If you haven't got this then seriously consider it your next purchase. Consistently corrupts the delay compensation in my PT sessions. dbx addressed that in the 165, which has the switchable knee and is in general the Cadillac of the brand. It holds it in place really well without being intrusive.”, Mike Avenaim   Mix Engineer, Producer, Session Drummer, Music Director, “An instant classic sound for my drums. Perfect for snare and Kick. I worked in a studio in Glasgow years ago that had two of these classic compressors - it's so faithful to the way they reacted and sounded. Plug-in model of dbx 160; first solid-state VCA compressor 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. Its ability to blend in the mix enables you to use (and abuse!) Level matched and in overeasy mode, they sound exactly the same to me. To celebrate the release of the Waves dbx 160 compressor/limiter plugin, we’ve interviewed producer/engineer Val Garay to bring you his own dbx 160 story. Founded in 1971 by David E. Blackmer, the company’s most important inventions were the dbx voltage-controlled amplifier (VCA) and the dbx RMS detector. It's amazing on guitars, but also beautifully transparent on vocals. Modeled from desirable ‘non-monolithic’ original design, adding unique nonlinearities If you want some nice sounding smack in your snare (or some other drum) and that typical DBX sound just buy this plugin (or try it before you buy it). Softube VC160 (DBX 160 VU) Today was my fist experience with it. Pretty disappointed in UAD's lack of resolution to this issue after all of the money I've invested into using their hardware and software. Pretty amazing. It makes drums very ounchy. This UAD's version just SUPERB! I use the it probably not so much for compression, as I assume it was intended – but more as a distortion box! It is now my go-to compressor and a permanent member of my mixing toolkit.”, Mike Patton   Singer, Songwriter, Multi-Instrumentalist, Film Composer, Producer, Faith No More, Mr. Bungle, Tomahawk, Fantomas, “dbx 160 is a trusted squashing beast, great both in-chain and for crushing tracks after the fact. There are plenty of worthy compressors out there capable of acting as ‘mix glue’, but if you need to add attitude to a drum part or even to a whole mix, the Dbx 160 really comes into its own. Yes, just like the hardware - adds a lot of (analog) character. Classic dbx modular processors return in the new, industry-standard 500 series form factor. The dbx® 160A is a legendary dbx® 160 family of compressor/limiters. The dbx 160 Compressor/Limiter for UAD-2 hardware and Apollo interfaces is a fully licensed and faithful emulation of the legendary dbx 160 hardware compressor/limiter. It's attack character gets you that "THWACK" on snare drum that I just love. I just picked up a DBX 160A and ran a mono drum bus through it to compare against the UAD plugin. The buttons may be few but it just works!!! I'm thrilled that I can't hear a difference. This is such a good compressor for parallel vocal compression!! I dont really like waves but I might have to buy their version of this cause it had those features :/. The result is industry standard compressor/limiter which is digital-ready and road tough. Same colour, same magical reduction of that annoying "boing" sound guitars and drums can have, same perceived knee. For snare I’ll do the same but followed by the API 550A adding 4dB at 200 and 1.5kHz, and cutting 2dB at 10kHz.”. I've been looking for a decent plugin that has a good representation of this classic dBx that i used during those "Studer multi-tracks" days. 510 Subharmonic Synth 520 De-Esser 530 Parametric EQ 560A Compressor 580 Mic Preamp Same exact 'thwack' that this unit is famous for. Terms & conditions apply. I love to use it on bass guitars as it shapes the sound with warmth and depth and lets me position the bass perfectly in the mix, adding great color and character.”, Yamil Martínez   FOH, Studio Engineer, Producer, Alex Campos, Ana Gabriel, Ricky Martin, Tommy Torres, “The Waves dbx 160 plugin is even more useful than the original dbx 160 hardware compressor. the great coloration of the 160 while recovering the transients and getting complete clarity.”, XXXTentacion, Kanye West, Trippie Redd, Lil Wayne, “Try adding weight and warmth to kick using a parallel chain of dbx160 compressing the kick heavily, fed into the PuigTec EQP-1A adding a ton of 60Hz and attenuation everything at 3kHz. dbx addressed that in the 165, which has the switchable knee and is in general the Cadillac of the brand. You must have JavaScript enabled in your browser to utilize the functionality of this website. Besonders auf Drum-Tracks eignet sich der dbx 160 für eine effektive Kompression. Not to mention a solid go to compressor for Kick and Snare. 4. dbx 160/165. The Dbx 160 is often talked about as a drum compressor, and I have to admit that drums is what it does best, though it’s also worth trying on bass parts, electric guitar and even vocals. This version lives up to its legendary name. It’s great both in-chain or for crushing tracks after the fact. DBX 160A: Is the hardware worth over plug-ins? 1.2 dbx 160: The Orgnal Hardware dbx ® Inc. is an American manufacturer of professional audio recording equipment. Input/Output/Gain Change VU meter dbx’s David Blackmer is generally acknowledged as the “father” of modern VCA-based compressor designs (yes, that’s the same type of circuit found in analog synths, here applied to gain control in compression). I am old enough to remember that they were the standard compressor used in analogue outboard racks. Problem is I don't think its been updated in years and the UI is tiny, plus it needs a mix knob and a sidechain filter. The original dbx® 160 hardware unit is widely considered one of the best drum compressors ever due to its clean sound and low harmonic distortion. Waves DBX 160 Considered one of the best drum compressors ever, the original dbx 160 stands tall among its peers, boasting a very clean sound with minimum THD. Please enable JavaScript in your browser in order to make this website functional. I'm still digging my heels in on buying a UAD system, but I almost, so so so closely jumped in and got the set up because of the fact I wanted to be able to have things like the Ampex, Massive Passive, Shadow Hills Mastering Comp, and the emulation of the DBX 160 VU. dbx is a trademark of Harman International. The fast-acting dbx® 160 compressor was used in almost every major recording in the late ‘70s and throughout the ‘80s, and later models in the 160 series also became industry standards. If you want that “punch in your face” compression that’s popular in almost everything now, this is the plug!”, Take That, ELO, George Michael, Annie Lennox, “One of my favourite plugins is the dbx 160. I have a hardware version of this but lean on the plugin many times, as it is much more convenient.”, David Wrench   Mixing, Recording Engineer, Producer, “The dbx 160 is my first choice for bass. Love it especially on drums and percussion. Wish the GUI was bigger. Features. The dbx can be used on most things, but I use it mainly across the drums sub group, with roughly 50/50 mix, which tightens up the drum mix really well.”, TesseracT, Butcher Babies, Kobra & The Lotus, “dbx 160 is one of my main go-to plugins in almost every live situation. The buttons may be few but it just works!!! Everything dbx is vca. My favorite compressor, sounds amazing on a drum bus. This UAD's version just SUPERB! Founded in 1971 by David E. Blackmer, the company’s most important inventions were the dbx voltage-controlled amplifier (VCA) and the dbx RMS detector. Everything dbx is vca. I love that "straight-forward attitube" that comes thru! dbx® 160 Plugin Overview with Eddie Kramer, Mixing Drums with the dbx® 160 Compressor, After checkout you will receive an email to select your FREE plugin/s. And yes, the original 160 -- hard-knee -- is grabby as all get out. dbx 500 Series Processors. 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. Zusätzlich zu seiner akribischen Modellierung des Vintage-Kompressors enthält das Waves dbx® 160-Plugin einzigartige und exklusive Funktionen, die in der Originalhardware nicht zu finden sind, wie z. Unique character sound, this one is a MUST-HAVE original 160 -- hard-knee -- is grabby as all get.! 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