Recording - May 2011 - 42

B Y PA U L V N U K J R .

The FATSO Family
Empirical Labs EL7 FATSO Jr, Kush Audio UBK Edition FATSO, and Universal Audio FATSO Jr/Sr UAD-2 Plug-in

It’s not often that we review a piece of audio gear that is already an established studio staple, but this month we are looking at the Empirical Labs EL7 FATSO Jr and two of the interesting adaptations it has birthed: Universal Audio’s FATSO Jr/Sr plug-in for the UAD-2 DSP platform, and the Kush Audio UBK Edition FATSO. Everyone asks, “So how does the software really stack up to the hardware? And how is the UBK different from the original?” My curiosity got the better of me and with the cooperation of Empirical Labs’ Dave Derr, Kush Audio’s Gregory Scott, and the good folks at Universal Audio, I was able to line up all three and compare them. Ready to get started? We’ll dive in by getting acquainted with the original...

The FATSO Jr
The EL7 FATSO Jr was originally released by Empirical Labs in 2000, billed as a “Full Analog Tape Simulator and Optimizer”. Its mission: to take the edge off of harsh digital recordings and add back the “musical non-linearity” of analog gear. As with all things Empirical, creator Dave Derr crammed a huge feature set under its hood with four distinct analog processes: Harmonic Generation with Soft Clipping for distortion and color, High Frequency Saturation for subtle to full-on global warming, Vintage Transformer and Tape Head Emulation, and Classic Knee Compression.
42
RECORDING MAY 2011

Look and layout The EL7 is a single-rack-space unit dressed up in white on black, complete with 4 of Empirical’s oversized white knobs. Unlike Empirical’s Distressor and Lil Freq, however, the FATSO Jr is a dual mono/stereo unit. Each channel uses one knob for input and one for output. All other functions are handled by one of three gray momentary push buttons. Additionally, the FATSO is freckled with 31 LEDs per channel and each one tells a story. A top row of 8 moves from green to red and shows how much warmth is being applied (1–15 dB), a similar bottom row shows gain reduction (–1 to –20 dB), a small set of two indicate 0 dB VU or a pinned signal, while the remaining lights indicate your chosen warmth, transformer, link, and compressor settings. The rear of the unit features a choice of XLR (balanced) or 1/4" (balanced inunbalanced out) I/O as well as a 1/4" sidechain input and standard 3-prong AC socket for the unit’s internal power supply. Functions The FATSO is essentially a push-pull device whereby the harder you drive signal into the unit’s input, the more it drives the abovementioned audio processes, i.e. the more it saturates, warms, or compresses.

Soft Clipping: The Soft clipping feature was modeled after broad-band tape saturation and offers smooth, variable harmonic distortion ranging from barely noticeable to 20% THD. The circuit is always present even when the other processes are off. Just running an instrument or mix through this process alone can yield a nice cure for “digititis”. Warmth: The FATSO features 1–7 levels of high-frequency saturation called warming. More than just a simple hi-cut filter, this feature manages to tame and lessen the high-end content rather than flatly rolling it off like an eq filter would; it manages to retain the air and harmonics of the signal minus the brightness. Tranny: Choosing Tranny engages a full-on transformer into the signal, and like you’d hope from adding iron to your diet, it adds both weight and a forward punch to the sound. Compressor: The FATSO offers 4 different compressors designed to conquer a specific task of the recording/mixing chain. Each one has its own preset attack, release and ratio. They are: Buss Compression (slow attack/fast release), G.P. or general purpose (medium/slow), Tracking (an 1176-style comp), and Spank, which is a super crusher based on the famous SSL Listen Mic compressor. Additionally, each of the first three modes can be used in combination with the Spank setting.

Recording - May 2011

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recording - May 2011