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Available for download, the EMPIRICAL LABS Arouser is a compressor that explicitly emulates the company's own venerated Distressor hardware. Empirical Labs modeled the highly versatile Distressor on a component basis to get this emulation to sound as close to the real thing as possible. However, they've gone further than the limits of the hardware unit to add features only available in this digital product.
These features include the ability to bypass any component of the plug-ins signal path, should you not need it. Another useful feature is the Expert Blend panel, which allows you to fine tune the output stages while dialing in parallel compression. Many engineers don't think a simple blend knob goes far enough-they'd rather tune the dry output and processed output levels indepdendently; this feature lets you do exactly that.
Dial in specific amounts of saturation with the Soft Clipping section. Modify the attack curve to allow more transients to pass through the compressor, thereby preserving the crack of a snare or the attack of a bass. With an Advanced Detector Sidechain EQ, you can tune the signal triggering compression, filtering out high, low, or midrange frequencies that activate the compression effect too quickly. Conversely, you can also boost frequencies in the sidechain detector to tie the clamping-down of the compressor to a particular frequency range. You can use this feature to turn the Arouser into a de-esser or de-harsher.
This plug-in is compatible with Mac and Windows operating systems. It will work in AU, VST, VST3, and AAX formats. So long as your computer meets the minimum OS requirements, it will also operate in VST formats. An iLok 2 or iLok 3, as well as a PACE iLok account, is required to operate the Arouser.