Empirical Labs Fatso

[WyteTyger]

I'm thinking of getting the Fatso by Empirical Labs to use as my main tracking compressor...would this be a good idea? I really like how emprical labs give you specific setting suggestions in their manuals to help get you started. I just want something that sounds really good, has character, and is easy to set up. Am I looking at the right unit? Thanks in advance for any advice.

[markpar]

You might think about a Distressor, too. Those things are amazing. I got a Fatso a week or so ago but am still trying to figure out how all the controls interact with each other.

For a main tracking compressor, I myself would use a Distressor (if I had to choose between the two), but that's just my opinion.

-mark

[soundguy]

a fatso just has some distressor presets, more or less. If you want a really tweakable box and can afford it, a distressor is totally the way to go, hands down. While manufacturer applications are a plus, this shouldnt factor into your decision to buy a box. Because someone prints up something like that doenst a)make it any easier to use or b)sound good. That said, a distressor is one of the easiest compressors out there to use, when you turn each knob, you definitley HEAR a change, which is not something you can say about every box out there. It has a ton of character or none depending on how you have it set up, and it is very very easy to use and really hard to get a bad sound out of. Its not the cleanest box out there, but the more I abuse compression, there more I question why someone would use a compressor at all if they were after a clean sound. I dont know, different schools.

get a distressor, you'll be psyched.

also, make sure you get it with the "brit mod". That little switch is so insane, Im really suprised that they dont offer that as standard, it basically takes the box and makes it times one million.

dave

[justinf]

The brit mod is that cool, huh? I bought mine without. What do you use it on?

So as not to divert the thread, it sounds like the Distressor would work better for you. By the looks of it the Fatso seems like a buss comp, but I could be wrong.

[dumbangel]

Markpar,

now you've got the Fatso, what do you think of its "warmth" and "tranny" buttons? (I already have the Distressor so I'm more interested in these 2 options than its compression)

?Khai.

[soundguy]

the brit mod is that cool.

I relabing my switch "freak out". Every piece of gear should have a freak out switch. I guess they did it to emulate what an 1176 does with all the buttons in, but its pretty much in idea only. Flip the switch, and the thing just totally freaks out. If you need something over the top, thats the button. The box should be sold without it.

dave

[markpar]

I guess they did it to emulate what an 1176 does with all the buttons in, but its pretty much in idea only.

I thought that what the NUKE setting did. How does the brit mod compare to the nuke setting?

-mark

[markpar]

Markpar,

now you've got the Fatso, what do you think of its "warmth" and "tranny" buttons? (I already have the Distressor so I'm more interested in these 2 options than its compression)

?Khai.

I think they're pretty cool. The "warmth" button does a good job of reeling in excessive high frequencies without sounding like I simply turned down the HF shelving EQ.

The "tranny" button is really cool, too. To my ears, it sounds like it adds some "saturation" to the sound. I think this is a great box if you are tracking to digital, like I am.

I've just scratched the surface of this unit, though. I'm sure there are a lot of cool applications for it. So far, I've mainly used it for drum overheads, and it does a great job there.

-mark

[soundguy]

the nuke setting is just another ratio. Its *sounds* like that blanket over the mic thing with a nice veil of distortion, but it *behaves* pretty intensely. The Explosive charge on the doors of titan missle silo's would blast the 2 doors open in a fraction of a second and the doors weighed some absurd amount of weight, tons and tons, like 20 or 30 tons. Ludicrous force. The nuke setting sounds like that.

the brit mod is just the freak out button. period. freak out.

dave

[markpar]

Hmm.... I'm going to definitely investigate the british mod!

-mark

[WyteTyger]

"I think this is a great box if you are tracking to digital, like I am."

Markpar,

Would you still recommend the distressor over the fatso for your main tracking compressor then?

[markpar]

Yeah, I definitely would. It's a very, very versatile box. You can do 8-10 dB of reduction without it being obvious. I recorded my bass this past weekend at 4:1 with about 10 dB of reduction and it sounded really good. Nice and even.

To me, it sounds great on vox, guitars, bass, drums.... everything!

-mark

[WyteTyger]

Thanks for everyone's suggestions. I guess I'm gonna get a distressor! Thanks again.

[TapeOpAndy]

I've got two FATSOs and two Distressors. The FATSO will do some very useful things that the Distressors won't, including band-limited, freq-based compression/distortion.

If someone suggested I use a Distressor to do what I can do with one FATSO, I'd say I'd need about four Distressors, two crossovers, two EQs, and a summing buss to do what one FATSO can do.

Can you use a FATSO as a "main tracking compressor"??? Probably. But it's really not meant for that role.

[dumbangel]

TapeOpAndy,

as a Fatso user, what do you think this box adds to the whole 'tape versus digital' debate? How does recording through the Fatso compare to your experience of using tape? Is it a convincing substitute or just something very different which only makes digital recording more pleasing to the ear, but doesn't actually sound like tape?


?Khai.