“The Arousor is a compressor plugin without equal! Instantly exciting and instantly musical. There’s no turning back!” – Greg Wells
The Arousor is the only classic knee compressor plugin made by the creators of the Distressor, Empirical Labs. It’s been well over 20 years since Empirical Labs released its first compressor, the Distressor. From those early days on, Empirical Labs has been bombarded with requests for a great compressor plugin for those working in the box… and it had to be one with the creamy sound and ease-of-use of our own award winning hardware compressors. We are sure you will find the 20+ year wait worth it!
Features
Attack Modification
Fine tune the attack curve of the compression envelope with AtMod. The attack modification knob slows down the initial slope of the attack envelope to add just a little bit more of the transient back into the track. Whether it’s to get a little bit more snap on the snare track or more thump on the electric bass, the AtMod will let the transients through without losing your desired amount of compression.
Colorful Saturation
Advanced Detector Sidechain
Dial in exactly where you want the compression to trigger with 2 bands of sidechain EQ. This advanced detector sidechain EQ expands both of the preset detection filter circuits on the Distressor into a controllable hi-pass and parametric sidechain. Control the exact point on the frequency spectrum where you want compression to be triggered without losing any low-end.
Rivet Mode
Get maximum gain reduction with the Rivet mode along with all of the ratios you know and love from the Distressor. Modeled after the Distressor’s Nuke Ratio, Rivet provides the steepest compression ratio a compressor plugin can provide to slam room mics and more.
AROUSOR LT INCLUDED
As of 6/29/2022, all purchases of Arousor include the Arousor LT.
What's New in Rev 3
- Two OPTO Modes based on the time constants of a classic and a modern LA2A
- Soft Clipper Expert Panel that allows for introducing more second harmonic distortion and the ability to place the compressor input before or after the soft clipper circuit.
- Detector Sidechain EQ now includes a listen mode to hear what frequencies are affecting the compression detector.
- Two new ratios (6.5:1 and 7:1) can now be accessed by enabling “ALT” mode in the ratio section.
- The GUI can now be enlarged to double its original size for more comfortable editing.
- iLok Cloud activation is now available rather than just iLok USB activation.
Testimonials
Own It
Buy the Arousor on our store.
• When you purchase the Arousor from our online store you get 1 license with 2 activations when you redeem your activation code.
• Get free upgrades and support.
• Activate the Arousor to an iLok USB or iLok Cloud.
• Includes Arousor LT license in a Locked Group (as of 6/29/2022).
$199.00
Subscribe
Pay Monthly or Annually.
• $4.99/month or $49.99/year
• Get access to AROUSOR at a low monthly price!
• Includes AROUSOR LT
• iLok USB or iLok Cloud Required
$4.99/month or $49.99/year
Rent-to-Own
Pay Monthly towards a Perpetual License
• $9.95/month, 20 Payments
• Pause or Cancel at any time
• Includes AROUSOR LT
• iLok USB or iLok Cloud Required
$9.95/month for 20 months
Hear the Difference
↳ Drums - Dry
↳ Drums - Default Preset (5-8 dB Gain Reduction)
↳ Drums - PUMMELED KIK SN Preset (10-15 dB Gain Reduction)
↳ Drums - RIVET EXTREME Preset (20 dB Gain Reduction)
↳ Drums - RIVET EXTREME Preset (Blend set to 2)
↳ Drums - Only Saturation (Soft Clipper set to 8)
Videos
FAQs
Do I need an iLok USB to use the Arousor?
Not anymore! Now, you can activate the Arousor to iLok Cloud!
How do I upgrade to Arousor Rev 3?
Arousor Rev 3 is free for all current Arousor users. All you have to do is download the latest installer from the downloads page.
Is the Arousor an emulation of the Distressor?
Yes and no. The Arousor is more of an evolution of the Distressor than it is an emulation because it has much more advanced features like the AtMod and the Soft Clipper.
User Reviews
244 reviews for AROUSOR
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Mike Crossey –
The Arouser sounds amazing and offers a character that I have been unable to achieve in the box until now.
Congratulations on creating a wonderful new product.
Francesco Miniati –
So very beautiful! I bought the plugin with the hardware and it is he !!!! Really him !!! I’m not talking about adjusting knobs, I hear “Distressor” in the box with this plugin. Finally. Same sound, no imitations or approximations! Lovely!
Nick –
I’ve always wanted to buy an ELI Distressor, but the cost was a bit prohibitive, And, as I now work primarily “in-the-box”, the hardware version has become less of a priority.
Along comes Arousor, the plugin Distressor!
So, instead of scrimping and saving for just one piece of hardware, I can now load as many instances as my CPU can stand, at a FRACTION of the price!
The best part is… it sounds GREAT! So useful on a multitude of sources.
Highly recommended.
Tine Janzek –
One of the best sounding and versatile compressors I’ve ever experienced. It can range from very fast and punchy to mellow, from invisible to crushing and pumpy. I love it.
John Freyermuth –
I love the Arousor! It is versatile and is really a wonderful Swiss army knife compressor. I love the addition of the attack mode and the ability to shape the signal the detection circuits sees. Great tool!