[7] He spent twelve years playing in a band in Philadelphia after graduating, then worked as an electronics technician for a medical company.

[7] He left Eventide after nine years to work at his studio in Garfield, New Jersey and started designing the Distressor, being inspired to make his own compression unit after hearing how much his 1176 Peak Limiter and LA-2A Leveling Amplifier improved the sounds of his tracks.

[8] The unit initially sold poorly but gained traction after getting a positive review in Mix magazine and being used by the sound engineers George Massenburg and Mutt Lange.

[5][6] By 2003, Tape Op wrote that "[i]n many a studio the Empirical Labs Distressor is as much a common sight — and sound — as a guitar amp or coffee machine.

[12][13][14][15][16] The audio engineers Michael Brauer, Joe Chiccarelli, Fabian Marasciullo, and Robert Orton all use it in parallel on drums.