UAD dbx® 160 Compressor / Limiter

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.

• 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

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.

UAD Spark, UA Connect and Native UAD Plug-Ins System Requirements

• macOS Catalina 10.15, Big Sur 11, Monterey 12, Ventura 13, or Sonoma 14
• Windows 10 or Windows 11 (64-bit editions)
• Intel, AMD or Apple silicon processor
• Internet connection to download software and authorize native UAD plug-ins
• Free iLok account with iLok Cloud or iLok USB (2nd generation or higher)
• Free UA Connect application for managing native UAD plug-ins
• A supported DAW compatible with VST, AU and AAX plug-in file formats. Supported DAWs are listed in this article.