distressor vs 1176

[MetalSound]

what´s your opinion on those units comparing flexibility?

i know they are both great but which one would you miss more if you owned both and had to sell one? which has more "value for money"?

 

[PhilTheBeard]

I would imagine the disstressor has more flexibility to it. I have not used either unit in person so i could be wrong.

 

[C_F_H_13]

That's really a tough one for sure. Here's my opinion....

I'd say the distressor is the most flexible and probably the best bang for your buck compressor, but the 1176 is a far better unit and more useful personally.

A distressor is mediocre-awesome on anything. you can do vocals,drums,guitars,bass,synths,parallel work and it'll always do the job, but on some things it's better then others. Personally I don't like it on bass or vocals except in parallel stuff. Drums it kicks ass.

And 1176 isn't good on everything, but what it is good at is awesome. Can't be beat on vocals or bass, I love it on some drum stuff (rooms snares OHs) and is great for parallel work too.

I'd say figure out what you're actually going to use it for the most and make a decision on that. If you're using it mostly for vocals, get an 1176. If you need something for that you can use on anything...go for the distressor.

 

[MetalSound]

my main use would be indeed vocals, bass and acoustic guitars on the way in to the daw.
currently i´m using a tl audio c-1 which is nice on most things but absolutely horrible on acoustic guitars.

 

[jipchen]

You might want to have a look at the Slate Pro Audio "The Dragon", it's said to be way more versatile than any other compressor and (depending on the setting) can sound nearly the same as the 1176. No personal experience, though.. just samples and hearsay.

 

[C_F_H_13]

You might want to have a look at the Slate Pro Audio "The Dragon", it's said to be way more versatile than any other compressor and (depending on the setting) can sound nearly the same as the 1176. No personal experience, though.. just samples and hearsay.

yeah you should definitely check it out if you can. I've also heard nothing but great things.

 

[PhilTheBeard]

Yeah the Dragon got a really good review in tape op

 

[tenebre]

Hmm....

I love the distressor.. but i think the 1176 (i have the 6176) is completely different.

I think honestly the SLate Dragon is a worthy successor to the distressor. It can sound identical but also has tons of options.

I wouldnt really compare distressor with the 1176 though.

 

[pipaguapique]

Here's the thing dude. You really can't go wrong with the distressor. Even though the 1176 is my favorite compressor of all times. I personally wouldn't buy a new UA 1176 as it doesnt sound close to the original urei one.

This is just my opinion, but i would rather buy the distressor and keep using the Waves 1176 as it kicks ass. Or wait to find a great deal on a urei 1176.

 

[Scott C.]

Yeah man I agree with pipaguapique, you can't go wrong with the Distressor. great on everything and more versatile than the 1176,imo.
Cranesong Trakker is awesome too, a bit more expensive though.

If I could only have one, it would be the Distressor hands down.

 

[Lucas D'Angelo]

Since you're planning to use it for Vocals and Bass, I would blindly go for the 1176

Distressor is awesome too though but I prefer it on drums , the 1176 being the best bass and vox comp for me

 

[Skyweaver]

anyone compare the Ua 1176 with MC77 ?

 

[egan.]

The MC77 is more aggressive than the UA...supposedly it's more like the old Urei's than the UA reissues are but I can't attest to that.

 

[Ermz]

The Distressor is more versatile on the whole. If you're intending to use the compressor mostly on bass and vox however... well, that's where the 1176 shines.

 

[greyskull]

The Distressor is more versatile on the whole. If you're intending to use the compressor mostly on bass and vox however... well, that's where the 1176 shines.

yep yep yep..
The Distressor is Heavily based on the 1176 and can definitely do a pretty good impression; but the 1176 is my all time favorite compressor.

 

[Ermz]

It is? It seems like he went about it kinda wrong, considering its a VCA design, and the 1176 is an FET. Missed a few transformers too, haha.

To me it's an all-in-one box. A 'make-do' solution since I don't have a 4k desk with its inline comps to do all the heavy lifting.

 

[MetalSound]

thanks for all the replies. any experience with acoustic guitars with both of them? is the 1176 too agressive?

 

[mburton21]

To be honest, I use the stock BF1176 that comes with Pro Tools on all my bass and vocal tracks as well as stereo effect buses (like room verb and stuff). Different units really, but like already stated: the 1176 is amazing on bass and vox while the distressor seems to do a decent job on most tracks.

 

[Ermz]

Wouldn't use an 1176 on acoustic guitars. Did use the Distressor on them recently, with the Opto mode emulation. Worked great.

 

[Lasse Lammert]

The distressor can sound very close to an 1176 (see my shootout posted here sone time ago) but is MUCH more versatile.
I'm using the distressor in 1176 mode more often than the 1176cause I live the mid band and distribution features of it