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
A. Alassane
January 31, 2024
très proche de hardware
très bon produit, je l’utilise carrément, sur tous mes mixage pour la voix même si à la base c’est pas fait pour cela spécialement mais y a pas de règle en mixage. comme...
Read MoreA. Agun
January 18, 2024
Great for parallel compression!
Love to use this on an aux to parallel to my drum bus! It’s first in my chain then it goes into an MV2. It gives my drums an extra amount of grit without adding too much voltage! I was...
Read MoreA. Agun
January 18, 2024
Great for parallel compression!
Love to use this on an aux to parallel to my drum bus! It’s first in my chain then it goes into an MV2. It gives my drums an extra amount of grit without adding too much voltage! I was...
Read MoreM. Evans
January 16, 2024
Very Impressed
What do you want me to say, your plugins sound great!!!
Read MoreD. Wylie
January 14, 2024
Displaced my previous 160 plug-in
Really happy with this. I tried it previously and stayed with another solution that has more options and tweaks. In the end though, I’ve settled on this based on the simplicity...
Read MoreR. Grimes
January 14, 2024
A Handy Option
I bought this on the same day as the Neve 1073 and the Distressor and I am quite impressed by all three and especially by the hardware characteristics of these 3 choices. The dbx160 won't...
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
A. Alassane
très proche de hardware
très bon produit, je l’utilise carrément, sur tous mes mixage pour la voix même si à la base c’est pas fait pour cela spécialement mais y a pas de règle en mixage. comme d’habitude, prix très abordable, Merci uad
A. Agun
Great for parallel compression!
Love to use this on an aux to parallel to my drum bus! It’s first in my chain then it goes into an MV2. It gives my drums an extra amount of grit without adding too much voltage! I was able to purchase this during the holiday sale
A. Agun
Great for parallel compression!
Love to use this on an aux to parallel to my drum bus! It’s first in my chain then it goes into an MV2. It gives my drums an extra amount of grit without adding too much voltage! I was able to purchase this during the holiday sale
M. Moreau
Très bon plugin !
J'ai tjrs adoré le Dbx 160 pour tout ce qui est basse j'adore son rendu. Par contre depuis l'arrivé de vos natives je suis forcé de constater que ceux de l'UAD on quelques soucis par exemple : à la souris c'est devenu un calvaire d'affiner les réglages... Les natives c'est bien mais ceux qui ont investies les plugin UAD avec des satelites faudrait ne pas les oublier car j'ai l'impression que c'est de pire en pire par chez vous !!!
M. Evans
Very Impressed
What do you want me to say, your plugins sound great!!!
D. Wylie
Displaced my previous 160 plug-in
Really happy with this. I tried it previously and stayed with another solution that has more options and tweaks. In the end though, I’ve settled on this based on the simplicity and, crucially , what it does sound wise. It gets the job done and I imagine how the hardware unit became beloved.
R. Grimes
A Handy Option
I bought this on the same day as the Neve 1073 and the Distressor and I am quite impressed by all three and especially by the hardware characteristics of these 3 choices. The dbx160 won't get as much use here as the other two, which absolutely and pleasantly surprised me in a BIG way with versatility and great color, but it's a useful, basic tool that has helped deliver the sounds of legends over the decades without a doubt and I have wanted a dbx160 plugin for a long time. I am glad that I waited and bought the UA version. UA has my favorite sounding plugins without question.
T. Jux
Classic must have...
...great for live drums
G. Rios
Professional singer 35 years
Expelente Plugin, for Kick, bass, drums and vocal.
I’m working for long time with the original dbx 160 on analog tape, on 1990. I recommend 100%光. 杉
Sounds good.
It has a sound that I want to listen to all the time.
J. Bru
Muy bueno
Me encanta como hace resaltar el bombo y la caja (tarola) en la mezcla.
C. Patrichi
Good compressor.
Sounds good.
h. Shin
more big
big ...big ... ing
M. Martínez García
Love it
Me encanta como suena en mis raps
C. Scroope
As advertised!!
Love it
B. Sanders
Easy. Very, very easy. My new favorite!
My drums have never sounded better.
J. Tillman
70’s punch and glue
Love it on bass and kick - really works well for mono drum bus as well. For an old school flavor, you just can’t beat it.
c. izquierdo
not expected so good!
I bought because it was in offer and it's one of my first option when I have to dedice between compressors. It's very easy to use and tight compressor for drums, synth bass. Nice one!
K. L
Super on Drums!
Awesome compressor, it became my to-go compressor for kick snare and toms!
C. Brown
All True
Everything you see in the reviews is true. Easy to use and a little special sauce for you mixes for sure.
