMT -6
I have one. Use it all the time. It's very versatile. Lots of people have opinions about what it sounds best on so I'd say that's pretty subjective. You can get it to behave like 1176 or LA2A and in between. Some people say it doesn't sound like those but so what? If you could only have one model of excellent comp, I'd argue a pair of Distressors would be a great investment.
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Post by jeromemason on Apr 20, 2016 15:50:19 GMT -6
I used to use them all the time whenever I wanted some aggressive compression. If I had a weak female vocal they were really good at pulling them out of the speakers. A pair linked on drum rooms can sound pretty intense. I always referred to them as my aggressive go to, I never could get them to be gentle, they are just emulations of compressors though, if you've already got those compressors it could be a waste of money, but they do have some features like the THD and such.
If you've got an extra $900 or so I'd say its something to have in the rack for sure.
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Post by rowmat on Apr 20, 2016 16:45:58 GMT -6
I was contemplating a couple of Distressors a while ago mainly because they seem to be an item you are expected to have in a control room. However we seem to be fairly well covered with FET, VCA and opto compressors and I feel a Distressor would only end up emulating what we already have as already suggested.
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Post by dandeurloo on Apr 20, 2016 16:57:23 GMT -6
I wrote about it a bunch on the other purple site. Basically, I had one for years and hated it. It made everything sound like a tube screamer and smaller coming out then going in. I sent it to Jim Williams to mod. After that I love it. I even bought a second one and sent it to him. They have all the flexibility as before they just don't sound like trash anymore.
The modded Distressor is one of my favorite mandolin compressors now. They also still sound great on drums and stuff.
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Post by stratboy on Apr 20, 2016 17:12:22 GMT -6
I was contemplating a couple of Distressors a while ago mainly because they seem to be an item you are expected to have in a control room. However we seem to be fairly well covered with FET, VCA and opto compressors and I feel a Distressor would only end up emulating what we already have as already suggested. This. If you already have some comps that cover the bases, you don't need a distressor. If you are stepping up in quality for the first time, and looking for a good sounding, versatile compressor, its great because it covers a lot of ground.
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Post by indiehouse on Apr 20, 2016 17:35:43 GMT -6
You think I can get a Distressor sound out of CAPI's FC526?
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Post by jeromemason on Apr 20, 2016 18:41:07 GMT -6
I don't think so..... Jeff's 526's are probably the smoothest and most transparent version of a FET compressor I've ever heard in my life, actually yeah they are at the top for sure. Like Dan said, they impart a sterile and strident kind of sound and they really only sound good if you are beating something to death like drum rooms or you need to add that into a vocal that was cut to bland.
I would imagine some opamp upgrades and changing some caps would make it sound better, I'm not sure what Jim does, he's a wizard when it comes to modding things but I heard one of Dans mixes not long ago, if he used the modded distressor on the mando I heard then it is most certainly worth the price of the mod.
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Post by jeremygillespie on Apr 20, 2016 20:48:10 GMT -6
The only things I like them for are drum room mics (other comps do it much better imo) and the squashed, almost percussive acoustic guitar sound that radiohead does so well. Other than that, I wouldn't spend my money on them.
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Post by EmRR on Apr 21, 2016 9:38:40 GMT -6
Not like an FC526. Mine only ever seem to do kick and snare duty anymore.
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Post by dandeurloo on Apr 21, 2016 10:04:53 GMT -6
Yeah, the FC526 is a lot smoother and transparent then a distressor even after the distressor is modded. I know Jim Williams was still not a fan of the distressor after he modded them. He called it a distortion box. Which, it is! But now it is a great sounding distortion box. So, don't think that since Jim modded it that it is super clean. Its not, its just a lot better IMHO.
I can track anything with the FC526, PWM501's a few other comps. They work on anything from acoustic guitars, banjos, vocals, bass and sub busses. These are real alrounder comps. I have often thought of the PWM501 as a better more flexible distressor. Plus, they are cheaper then a distressor. FC526 is kind of in the same boat. Not as flexible but more then enough flexibility to do anything.
Distressors however still have a sound. They are more for when I want to get more aggressive but not ugly (unless I want to get ugly, then they are even better at that now). I even track electric guitars with them when I want to blow them up. They have become a really nice part of my color options.
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Post by ericn on Apr 21, 2016 10:21:39 GMT -6
The distressor, or more likely a modded distressor could be the perfect console compressor, it gives you a ton of tonal options. If your looking for a box that nails any or all the classic comps, this isn't it but I could see having a bunch to crank out a mixed bag of drums and end up with a kit sound.
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Post by svart on Apr 21, 2016 10:35:59 GMT -6
Plenty of big names out there using them unmodded and all over everything. Definitely a studio staple at this point. I'd say go for it if you have the cash, but ask yourself first, what exactly do you need out of it, or are you just gearlusting?
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Post by bradd on Apr 21, 2016 10:43:17 GMT -6
Dan, it's interesting that you compare the Distressor to a tube screamer and refer to it as a distortion box. While the compression can be very aggressive, I've always thought the distortion settings were pretty subtle. I think they have a place in the rack. They are particularly good on snare, kick and bass because the attack and release settings do more than any other comp I have heard. Much more obvious than turning the attack and release settings on my Mohog 1176s, for example. They also can be setup to provide some nice transparent control when tracking vocals. The designer has posted a setting for that online.
Good luck.
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Post by EmRR on Apr 21, 2016 11:02:56 GMT -6
I agree fully with Dan. There are many places I have tried a Distressor and taken it right back off, because it added a distortion sheen to the track which made it stick out of the mix at hand like a sore thumb separate from everything else rather than blending, adding a bright nasty quality that could not be subtracted again. You can take an acoustic 4 piece tracked live together for instance, and add one Distressor to one instrument and it will likely start to sound like an overdubbed part sent by another studio. I have many times rued the day I used one on an acoustic guitar track; never again. Though if you like an acoustic to sound like someone banging on a metal rake with no wood qualities at all, it'll do it! I've had my pair since '97, so they've been around the block on pretty much everything possible. I haven't used either distortion setting in a decade, it's all ancient tube/transformer input pre's here anyway. They were my first 'quality' comps after suffering through dbx 166's and Behringer Composers. They were followed quickly by a Langevin ELOP which beat them easily for many tasks. They were a good starter versatile comp for the time in which they were introduced.
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Post by swurveman on Apr 21, 2016 12:28:42 GMT -6
I've used them on everything. Very versatile. Glad I bought the two I have.
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Post by Randge on Apr 21, 2016 16:23:11 GMT -6
I wrote about it a bunch on the other purple site. Basically, I had one for years and hated it. It made everything sound like a tube screamer and smaller coming out then going in. I sent it to Jim Williams to mod. After that I love it. I even bought a second one and sent it to him. They have all the flexibility as before they just don't sound like trash anymore. The modded Distressor is one of my favorite mandolin compressors now. They also still sound great on drums and stuff. Everyone was raving about them when they first came out, so I bought one having never heard them. I sold it the same week. I didn't care for the murkiness it imparted and how they changed the tone on the hard work I had put in recording the sources I was trying it on. This new Neve 543, Jeff's 526's, Great River 501's, X-pressor and many others I own and/or have tried will blow it out of the water.
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Post by indiehouse on Apr 22, 2016 11:42:53 GMT -6
Thanks for the feedback, guys. Sounds like it might be something I can live without, for now.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 23, 2016 0:13:30 GMT -6
Nothing else gives me that sound on snare drums. I'd love a second but I paid $1300CDN used for mine when they used to be $1000CDN new. Dollar hurts bad.
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Post by henge on Apr 23, 2016 3:52:18 GMT -6
Nothing else gives me that sound on snare drums. I'd love a second but I paid $1300CDN used for mine when they used to be $1000CDN new. Dollar hurts bad. Well there's always Dave Derr's vst...$349 usd. Never got along with the Distressor myself.
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Post by jcoutu1 on Apr 23, 2016 8:12:33 GMT -6
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Post by Deleted on Apr 24, 2016 23:46:29 GMT -6
Nothing else gives me that sound on snare drums. I'd love a second but I paid $1300CDN used for mine when they used to be $1000CDN new. Dollar hurts bad. Well there's always Dave Derr's vst...$349 usd. Never got along with the Distressor myself. Is that out yet?
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Post by henge on Apr 25, 2016 7:40:56 GMT -6
Well there's always Dave Derr's vst...$349 usd. Never got along with the Distressor myself. Is that out yet? Nope. Demo will be out next week I think...
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Post by Johnkenn on Apr 25, 2016 10:48:36 GMT -6
You think I can get a Distressor sound out of CAPI's FC526? Why on God's green earth would you want that? I'm not a big Distressor fan...but could you imagine how many he would sell in 500 form factor? They're all digital too, so there's no way he couldn't fit it in a 1 or 2 slot.
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Post by EmRR on Apr 25, 2016 10:58:08 GMT -6
They might be digital control, but are more or less an IC based 1176, I take from an old GroupDIY reverse engineering.
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