Empirical Labs Distressor EL8X-s Compressor Stereo Pair

General

The Empirical Labs Distressor EL8X is already one of the most flexible compressors around. This unit can swing from clean to fat, taking its cues from some opto and FET classics. For deeper control, the EL8X is now available as a stereo pair.

The Empirical Labs Distressor EL8X: A Modern Classic

The EL8X even features an Opto mode, in ode to the LA2A, and a British mode, in ode to the 1176. However stunning these classic opto and FET compressor were, they also had a less charming side. In other words: they were notoriously noisy and demanded a lot of maintenance. Since the Distressor EL8X wasn't built in the '70s, it has a low-noise dynamic range of 110 decibels, so as long as you're working with low-noise preamps, the room mics can be flipped into the 'nuke' setting and the noise-levels will remain at an acceptable level - giving you tight results.

Unique Stereo Options

Here, Empirical Labs has conveniently bundled up two EL8X compressors, completing the stereo pair. The detectors built into both units can be coupled using the included cables and, in Stereo Image Link mode, both compressors can be monitored as left and right channels, giving you a clear and defined stereo image. What also makes this stereo pair pretty unique, is that different settings can be used for the left and right channels.