Waves dbx 160 Compressor / Limiter
Considered one of the best drum compressors ever, the original dbx® 160 stands tall among its peers, boasting a very clean sound with minimum THD. The fast-acting dbx® 160 compressor was used in almost every major recording in the late ‘70s and th... read more
Waves dbx 160 Compressor / Limiter
“I actually have original dbx 160 hardware compressors in my studio – but I only have two of those, so once I run out of analog channels ... more
I use this plug probably not so much for compression, as I assume it was intended – but more as a distortion box! It’s great both in-chai... more
Used on Minogue's vocals for "Dancing", as stated by producer Sky Adams in this July 2018 *Sound on Sound* interview. > "My vocal chai... more
"Generally, with the drums, I start out with the SSL E-Channel, which has always been my go-to plugin. Then, I will usually add other com... more
Good, flexible and fast compressor but...
I don't know if the Waves DBX 160 actually sound identical to a real DBX 160 but I don't really care as it's the result/sound that counts which is really good, flexible, fast to operate.
Compared to the Native Instruments VC 160, which is actually modeled by Softube, the Waves DBX sounds quite similar at softer settings but can sound more raw and aggressive if pushed harder. The VC 160 sounds a bit more warm, polished and tamed.
This makes the Waves DBX 160 a little bit more flexible than the VC 160, if you're into that sounds at least. But the VC 160 still sounds very good and you can buy the whole VC bundle (during a promotion) for the price of the Waves DBX 160.
Worth mentioning as well is the Waves update program which makes you pay again for plugins which you already purchased (without actually adding functionality to the plugin itself). I also prefer the looks of the VC series as they seem to hint to what they are inspired by rather than having a photo-realistic GUI which is quite easy to the eye. But the Waves DBX 160 does sound good...