Alright fellas. I've recently bought SKnote Disto, and I put to side by side with UAD Fatso Jr. I placed them on a bass track recorded directly into Apollo twin without any processing or edition at all, clean playing. The bass is a Cort Gene Simmons Punisher. The source files (48k, 24 bits) are here.

Shootout Results
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Sample 1: UAD Fatso Jr.
Sample 2: SKnote Disto
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Disclaimer 1: These plugins are incomparable. The fatso is a compressor and saturator on its own. The Jr. version emulated by Universal Audio, which I used for this blind test, is just the transformer saturation without the compressor. Fatso Sr. includes a compressor module. SKnote has indeed taken the concept one notch up by not emulating Fatso's compressor, but instead they added the Distressor to the mix. This is why the two plugins cannot be fairly put side by side. In fact, they have different controls. I bypassed the Distressor on the Disto and just used the saturation phase in order to level the field.

Disclaimer 2: These plugins can deliver brutal annihilation to a sound source. They are very flexible, and they do lots more than shown here. In fact, moving the knobs very little cause big changes. However, as I pushed them to their limits, the sonic differences between the two became more apparent, so I opted for a very subtle use, adding just a hair of grit and bottom end. the saturation also kind of compressed the bass a tad as well. Please, listen with high quality headphones or monitors. Otherwise, you might not feel the difference convincingly.

UAD Fatso: $300.00
SKnote Disto: $40.00

How do they fare? You voice it.

Unprocessed track:


Sample 1:


Sample 2:

 

Last edited: Jun 28, 2016

The saturation on Sample 01 is the kind I like to implement most of the time.. the kind that makes it less harsh and more comfortable on the ears of listeners. Sample 02 is more of the typical "add weight" approach. However, it would be more comparable if they were both driving the same frequencies.

 

Last edited: Jun 26, 2016

Yeah, agreed. However, that's not how it works. Ballistics (and their respective algorithms) on the two plugins are different. In part it must be the fact that bypassing the compressor in either plugin does not remove it completely. It may still be imparting some harmonic content the way the hardware would, so the same saturation module --even if modeled equally --would react differently to the audio material. The input stage deeply affects saturation. I must stress that these plugins are notoriously different from each other. I'm tempted to post a follow up to show such differences in different audio material. Maybe later. The point is that no one has put them side by side before (as far as Google can tell), and maybe it's the wrong approach. Anyway, @Cav Emp led me to be more curious about it, and this shootout is the result of my own findings. BTW, I don't own UAD Fatso. It's in demo mode. I wanted to see if the price difference was justified in sound quality. I have 5 more days to run tests. I don't want to bias this blind test. More later on.

 

Last edited: Jun 26, 2016

No native plugin to compare with uad fatso.... SKnote have some nice plugin but not the same level to empirical labs fatso or arousor..... This two plugin it's probably the best tools i have in this category... No other plugin sound like that....

 

Add this to your trial list:

http://www.acustica-audio.com/index...tegory_id=74&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=189

 

Theres a smoothness and overall glue to the mix in the 1st sample that is missing from the 2nd. The 2nd sample sounds a little harsher but with a bit more heft and weight to it. Personally, I prefer the 1st.

 

so which one is fatso and which one is disto?
plz answer before OP say the right answer..

 

If there were harmonic content coming from the compressor when bypassed.. it would bear some audible or at least a visible signal on it's own with no audio having to pass through. I doubt that would be the case whether the compressors were engaged or disengaged. I kept it simple in my initial reply because that's what it is. The saturation knobs are tailored/fixed on both of the plugins. It does not show details or provide total control over what content is being boosted in areas and perhaps cut in others while driving them. So it's simply a matter of taste and picking the flavor you like better rather than a performance or quality based comparison. I was pointing out that it's not a "strict" comparison based on saturation. Anyhow, it appears most prefer the flavor on Sample 01. I'll be sure to check back and see when you reveal which was which. Thanks for putting this up.

 

Last edited: Jun 26, 2016

It's impossible to make same parameter inside plugin itself harmonic content it's not the same so put knobs to similar level won't product same effect.so this kind of test mean nothing.. Sknote is a simulation of fatso, uad fatso sr is fatso with all dependancies content that's all nothing to compare

 

I preferred sample 2, BUT sounds like there's compression happening in sample 1 keeping the bass back a little. Sample 2 may be louder? I didnt check. Without regard to the contributing factors tho sample 2 sound meatier.

 

I went with Sample 1, but I thought the REAL test of a distortion plug-in was how it managed when pushed on or near to it's limit.

 

From the votes we can see Guitarmaniac chose sample 1.

I completely agree. I said so right from the start.

Yes, it's true. However, could you say that one of the samples is of lower quality? I know that until you hear them up to their limits you can't judge their quality, but I guess they're just different.

 

gee comparing the real fatso with the real distressor is like already a fail

so...

why bother

if you want to test stuff like this

maybe retry with the real distressor plugin...
http://www.empiricallabs.com/arousor.html

or just compare the one made by sknote and the the one made by Sci-fly wich are 2 plugins inspired by the distressor

David Derr don't sell out on his patent....so
this is more acurate to test only with the real or the derived ones...

Fasto is just not like any distressor

Sknote
http://www.sknoteaudio.com/wp/index...compression-warmth-transformers-with-midside/

Sly-Fi Digital (KUSH audio dude)
http://www.slyfidigital.com/#!Deflector/zoom/cy7t/i01ggc


And I personnaly like to see plugins as palette...like even a real 1176 hardware no one sounds the same

no channel strips sounds the same....

Use them to coulor...and add special character...know your gear in a mystical way

PeaceR

 

just lmk which was what. sample 1 was my preferred choice...

 

Yep. I know. I started this out admitting it was a fail. I wish I could lay my hands on the real hardware. I just put the things I own to test. Anyhow, most of us won't ever use hardware at all. If this test will yield useful for anyone considering a purchase, then my duty is accomplished.

 

Sample 1: UAD Fatso Jr.
Sample 2: SKnote Disto

I don't think one is better than the other. They are diffefent tools each with its own distinctive tone. I have to admit that the more I use the Fatso in my trial period, the more I like it. It has a boutique-quality-piece-of-gear flavor to it that I'm going to miss when my demo time expires. The question is,

Is it 7.5 times better than Disto? I don't think so.

Disto has a different tone to it. It sounds gritter, darker, more aggressive, and some some purposes that is exactly what's needed. Fatso is harder to drive to insanity. In contrast, it has a spark and depth that is hard to describe. I know this is all subjective and aural perception is hard to put in words. All I can say is that I'll have to save up until the end of year UAD sale. Fatso is definitely my next investment. As for Disto, I love it. It's a mad dog and it's going to give back a lot more than the 40 bucks I shelled out for it.

Peace.

 

That WAS NOT the point of my question the point is "No native plugin to compare with uad fatso" so if it is so good he should simply say which one is UAD right?
I really dont like this "Bla bla plugin is better superior bla bla" then they simply cant say which is which in a simply shootout..
I DONT own ANY of those plugins never tried them i voted for what i thought was best sounding of the two exampel and as i write this i really dont know the answer of which is which..(havent been here for some time and saw an alert in my account)
But i hope i vote for Disto..