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  • Overview
  • Features
  • Customer Reviews
  • 4.8/5
    (450)
Try it Free
$199.00

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

Want to Try It?

Use this plug-in free for 14 days and find out if it's right for you.

Try it free

TAKE A LISTEN

Add Versatile VCA Compression to your Tracks

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

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

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
5-Minute UAD Tip

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.

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



Customer Reviews

dbx® 160 Compressor / Limiter

Overall Rating

4.8/5
(450)

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 d’habitude, prix très abordable, Merci uad

A. 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 able to purchase this during the holiday sale

A. 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 able to purchase this during the holiday sale

M. Moreau

January 16, 2024

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

January 16, 2024

Very Impressed

What do you want me to say, your plugins sound great!!!

D. 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 and, crucially , what it does sound wise. It gets the job done and I imagine how the hardware unit became beloved.

R. 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 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

January 11, 2024

Classic must have...

...great for live drums

G. Rios

January 9, 2024

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

January 8, 2024

Sounds good.

It has a sound that I want to listen to all the time.

J. Bru

January 3, 2024

Muy bueno

Me encanta como hace resaltar el bombo y la caja (tarola) en la mezcla.

C. Patrichi

December 22, 2023

Good compressor.

Sounds good.

h. Shin

December 21, 2023

more big

big ...big ... ing

M. Martínez García

December 20, 2023

Love it

Me encanta como suena en mis raps

C. Scroope

December 19, 2023

As advertised!!

Love it

B. Sanders

December 17, 2023

Easy. Very, very easy. My new favorite!

My drums have never sounded better.

J. Tillman

December 14, 2023

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

December 6, 2023

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

November 24, 2023

Super on Drums!

Awesome compressor, it became my to-go compressor for kick snare and toms!

C. Brown

November 13, 2023

All True

Everything you see in the reviews is true. Easy to use and a little special sauce for you mixes for sure.