School me on the UAD Distressor plugin

[Mind Riot]

I've got a $25 coupon from UAD and I've only got a few days before the sales are over. I was thinking of picking up the LA-3A which is on sale for $39, so with the coupon it would only cost me $15. But I'd be willing to invest some more for a plug that's really special, and I've observed people saying the Distressor is the compressor that can truly be used on anything and it'll sound great, hence its popularity.

Is the UAD plugin version of the Distressor excellent and versatile and will it make me better looking and wealthy with women hanging off me everywhere I go?

[aberration123]

Distressor for sure, why? try it, learn it, find out what the buzz is all about.

[sl1200mk2]

I'm pretty sure the $25 coupon is only valid for purchases of $75 or more. At least that's the case for my 'GIFT25' coupon.

[TIMT]

I'm pretty sure the $25 coupon is only valid for purchases of $75 or more. At least that's the case for my 'GIFT25' coupon.

Yerps. 75 quid here for validation

The Distressor is pretty decent over the master, but i find the harmonic stuff to be a bit much. Probably got more use in the hands of people mixing down Rock than it does for me. Even when used subtly it has an aggressive dynamic profile, which I don't really find much use for ratios above about 3:1 and about 1-2dB of gain reduction. Anything more than that and it starts to sound a bit like RAT era Deadmau5....

[Uncle E]

I've got a $25 coupon from UAD and I've only got a few days before the sales are over. I was thinking of picking up the LA-3A which is on sale for $39, so with the coupon it would only cost me $15. But I'd be willing to invest some more for a plug that's really special, and I've observed people saying the Distressor is the compressor that can truly be used on anything and it'll sound great, hence its popularity.

UA released the LA-3A in 2007 and has not significantly upgraded it since then. I would not recommend it for any price, even if it were free.

[Razzia]

I've got a $25 coupon from UAD and I've only got a few days before the sales are over. I was thinking of picking up the LA-3A which is on sale for $39, so with the coupon it would only cost me $15. But I'd be willing to invest some more for a plug that's really special, and I've observed people saying the Distressor is the compressor that can truly be used on anything and it'll sound great, hence its popularity.

UA released the LA-3A in 2007 and has not significantly upgraded it since then. I would not recommend it for any price, even if it were free.

I mean, they released FATSO Jr. in 2009 I think, and it still sounds great to me. But it's true their LA-3A is not anything special, especially by UAD standards. And even if you were to buy it, most of their upgrade prices can fairly be called insulting, so it's not like it would get you a sweet deal when they inevitably make a new version

[theviirus]

uh the distressor sounds really good…and it’s versatile,,,and it’s fun,,,and even when it smashes the hell out of stuff it’s still fun, and it sound good on vocals…and on drums (electronic, sampled, or live).

the only time I really pass it over is when I want very subtle or very precise control over something and need to preserve dynamics.

its UA, its native, it’s a fair price right now, and if I didn’t already own it I would be buying it right now.

demo it and figure out if it’s for you.

[discogsaddict]

Distressor over la3a no contest. I'd consider it one of the best software compressors available.

[uraniumbilly]

It's renowned for use with bass and drums, and you can expect to see a couple in most established recording studios. You can download the manual and find the section that discusses its classic emulations, especially the 1176 Brit mode.

[Mind Riot]

Thanks for all the information, gentlemen!

I got an offer from UA via e-mail today. Any two plugs for $99, so now I've got many to ponder. I'm going to try out the Sound City Studios plug and do some more demoing of the Distressor. And thanks for informing me about the limitations on the coupon.

Anybody tried the Sound City Studios plug?

[Uncle E]

There have been lots of good UA bundle offers for around $50-100. I don’t think any have included the Distressor but they had the LA2A and 1176, both of which are similar quality to the Distressor and better than the LA3A. Some of the bundles included the Hitsville reverb, which is similar to Sound City.

With that said, I really want to get the Sound City. It sounds great and solves a lot of problems.

[lotus2035]

I just subscribed to UAD Spark, 3 months for $1. The UAD distressor is very nice, I compared it to the IK Multimedia version which I already own, they both sound great. Of the compressors included in UAD Spark my other favorite is the API 2500 Bus Compressor.

Edit: FYI, The Sound City Studios plugin is also included in Spark. The offer of 3 months for $1 runs out in 36 hours in case you are interested.

https://spark.uaudio.com/

[Mind Riot]

I just subscribed to UAD Spark, 3 months for $1. The UAD distressor is very nice, I compared it to the IK Multimedia version which I already own, they both sound great. Of the compressors included in UAD Spark my other favorite is the API 2500 Bus Compressor.

Edit: FYI, The Sound City Studios plugin is also included in Spark. The offer of 3 months for $1 runs out in 36 hours in case you are interested.

https://spark.uaudio.com/

I also have the Comprexxor, I think I got it when they did that huge giveaway a ways back. If they're similar maybe I'll do some quick comparing and perhaps save my money, but I'm running out of time.

Now, when you guys are talking about the Sound City plug, are you referring to just the reverb plug or the whole virtual environment thing? I downloaded the latter and I can see its potential but I think I'd have to build everything from the ground up within the plugin, which at the moment is not useful to me.

I've already got several good reverbs. Is the Sound City reverb plugin anything special?

[Uncle E]

I've already got several good reverbs. Is the Sound City reverb plugin anything special?

Sunset Sound, FAME, and Spaces are comparable. Do test Sound City's Re-mic mode, though. That's its coolest feature.

[Mind Riot]

Whoa man. I just demoed the Massive Passive out of curiosity.

Boosting one band on the thing took all the harshness off a cymbal I'd been struggling with instantly. I matched settings with what I had going for an electric guitar on another EQ, and it did the job with more roundness, smoothness, and heft.

Almost everywhere I put the thing it solved problems or just improved things in instantly noticeable ways.

Yep, no more need for trying out other plugs. I'm getting me a Massive Passive to go with the Distressor, and I'd call that $75 (with coupon) money very well spent in my musical journey. Both of them are going to get a LOT of use, especially the Massive Passive.

Thanks for sharing your insights and experiences, everybody! It was all very helpful.

Anyone else have UAD's version of the Massive Passive? Experiences? I'm just blown away by the sound of this thing. I remember when Pulsar put out their version and I gave it a try, and I just did not connect with it like I did this one. However, I was using monitors then; now I'm using VSX, maybe I'm hearing more detail.

EDIT: Holy crap! I had a $25 coupon, but UAD has a gift code for $25 running today, and I figured the gift code would be invalid due to my coupon, but they stacked! So the Distressor and the Massive Passive for $49 total. What a steal!