in the 4th rack space you can see a disstressor rack unit

Tommy Lee has two of these and uses them for vocals, snare and occasionally room recording.

In this photo from Thomas' Instagram, there are two Distressors in the center of the shot. The screws are to the right of the white border, which is indicative of the original EL8 model as opposed to the EL8X.

Oliver Ackermann uses the Empirical Labs EL8 Distressor. In a 2012 interview with the Russian website Look At Me, he remarked: "Empirical Labs Distressor EL-8/M Single Channel—the inventor of this device is a genius! A very cool analog compressor/limiter with digital control. To explain its operation, we need to trace the etymology of the name—DISTortion and compRESSOR."

Part of Q-Tip's 2008 inventory, as listed in his January 2008 Remix interview. Transcripts can be found at the Future Producers forums (linked) and this Prince.org forum.

Empirical Labs EL-8 Distressors

"As you would expect, the studio contains some of the finest processors in the world, including an SPL Transient Designer, two Empirical Labs Distressors, an Audio & Design F760XRS compressor/limiter/expander, a Focusrite Platinum Compounder, a Drawmer LX20 dual expander/compressor and two DS201 dual gates, Fairman and Smart Research C2 compressors, a Mutronics Mutator filter bank, an Electrix Filter Factory, a Teletronix LA2A compressor, a Massenburg Model 8000 EQ, a Tubetech LCA2B compressor, a Drawmer 1960 valve compressor/preamp, a Focusrite Red 7 mic preamp/dynamics processor, and a Joemeek stereo compressor."

"A Distressor compressor is probably my favorite compressor just because it's so versatile. And the amount of sweet distortion that you can get with it. It's one of the most modern pieces of gear that I've picked up and was like 'OK, this is great someone added on to the legacy of gear.'"

In an Instagram post, 12th Planet showcases the Empirical Labs EL8 Distressor as part of his studio setup while working on his signal flow.

Used on Icky Thump, as stated by recording and mixing engineer Joe Chiccarelli in this October 2007 Sound on Sound interview.

“As far as compression is concerned, I applied a couple of drum submix compressors, probably API 2500 and Chandler Zener. On other songs I also sometimes used the SPL Transient Designer and sometimes an [Empirical Labs] Distressor. I set the API to fast attack and fast release, to get a bit of a pop to the snare, and blended that back in with the original. The Chandler has more of a round, warm, vintage sound. I set it to heavy limiting with a fast release, and blended that in to give the drums more character. I would say that the compressors were used on this album to make a statement, so I wasn’t shy of using extreme settings. I also may have sent the snare via loudspeakers to Studio A’s live room and blended that in to give more ambience.”

seen on the rack to the right of the desk

Used to submix the snare drum on Only by the Night, as stated by producer Jacques King in this December 2008 Sound on Sound interview.

"The snare was recorded in similar fashion to the kick. I had the option of various mics that all went through a BCM10 and were submixed, through a GML 580 EQ, then a [Empirical Labs] Distressor, just to give it some control and make sure the snare hit the tape at the right level. On the track sheet a transformerless Shure SM57 is indicated. It was something I read about a couple of years ago, and it's a really good thing. It gives a nicer, more transparent, usable sound that requires less EQ. You lose a bit of level, but typically the things that you record with a 57 are so loud anyway that it doesn't matter. So I asked the people at Blackbird to take the transformer out of one of their 57s and they were gracious enough to do this. After recording I also ran the snare and kick through an Eventide DSP4000 on a Big Muff setting, and recorded that in Pro Tools during the transfer to the computer."

Standard EL8s are visible in this photo of Blackbird Studios' Studio D's outboard gear rack and this photo of most of the gear used on "Sex on Fire" (both from the same interview), as opposed to the EL8X.

In this Instagram video, Angger's camera pulls away from his computer screen to the right, revealing an EL8 Distressor compressor processing the mix.