The unfortunate truth... || Distressor shootout!

[@SpectreSoundStudios]

This was so much fun! Thanks for having me on board for this!

[@garyfox8]

Your personalities are so different, but a perfect blend. This was a great video.

[@Studio_4to1]

This is the collab we all waited for. The two best people in this world rn. Thanks for that. Made my day. Possibly my year.

[@arnaudnieuwoudt5211]

I enjoyed your collab video. Thanks

[@TraxtasyMedia]

to explain Fingerspitzengefühl it just means instinctive feeling or sure instincts :D

[@SkyrenOfficial]

Marketing comment detected. *jk*

[@robertstone1218]

So nice to see a father and son bonding over a shared hobby :)

[@Daysofsamara]

An interesting thing to do is to compare a hardware distressor with another hardware distressor. You will also notice differences. Knowing this, it's easier to understand that the plug-in was modeled on a piece of hardware that didn't sound exactly like the one you're testing. This principle works with two 1176s, two LA2As, two dbx160s, two Pultecs and even two SSL channels which are next to each other on the same console...

[@assessoroffice7212]

1000000 % AGREE WITH YOU PAL

[@kristianalexanderpedersen7382]

keep on dreaming

[@morsikpl]

yeah, some time ago I saw some VST channel strip plugin (I think NEVE-based?) that actually had switch to change between 32 base models! They took whole console and modelled all 32 channels from analog console itself because each had slightly different characteristics because of those imperfections

[@NovianLeVanMusic]

I was surprised two such knowledgeable KZbin audio engineers/gurus didn’t take this into consideration.

[@donnydarko7624]

That's a reality with pretty much all analog hardware. The same goes for things like say a Moog model D, and a Roland TR -808 as well.

[@parp]

this collab is something else is always a treat to see 2 mix engineers geek it out

[@parp]

the colour is purple but like, just about

[@Compumon27]

Antelope Audio Impressor is the best distressor emulation I’ve heard.

[@theparkerilla7292]

@@parp Magenta ?

[@gutterg0d]

@Shangex Pink is not part of the rainbow and therefore doesn't exist, it's also not part of that plugin. 🙃

[@parp]

@@theparkerilla7292 if you bring down the brightness and shift the hue a little it could probably be considered a version of magenta

[@Charmoffalling]

A guy from the Netherlands who not only knows the expression but the right use of it.... Needs more viewers. "Fingerspitzengefühl" Greetings from Germany

[@thomassimoninielsen1407]

We use it in Denmark as well👌

[@cinex5114]

Denmark uses it...we developed it 😂😂 greetings from Germany 😉 Love Denmark btw

[@ztrewqqwertz8997]

I was very surprised when he said that haha

[@rogierfrederiks8420]

haha yeah but Dutch people use a lot of German in their everyday language.

[@claudevieaul1465]

Of course we (Dutch) know the term Fingerspitzengefühl 🤣 It's such a precise word, describes exactly what you mean. Just like Schadenfreude. There's no English equivalent - at least not as one concise word - and even in Dutch it's not easy to be as precise as the German term. But in any case, it's quite easy, as the Dutch are multilingual anyway 🤣🤘😎

[@bassrockstech]

I think the two of you together must be a sign of the apocalypse.

[@dougleydorite]

😂

[@VentureNW]

😂😂

[@r4x2]

They need 2 more horsemen.

[@Raivis909]

I mean Russia started partial mobilisation….

[@LennonStephens]

Two totally different personalities 😂

[@nuhn894]

Nice to see a father and a son have zoveel gemeen met elkaar that they can talk about plugins samen

[@aerofoilmusic]

I couldn’t be more eens with you more 😂

[@Zamsky39]

The real question is would two analogue distressors null? I would not be surprised if they didn't, especially if one has been used for a long time and the other one is brand new.

[@monsterbroccoli884]

Exactly, maybe FG-Stress just didn't sound like his Distressor but maybe like the unit the developers from slate digital had.

[@erewrw1906]

for shure not 100 percent null, i guess and its really a guess the difference would be around -100 db lower from the Original file

[@riptanionAF]

No two analog hardware units of the same make and model are going to be exactly the same, so of course, they're not going to perfectly null.

[@pyratellamarecordingstudio1062]

No they won’t null

[@levondarratt787]

They would not. Absolutely not.

[@eddoorn1249]

Cool video, guys, thanks for that. I have very little experience working with hardware. So whenever I use any so-called hardware emulation plugin I really can't judge whether it's an accurate emulation or not. Actually that is kind of an advantage. Using FG- Stress I am not chasing the hardware sound, I am simply going after badass compression for a great sound. Whether it comes close to something I have never actually heard, I don't really care since it delivers a great sound every time.

[@bobadreadofficial1955]

We need more your collabs, guys! I was so surprised and very happy know, you complement each other perfectly!

[@cortical1]

What a phenomenal surprise collab! In this world where we've all been separated from others so much, it's great to see two great content makers interacting in the same room together. Complementary personalities, too! You two should start a radio show together: Glen and Wytse in the Morning! K100.3 FM.

[@AndrewCCM]

I use the UAD version and curious to see how it stacks up. Been wanting a hardware unit for awhile now.

[@olibarahosasa1137]

The UAD version is wayyyy better. I own both versions and never touched the Slate version ever again.

[@olibarahosasa1137]

There's a vid on the UAD website where they compare the plugin to the hardware with the founder from the Distressor.

[@scottbaxendale323]

I like the UA plugins over the Slate.

[@humanitygone3958]

UAD is probably the best plugin version of the distressor. But it still not as good as the real deal.

[@creativeheadroom]

I just downloaded the Tukan plugins. You can finetune the knobs on the Tukan D#-Treasure by holding Shift while dragging the mouse. That definitely makes it easier to use.

[@MOSHAEMUSIC]

2 of my favorite guys on YT who don't hold back their opinions which I highly value. This is awesome that you both linked up for a shootout.

[@cjcurcio]

Great to see both of you together in the same room! I watch both you and you're GREAT: informative and funny!!

[@jacobsmith1877]

I absolutely love using Slate VMR on everything. I don't care if it sounds exactly like the hardware - to me it sounds good and I know it will work. I trust that people with better ears, better gear, and better rooms than me also thought it was good enough.

[@AdamsDuhStuff]

And if you ever do want to use hardware on the cheap, check Mix Analog and Access Analog out!

[@cedricsimonakafrozenjazz]

So great to have two of my favorite music related KZbinrs together on an awesome collab!! Nice mix of strong personalities :)

[@angelbeast8863]

Ah some of my favorite HONEST engineers that arent about hype products. This is awesome!

[@NoCoverCharge]

I splurged and bout the real outboard distressor for my small home studio ….it so worth the money …I got that and the stam audio 76 compressor…I love both of them…and both of you guys thanks 😊

[@stubkar]

You guys need to start a podcast together. Two of the greats.

[@bdduke1]

Glenn, you had a very favorible review of the t-racks comprexxor. In fact , I think you said it very closely emulated the distressor. Can you comment on on how well the comprexxor would stack up in the comparison ? Thanks guys, I really appreciate your no-BS content.

[@jorykevinberger7047]

I own a Distressor (12 years) and own FG-Stress and IK’s Comprexxor, and in my opinion, hands down, that big compressed sound they went for on the drums (where you get a combo of natural reverb and distortion) in the video can not be done as well on the Comprexxor. I’ve tried, because I was excited about it releasing after the Slate. It doesn’t bring out the room in a lush way like the hardware can. But FG-Stress comes 90% and then if you tweak to match, you can get it to 98%. My ear can hear 2%. Level matching is integral when testing, especially in a null test. Cheers!

[@AdamsDuhStuff]

@@jorykevinberger7047 thanks for the write up! If you want 100% of the Distressor sound, Access Analog is the way to go!

[@braintumor1553]

Two legends here love it. This the More Bad News of Sound engineering ❤️

[@realmusic4you]

These 2 wanna-be's are not Legends If you truly believe that, go back to sleep.

[@johnathanpratt944]

@@realmusic4you Glenn has some great info, but I think he's a little misguided on the advantages of analog modeled gear and how to make them work.

[@troutstudio]

I record drums in quite a small room. I make the room sound later. I use the Slate gates too. Across the kit I use the UAD distressor with the UAD Neve 1081. I’ve worked on my kit in this room for a long time and it’s a good combination.

[@kawinshivasoman]

why not try the arousor 3 or mike e comp???

[@jordanshreds747]

Two of my favorite KZbin channels converging? Yes, please!

[@guidofazzito]

In addition to all the comments, it´s a GREAT idea to compare the sound of analog vs hardware and to show the rendered audio. Reeeeeeeally interesting and excellent video!

[@blue_mountains28]

Nice collaboration guys. I use the tukan all the time, I have 0 experience with the original so im not sure what to expect but tukan sounds good to me on vocals.

[@pyratellamarecordingstudio1062]

You guys didn’t calibrate the inputs or volume match the outputs. The analog was louder. I’m an analog guy, but when I do tests I’m scientific about it. I don’t really care which one sounds better.

[@Anteflop]

Cool collab. Love seeing KZbinrs get together IRL.

[@bendigiave]

Love both of you guy's channels.

[@thestudbq]

2 of my favorite dudes hanging out in the studio and doing comparisons.

[@johnmatthews8435]

"Fingerspitzengefühl" means, that you are able to fine-tune knobs, that you can handle difficult situations.

[@G_handle]

Please do a response video! (What was that DC Offset thought?)

[@aviatedviewssound4798]

Tukan you're getting recognition but pls work more on the saturation and gui side of the plugins pls, have you ever tried using impulse and algorithmic it will save you time instead of coding everything from scratch.

[@athmaid]

Not so much difficult, rather delicate

[@johnjhonny646]

The FG name of slate plugins is an abbreviation for plugin developer Fabric Gabriel. He has great emulation skills and dave pensado praised him too.

[@jackc8120]

What about UAD distressor,apparently it's as good as the real one. Can you test that one?

[@mal201]

So just as a point of comparison, it might be interesting to try and do a null test between your individual hardware Distressors at the same settings just to see what the effects of component tolerances / aging on two actual hardware units. Just a thought. Great video as always guys, keep them coming.

[@eshortsax]

I was hoping this would include softube's and t-racks "distressors" too but still great!

[@blackink9555]

Me too.

[@AndrewCCM]

Yeah. I have the UAD and T-Racks and would be curious

[@lngl7149]

This

[@merlinswaifu]

It is so neat to see two great ears working on this. Helpful!

[@geoffreymerrifield5666]

Appreciate your comments in a world where so many people are trying to convince others that plug ins are as good as hardware.

[@honigdachs.]

And they are. No two things are the same, but you confuse that with one thing being better than the other one.

[@Projacked1]

Favorite WSS video of the month !

[@mixville2]

Great fun- thanks much! Now I need to check my Distressor against the Empirical plug in Arousor. I have both but never took the time to compare them one-to-one.

[@christopherlee4648]

I watched both of you guys for awhile now. Super cool!

[@aidenberry8957]

Great video!! Conclusions aside, the interaction between you both was really enjoyable. Thankyou both for the great content!! 👍🏻

[@samellis012]

You can dial in to settings more precisely with the tukan plugins by holding ctrl when turning the knobs

[@kamilpaszko751]

Guys, you are such a gooood duo for reviewing stuff! I hope there will be more ;)

[@trevsonic]

you are so awesome! thanks for all your hard work and listening!

[@JakeVanDanger]

I wish you would have included the empirical labs plug-in or softube, and the sly-fi one.

[@GaragebandandBeyond]

YESSS!! Great work boys!

[@nonamegrs]

Better than the FG-Stress and closer to the hardware is the UAD Distressor. The Arousor even if it's made by Empirical Labs is after FG-Stress on the list. Another alternative is the T-RackS Comprexxor which was free until 20th September.

[@griffingibson4389]

My two favorite engineers, so happy.

[@AlexReidStudios]

As an itb mixer I use the FG Stress a lot. Glad to kno it's 95% accurate lol. Also sounds good on it's own way.

[@dougleydorite]

I tried it on drums and crushed to death and used the mix between 30-40% and had better results than using separate parallel routing

[@LongshanMusic]

Best crossover of the year! 🇨🇦

[@limbophonic1]

Interesting video,how about comparing UAD distressor with the real one

[@roelgarcia]

Great to see these two together :)

[@bonetrigger]

This was an awesome episode. 2 Engineers I trust with their opinions.

[@marsrivers]

You should compare with the Arousor, thats the virtual version of the manufacturer.

[@sundamusik]

Cool post, great to see you two giys together. Bless

[@5adb0i]

Loved this! Was hoping for a bigger comparison tho The IK Multimedia one Glenn reviewed, I was hoping for your take. And the Arouser by Empirical Labs themselves is actually insane would love to see you review that one!

[@alexandre7634]

The uad is cool too

[@thedigitalguitarist3541]

I would also be curious how the "inauthentic" emulation done by UBK under the sly-fi brand, the deflector, stacks up in here.

[@LetsTalkAboutReaper]

I don't own the hardware to compare, and that's fine... But I found Tukan's Distreasure to be quite useful. I have compared it to IK Multimedia Comprexxxor, and the controls are most certainly not a 1:1 between the plugins, but both sound good in their own right. Said all that to say, I would LOVE to see you give it a fair shake and dial it in, using it for what it is and putting it through it's paces, and see what you think.

[@lodougherty]

I love Slate stuff. Been using it for years on my mixes, the drum gate is great for real drums, which I still record :)

[@rickspyder6159]

I LOOOOOOVE THE way you guys did this ... yiu have set a new bar for others

[@Joe-mz6dc]

Very cool to see you two guys working together.

[@mfkrwill]

i figured the Tukan wouldnt be super close to the original, but I really dig the plugins they make. good plugins for free

[@MikeLarryMTL]

Wow! You guys have great chemistry! 🙏🏾

[@BlackenedNL]

The crossover we have been waiting for lol, awesome vid

[@mavrickkomasinski8893]

I enjoyed this vid and your banter, showing metal and rock can and DOES get along w House and Club is great. Do another! 🤘🦁🤘

[@Hello-pl2qe]

Cool pairing, I think both of your channels are great.

[@francobuzzetti9424]

this is the colab i wasn't expecting but i'm really glad to see! such 2 different persons but sharing that one thing that they're passionate about! great to see! ps:Glenn looked great on this camera/room setting more handsome if i may add!

[@AudioCheck12]

I guess I would have liked to hear how EL8s software version matches up.. or and the UAD Distressor.

[@sabothawk]

This was great fun! You gotta colab again, for sure! And yeah, totally hearing smoother treatment of air frequencies during decay on the hardware, but the plugs sounded interesting and I'm always for having more tools and flavors rather than fewer. If UAD ever goes native with their version, it would be cool to include that along with the Arouser from Empirical Labs in a future shootout. Thanks for a great video!

[@MaartenFranken]

Im very happy with the Softube Mike-E Comp. Ok, its not an exact clone, its a preamp with a distressor build in, but I like it. I never had the chance to use the hardware, so I cant compare, but the Mike-E works for me. I never really cared if plugins are an exact copy of the hardware, I look at a plugin as a seperate product and I want to know what the plugin can do for me and if it sounds goed and works effective for me.

[@MySecretSpotrecording]

Thats so cool you guys made a video together!!!! Awesome!!

[@RaytownProductions]

Good to see you two together :) Glenn is a great dude 🤘

[@omicron-prsnl9806]

This was lots of fun to watch, and it was quite informative too!

[@johnathanpratt944]

Helpful tip, use 3 of the FG-stress and lower the threshold/ratio/attack/release on them. You'll get less clipping and a lot more power out of them.

[@p0llenp0ny]

Use 3? Like 3 instances?

[@hiderpnw]

never could have expected this collab

[@AN7ON]

I would love to see you compare different SSL Compressors. Love your videos 👍🏼

[@theparkerilla7292]

When I bought the Slate FG-Stress stand alone version I remember there was a calibration feature so that you could (allegedly) match your software response to that of your hardware ... I don't know if that is still a feature - I couldn't find anything on the slate web-site mentioning it.

[@theparkerilla7292]

In the Slate Digital VMR User Guide there's a section on calibrating the FG-Stress to the hardware for the purpose of making comparisons. "FG-Stress Calibration Procedure The FG-Stress is the perfect replication of its hardware counterpart. If you want to compare the real unit with the FG-Stress, it is crucial that both the analog unit and the FG-Stress algorithm are calibrated the same way." I suspect you missed a trick there in your comparison shoot out ...

[@theparkerilla7292]

I'm reminded of my youth when a friend bought a two-stroke motorbike and didn't read the section in the instruction manual about adding two-stoke oil to the petrol - he didn't get the performance results he was expecting ... just saying ;)

[@AdamsDuhStuff]

@@theparkerilla7292 ha! Wytse doesn't read user manuals for software!

[@wyrlismike]

i mean pretty much the same thing experienced mixers have been saying about plugs vs hardware for years. "thats pretty damn close" and "it sounds good!" but tbh i have recently found myself moving towards hardware, i just love that extra 2-5 % the plug misses. checkout analog x's captures of hardware theyre pretty darn good

[@LonelyRocker]

Ha! A little of my native land on your channel. Fun!!

[@ronanzann4851]

LOVE the way you (Glen) ended the video !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@CreativeMindsAudio]

I would love to see the UAD distressor or in the mix. That thing is so good!

[@RudeRecording]

I'm using the Arouser vst from Empirical Labs. I'm a bit distressed [ah hum] that you didn't compare the vst version with the real one. I would agree that seein' you two guys at the same desk is also a bit distressing...

[@whiteplayon]

You guys are both informative and hilarious! 👍👍

[@nikdrown]

In all fairness like 10 yrs ago there wasn’t any distressor plugin if I recall. There was a wonder if there was really a need for one but once the damn broke…..WHOOSH! It joined the 1176 in most redundantly. And after I learned that plug-ins essentially use the same components from maker to maker it’s all a matter of cost and the UI really you’re going to get different bags. I love plugins but as vast as the world of them are find some good ones you love and fill the toolbox with them only and if you’re really inclined find a few hardware pieces of choice and you’re good to go

[@angermanagementstudios]

Two titans of industry right here! Legends.

[@mrarmysoldier]

Glenn on this vid??? YAAAAASSSS - freakin hilarious and informative

[@gridderz4013]

2 of my favorite youtube nerds together as one. its a PARADOX!

[@FreedomfamilyOKC]

Awesome. My fav compressor, and both my fav KZbin dudes!!!! Cheers from the heartland of Oklahoma!!!!!!

[@compucorder64]

The gate is maroon ;) Or burgandy if you prefer wine.

[@inTheBandTree]

You and Glenn together is amazing!

[@octaviohenrique.n]

You guys are awesome! Cool see you together! Here in Brazil a real physical Distressor is so freaking expensive, i'm always on to distressor alternatives, since such legendary comp. I use the Universal audio plugin. is it good? (i never had a real distressor in hands). I'm enjoying the Art VLA II you indicated, great advice! Thanks for the awesome content!

[@gangsterdistrict1154]

For the null test, take 2 hardware units of distressor and print same signal through them.. try out.

[@BrentIraEnman]

I recorded live drums at home and when I moved recently I had to rethink my approach due to my close proximity to the neighbors, so I went Alesis Drums and triggering Slate SSD and I would never go back to recording real drums at home!

[@davidloflin3098]

What an unexpected and awesome collaboration. It's like someone decided to make Superman meets Predator and it just works.

[@underthewater6643]

This was a must awaited one! The guest was surprise!

[@ISOwav]

Love the spectre sound collabs

[@brianvillage5]

I have the IK Comprexxor and the UAD distressor. They’re both awesome.

[@hermesserranoaudio]

Great colab!!!! Very nice comparison!

[@seancampbell6296]

2 shouters walk in to a studio........love it

[@ichiro-ota]

I didn't know you were here Glenn! 🤣 Glad to see you here.