dbx® 160 Compressor / Limiter: VCA Compressor Plugin by Universal Audio

Universal Audio says the plugin captures the quirks of the original dbx 160, which is built on solid-state VCA compression. The developer describes its character as grabby and low-end focused, with the nonlinear behavior of the hardware included in the emulation.

The compressor is often applied to bass guitar, synths and drum buses. It can add fat compression texture, and it can also bring out a sharp, punchy attack on acoustic guitars and snare drums.

Beyond the original controls, the plugin adds a Dry/Wet mix knob for quick parallel compression, which is useful for pushing a drum bus without losing the transients of the dry signal. The Sidechain Filter reduces low-frequency pumping, so the compressor responds less to bass energy and keeps the low end steady.

The interface uses refreshed graphics and improved VU metering. The plugin runs on any audio interface, and no Universal Audio hardware is needed.