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Pricing and availability
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Average Price: $300
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$100
$501+
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Description
The DBX 160A Compressor is a powerful tool for any recording studio, offering a world of dynamic control in a robust, rackmount chassis. Drawing upon the famous 160 platform, this mono compressor/limiter delivers clean, clear signal processing in a flexible format. Whether you're aiming to subtly control group dynamics, give a kick, snare, or bass guitar that extra punch with the hard knee mode, or experiment with unique effects via negative compression ratios, the 160A has got you covered. Plus, with the "OverEasy" mode, you can effortlessly fine-tune lead vocal levels, ensuring the spotlight is always where it needs to be.
Key Features:
- Mono compressor/limiter based on the legendary 160 platform
- Clean signal path for pristine audio quality
- Robust rackmount chassis for reliable durability
- Flexible control options including hard knee mode and "OverEasy"
- Allows for creative experimentation with negative compression ratios
- Ideal for controlling group dynamics, enhancing percussive elements, and precisely adjusting lead vocal levels
Product specs
| Brand | dbx |
| Model | 160A Compressor Limiter |
| Finish | Black |
| Year | 2000s |
| Made In | United States |
| Categories | Compressors and Limiters |
FAQs
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What type of compression does the DBX 160A use?
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The DBX 160A uses VCA-based compression, known for its fast attack and transparent sound, making it versatile for both subtle and aggressive dynamic control.
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Is the DBX 160A suitable for vocal processing?
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Yes, the DBX 160A is suitable for vocals, providing both subtle fatness and aggressive impact, enhancing the presence and clarity of vocal tracks.
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What are the main applications of the DBX 160A Compressor?
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The DBX 160A is widely used for drums, bass, and vocals, offering versatility in both studio and live sound environments due to its precise dynamic control.
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Can the DBX 160A be used for parallel compression?
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Yes, the DBX 160A is ideal for parallel compression, allowing you to add fullness and punch to tracks like drums and bass without losing the original dynamics.
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Does the DBX 160A have a built-in limiter?
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Yes, the DBX 160A features a built-in limiter, providing additional control over the dynamic range and preventing signal peaks from clipping.
Videos
Sunghyun Kim
Rack compressor compare.(dbx 1066, 160a, 160x)
Rack compressor compare.(dbx 1066, 160a, 160x)
Sunghyun Kim
DBX 160 A SOUND DEMO
Doug Jenkins
DBX 160A Compressor On Kick And Snare
True Sound Studios
dbx® 160A - A Classic Analog Compressor | Gear Review
Zed Marty
That Eighties Rack Compressor | dBx 160A Guitar Tones
Leon Todd
Dbx 160A Demo + Review | Best Valued Compressor?
Simon Austin
DBX 160A Compressor Shot Out | Stock vs Hot Rodded Gear!
Mixing Music Analog
dbx 160a compressor/limiter
Smith Media Solutions
DBX 160a Compressor (Unboxing)
Cryptic Mask Guitar
Reviews
PROS
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Exceptional sound quality, adds a unique mojo
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Ideal for bass amplification and live performances
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Notably improves vocal, drum, and bass recordings
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Easy to dial-in settings for quick use
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Enhances focus of tracks versus post-recording plugins
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Superior performance with Made in USA units
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Versatile, effective on a range of sounds including synth
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Useful for managing accidental sound peaks
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Simplifies tracking electric guitars and bass with great results
CONS
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Inferior metering compared to other models
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Some find it limited for snare drum compression
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May require modifications (e.g., Jensen transformer) for optimal performance
Owner Insights
We analyzed real musician discussions from forums and Reddit to find what players love, question, and tweak about dbx 160A.
Features and functionality
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The "over easy" button on the DBX 160A provides a soft knee compression, useful for transparent vocal processing, especially in rap genres.
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The DBX 160A features a unique gain reduction curve, which some users find unsuitable for vocals but effective for drum sounds.
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The DBX 160A's auto attack and release can lead to a snappy transient on most sounds, which is beneficial for punchy drums.
Source
Use cases and applications
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For rap vocals, the DBX 160A excels with a hard knee setting for more pronounced compression, enhancing vocal presence and impact.
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The DBX 160A can be effective as the sole compressor for some vocals, but also pairs well with an 1176 for added compression.
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The fast attack and feed-forward design of the DBX 160A make it adept at catching peaks quickly, beneficial for dynamic sources.
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The DBX 160A is highly effective on kicks, transforming layered samples into a coherent sound while maintaining pleasant transients.
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The threshold setting on the DBX 160A acts more like an attack control, influencing how early or late compression affects the sound envelope.
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Setup and maintenance
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Users suggest starting with a 2:1 ratio, soft knee, and auto attack/release for natural vocals; adjust the threshold to taste.
Source
User experience
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Owners find the DBX 160A reliable for compressing vocals, kicks, snares, and bass, noting its transparency even with higher compression levels.
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Some users find the distortion from the DBX 160A unpleasant on vocals but appreciate it for snare and guitar compression.
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Some users find the DBX 160A "grabby" on vocals, describing it as fast and pumpy with noticeable ducking and a lo-fi quality.
Source
Comparisons
Critic Reviews
4.5 out of 5
Based on 6 Reviews and 22 Ratings
41003
does the business and its business is kick drum
single channel VCA comp that's like a 160 with crap metering, soft knee 'over easy'... 160A sounds better than X to me. Use for kick. On bass or guitar use a symetrix 5 series for cheap VCA peak limiting work. Hard knee better in that role. If you just need soemthing boring and functional on snare to even and tame everything down? it can be used there as well. If you think you need 2 just buy a 166x or similar alesis stereo unit, pretty close. For kick get an A. You just need the 1. You will never do kick drums without this again. You probably know that though... the cat is out of the bag on the 160s for kick, like everyone knows that now and if they didn't pensado mentioned it and showed the parallel trick to everyone
105
Another really nice compressor
I use this compressor mainly on bass heavy sounds, kicks as well as synth sounds, to compress but still keep the sound rounded. A very good tool!
Artist usage
Add artist
Kevin uses this vintage compressor to get his trademark drum sound. He says, in an interview for Audio Technology: “Compressors are what make awesome drum sounds. So I have a couple of vintage compressors. One of them is a dbx 165 that’s pretty much responsible for making the drums sound like John Bonham. I got it purely by chance. I bought it just before working on Innerspeaker because I felt like I should get some boxes with knobs on them with the album budget. I thought, ‘alright, I’ll just go on eBay and get a vintage compressor.’ I didn’t even know what I was doing the first time I used it, but I put the drums through it and it sounded pumping, like hip hop — it sounded awesome."
According to the lot notes from Bonhams auction house website, Eric Clapton used the Ibanez HD1000 Harmonics/Delay, a DBX 160 compressor, a model SDE-3000 Roland delay, a Dyno-My-Piano Tri Stereo Chorus, a Boss CE-1 chorus, and a Boss HM-2 Heavy Metal pedal for his Bob Bradshaw rack system in the mid to late 1980s.
A DBX 160A Compressor can be seen in the right rack unit of this image from Muse's official site.
According to Mark Knopfler's 2015 rig, the Mark Knopfler guitars website said :
"There is one ‘new’ effect – new does not sound right for a classic that was introduced in the 1970ies – a dbx 160A mono compressor. If I had to guess I would say it is for clean slide guitars."
In this video, you can see Les Claypool's rack behind him and a DBX 160A can be seen
He uses 2x DBX 160 Compressors in his rack, on is the main compressor the other is a backup, in case the main one fails.
In this article, you can see the DBX 160A right on top of his Roland RE-501 Chorus Echo!
Mikey Way uses a DBX 160A Compressor in his bass rig, positioned in slot 4 of his equipment rack, between an Ampeg head and cabinet. This setup is captured in an image available on Imgur.
Can be seen on Jeff's rack at http://giventowail.com/site/img/gear/jeff/jeff_rack.jpg
"All I got is a compressor... (It's on) all the time. I like a punchy, you know like a piano sound where it's stuck out, DOM DOM DOM," says Tom Araya, at 13:30 in this rig rundown video. His DBX 160A Compressor can be seen in his rack.
Album Usage
The dbx 160A has been featured on the following albums:
Genre Usage
Based on how artists on Equipboard use this gear, it is most commonly found in the following genres.
Used With
Based on how musicians on Equipboard use dbx 160A, it is most commonly used with the following gear.
Community setups
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