Empirical Labs manufactures professional audio signal processors for sound studios, live sound, broadcast, etc. worldwide.
The company was founded by Dave Derr in 1988, who also worked for Eventide i.a. along with colleagues who later started Soundtoys. In the beginning, Empirical Labs functioned partly as a studio and partly as a service company.
The first Empirical Labs product - Distressor - came on the market in 1996 after several years of development, testing and improvement. Since then, over 20.000 units have been sold, and Distressor has long since become a modern classic in the studio.
All Empirical Labs products are built in the USA and are calibrated and tested by hand.
The philosophy is to make products that are easier to use, work better and last longer than you normally expect. Empirical Labs does not manufacture new products every year to replace last year's model. Instead, the focus is on fewer and more durable products that can be serviced, updated and improved for many years into the future.