Fatso folks chime in

[danickstr]

Hey how do Fatso owners like the sound of that box? EL Fatso. Does it do the job or is it a tub of lard? I can't hear stuff here too easily, but will go to a dealers soon, so I thought I would get some info as to whether or not I should ask them to set one up. Thanks.

[paultools]

I love mine.
Use it when tracking, as a buss compressor when mixing, and peg it when mastering.

[rjx]

I have had mine only a few days now and I love it.
I have been tracking with it and it definitely makes my digital synthesizers and drum machines sound a lot less digital. The compressor is nice too!

[danickstr]

ron, are you into recording these daze?

[Mastering101]

i use mine on the 2 buss but have never used it when tracking. i should try it when tracking. i know people rave about tracking guitars through it and drums

[paultools]

do the tranny test that's in the manual!

[Screws]

Kicks ass while tracking bass, kick, snare, vocals, synths and electric guitars. Great during mixing to use on drums as a parallel comp in Buss Comp mode.

[danickstr]

dis ting souns like a kuntender thumbsup tanks for da info

[rjx]

Originally Posted by danickstr

ron, are you into recording these daze?

All the starlets love my Fatso!

[airmate]

i got a fatso one month ago. have never used for tracking, but sometimes is does a great job while mixing.

i wouldn't recommend it for rhodes or wurlitzer, these signals may become too muddy. but i found the fatso to be great on the drum bus, sometimes even together with the bassline. in bus comp mode with 3 db gain reduction and a little "warmth" it glues the program together very nicely.

what about the "tranny" option? i'm not sure yet. it gives a fat, heavy tone in the low mids, but it cuts sub bass frequencies at the same time. so i guess it might be useful for live-played drums (have not tried that yet). but on programmed drums (heavy broken beat stuff) it was stealing too much bass.

i hat also great results with bright electric guitars, a fm-synthesis synth plugin and a clavinet d6 played with a wahwah pedal - in each case the fatso has smoothened the top end.

to sum this up: it does not work on every source. but *when* it works, i always found the sonical changes very pleasing and uselful. the fatso definitely helps to fit bright or harsh signals in the mix.

personally i'd rather buy a fatso than a pair of distressors - but this depends on your needs. i have enough compressors, so for me the fatso's comp is a good sounding addition.so the main thing for me are the unit's capabilities of changing the frequencies, not the dynamics.

[suicide shift]

Can't live w/o out it. Makes bass and gtrs come alive in mix. Good for tracking too. Wish I had more. Wonder what the new Neve Portico tape emulator is going to sound like.

[rolo]

hi there... i have had a fatso for about 3 years now. i used to use it for tracking and mixing all the time. until, about a year ago... i bought the phoenix plug in from Crane Song. i find the phoenix more useful as there are more options (saturation emulations) with it. i'll use the fatso every now again when something really needs it. all in all, both are great items!

[pigpen]

I got a Fatso a few months back. Loved it immediately. Overdid a few things at first (easy to fo with it), but it is a great piece. I've used it for all applications, tracking, mixing, and mastering.
However, I just bought a 1/2" machine to mixdown to so now I have to decide whther to keep the Fatso or not. There is no way ot turn off the analog simulator...how much analog is too much analog you know?
Buy it if you don't intend on going analog for sure! It rocks

[Mastering101]

when i send a mix through it i cant set the warmth any higher than 3 and my warmth meter is hitting around 5.... i also use the tranny quite a bit on rock stuff..
i dont use the compressor at all..tracking with it soon

[kevinc]

I use the FATSO mostly for tracking and it`s allways in the chain for any overdubs I do. In fact I probably overuse it quite a bit but I just love the vibe of the thing so much that I can`t unplug it.

Sometimes I just run stuff through with none of the tools engaged at various levels. A lot of times I just use a bit of the warmth to smooth out the highs a bit.

A lot of people don`t seem to be too into the compression but I`m starting like it a lot when tracking. (particularly the buss compressor) It just seems to gel itself really well with the tape effects to give an overall wonderfully controlled mildly (or heavily) saturated sound that often doesn`t need a whole lot of extra treatment in mixing.

I notice when singers in particular have just a touch of the buss compression (mixed with the tape stuff) to work with they seem to be less afraid to sing more dynamically and pull out all the stops without feeling like they`re too loud all of a sudden. Not so much compression that your stuck with it in mixing but just a bit to calm things down. One of the singers I work with a lot says it kind of sounds like a finished product as he`s hearing it while singing which adds a lot of energy to the performance.
Plus the tape effects just work so nicely when a singer starts to belt it out.


As you can tell I like it quite a bit.

[Jules]

Originally Posted by kevinc

I use the FATSO mostly for tracking and it`s allways in the chain for any overdubs I do. In fact I probably overuse it quite a bit but I just love the vibe of the thing so much that I can`t unplug it.

Sometimes I just run stuff through with none of the tools engaged at various levels. A lot of times I just use a bit of the warmth to smooth out the highs a bit.

As you can tell I like it quite a bit.

My thoughts exactly

[Screws]

Vocals through the Tracking Compressor (1176 type) with Tranny on and hitting comp as hard as -10 db can sound amazing. Bass same as above too.