Dbx 160 vu history book

It was superceded by the 160xt which added xlr connectors. Since its introduction in the mid 1970s, the dbx 160 series has been the worlds most popular line of audio compressors. After the classic 160 which is still used daily in many world class studios, came the 165, the 160x, and the 160xt. The dbx 160s stereo compressor is suitable for all applications because of its ability to be manually set at both attack and release parameters. True power summing when two 160a units are slaved together, the rms energy of the signal presented to the slave unit is summed with the rms energy of the signal presented to the master unit to prevent phase cancellation of the two. Thanks to its hard knee compression curvethat comes from its vca design,the 160. The original dbx 160 comes either as a single channel compressorlimiter, or as two paired together. Buy dbx 160a professional audio compressorlimiter dynamic processor. The original dbx 160a is a compressor standard in studios around the world, and now you can pack that. The 160xxt were the models that truly became the industry standard. We service many but not all vintage dbx pro audio models including the 160 sometimes called the 160 vu, 161, 162, 165, 165a, 160s, and 160sl. I find the 160 to be somewhat harsh on lead vocals, but if.

The 160x is probably the bestknown of the classic dbx 160 compressors. The 161 is the same as the 160 but with unbalanced rca jacks instead of the 160 s terminal strips and transformerbalanced output. It is an analog piece of gear, with the 160 now coming in a variety of new models. Blackmer, the companys most important inventions were the dbx voltagecontrolled amplifier vca and the dbx rms detector. After the classic 160 which is still used daily in many world class studios, came the 165, the 160x and the 160xt. Find great deals on ebay for dbx 160a and dbx 160x. Its early products were based on the concept of using decibel expansion which. Dbx company news newspapers books scholar jstor november 2015 learn. In addition to having the auto attack and release as well as the hard knee threshold characteristics of the classic dbx 160, the 160sl now offers autovelocity manual mode, in addition to our classic.

But on an acoustic guitar, a voice i love, has set up is fast, efficient, and. The feedforward gain reduction allowed infinite compression without excessive distortion or oscillation. True power summing when two 160a units are slaved together, the rms energy of the signal presented to the slave. Sometimes the 160 with no suffix is unofficially called the 160 vu because of its large vu meter, and to distinguish it from the newer ones. A pro noise reduction card was the dbx k9, designed to fit into the pro dolbya a361 frames, which were already in wide use in pro studios of the time, to reduce noise in reeltoreel tape recordings. The same classic sound, easy setup and no compromise metering is now married to an improved signal path and stronger chassis design. The result is industry standard compressorlimiter which is digitalready and road tough. To get closer to the realism of a live performance. Jan 18, 2002 ive got four dbx 160 comps and two 160xs as well and use them all the time. In the studio, the 160a can be used on everything from vocals to percussion.

The dbx 160 series of compressorlimiters is at the forefront of compressor technology the logical choice for recording studios, broadcasters and sound contractors who want the most natural sound available today. Amazing on kick, snare, bass guitars, with just the right attackrelease. Audio recording studio history the guide to recording studio history and. Not for the fainthearted, i always suspected that this halfrack, 2u machine was compressing far more than the meter indicated. The solidstate 160 sometimes referred to as the 160 vu in.

I own a pair vintage 160vu and these hold there own. The 162 was a stereo version of the 160, and the 165 was a 160 with more controls over the compression. In addition to its meticulous modeling of the vintage compressor, the waves dbx 160 plugin incorporates unique and exclusive features not found in the original hardware, such as. The dbx 160 compressorlimiter is an emulationof the legendary dbx 160 hardware compressorlimiter,which is still widely considered to bethe best vca compressor ever made. Top 20 best compressors of all time attack magazine. Specializing in design and installation of traffic signals, street lighting, and runway lighting, dbx quickly became a successful and reliable contracting business in southern california. That said, the new 160 s are great too, but as someone whos used 160 vu s a lot, and 160as a lot, and 160xts a lot, the 160vu wins hands down.

Despite being both smaller and lighter, this new compressor yields little in performance to dbxs flagship 160sl. The dbx 160 vu compressor is a perennial favorite among recording engineers for its classic soft kneesmooth compression sound and ease. Designed by engineer david blackmer in the early 1970s, the dbx 160 series of compressors have enjoyed continued popularity, especially when working with drums, because their tight and assertive character helps make things sound big and punchy. First introduced in 1976, many of these units are still around, but due to their age they usually need some work done to make them sound their best. Originally introduced in the 1970s, the dbx 160 and its subsequent variants have proven hugely popular over the years and still take pride of place in a great many professional and home studio setups to this day. If any of the links above result in strange characters in your browser, please rightclick. The one that ive used is the model that came as two in one rack mountable casing. Servicing of the dbx 160 vu the dbx 160 vu compressor is a perennial favorite among recording engineers for its classic soft kneesmooth compression sound and ease of operation. Dbx 160xt compressor limiter rack unit in excellent conditionpro studio. Dbx incorporated was established in 1964 by jim r perry as an electrical contracting company. Waves officially releases the dbx 160, a new compressor limiter vst plugin.

The dbx 160a is a mono compressor limiter that takes the legendary 160 platform and cleans up the signal path and ports it over to a sturdier rackmount chassis. A 160a unit cannot be strapped with a dbx 160xt, 160x, 160, 161 or 162 unit. If any of the links above result in strange characters in your browser, please rightclick the file to save it to your computer. The original 160 was a halfwidth 2u box and the 160x was the first of the 1u dbx rack compressors. In the plugin world, models are offered by universal audio, nis vc 160 and stillwells major tom. Created in collaboration with dbx, the waves dbx 160 compressor limiter plugin is an authenticsounding software version of this storied piece of hardware. In addition to its meticulous modeling of the vintage compressor, the waves dbx 160 plugin incorporates unique and exclusive features not found in the original hardware, such as waves ms matrix, mix and noise controls, and a stereo component. Blackmer founder of dbx it quickly became a must have for studio engineers of the time. The modern 160 s all rely on an ic chip that based on the original discrete vca thats in the original 160. The 160sl combines the best features of all the great dbx compressors, past and present, and gives you more versatile performance than ever before. Its a great time to upgrade your home music studio gear with the largest selection at.

Ive always been curious as to what the inside looks like. Classic white vu 160 compressors with xlr pigtails. Proofofpurchase is considered to be the burden of the con sumer. Developed in association with dbx, dbx 160 compressor plugin features meticulous modeling of the original and is suitable for both live and studio use. Ive got four dbx 160 comps and two 160xs as well and use them all the time. Dbx 160a for bass discussion in effects bg started by jacobrownoly, feb 22, 2011. The result is industry standard compressorlimiter which. The front panel of the waves plugin has the same layout as the originalthreshold, continuously variable ratio, and makeup gain. They are in my personal comp alist along with 11761178s, la2ala3as, cl1bs, 33609s, el8s, 660670s, etc. Dbx repair and service shipping your dbx to us for servicing. We dont service dbx consumer hifi gear, the 3bx or 4bx models, or the later 1 ru compressors like the 160x, 160a, 166, etc. The 161 is the same as the 160 but with unbalanced rca jacks instead of the 160s terminal strips.

One feature of the dbx system was an inbuilt noisegate, to just shut off anything below a certain decibel level. Find great deals on ebay for dbx 160x and dbx 160xt. Page 9 here is a partial list of the features found on the 160s. Dbx have made numerous similarly named products the 160x, 160xt, 160 sl.

The dbx 160 compressorlimiter for uad2 hardware and apollo interfaces is a fully licensed and faithful emulation of the legendary dbx 160 hardware compressorlimiter still widely considered one of the best character compressor ever made. The dbx 160a is a legendary dbx 160 family of compressorlimiters. Easy to understand operation, comprehensive metering and the excellent 160 sound. Compressor transistor utilization very very simple and youre done i love, o manual clear sound quality very good and proven effectiveness, even if it eats the compressor has its high level of compression, it is not in the high end of analog compression type stc 8, titan, chandler. Top 20 best compressors of all time page 9 of 20 attack magazine. The ultimate dbx 160 comparison ua dbx 160 vu, dbx 165, 160sl. The 161 is virtually identical to the 160 but has unbalanced inputs and outputs. In live sound reinforcement, the 160a can allow the engineer to get that fat studio sound out of the drum kit or provide protection limiting for the speakers. Dbx 160 just adding it to the listings, the classic dbx 160 vu. To my ears there is little or no difference between the 160x and the 160xt. I think id rather get something like two 160xs, and then consider my 160 bases covered and look for some other compressors. Using dbx s decilinear vca, rms level detection circuits and feedforward gain reduction, this compressor allowed much smoother gain reductionthan its counterparts. That said, the new 160s are great too, but as someone whos used 160 vus a lot, and 160as a lot, and 160xts a lot, the 160vu wins hands down. The waves dbx 160 is a faithful recreation of the original, but there have been some additions, to enhance the feature set and simplify common studio compression techniques.