Empirical Labs

Empirical Labs Distressor EL8

7emulations

7 plug-ins · 2 officially licensed · paid ones from USD $39.00 (Empirical Labs EL8 Distressor Compressor)

Every Empirical Labs Distressor EL8 emulation

PluginVendorPrice todayLowest since Oct 22, 2026FormatsLicence
Priced in US dollars
Empirical Labs EL8 Distressor Compressor“Shape with the Only End-to-End Distressor Emulation” pluginboutique.comUniversal AudioUSD $39.0080% off until Nov 03Plugin Boutique, Oct 25, 2026also USD $39.00 at Universal Audio storeUSD $39.00Oct 22, 2026 · 4 days trackedAAXAUVST3Apple siliconInspired by
XTComp“Disclaimer : The XTComp was developed by Kiive Audio using its own modeling techniques, and one of the products studied was the Distressor by Empirical Labs, which is…” plugin-alliance.comKiive AudioUSD $75.00Plugin Alliance, Oct 25, 2026USD $75.00Oct 22, 2026 · 4 days trackedAAXAUVST3Apple siliconInspired by
Empirical Labs Mike-E Comp“Precisely modelled in close collaboration with Dave Derr, Empirical Labs Mike-E Comp offers high-calibre, one-of-a-kind saturation/compression based on the famous ELI…” pluginboutique.comSoftubeUSD $159.00Plugin Boutique, Oct 25, 2026USD $159.00Oct 22, 2026 · 4 days trackedAAXAUVST3VST2Apple siliconInspired by
Empirical Labs Trak Pak for Console 1“Trak Pak's Compression Section is the compression section from Mike-E's CompSat, which is based on the famous Distressor.” pluginboutique.comSoftubeUSD $199.00Plugin Boutique, Oct 25, 2026USD $199.00Oct 22, 2026 · 4 days trackedAAXAUVST3VST2Apple siliconOfficial licence
No price posted
Empirical Labs Mike-E Compressor and Saturator“A preamp full of crunchy distortion, a multi-stage soft-clipping circuit saturator, and a compressor based on the ELI Distressor—all in one native plug-in” softube.comSoftubenot postedno history yetAAXAUVST3VST2Inspired by
Empirical Labs Professor Punch-Knuckles“Based on Mike-E and the Distressor and featuring ELI's unmistakable sonic character” softube.comSoftubenot postedno history yetAAXAUVST3VST2Official licence
FG-Stress Distressor“The FG-Stress is a digital replication of one of the industry’s most highly coveted analog compressors, the Empirical Labs Distressor.” slatedigital.comSlate Digitalnot postedno history yetAAXAUVST3VST2Apple siliconInspired by

Bundles that include one

Bundle prices are in the currency shown and are not compared with single plug-ins.

The hardware

Maker
Empirical Labs
Type
Compressor

The bones of the compressor are those of the legendary ELI Distressor, one of the most-beloved contemporary compressors in existence.

Sources

  1. https://slatedigital.com/fg-stress-distressor-plugin/
  2. https://www.plugin-alliance.com/products/xtcomp
  3. https://www.pluginboutique.com/product/2-Effects/21-Channel-Strip/7364-Empirical-Labs-Trak-Pak-for-Console-1
  4. https://www.pluginboutique.com/product/2-Effects/8-Compressor/11502-Empirical-Labs-EL8-Distressor-Compressor
  5. https://www.pluginboutique.com/product/2-Effects/8-Compressor/7363-Empirical-Labs-Mike-E-Comp
  6. https://www.softube.com/us/plug-ins/empirical-labs-mike-e-comp
  7. https://www.softube.com/us/plug-ins/empirical-labs-professor-punch-knuckles
  8. https://www.uaudio.com/products/empirical-labs-el8-distressor-compressor