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Apollo
Native
dbx 160 Compressor / Limiter

dbx 160 Compressor / Limiter

4.8 (415)

Experience the quirky VCA compression of the vintage hardware.

  • 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

Runs natively on your macOS or Windows computer, or accelerated on Apollo audio interfaces or UAD Accelerators. View full system requirements.

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Experience the Quirky Character of the Vintage Hardware

The dbx 160 Compressor/Limiter plug-in is a fully licensed, faithful emulation of the legendary studio hardware, capturing the in-your-face sonics of its colorful VCA compression along with added controls for modern workflows.

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.

Get Timeless Character, Easily

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.

Level Up with 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.

Reviews

4.8
Rated 4.8 out of 5 stars
Based on 415 reviews
Total 5 star reviews: 359 Total 4 star reviews: 44 Total 3 star reviews: 8 Total 2 star reviews: 1 Total 1 star reviews: 3
97%would recommend this product
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415 reviews
  • CH
    Carlos H.
    Verified Buyer
    I recommend this product
    Rated 4 out of 5 stars
    4 hours ago
    Seems to be a good plugin but...

    I haven't used very much so far, but the presets for bass seem useless in my opinion, because they change the sound too much, the bass guitar gets too weak. However, I will have to experiment more apart from the prestes to say something properly.

    Was this helpful?
  • AG
    Artur G.
    Verified Buyer
    I recommend this product
    Rated 5 out of 5 stars
    Yesterday
    Another Flavor

    Definitely delivers this specific dbx 160 vibe.

    Was this helpful?
  • ZV
    zoran v.
    Verified Buyer
    I recommend this product
    Rated 5 out of 5 stars
    2 days ago
    dbx 160 is boss

    standard excellent product

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  • VL
    Vincent L.
    Verified Buyer
    I recommend this product
    Rated 5 out of 5 stars
    2 months ago
    Classic Punch and Control

    The UAD dbx 160 does exactly what you expect from a classic VCA compressor: fast, punchy, and musical. It’s excellent on drums, bass, and percussion, adding tight control while enhancing attack and presence. The interface is simple and intuitive, making it easy to dial in great results quickly without overthinking. Whether you need subtle dynamic control or aggressive punch, the UAD dbx 160 delivers that unmistakable dbx character and sits tracks in the mix with confidence.

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  • JO
    Jordan O.
    Verified Buyer
    I recommend this product
    Rated 5 out of 5 stars
    3 months ago
    Best dbx 160 emulation I have tried

    Title says it all. Blows the waves emulation out of the water.

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Frequently Asked Questions

No. These plug-ins run natively on your computer. No UA hardware is required.

Yes, 14-day plug-in demos are available. Find eligible plug‑ins

We provide three activations per license. We support activation on your computer or on an iLok USB key.

For every UAD plug-in that supports native and Apollo/UAD-2 versions, you get a license for both upon purchase, or the option to get it through an upgrade.

Native plug-ins are supported on macOS and Windows systems. See our Native UAD System Requirements article for full system requirements. An iLok account is required for managing your native plug-in licenses. We support iLok USB keys for portability, but one is not required.

Check our Knowledge Base for additional questions

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