The Empirical Labs Distressor is one of the most used pieces of rack gear for metal probably ever. From vocals to drums and beyond, many producers have had to stack their racks with multiple units because they can’t get enough. But it’s a pretty expensive piece of gear, especially if you need more than one, and people have been screaming for a plugin version for YEARS.
This week Empirical Labs announced the Arousor, a compressor plugin which may or may not be modeled after the Distressor. I say that because it’s pretty vague in the description, and they cite the Distressor, but don’t say directly that it’s based on it.
Either way, I’m excited to try it and find out if it lives up to the hype they’ve been building for 20 years. It would appear that the plugin isn’t actually for sale just yet, but it is available as a free 14 day trial.
