UAD Powered Plug-Ins Manual
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Chapter 16: dbx 160 Compressor/Limiter
CHAPTER 16
dbx 160 Compressor/Limiter
Overview
The dbx® 160 Compressor/Limiter is an officially licensed and faithful emu-
lation of the legendary dbx 160 hardware compressor/limiter — still widely
considered the best VCA compressor ever made. Originally designed and
sold by David Blackmer in 1971, this solid-state design set the standard for
performance and affordability. The dbx 160 (commonly referred to as the
“VU”) is a highly regarded studio staple, famous for its simple control set and
firm, distinct compression characteristics. Unlike later monolithic IC units, the
“VU” uses a series of discrete components for gain reduction resulting in
unique nonlinearities not found in other VCA compressors — a sonic distinc-
tion from later models. The UAD Powered Plug-In version of the dbx 160 cap-
tures all of the sonic nuances from our “golden” modeling unit, plus the simple
control set of the original hardware, including Threshold, Compression (Ratio)
and Output Gain. Just like with the hardware, LED threshold indicators are
provided in the plug-in, as well the Input/Output/Gain Change VU meter for
which the unit is famous.
dbx 160 Screenshot
Figure 69. The dbx 160 plug-in window
