dbx® 160 Compressor / Limiter
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Experience the quirky VCA compression of the vintage hardware.
The dbx 160 Compressor/Limiter plug-in is a fully licensed, faithful emulation of the legendary studio hardware, capturing the quirky sonics of its colorful VCA compression along with added controls for modern workflows.
Included Versions
UAD Native
Runs on your Mac or PC without UA hardware.Apollo Realtime & UAD‑2
Runs accelerated on Apollo interfaces and UAD‑2 hardware.UAD Native plug-ins run on both macOS 10.15 Catalina or newer and Windows 10 and 11. Go to our UA Support page for system requirements.
- Add a unique voice and flavor to your compressor toolkit with the first solid-state VCA compressor ever made
- Harness fat compression textures on bass guitar, drum buses, synths, and more
- Give acoustic guitars and snare drums in-your-face “thwack”
- Create with Dry/Wet mix control for quick parallel compression and Sidechain Filter for reduced low-frequency pumping
TAKE A LISTEN
Add Versatile VCA Compression to your Tracks
Whether you’re using it on synths, bass guitar, or a drum bus, the dbx 160 plug-in emulates the original hardware’s grabby, low-end glue and old-school character, full of the same unique nonlinearities that make it a must-have for any engineer’s compressor toolkit.
Simple to Use, Timeless Character
With the same simple control set and at-a-glance metering of the original, the dbx 160 plug-in makes it easy to crush a parallel drum bus, or inject subtle fatness. It can also add aggressiveness and impact to everything from guitar power chords to a hip-hop vocal.
Leveled Up for Modern Workflows
Along with graphic enhancements and improved VU metering, the dbx 160 plug‑in’s Dry/Wet Mix control lets you easily punch up a drum bus with parallel compression, while the added Sidechain Filter lets you keep the low end tight, enhancing the compressor's impact.
5-Minute UAD Tip
In this video, learn how to add parallel compression to drums, even out a bass performance, and bring presence to acoustic guitars with the dbx 160 Compressor/Limiter.
Customer Reviews
Y. Blanche-Barbat
June 12, 2021
Unique sound
J'adore la couleur et le punch que donne ce compresseur.ça simplicité d'utilisation en fait un atout principale pour moi.Je possède une large collection de compresseur de différente...
Read MoreM. Kosacek
May 11, 2021
Thanks for adding the Mix control
I know this is a duplicate (I reviewed it 4+ years ago) but I said I would give 5 stars if you added the mix control - well thanks (even if 4+ years later). you did it. It is now...
Read MoreR. Walsh
May 4, 2021
Adds Thump
Nothing is as important in pop and rock mixes as the kick and bass working together to drive the beat. The DBX works so often to make this really happen. Nothing is right a hundred percent...
Read MoreR. Walsh
May 4, 2021
Adds Thump
Nothing is as important in pop and rock mixes as the kick and bass working together to drive the beat. The DBX works so often to make this really happen. Nothing is right a hundred percent...
Read MoreJ. Kelly
April 11, 2021
give your bass buss gandalf powers!!!
when I slapped it on my synth bass buss, and played with the knobs to find the sweet spot (easy to use), it gave it a more analog sound, brought it to the center better with more presence...
Read More -
Key Features
Add a unique voice and flavor to your compressor toolkit with the first solid-state VCA compressor ever made
Harness fat compression textures on bass guitar, drum buses, synths, and more
Give acoustic guitars and snare drums in-your-face “thwack”
Create with Dry/Wet mix control for quick parallel compression and Sidechain Filter for reduced low-frequency pumping
Use with any audio interface, no UA hardware required
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Customer Reviews
dbx® 160 Compressor / Limiter
Y. Blanche-Barbat
Unique sound
J'adore la couleur et le punch que donne ce compresseur.ça simplicité d'utilisation en fait un atout principale pour moi.Je possède une large collection de compresseur de différente manufacture, mais le dbx 160 me donne le résultat de compression que je rechercherchais depuis longtemps en ajoutant des transient designer après mon compresseur.Cependant en augmentant le threshold je trouve qu'on gagne certe en attack sur les éléments de drum mais les basses fréquences sont réduites en parallèle. Je m'en sers sur mon drumbuss en insert parceque j'aime vraiment comment il colore mes drum mais je pense que s'en servir en aux pour faire une compression parallèle,et faire un blend de la batterie dry + la batterie compréssé est une plus juste utilisation
M. Kosacek
Thanks for adding the Mix control
I know this is a duplicate (I reviewed it 4+ years ago) but I said I would give 5 stars if you added the mix control - well thanks (even if 4+ years later). you did it. It is now officially the best DBX 160 plugin ever!
R. Walsh
Adds Thump
Nothing is as important in pop and rock mixes as the kick and bass working together to drive the beat. The DBX works so often to make this really happen. Nothing is right a hundred percent of the time. I still start with the 160 on my kick and bass then go from there. You will be right much more often than wrong. It can also smash a acoustic so it can be pulled to the front of a mix. While I am sure it has dozens of other things it does well. However, the three I listed make the DBX 160 a must have.
R. Walsh
Adds Thump
Nothing is as important in pop and rock mixes as the kick and bass working together to drive the beat. The DBX works so often to make this really happen. Nothing is right a hundred percent of the time. I still start with the 160 on my kick and bass then go from there. You will be right much more often than wrong. It can also smash a acoustic so it can be pulled to the front of a mix. While I am sure it has dozens of other things it does well. However, the three I listed make the DBX 160 a must have.
t. yamane
짱입니다
제가 가장 좋아하는 컴프레서에요
J. Kelly
give your bass buss gandalf powers!!!
when I slapped it on my synth bass buss, and played with the knobs to find the sweet spot (easy to use), it gave it a more analog sound, brought it to the center better with more presence and punch! I was so inspired I was up til 6am...went to my day job an hour later, large cup of coffee in hand...
I. Sumenkov
Please add a Mix Knob!!!
Please add a Mix Knob!!!
D. Cope
Give your Drums the DBX 160 treatment
If you want to get that classic DBX 160 sound, you need either a DBX 160 or this plugin ! I use to give drums some punch on my drum buss or to smash the drums in a parallel compression set up.
R. Pressman
Great recreation
Looks and sounds like the real thing. Gets nice and hairy when you want it to.
F. WIOROWSKI
For snare, kicks, acoustic guitar : a must have
Unbelievable how it manages snares and kick, nothing compare. In this application my hardware DBX 160 SL doesn' t do a better job. It' s present in almost all of my sessions, and it' s for sure in the top 10 of uad plugins
J. Plichta
almost the same as hardware
I own hardware unit for mono parallel Kick-Snare compression, but one never not enough therefore i bought plugin version.
F. Sparagna
Sounds like the original, but you need glasses when using it.
Sounds gorgeus, but these plugins needs updates. In a 4k monitor is barely usable...
D. Perini
160 Compressor
Suona come l'originale. Molto bello.
b. zucchetti
Excellent as the original hardware and everything of UAudio !
Legendary.... Must to have ! The story of the compression..
A great big portable studio in my Mac !
By the time and waiting the right promotion i will buy everything of UAudio!J. Geary
5/5 SOUND 2/5 UX
The 160 is a pretty extreme unit. Just about every plugin company under the sun has their take on it but just due to the nature of how much work its doing they all sound thin and digital. This is the only 160 plugin that consistently benefits sounds
Ive rated 3 stars as the gui is beyond tiny and with a unit that by nature is so touchy dialing in the right settings often becomes a pain. Please UA, give this guy the same treatment as the 3A by overhauling the gui and adding in a mix and headroom knob.P. Spina
DBX 160
Love it on kicks and bass guitar. Also great if you need to add 'smack' to snare drums
s. Ha
nice work~!!
good~!
n. sunderland
Dbx 160
This is a easy compressor to use just wish it would sit larger on screen
M. Bentel
Versatile and unique
I Find it adds something different and unique to my Bass and Drums.Still learning all its abilities but liking it a lot already !
J. Dolan
Love for 160 !
Great emu, very near from real product !
