Recording - May 2011 - 45

• 2-bus and warming duties – Original EL7 • Instrument tracking/mixing – UBK Edition • “I already have a UAD-2 and/or and want patch recall and/or love to get really tweaky” – UA FATSO Jr/Sr Plug-in But that’s kind of a skimpy return on six weeks’ comparison tests, so here are some more thoughts on where I found each unit to be best suited in various applications. Bus work, master and otherwise: If simple saturation or warming alone is your thing, all three units will excel here with an ever-so-slight edge going to the “air” of the hardware. As you move into bus compression, the original and plug-in have the upper hand over the UBK edition, which I found a tad too thick and heavy-handed. Drums: Here it is a real grab bag. For individual kit pieces like kick and snare, the Splat setting on the UBK is a monster. The UBK Glue setting was also incredibly useful on room mics and overheads when done New York-style in parallel compression. I also liked the plug-in’s low tightness on kick drum, and the overall drum bus is where the plug-in practically lives on my mixes. Bass: Again, each has its charms. If you want to pin a heavy-handed or funky bass to the floor of your mix, then it’s UBK time; if you have an acoustic bass or want the high-end grit of a thin punk bass to shine through, then I would lean toward the original or the plug-in. Vocals: Here is where I think the FATSO Sr. plug-in edges out the other two due to its versatility. Starting with the Tracking compressor, it offers a naturalness that does not sound compressed or heavy-handed. However, the Smooth comp on the UBK can give a nice “opto” feel as well. Violin… yes, violin: I liked the plug-in and the original for balance and glue, and the UBK for evenness and presence, each with a mid setting of Warmth to lessen the squonk of the strings. Acoustic Guitar: All three units shine here, and this is where the hardware and plug-in set on Buss with a warmth of 2–3 and Tranny in sounded nearly indistinguishable with a big natural evenness. The UBK on Glue comp just tickling 3–7 dB of reduction gave the guitar a nice controlled thickening. Electric Guitars: My favorite use of the UBK unit, and there are just too many combinations here that work, from Splat to Spank and Squish and beyond. So again, each unit excels in its own way at a number of tasks and you really need to play with all three to find what works best for you. Since the plugin is available as a demo from UA, that may be your best place to start, and offers the best value, although if your findings are anything like mine, it will probably make you want to save up for the real thing as well.
RECORDING MAY 2011

Conclusions
The great thing about the three members of the FATSO family is that they are all truly different. None of them invalidates the others, and you could easily use them all side-by-side in your studio. The Plug-in’s strength is its recall as well as the FATSO Sr’s tweakability. Since I got the plug-in 6 months ago, it has made an appearance on every one of my mixes, usually on drums or the master bus, and after a month and a half of playing with the hardware I am equally enamored of it. While the original EL7 may have taken a temporary back seat due to the newness and excitement of the new models, there is a reason it warranted the mods and modeling in the first place! The Empirical Labs FATSO Jr is in an elite class and one of the rare pieces that deserves, and has earned, magic-box status. Pretty much everything you run through it (hardware or software) will sound better. Prices: Universal Audio FATSO Jr/Sr plug-in, $299; EL7 FATSO Jr, $2500; Kush Audio UBK Edition FATSO, $2799 (or modify your EL7 for $349) More from: Universal Audio, www.uaudio.com; Empirical Labs, www.empiricallabs.com; Kush Audio, www.Kushaudio.com; EL7 and UBK distributed by Wave Distribution, www.wavedistribution.com.

45


http://www.uaudio.com http://www.empiricallabs.com http://www.Kushaudio.com http://www.wavedistribution.com http://www.kiqproductions.com http://www.kiqproductions.com

Recording - May 2011

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

Recording - May 2011
Fade In
Contents
Talkback
Fast Forward
Phonic S16 Digital Mixer
Lift Your Voice
Chameleon Labs TS-1 MKII Mic
Melodyne In Action
Roland OCTA-CAPTURE
Comparing Auto-Tune and Melodyne editor: A Producer’s Perspective
Samson Meteor Mic
The FATSO Family
Reviewed and Revisited: Antares Auto-Tune 7
Readers’ Tapes
Lauten FC-357 Clarion Mic
It’s Your Music—Know Your Rights. Chapter 14: The Role Of The Producer —Part 2
Game Audio—Your Next Career Move?
sE Electronics Voodoo VR1 Ribbon Mic
Recording’s Bass Column
Advertiser Index
Fade Out
Recording - May 2011 - Recording - May 2011
Recording - May 2011 - Cover2
Recording - May 2011 - 1
Recording - May 2011 - 2
Recording - May 2011 - 3
Recording - May 2011 - Fade In
Recording - May 2011 - 5
Recording - May 2011 - Contents
Recording - May 2011 - 7
Recording - May 2011 - Talkback
Recording - May 2011 - 9
Recording - May 2011 - Fast Forward
Recording - May 2011 - 11
Recording - May 2011 - Phonic S16 Digital Mixer
Recording - May 2011 - 13
Recording - May 2011 - Lift Your Voice
Recording - May 2011 - 15
Recording - May 2011 - 16
Recording - May 2011 - 17
Recording - May 2011 - 18
Recording - May 2011 - 19
Recording - May 2011 - 20
Recording - May 2011 - 21
Recording - May 2011 - 22
Recording - May 2011 - 23
Recording - May 2011 - 24
Recording - May 2011 - 25
Recording - May 2011 - Chameleon Labs TS-1 MKII Mic
Recording - May 2011 - 27
Recording - May 2011 - Melodyne In Action
Recording - May 2011 - 29
Recording - May 2011 - 30
Recording - May 2011 - 31
Recording - May 2011 - 32
Recording - May 2011 - 33
Recording - May 2011 - 34
Recording - May 2011 - 35
Recording - May 2011 - Roland OCTA-CAPTURE
Recording - May 2011 - 37
Recording - May 2011 - Comparing Auto-Tune and Melodyne editor: A Producer’s Perspective
Recording - May 2011 - 39
Recording - May 2011 - Samson Meteor Mic
Recording - May 2011 - 41
Recording - May 2011 - The FATSO Family
Recording - May 2011 - 43
Recording - May 2011 - 44
Recording - May 2011 - 45
Recording - May 2011 - Reviewed and Revisited: Antares Auto-Tune 7
Recording - May 2011 - 47
Recording - May 2011 - Readers’ Tapes
Recording - May 2011 - 49
Recording - May 2011 - Lauten FC-357 Clarion Mic
Recording - May 2011 - 51
Recording - May 2011 - 52
Recording - May 2011 - 53
Recording - May 2011 - 54
Recording - May 2011 - 55
Recording - May 2011 - It’s Your Music—Know Your Rights. Chapter 14: The Role Of The Producer —Part 2
Recording - May 2011 - 57
Recording - May 2011 - Game Audio—Your Next Career Move?
Recording - May 2011 - 59
Recording - May 2011 - sE Electronics Voodoo VR1 Ribbon Mic
Recording - May 2011 - 61
Recording - May 2011 - Recording’s Bass Column
Recording - May 2011 - 63
Recording - May 2011 - 64
Recording - May 2011 - Advertiser Index
Recording - May 2011 - 66
Recording - May 2011 - 67
Recording - May 2011 - 68
Recording - May 2011 - 69
Recording - May 2011 - 70
Recording - May 2011 - 71
Recording - May 2011 - Fade Out
Recording - May 2011 - Cover3
Recording - May 2011 - Cover4
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