Quote:
Originally Posted by
thethrillfactor
➡️
A modded Distressor takes all the "honk" out of the box tone (which is what people dislike about it when tracking vox) and makes it even more open sounding. It actually reminds me of a DBX 160 at the lowest ratio.
Only issue is what makes it great for tracking a vocal, makes it not as "exciting" for what people really like Distressors for, namely smashing snare mics or tracking DI Guitars.
The "honk" is what makes the snare drums and DI Elect Guitars poke out in the mix, especially under super heavy compression. I actually have one of each" One modded for tracking vox and one regular for snare, mono room mics, DI GTR.
When I had my Distressor, I was aiming for clean, transparent gain reduction while tracking. While it was fairly clean overall, I noticed that during more aggressive vocal moments, it tended to compress in a way that felt a bit honky or abrasive—especially in the upper mids. That tone didn’t quite sit right in the context of our vocalist’s performance.
I’m familiar with the British mod, just curious if the mod on your unit addresses anything in that zone or if it’s more of a character tweak?