There's a problem loading this menu right now. Excellent solid product. I use it for rap vocals mainly. We were both commenting on how well constructed the units are, how the controls felt firm, with a nice bit of smooth resistance, and how great they sounded. In fact, the only time I ever used an original 160, it was on a room mic for drums with a fair amount of "smash" dialed in, in the same manner I use the Nuke setting on a Distressor. I was right. When you need a dynamics processor you can turn to in any tracking, mixing, or live sound situation, check out the dbx 560A compressor/limiter 500 series module. And finally, there's a bypass button with a corresponding LED. Why? On guitars and bass there is a subtle thickening of tone in the low mids which is very welcome, while on kick and snare the 560A can do subtle or dramatic dynamic work on your signals while imparting a satisfying thud to drum sounds. I did get a little more extreme when I patched a pair of 560A modules into an aux bus and blew up a drum loop using parallel compression, and then mixed the result with live-tracked drums. Prime members enjoy FREE Delivery and exclusive access to music, movies, TV shows, original audio series, and Kindle books. Make sure your AD converters are good, b/c this thing can really clip an AD if you push it too hard. I have the 1u rack version. I like the form-factor and the cost-savings. The dbx 560A Compressor/Limiter offers legendary VCA-based compression in the increasingly popular 500 Series format. As previously mentioned, it can perform smooth gain-reduction in OverEasy mode, as well as offer audible compression effects in more extreme settings. I use the meters as a visual metronome as well. For nip-and-tuck applications especially, it's a no-brainer. In my living room studio, I mix on a Sony DMX-R100 digital console feeding my 24-bit Alesis Masterlink via a digital link. Really happy with the 560a, I have it linked to an Avedis MD7 preamp and run the pre along side this compressor to track bass. The dbx 560A Compressor/Limiter offers legendary VCA-based compression in the increasingly popular 500 Series format. Therefore, I don't have much of a need for an analog mixdown processor.... Germany-based Vertigo Sound's first product to market is the VSC-2 Quad Discrete Compressor. I’ve recorded guitars and drums with it and it does the job really well. You need one of these in your life. The price really allows you to fill your rack up with outboard compression, which is great if you're tired of mixing with plugins. The venerable dbx 160A is a compressor you see frequently in studios — home and pro alike. I won't go into detail about it sounding "warm" as that s*** is subjective. I recently had a great time trying out a couple... Jim Williams has spent much of his 56 years working with some of the biggest names in the music business, including Frank Zappa, John McLaughlin and Stevie Wonder. Threshold ranges from −40 to +20 dBu. I have owned a 160A for many years, and it has never given me trouble. Output gain goes up to +20 dB but drops further down to −30 dB (as opposed to the 160A's −20 dB minimum). I’m impressed with how effective DBX products have been in work workflow chain. In general, I preferred the 560A for compressing and leveling instruments at low ratios, and I could use ten more units for this very purpose. I would highly recommend the 560A (or the 160A) as a great first compressor. It is neither completely transparent, nor overly colored. To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Perfectly present and quiet. A truly high quality compressor for a decent price, Reviewed in the United States on April 6, 2018. Disabling it will result in some disabled or missing features. It's super easy to use, and it's flexible enough to perform relatively unnoticed gain-reduction, or extremely colored slamming. The knobs are in the familiar color scheme of red, blue, and green; and the 19-segment LED level meter is parallel to the 12-segment gain-reduction meter, just like on the 160A. I use it on almost every recording in some way, typically on guitar or snare drum. I will admit that some modules that claim to mimic the qualities and performance of their rackmount counterparts simply do not live up to the hype. dbx : 560A 500-series Compressor The venerable dbx 160A is a compressor you see frequently in studios — home and pro alike. For its flexibility, sound, price, and longevity, the dbx 560A is a real winner. Great Compressor, classic sound in 500 series version, Reviewed in the United States on February 24, 2017, Great Compressor, classic sound in 500 series version, sounds good as the original rack version, Reviewed in the United States on May 18, 2017, Reviewed in the United States on May 17, 2016. dbx 560A Compressor/Limiter 500 Series Module at a Glance: This VCA compressor used a feed-forward design, and it provided clean gain-reduction, without excessive distortion or oscillation. It's super easy to use, and it's flexible enough to perform relatively unnoticed gain-reduction, or extremely colored slamming. Reviewed in the United States on July 1, 2020. I was most interested in the dbx 560A, which the company described as having the same compression characteristics as the rackmount 160A, including the dbx trademark OverEasy curve. I normally don't skimp on studio equipment but i've got a damn good pre so I thought maybe this 160 clone would do just fine. It also analyzes reviews to verify trustworthiness. Your recently viewed items and featured recommendations, Select the department you want to search in. Over the past few years, I have become a bit of a 500-series junkie. It sounded great, proving that the 560A is far from a one-trick pony. Burl Audio, under the direction of owner/designer Rich Williams, has developed some of the best new recording equipment over the last eight years. Vocals sent through the dbx come out the other end both tonally unmolested and nicely controlled. It's very transparent and does its job very well. The metering is clear and easy to understand. A wonderful product! I've had this in my studio for a few months now but didn't have much chance to use it until recently. How does it sound? Not long after receiving the 560A pair, I was on a call with John Baccigaluppi, who had received a pair of the new dbx 530 parametric EQ modules for review. Old habits die hard. I liked the 560A on both acoustic and electric guitars, and I would say that it gave a slight midrange bump that translated as fatness and glow. ...you can get a good sound you will be happy with. I used it on bass with good results, although I am partial to some compressors in my rack for certain tasks such as bass and vocals, so I struggle to go anywhere else. The Rockruepel comp.two, designed and hand-built by Oliver Gregor in Germany, is the successor to the comp.one [Tape Op #86], released in 2011. I'll begin this review with a confession; in over two decades of mixing albums I've rarely mixed through a bus compressor. On snare and toms, its program-dependent attack and release could be just the right thing for a groove, and the extra bit of tone the unit imparts can add girth to a signal. The 560A is less than $200. Lack of any audible distortion. It sounds great on a variety of sources, and it's a snap to use. Remember the first time you used an Eventide H3000? 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