Fatso or ...?

[janek 68]

I`ve read almost everything about EL Fatso and i`m pretty sure that i need something like this .I always loved vintage , warm ,vibe with some gentle destruction of old tape.
But to be honest i will be sure only when i hear it.Meantime , mixing with UAD`s LA2A which is my favourite plugin now, i`m more and more courious about tube/opto levellers and similar to UA units.I`ve read great description of Summit Audio DCL 200 and although it is out of my pocket`s range i have suspicions that it could be great competitor for Fatso.
Tell me please what could be your choice?
I expect to put this unit to the main bus or occasionally passing signals during tracking...
Is there any cheaper alternative for Summit Audio?

[macr0w]

I can't speak for the Summit but I F'n love, love my FATSO.

[raal]

Originally Posted by janek 68

I`ve read great description of Summit Audio DCL 200 and although it is out of my pocket`s range i have suspicions that it could be great competitor for Fatso.

i have both. two very different things. the summit unit is a tube compressor with the usual controls (attack, release, slope or ratio, etc.), the fatso is a box with fixed compression characteristics and different types of harmonic saturation.

from EL website:

Fatso's Four Types of Processing (Available on both channels)
1. Harmonic Generation and Soft Clipper (Distortion generation)
2. High Frequency Saturation - WARMTH!
3. Transformer & Tape Head Emulation
4. Classic Knee Compression - Empirical Labs Style!

from Summit site:

The DCL-200 is an extremely versatile and musical sounding compressor, a go-to piece for tracking, mixing, even mastering. The compression curve and soft knee makes the DCL-200 enhance your audio in a way that is far from sterile without being muddy or pinched.

Key Features:

* Continuously variable attack and release times
* Adjustable threshold
* Variable slope (ratio)
* Output gain control
* Soft-knee transition characteristic
* Stereo link switch
* Dual true VU meters
* Side chain insert
* Bypass switch

so even the descriptions from their respective manufacturers vary greatly. i don't think they compete at all. i frankly find the summit piece a little boring while i find the fatso quite the opposite, but i do reach for both. this is just my opinion, i know others on this forum use and love their DCL200s. maybe they could comment.

[janek 68]

Originally Posted by raal

i have both. two very different things. the summit unit is a tube compressor with the usual controls (attack, release, slope or ratio, etc.), the fatso is a box with fixed compression characteristics and different types of harmonic saturation.

from EL website:



from Summit site:

so even the descriptions from their respective manufacturers vary greatly. i don't think they compete at all. i frankly find the summit piece a little boring while i find the fatso quite the opposite, but i do reach for both. this is just my opinion, i know others on this forum use and love their DCL 200s.

Thank You very much .I think that there are two ways in different directions , both of them bring big advantages in mixing ,I suppose that with Fatso sound could be more british /middy ( warmed , with tighter low end) , and lightly distorted/saturated , maybe similar to TG1 which is great sounding unit but it wasn`t easy to me finding proper balance with all this knobs.....In my imagination Summit could bring more sparkle but warm and round sound with natural sounding compression.Maybe Fatso is more versatile? It`s hard to imagine that digital unit ( with transformers and other analog parts) could be rival to oldschool compressor...It is really hard to choose.It is almost impossible to find here 2 units for testing...

[Fletcher]

FWIW, having used them both [extensively] I have found the FATSO Jr. to be a way better tool... but as always, YMMV.

[effectsnut]

I use a fatso all the time but someone please tell my why I feel guilty using it...? ..I feel like I'm cheating or something..like I should already be able to achieve what it does...

[thethrillfactor]

Originally Posted by janek 68

In my imagination

And this is where it should stay.

Try and listen to the Summit first and then let your imagination go where it wants to. The last thing is the DCL200 is a hybrid unit like most of the Summit line. The Summit line isn't your typical "tube" sound that most people imagine.

[mixerguy]

my FATSO is awesome

I have never loved any summit piece of gear

YMMV

[raal]

Originally Posted by janek 68

It is almost impossible to find here 2 units for testing...

have the same problem in mexico so i'll say this: even though both units are very different, if i could only pick one it would be Fatso.

DCL 200 is a soft knee type comp, transformerless from what i remember, so not much personality - might use it to tame OH lightly. probably wouldn't push the Summit to the point where i can actually hear it working, while Fatso is the opposite: something i go to when i want to hear a difference.

again, imho it's not a case of one or the other because they do different things, but as a tool i use Fatso more often; may also use it on overheads but for different reasons. to put it another way, i usually find more uses for a phillips screw driver than a paint brush, so if i had to choose one, it would be the screw driver. hope this helps some.

Originally Posted by janek 68

In my imagination Summit could bring more sparkle but warm and round sound with natural sounding compression.

fwiw when i hear the DCL 200, the word 'sparkle' doesn't come to mind.

[morebutter]

FATSO or Death!!!


I love it. I don't think you'll be sorry.

[CorkyTart]

I really dont think the FS sounds like tape. I think it sounds like a Fatso. Summit Audio gear is great however due to political reasons (from what I've gathered) it seems fashionable on this forum to bash it.

[DAWgEAR]

I had a FATSO Jr. for a week and returned it. Used subtly, I couldn't hear much of a difference, and by the time I could hear the effect, it was too much. Highly subjective stuff for sure, but for me it wasn't worth the price. Also, you may be looking for something different than what I was looking for. I suggest trying one out before you commit to purchasing one.

[Bump Music]

I love my Fatso... but I haven't tried any other hardware tape emulators. The closest thing that came to my Fatso in terms of getting that instant cool ass vibe were my Germ Pre's (XLR line in... with the pad)

There are a lot of tools out there that sound fantastic... but a lot of them are too subtle for my liking. Not a prob if you're JUST looking for a compressor... but when you're search is for a warm color box... then Fatso or Germs all the way.

[mixerguy]

Originally Posted by CorkyTart

I really dont think the FS sounds like tape. I think it sounds like a Fatso. Summit Audio gear is great however due to political reasons (from what I've gathered) it seems fashionable on this forum to bash it.

Well, actually, I always used my EARS when using Summit gear, and my EARS always told my brain that they didn't love it.

Nothing to do with politics



I have never met a Summit piece that i thought was "great"

YMMV

[proxy]

Another vote for FATSO here. I've owned both the DCL200 and the FATSO, and, well, I still have the FATSO.

I mean, if money were no object, I could certainly find a use for the DCL200, but the FATSO was just so much more interesting in my opinion (note, I love color).

I think some of the back-lash against the FATSO is the comparison to tape. Approaching it just as a unique color-piece, I found it offered a real nice bag of tricks for solving problems that few other tools could fix, software OR hardware.

Great for tracking vocals or bass (or other).
Great de-esser.
Great on Overheads.
Great as a parallel drum smacker.
Handy if you don't have an SSL-ish thing for the 2buss.

The DCL made things heavier, but a little further away which could be good in some cases, but wasn't what I was looking for.

- proxy

[janek 68]

Many answers , great ! thank you! so Fatso probably....

[lefthando]

Never used the Fatso, but the DCL 200 is a pretty transparent box. You have to push it really hard to get any character out of it. Which is exactly why it's good for certain things.

[WildCowboys]

Fatso!

[jondoe1972]

Would you guys say the Fatso is more useful during tracking than mixing?

If any of you use it in a mix, what do you use it on?

[Stormkloud]

I use it mainly for mixing. Lately Ive been using it on my drum overheads. I really like how it tames the harshness of the cymbals.

[WildCowboys]

Originally Posted by jondoe1972

Would you guys say the Fatso is more useful during tracking than mixing?

If any of you use it in a mix, what do you use it on?

It is excellent for both applications, I always track with it and sometimes mix through it, but whenever I mix through it I like it more than ITB...

rock!
pat

[Jack Pettit]

It's hard to make a Fatso sound bad, not impossible but hard.

It's one of those gizmos that doesn't need a lot of knobs.

[Jamzone]

Hi!

Just came from the studio. Made some backingvocal bounces through the Fatso. I got to say that it sounds incredible!! Warm and fat with lot's of presence!! Think it's a superb tool for both tracking and mixing. Really rocks as a soft clipper also.


///Jamzone