What Distressors do that a UBK Fatso can't???

[RCM - Ronan]

The Distressor is going to give you a lot more control over attack and release times for one.

[jayson_p]

I love the UBK FATSO - gearwise I'd say it the one of, if not THE favorite of acquisitions I've made over the last year or so. That said it's definitely a different animal than a Distressor but, in all fairness, I would also add it's really designed to serve a pretty different purpose. I think of it more as a dynamic effects box more than a compressor.
If I were in your shoes and was offered a really nice, once-in-a-lifetime deal on one it I'd probably spring for the FATSO first and revisit the Distressor later - but then that's me - you should go with what you feel are your most immediate needs first. Over the long run though, I would say opting for both would likely NOT be a decision you'll regret!

[SRS]

Originally Posted by ajbianco

the fatso will dig into the high end more and more as your lay into it..... (I agree 100%)

distressor does not do this (I disagree, depending on the settings)

[Piedpiper]

The distressor is a bit bright and edgy in the highs. I find it abrasive, but that's me... some like it for that very reason...

[SRS]

Originally Posted by SpankyMcBobby

the distressor is pretty much a must have over here...the Fatso would gather dust.

There are a zillion saturation plugs that can do what the fatso does...there are NO plugs that can do what the distress or does....and the distressor is Very versatile and very useful for tracking and mixing...the fatso is all hype in my opinion. i can't believe they are made by the same company. two completely different leagues

While I do not have the UBK version, I do have 2 Fatsos and 2 Distressors. They each do different things, and in my humble opinion, do them very well. None of the Fatsos or Distressors collect any dust in my place. And Dave was pretty confident in his design logic for both boxes, as the sales numbers and sheer number of them used by many studios and engineers today would attest.

[Bryce]

Originally Posted by SpankyMcBobby

There are a zillion saturation plugs that can do what the fatso does...

The UBK Fatso has different presets than the ELI Fatso (except for SPANK), and behaves more like a compressor .

the fatso is all hype in my opinion. i can't believe they are made by the same company. two completely different leagues

Everyone's entitled to their opinion, of course. Here's another:

“The FATSO is a very good answer to what a lot of people loathe about digital recording. It smooths out the sharp, brittle edges to exactly the extent you choose, and fills in the hairline cracks just right. I use one on almost every mix I do. I could easily use one and quite possibly two more.”

- George Massenburg

dB

[mattyc]

Originally Posted by SpankyMcBobby

Oh different presets??? They sound different??.....I got a bridge for sale if you are interested.

Why is that so hard to believe, out of interest ?

[Sylvester217]

Originally Posted by SpankyMcBobby

Sure guys. Of course you will find high end endorsees for the Fatso.

GM also said that staying ITB to mix is better than going out again. So which GM quote do we believe?

I love George, but really, marketing nonsense has no part of this discussion. It's us here now that are discussing this.

Just out of curiousity, who endorsed Georges ITB statement ?

As for distressors and (UBK) fatsos,
I have both, they're both great and used all the time.

[mattyc]

Originally Posted by SpankyMcBobby

2 things then...if you know how to use dynamics processing, you don't need the UBK version of the thing...please learn how to work a piece of gear...play with it for a while...just like greg did...and figure it out.

yeah I did and figured out that I like the UBK fatso.....
greg probably does too I would imagine
I know other people that don't and if you don't then thats cool too man hoop pie

as far as the OP, get both ! or if you have a great deal on a UBK fatso get it while its cheap and if you don't like it, flick it on for the same and keep an eye out for some 2nd hand distressors

[toddreloaded]

The Distressor has been praised as a "master of all trades" when it comes to compression, which is what I was looking for since I can't afford an 1176/LA-2A/LA-3A/DBX. The distressor can emulate these compression methods and much more.

Judging from the posts here and my own research, I get the feeling all the UBK Fatso has over the Distressor is Tape Saturation. The compression may be different than the Distressor but idk if it's necessarily "better"

While I would love to slut it up and get both, I find it hard to justify buying another comp when the Distressor is already so versatile and significantly cheaper. I could probably use that $2000(that was the offer) elsewhere and get more bang for my $$$.

I'm really curious about the UBK Fatso but I figure how amazing could the tape saturation really be? I know Tchad mixed the Black Keys music ITB using Decapitator and it sounded plenty "analog" to me.

So I think it's going to be the Distressor for me. Thanks to everyone who contributed.

[Bryce]

Originally Posted by SpankyMcBobby

2 things then...if you know how to use dynamics processing, you don't need the UBK version of the thing...please learn how to work a piece of gear...play with it for a while...just like greg did...and figure it out.

You do understand that there is an actual hardware modification on the UBK Fatso, right? That it's not just an ELI Fatso with a different set of software programs?

If not, sorry for being unclear....

Secondly...GM DID say that once your are in you should stay in the box...so the quote about how he uses a Fatso on every mix appears to be a contradiction.

...unless, of course, he said one quote earlier than he said the other, in which case they'd both be true.

The Fatso quote is definitely an older one - but that doesn't make it any less of a statement about how he felt about the piece when he said it, does it? I don't know if he's still using it on every mix....but we just had lunch with him a month or so ago, and he doesn't seem to have lost any of his enthusiasm for the piece.

Additionally, George is pretty big on integrity, so I don't think he'd say anything publicly or allow himself to be quoted on something that he didn't believe/practice...and that quote is very publicly displayed on the ELI Fatso page, along with a few other nice quotes - George's isn't the only one.

We sell a whole bunch of both the ELI and Kush Fatsos, and from what I understand the UAD plug-in version is one of their most popular. Here's a great article on film score/video game mixer John Rodd, who uses both the ELI and Kush units.

Look, if something doesn't work for you, that's one thing...but to question the integrity and judgment of the company who builds it may not be appropriate just because it ain't your cuppa tea. Glad to hear you like your Distressor, though...

dB

[Scott003]

guess it depends on what you're lookin to do. I haven't used the FATSO, but the distressor is the swiss army knife of comps. One of the coolest things about it is the near-invisible compression up to 6 dB or so. And the saturation modes and opto setting are baller. If thats whatcha need I'd go for the distressor, but if you're looking for stereo/ buss functions, FATSO might do it. Or a pair of el-8's....

[Blaine Misner]

I own distressors and the ubk fatso. They are both excellent boxes and get used on just about every session I do. To me the main difference is usability. I can make the distressors be quite tame and transparent or send them totally into the abyss. The ubk fatso on the other hand only excells on over the top compression. For tracking it lives on bass and mono room mics. For mixing I usually use it as my parallel drum compressor.

[Danny Downer]

Originally Posted by SpankyMcBobby

That is exactly correct...it's a saturation box...and does nothing a $200 plug can't....



I did NOT question the integrity of ANY company...I own two distressors...and have had access to many fatsos many times.

I'm questioning the poster in this here thread.

I love GM and my distressors. If someone is looking for an opinion on a piece of gear i have used, it's not my obligation to praise it by saying nonsense like "different strokes"...or..."maybe it'll work for you..."...no ...that piece is a waste of money, as you can get what's happening with it...EASILY....with MANY plugs.

of course, that is just my opinion though

I can tell you the UBK Fatso and the El Fatso are two different animals! So how could you know if you haven't used the UBK One?

The Compression is very versatile and I really like it combined with the saturation effects that tranny etc.! You might think a plugin sounds the same but I beg to differ!

It's not the fact that people can't accept you don't like the unit, it's your urge to bash it, even though you admit you never used this version

[Andrew Kinsey]

To try and answer the OP's question:

The Fatso is a stereo unit and will give you some nice saturation and glue over a mix or drum bus. It can also be used for tracking or compressing mono sources but its not going to be nearly as flexible or rewarding as the Distressor in that department.

The Distressor on the other hand excells when it comes down to slamming things hard like drum hits, but it also can work well for more gentle compression and everything in between. Id say along with the 1176 its one of the best compressors for tracking just about anything with; and slamming drum hits on mix down.

If you had both, they would compliment each other well.

[u b k]

Mmm, I'm gonna gingerly step into a thread on my own product because I respectfully submit that everyone has missed the primary and most significant differences between the Fatso (both the ELI and UBK) and the Distressor.

Namely, the Distressor has a bright, modern, shiny bite to its sound, and it excels at pulling things forward, coming to a narrow point, and (if you want) smacking you in the face. Literally, a smack in the cheekbones is how I feel the Distressor grab when it's aggressively applied.

The Fatso is quite the opposite, it's warm and woolly and excels at pushing things back, spreading them out, and (if you want) punching you in gut. It hits a lot lower than the Distressor, and has a fatter bottom and darker top.

Also, the Fatso has a completely separate Warmth limiter (aka high frequency limiter) that softens and darkens the sound even more.

They're totally different boxes with totally different experiences of using them. The Distressor is unbeatable if you want to tweak, fool with every parameter from the obvious to the subtle, and fine tune your compression *just so*. The UBK Fatso is unbeatable if you want to patch it in, step thru a handful of different styles of grab, find what works, and get on with it.

The UBK is better at keeping me in artist/right brain mode, which I'm partial to these days because it's how I stay in my creative flow. More ardent, technically-minded engineers sometimes find those very same aspects of the UBK Fatso to be limiting and anti-creative, so I think that more than anything it's critical that you assess what your engineering and artistic goals are, and what 'shape' you want the compressor to impart to your sonics. If you get clear on that, the choice between the two boxes will be equally clear.


Gregory Scott - ubk

[Blaine Misner]

Great Post UBK!!!!

i love your box. comes with me to every sesh (in all fairness it is in a rack with a pair of distressors)

[fabricio.rr]

great post.

I'm saving up to buy one of the 2. This post is solving my many questions.

Another difference between them is the price.

Wanted to tst both and choose wich one to buy.

[DirkB]

I have two Distressors, had the Fatso, upgraded to the UBK unit and in the end sold it.
Both (or all three) are goo units. I actually think the Distressor is great for fairly transparent dynamics control and excells for transient shaping or really nailing down something during mix.
The Fatso was nice, but when it comes to compression I am very sensitive to the attack and sustain shaping of a sound and there the Fatso just had not enough control options for me. In the end, the Fatso was more like a tone-box and less of a compressor.
If money was no issue, I would have kept the Fatso, but since it is, I spend the money elsewhere.

Greetings,
Dirk

[cornwall6000]

Originally Posted by Blaine Misner

The ubk fatso on the other hand only excells on over the top compression.

nah, don't think so. "glue" and "smooth" can be as subtle as you like. can press major db's before becoming noticable.

have you tried plugging some level control into the sidechain? this allows you to hit the sat/warmth while only lightly kissing the comps.

[passmore]

read the knobs on the a Fatso and Read the knobs on a Distressor
Download the manuals and READ them ...

[jimmy3189]

Originally Posted by passmore

read the knobs on the a Fatso and Read the knobs on a Distressor
Download the manuals and READ them ...

But they are both the same colour boxes with similar coloured knobs?!

Surely they are the same!

[cornwall6000]

Originally Posted by passmore

read the knobs on the a Fatso and Read the knobs on a Distressor
Download the manuals and READ them ...

i love dudes that troll around gearslutz leaving posts like this. so gracious, so helpful.

if one could learn all there is to learn about gear by looking at faceplates or reading manuals, gearslutz itself would serve no purpose.

in fact, why are YOU on gearslutz? you already seem to know everything, and are clearly not inclined to share that knowledge... is it really just to be snarky and pedantic?