Features & specs, Empirical labs, Features – Empirical Labs EL-9 User Manual
Page 2: Specs, Our valued customer comments, Something old, something new, Comments about the distressor, Comments about the fatso jr, Comments about the lil freq
Features
Mic Pre-Amplifier, Empirical Labs style. With its totally unique features, we think its the
“deepest” and most versatile Mic preamplifier in existence. Yet still offers ease of use.
Super high performance Mic Pre-Amplifier section. Transformer Input. The Signal to
noise exceeds 130dB… far, far below the self noise of any microphone.
Super Long Life gain Switching, 5 dB increments in Preamp section, with output pot for
fine resolution gain setting. Sealed relays used throughout.
“CompSat” Section that can not only soft saturate the peaks of waveforms to warm
things up, but also offers a world class compressor with detented parameter selection.
Germanium circuitry in the CompSat section to offer new warming characteristics.
One of a kind Emphasis function, tames high frequency pileups, while offering frequency
dependant saturation. Enhances Mike-E’s popular tape-like tone.
High performance High Pass filter at 80Hz, 18dB per octave.
Built in Instrument Preamp/Direct box – Just plug a guitar or bass etc into the front panel and
the unit auto-senses it. Voila you have a high performance Empirical Labs direct box. The
signal is then passed through the input transformer for some “IRON” in its sound.
Renowned Empirical Labs digitally controlled analog topology.
Huge "DISTRESSOR" knobs with high resolution numbering - For easy readability and
repeatable settings. They also go to 10 1/2 .
A “BAD!” Hard Clip Indicator lights – A “Bad” Clip LED that lets user know he is within .5dB
of hard clipping. It monitors many sections of the Preamp for internal clipping.
Two CompSat LED indicators, one “WARM” and one “TOASTY” LED, indicating internal
saturation circuitry.
Locked, calibrated, output level - Allows speed in setting record and live mix levels.
Extremely useful as a mixdown processor, too. Great for fitting the mixes together.
Single height and light weight
Discrete and integrated combination -The best of speed/linearity with repeatability. Hand
tested & selected components. All metal film and Roederstein resistors in the audio path - top
quality components, most being high temperature military spec parts.
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Switchable 115/230 volt operation - Extra fuse provided inside unit.
XLR and 1/4" phone ins and outs - XLR fully balanced design, pin 2 hot.
No internal connectors, high reliability parts and military grade switches and relays. All contacts
doubled up for maximum reliability.
Linkable Compressor section
Interface and features found nowhere else.
Hand wired, calibrated in USA. Shipping weight 14 Lbs.
Specs
♦
Freq. Response is 3 Hz to 200 kHz on (No CompSat). CompSat is 3Hz – 150Khz.
♦
Signal to Noise - 130 dB signal to Noise.at 40dB gain. Maximum output is +28dBu.
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Distortion Ranges between .0006% and 15% depending on mode and settings.
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Transformer coupled Input, Active and Transformer Outputs, available.
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Maximum Input Level before clipping is 23dBu.
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Input Impedance is 600 Ohms. Output impedance is less than 38 ohms.
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Attack/Decay Ranges - .9 – 100mS attack. .15 – 1 Sec.
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Power Consumption – 15 Watts Max.
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Shipping Wieght – 14lbs
Empirical Labs -
Something Old, Something New
1
Our Valued Customer Comments
Comments About the DISTRESSOR
“Dear Empirical, I’m an LA based producer and an owner of a Distressor. The unit is really awesome!
I've used it on guitars, bass, room mics, vocals it works great on everything. I've used it on records
I've made with Beck, U2, Etta James, Hole and lots of others. All The Best, Joe Chicarelli”
“Distressors: I can't get over HOW GREAT they sound. On everything. It's truly the best
compressor made today.” Greg Wells
“After buying a Distressor I had an epiphany. Having used software plug-ins for years I often didn’t
hear or understand the affects of various controls. After getting my Distressor, and using it and
hearing the obvious affects of the attack and release controls, I was able to go back and use the
Plug-ins with a new understanding.” (Email)
“I sold a couple of 1176's and have replaced them with the Distressors, which do a great job of
emulating the 1176's. Michael Wagener “(Ozzy Osbourne, Extreme, Metallica)
“In General, I really like where Dave Derr’s ear leads him; one of pro audios truly independent
thinkers, I’m a huge fan of the box (the Distressor), I use it for bringing up the “goosh” on ambient
sources, and for saturating snares, toms, and kicks.” George Massenburg
“For those who have come to love and depend on the sound of the Distressor, the new British Mode
turns it into a new fun loving animal. At the flick of a switch, the Distressor becomes more aggressive
and stressful on any instrument you desire. Dave Derr should win the "(explicative)" award for
coming up with such a nice but nasty box.” Michael Brauer (Cold Play, Aretha Franklin, Paul
McCartney, John Mayer)
Comments About the FATSO Jr
“In a word, the FATSO is a very good answer to what a lot of people loathe about digital recording. It
smoothes out the sharp, brittle edges to exactly the extent you choose, and fills in the hairline cracks
just right. I use one on almost every mix I do. I could easily use one and possibly two more.”
George Massenburg
“People used to have to hunt for old, expensive gear to get the kind of sounds that the FATSO gives
me.” Ed Cherney (Lenny Kravitz, Dave Mathews, Eric Clapton, The Wallflowers, Goo Goo Dolls,
Jackson Brown, Bonnie Raitt, Stones, etc.)
Best new Signal Processor-EQ AES Awards - "Empirical Labs Fatso took this category, despite the
introduction of a variety of cool new processors. Who can resist the best aspects of analog tape
combined with great compression?" EQ Magazine
Comments About the Lil FrEQ
“I’ve got 2 Lil' FrEQs, and heaps of other EQs from SSL, Api, Manley etc. I use the Freqs almost all
the time and I have to say, hands down, they are the best EQs I’ve ever touched. They sound
beautiful on everything, and are so convenient in terms of use and control; it’s got every tool you'll
ever need in terms of EQing in one box! For vocals, synths, pianos, guitars, you name it. So
accurate, colorful and versatile. How can you go wrong? And from the creators of the Distressor!
Gods they are!” (from internet)
"I finally got to hear Empirical Labs’ Lil FrEQ, a monster that will destroy the way you think about EQ.
This single-channel unit has two shelving bands, tunable low cut, four parametric bands, dynamic
EQ for de-essing and direct box input—all noiseless and distortion free. Best of all, its smooth
processing is absolutely addictive. Sweet! " George Peterson (Mix Magazine)
“Another vote for Lil freq deesser, I have DBX, SPL and Orban deessers and Lil freq is the most
transparent of all, I also like Waves Deesser plug I think it makes a great job if you Mix ITB.”
Gearslutz
“If money were no object, I'd get a pair of Lil Freqs and call it a day, since they have ridiculous
amounts of headroom and a very smooth sound - the deesser circuit in tandem with hi boosts also
makes for some very creative manipulation of high frequencies that no other unit can do, and I really
like Dave Derr's design philosophy.” Gearslutz.com
14
Rev 2.5