What makes a compressor become one of the most trusted pieces of gear in modern recording studios? In this episode of Bobby Owsinski's Inner Circle Podcast, Bobby talks with Dave Derr, founder of Empirical Labs and creator of the legendary Distressor.

Dave shares the story behind the Distressor’s development, including how early studio challenges, dead drum sounds, 1176 experiments, and real-world testing helped shape one of the most widely used analog compressors in music production. He also talks about the creation of Nuke mode, the thinking behind Brit mode, the evolution of the Distressor, and how products like FATSO, Mike-E, and Empirical Labs plugins fit into his design philosophy.

Along the way, Dave and Bobby get into analog saturation, transformer sound, plugin clones, trademarking knobs, Eventide, the Philadelphia music scene, favorite instruments to record, and why the 1980s may have been a peak era for audio quality.

Learn more about Dave Derr and Empirical Labs:
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Thank you for tuning in to Bobby Owsinski’s Inner Circle, the podcast that takes you deep inside the music industry. Each week, Bobby shares insights, news, analysis, and conversations with the movers and shakers shaping today’s music world.

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