More Hi-Fi, Distressor or 1176?

[wilcofan]

Hey all,

This is my first post so hello and good day.

I am curious about the fidelity of the Distressor vs the 1176. I am leaning towards the Distressor to cover my rock guitars, bass, solos, and snares. This is where I used to use 1176's in the old studio but for some reason I can't get excited about the 1176 purchase. I used to love the Urei ones but we were tracking to tape and loving massive coloring back then.

I've read all I can about the Distressor (there isn't one in the city to demo) but what keeps popping up is the distortion and smalling effect it can do. Is this just an option or does it generally not attain an elastic, hi-fi bigness?

FYI, I already have:

API 512c
ISA 215
Yamaha PM1000
Rode Classic
BeyerDynamic m160
AKG 460
2 LA2a's
Plans to grab an STC8

Thanks!

P.S. I've considered two Trakkers instead of the STC8+Distressor/1176 but the absence of a proper peak limiter is turning me off.

[NathanEldred]

It depends on how you are using it. I wouldn't consider either 'hi-fi' when they are pushed, they both grunge up real quick (in a good way). If you are talking about a silver transformerless 1176, it's going to be cleaner. Trakkers rock, why do you need peak limiting for tracking? Don't expect over the top coloration with the Trakkers though, it goes from very clean and hi fi to subtle color.

[wilcofan]

Hey Nathan,

why do you need peak limiting for tracking?

I didn't mention once I'm done @96k inside Logic I'll be mixing out to 1/2" ATR60. I was planning on the SCT8 right before tape, along with what it could do lightly after a LA2a and 1176/EL8 during tracking.

[wilcofan]

OK, and just to keep the thread on track I should mention I have used reissue, blackface, silverface, and 1178's so I know the colors of those. Since I know the fidelity of the 1176 my question should have been better stated as:

Can the Distressor sound clean and big in contrast to it's obvious distortion modes?

[NathanEldred]

Originally posted by wilcofan
OK, and just to keep the thread on track I should mention I have used reissue, blackface, silverface, and 1178's so I know the colors of those. Since I know the fidelity of the 1176 my question should have been better stated as:

Can the Distressor sound clean and big in contrast to it's obvious distortion modes?

I still don't understand why you "need" a peak limiter...it just doesn't seem anywhere near a make or break deal to not have it. I do exactly the same thing you do, record in the DAW, mix to tape. I like a little transients to pass, it's more natural IMO. A limiter will not allow this. I'm not saying it would not be useful, but the Trakkers have some serious flexibility in themselves. To rule them out completely because of the lack of this one feature is selling them very short.


The Distressor will sound "clean-ish" when the Dist modes are turned off. It never gets very pristine or hi fi. But when they are turned off, it's not just an efx box anymore either, it's a good comp for the price.

[Albert]

I find my Distressors to be quite clean and hi-fi if I don't light up more than 3-4 LED's and keep the distortion settings off. But hit it harder than that and it definitely gives you attitude! A great compressor, just amazing really.

But if you are looking for a compressor that you can really nail hard and have it stay clean, then the Distressor is probably not the right one.

I've got an Aphex Compellor and several Expressors that stay quite clean and invisible even when hit hard.

[wilcofan]

Thanks Albert.

Would you say the Distressor being pushed very little, say -1 or -2 db, is cleaner than the 1176 blackface at this level? I would think so being transformerless but maybe the Distressor sounds thin when not working hard?

[SMA]

Gotta try one for yourself. The Distressor doesn't sound thin when it isn't compressing hard, but it doesn't have the sound of the 1176 line amplifier either. I actually like the Distressor a LOT and find that it is a lot more versatile than the 1176. I think I would rather have 2 distressors and 2 trakkers than 4 1176s.

[OzNimbus]

If you're looking for really, really clean compression, you should check out SawStudio. The channel compressor is quite unreal.

[Fletcher]

The Trakker(s) will be capable of doing a far greater amount of compression than the distressors without getting "aggressive" sounding, but the distressor can be used quite well and remain "HiFi" sounding.

The one thing I think would push me in the Trakker direction from the distressor is the ability to change the character of the gain reduction cell from 'hard knee' to 'soft knee' to behaving like it's a VCA based unit to behaving like it's an optical attenuator based unit... this flexibility has shown me an extremely wide base of applications for the Trakkers... in many ways a greater flexibility than almost anythng else in my arsenal.

For "2 buss" applications, the path that seems to be getting the most use around our joint has been the Drawmer 1968 followed by either an STC-8 or a pair of Trakkers... if mixing to analog, as the description recounts, I don't think a 'peak limiter' is going to be all that necessary in the signal path as the tape will take care of anything that's really jumping out... I've found that when mixing to an analog storage medium that any dynamic range manipulation is done for entiely creative purposes rather than for purposes of "protection".

In the realm of tracking... I dunno, maybe because it's one of the newest things in the rack, I've found myself using the 1968 and the Alan Smart C-2 more than any of the others [kinda surprised me when I realized that was how I was gravitating]... but that's not to say that the others don't get used.

In 1176 land... Purple Audio has finally overcome the impediment of not being able to find the proper input attenuator [apparently, UA didn't care if they got it right or not... both used the same, now discontinued part] and is making MC-77's again.

The MC-77 is way more like a "real" 1176 than the UA release... far more stable power supply, better headroom, better depth of tone... in comparison to a distressor, in terms of which is more "HiFi"... I don't know if it's really possible to make a qualitative statement in that regard... I know I would be most bummed if I didn't have distressors available in the rack and I'm totally psyched about being able to finally add an MC-77... my absolute, without question, mostest favoritest bass compressor on this or any other planet [Purple didn't mention they were going to stop making them until we went to replentish shelf stock... and found out we couldn't].

[Albert]

The Distressor does not sound thin when doing light compression. I can't compare it to the 1176 because I don't have one here, but the Distressor never sounds thin.

[TonyBelmont]

Don't compress before you hit the tape! Let the tape absorb those transients...

[faeflora]

Oh no.

Is "hi-fi" the new "warm"?



If so, this time I think it will be Fletcher's fault.

[wilcofan]

Oh no.

Is "hi-fi" the new "warm"?

Not for me. I have an LA Audio 4x4 compressor which is quite warm sounding but loses bass and high end. Not hi-fi. I also have an ATR-60 which is hi-fi and a cassette 4-track which is not and they are both warm.

Hi-fi = wide frequency response with low distortion, IMO.

The Trakker(s) will be capable of doing a far greater amount of compression than the distressors without getting "aggressive" sounding, but the distressor can be used quite well and remain "HiFi" sounding.

Thanks Fletcher.

if mixing to analog, as the description recounts, I don't think a 'peak limiter' is going to be all that necessary in the signal path as the tape will take care of anything that's really jumping out

Don't compress before you hit the tape! Let the tape absorb those transients...

This is good advice. I must admit I'd forgotten about the poor peak response on tape being a blessing at times.

I still like the idea of the auto settings on the STC-8 and complementing them with a color compressor like the Distressor or 1176 (or mc77). I just wanted to get a feeling for HOW much a color compressor the Distressor was and this thread has helped me a bit. Thanks for your responses.

[big furry]

"MC-77... my absolute, without question, mostest favoritest bass compressor on this or any other planet"

Fletcher, if you'd be so kind as to add a little more info, because I've thought of the MC-77 as my "mostest favorite" vocal comp, but held off because I don't have the budget for a specialty piece. But if this rocks on bass, which is a big need as well for me, now I'm very intrigued.
My focus is tracking.

Also ever tried the sterio link- useful?

Thanks for your time,

BF

[ziegenh5]

Fletcher,
That is good news indeed about the MC-77. So what are they doing about the obsolete input attenuator? Did Andrew find a stash of old ones or did he find a suitable replacement? Also, about when do you expect the first batch to show up at your shop?
Thanks,
Sean

[faeflora]

Originally posted by wilcofan
Not for me. I have an LA Audio 4x4 compressor which is quite warm sounding but loses bass and high end. Not hi-fi. I also have an ATR-60 which is hi-fi and a cassette 4-track which is not and they are both warm.

Hi-fi = wide frequency response with low distortion, IMO.

I would describe a comp that kills bass and high end as "worthless piece of shit", not warm.

I'll just say that if you get an STC8/Trakkers with Distressors, you'll be able to compress and limit on any material and get a good sound. I do a lot of mixing and can usually get the sound I am looking for out of my Trakkers and Distressors which is saying quite a bit as I am a compressor fan. Only thing that I want is more variety in coloration but that's just me being a picky engineer.

1176 is great (and I plan to get an MC77 if I ever have money again oh and I'd be very happy if you gave me one of your LA2As) but it's very limited (haha get the joke? funny !) compared to a Distressor. Regarding Distressor 1176 emulation, the only way the Distressor can emulate an 1176 (comparing to reissue) is in the grab on the knee. To my ears, the signal saturation and tonal color is very different between the units!

Anyways there's lots of other compressors that would do you better on that gear list than an 1176. I'll mention some I haven't used but hearsay is that they're versatile so you may want to check them ou as they may be useful on a short gear listt:

Studio Projects C2
Pendulum stuff
Drawmer 1969/8?
API 2500

Groove Tubes also has the Glory compressor coming out at some point.

[wilcofan]

I would describe a comp that kills bass and high end as "worthless piece of shit", not warm.

LOL, that made my afternoon.

[wilcofan]

Hey guys,

Just letting you know I decided on the 1176 first over the Distressor and picked up an mc76 demo unit from Purple. They were great to deal with, btw.

I'm so pleased with the tone and I think I've finally articulated what it is about the 1176/mc76 I could never put my finger on: I love it on monophonic sounds. I'm amazed at how versitle it is with any instrument that has single notes or hits. Polyphonic sounds seem to take on that tone which can be cool but seems usable on fewer tracks in a big mix.

Bob

[wilcofan]

Well, I can answer my own thread since I've had both a Purple MC76 and a Distressor in the studio since I asked this.

For what I meant by "hi-fi", I find with the Distortion modes off the Distressor is cleaner, even with higher ratios and faster attacks. I also feel I can do faster release on bass guitar without distortion than the MC76. Except for the missing transformer tone I find I don't miss the MC76 that much having the Distressor here. I can always insert another x-former compressor that I have if I need more thickness.

Bob

[Aearth]

Originally Posted by wilcofan

Well, I can answer my own thread since I've had both a Purple MC76 and a Distressor in the studio since I asked this.

For what I meant by "hi-fi", I find with the Distortion modes off the Distressor is cleaner, even with higher ratios and faster attacks. I also feel I can do faster release on bass guitar without distortion than the MC76. Except for the missing transformer tone I find I don't miss the MC76 that much having the Distressor here. I can always insert another x-former compressor that I have if I need more thickness.

Bob

So the Distressor stays?

As far as Distressor/1176 reissues go, I've just been throught this exercise myself. I had 2 x UA 6176 (didn't use the preamp section much, just he comp was used) and I replaced them with 2 x Distressors......personal choice really, but I'm happy.


Nick

[wilcofan]

Yeah, the Distressor stays.

I tend to track a lot of things through the LA2a, even if barely working, before the Distressor/1176 and I found I just had more flexibility and preferred the tone of the Distressor.

See ya.

[Syki]

Hey Fletch, how do the Chandler LTD-2's compare to the trackers when just tracking vocals, or bass,guitar?