The Kiive Xtressor. Kiive Audio’s take on the Empirical Labs Distressor via Plugin-Alliance. And a good time is had by all.
There are a number of emulations of the Distressor (you can take a look at the ones I have tested in the links below to make your own comparisons) and for good reason. The hardware was one of those aha moments for a lot of engineers, and certainly changed the landscape of what a studio compressor could do. It is worth looking into the “history” of it, just google Dave Derr (the person behind Empirical Labs).
The Distressor hardware has a reputation for good sounding “distortion” and soft clipping. I’m sure this is one of the things that has made it a popular option for plugins, in their quest for analog-i-ness. But apart from that, it is an incredibly versatile compressor with all kinds of power and fun behind the knobs.
The Kiive Xtressor adds a few interesting things to the mix. As well as a mix control, you can also adjust the mix of the saturation, which in itself is also an addition to the hardware. (See the charts below.) The “British Mode” changes the harmonics slightly and also pushes the dynamics curve. (1:1 looks like 4:1, as an example.)
Compare: IK Multimedia TR5 Comprexxor; Empirical Labs Arouser; UAD EL Distressor.
Hints:
- A 1:1 Ratio still gives you slight compression (see below). Use this for setting all kinds of saturation effects apart from the compression.
- The Bell setting under the SC Mode can sometimes get rid of digital harshness. Use it and see how the sound subtly changes with your compression settings.
- The M/S allows some very cool effects. Widen the sound by using a higher compression ratio on the mids, for instance. Listen to how the stereo image is impacted by varying the setting from mid to sides.
