WAVES
dbx 160
COMPRESSOR/LIMITER
USER GUIDE
2
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHA PT ER 1 – INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................... 3
1.1 Welcome ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 3
1.2 dbx 160: The Original Hardware............................................................................................................................................. 3
1.3 dbx 160: The Plugin................................................................................................................................................................... 4
1.4 Concepts and Terminology ...................................................................................................................................................... 4
1.5 Componen ts ............................................................................................................................................................................... 5
CHA PT ER 2 – INTERFACE A ND CONTRO LS ..................................................................... 6
2.1 Interface...................................................................................................................................................................................... 6
2.2 Controls ....................................................................................................................................................................................... 7
CHA PT ER 3 – THE W AVESY STEM ...................................................................................... 10
3.1 The Wa veSystem Tool bar ......................................................................................................................................................10
3.2 Preset Handli ng .......................................................................................................................................................................10
3.3 I nterface Controls....................................................................................................................................................................12
3.4 W aves Preferences (Pr o Tools DAE onl y)............................................................................................................................14
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Chapter 1 – Introduction
1.1 W el come
Thank you for choos ing Waves. In order to get the most out of your Waves processor, please
take the time to read through this manual.
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1.2 dbx 160: The Original Hardwar e
dbx® Inc. is an American manufacturer of professional audio recording equipment. Founded in
1971 by David E. Blackmer, the company’s most important inventions were the dbx voltagecontrolled amplifier (VCA) and the dbx RMS detector. The original dbx 202 VCA (the "Black
Can" VCA) was built using discrete transistors that were hand-matched while running at an
elevated temperature in an oven. Though noisy and having significant distortion, the dbx 202
units exceeded by far the perform anc e of other early VCAs and were used in most early
automated mixing boards .
In 1976, dbx introduced the dbx 160 compressor. Using dbx’s decilinear VCA , RMS leveldetection circuits and feed-forward gain reduction, this compressor allowed much smoother gain
reduction than its counterparts. The feed-forward gain reduction allowed infinite compression
without excessive distortion or oscillation. I t also allowed the compressor to track the attack and
release times of compression based on the signal’s envelope. In addition, the dbx compressor
introduced overeasy compression, which created a soft knee at the start of the compression
process.
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1.3 dbx 160: The Plug in
The dbx 160 plugin is a digital model of a classic feed-forward hard-knee VCA-based
compressor.
On top of the accurate modeling of the original compressor’s sound, Waves has added, for
optimal use, several featur es that did not exist in the original hardwar e:
1. Input gain c ontrol – to let you perfec t ly adjus t the input level going into the com pres s or.
2. Mix c ontrol – to enable very quick parallel com pres s ion wit hin the plugins.
3. Noise c ontrol – to add the hardware-m odeled nois e.
4. MS matrix in the stereo component – to enable separate compression between the mid and
sides of the stereo signal.
5. Sidec hain High Pas s (SC-HP) – giving you the option of introducing a high-pass filter around
90 Hz on the sidechain, in order to remove low-frequency energy from the sidechain pass.
The outcome is less compression on low-frequency centered signals.
1.4 Concepts and Terminology
VCA
A VCA, or voltage-contr olled am plifier , is an amplif ier that var ies its gain depending on a contr ol
voltage, such that the input voltage determines the output voltage. The dbx 160 is a VCA-based
compressor.
Sidechain V oltage
The sidechain section of the dbx 160 converts the signal from AC to DC, with t h e VCA
cont rolled via the DC current. The higher the DC current, the more compression you get. The
sidechain voltage can range from a couple of mV to 15 V.
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Feed-Forward Compression
The signal entering the compressor is split: one copy goes to the output (though t he VCA), while
the other is fed forward to the VCA via a sidechain circuit. See the image below:
Sidechain High Pass (SC-HP)
As explained in the Feed-Forward Compression section above, the input signal is fed to the
VCA. Gener ally, the m or e energy you have in the sidechain, the more compression you get; but
if you apply a high-pass filter to remove low energy from the signal, the result will be less energy
when low-frequency energy is present, hence less compression. In bass guitars, for example,
the abundance of low energy entails lots of compression; but if a high-pass filter is applied on
the sidechain, the VCA will ident ify less energy on the low bass notes than there is in the actual
input s ignal and will therefore attenuate the s ignal less, allowing more low frequencies.
1.5 Components
WaveShell technology enables us to split Waves processors into smaller plugins, which we call
components. Having a choice of components for a particular processor giv es you the flexibility
to choose the configuration best suited to your material. dbx 160 includes the following
components:
• dbx 160 Mono
• dbx 160 Stereo
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Chapter 2 – Interface and Controls
2.1 I nterf ace
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2.2 Cont rols
Input
Increases or decreases the gain of the input s ignal.
Range: -20 dB to 20 dB
Default: 0 dB
Threshold
Sets the level (in V rms) above which compression will take plac e.
Range: 0.01 Vrms (-60 dBF S) to -3 Vrms (-9 dBFS)
Default: 1 Vrms (-18 dBFS)
Compression
Sets the ratio of the compression.
Range: 1:1 to inf:1
Default: 4:1
Output
Increases or decreases the gain of the out put s ignal.
Range: -20 dB to 20 dB
Default: 0 dB
SC-HP
Applies a high-pass filter on the sidechain signal at around 90 Hz, resulting in less compression
on the low end.
Range: On, Off
Default: Off
Mix
Controls the balance between the compressed and the uncompressed signal.
Range: 0% to 100% (0.1% increments)
Default: 100%
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Noise
Controls the amount of noise and hum added to the processed signal.
Range: Off to 100
Default: Off
Compressor Mode (Stereo Com ponent Only)
Selects the stereo processing mode.
There are three stereo compressor modes:
• Stereo – All controls are in link mode. When you set a control on one side (L or R), the other
side changes to the same value. Any difference in the settings between sides (created using
the Duo or MS mode) will be preserved when you move back to Stereo mode.
• Duo – Controls can be set independently in each side, L and R.
• MS – This mode applies an MS encoding m atr ix to the input of the plugin, allowing you to
separ ately c om pres s and level the Mid (s um ) and Sides (differ enc e) s ignals . In this mode,
the letters M (for Mid) and S (for Sides) will be added at the header of the channels (M at the
top left, S at the top right). In MS m ode, all the left s ide contr ols affect the “Mid” signal in the
matrix, while the right side controls affect the “Sides” signal in the mat rix.
Default: Ster eo
A note on automation: When y ou automate settings in Stereo mode, your settings will be
saved for the specific channel (L or R) you have selected, but will affect both L and R. When
you automate L and R t o different values in Duo mode, you will need to delete your settings for
one of the channels (L or R) before you return to Stereo mode in order to avoid conflicting
values.
Monitor (Stereo Com ponent Only)
Selects the source of the monitor output.
• Left – Left output is sent to both sides (in MS Mode this monitors the mid).
• Mono – Left and Right outputs are summed to mono and trimmed down by 6 dB.
• Stereo – Stereo mode.
• Right – Right output is sent to both sides (in MS Mode, this monitors the sides).
Default: Ster eo
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Metering
VU Meter
Displays input, output, and gain reduction levels, depending on your selection.
Range IN/OUT: -40 to 20
Range GR: 0 to -40
VU Meter – Headroom Calibration Control
The meter’s headroom calibration default is set to 18 dB headroom. The meter can be adjusted
using the little s c rew underneath to provide a headroom of 0–24 dB, where X dBFS = 0 V U.
Range: 0 to 24 dB
Default: 18 dB
Meter I /O
The meter I/O lets you select from three monitoring modes:
• GR – Shows the total am ount of gain reduction/increase.
• IN – Shows the input level of the plugin’s post-input control, so that any change in the input
is reflected in the meter.
• OUT – Shows the output level of the plugin’s post-output control, so that any change in the
output is reflected in the meter.
Clip Indicator
Indicates peak cli pping for both input and output regardles s of the selec ted meter mode. To
reset, click on the meter.
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Chapter 3 – The WaveSystem
3.1 The WaveSyste m Toolbar
All Waves plugins f eature t he WaveSys tem toolbar, which takes care of most of the
adminis t rative func t ions you will enc ounter while working with your W aves s oftw are. The
features of the WaveSystem toolbar are the same on practically all Waves plugins, so familiarity
with its features will be helpful whichever plugin you are using.
Toolbar Functions
Opens the plugin About box
Undo Undoes the last 32 actions
Redo Redoes the last 32 undone actions
Setup A /B Toggles between two presets, useful for comparison of parameter settings
L/R Arrow s Move to the previous or next preset
Copy A→B Copies the current settings to the second preset register
Load Recalls presets from file
Save Saves presets in the Waves file formats
? Opens the PD F m anual for the plugin you are using
3.2 Preset Handling
Preset Types
Factor y Pre se t s are permanent presets in the Load menu. Factory presets cannot be
overwr itten or delet ed. W hen applicable, diff erent c om ponent plugins may have different fac tory
presets.
User Presets are your favorite settings of the plugin saved as a preset in the Load menu, under
‘User Presets’. User Presets can be overwritten and deleted.
Setup Files may contain more than one preset. For example, a single file can contain all the
presets for a sess ion. W hen you open a S etup File, all its s etups becom e part of your Load popup menu for fast access. This can be particularly useful with multiple instances of a plugin in a
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single session. By saving all the settings you create into a single Setup File, they can all be
quickly available for every instance of that plugin.
Loading Presets and Setups
Click on the Load button to see the Load pop-up menu. The menu is divided into four s ec t ions .
If a section is not currently available it will not appear in the Load pop-up menu.
Preset File… Select to open any setup or preset file, whether from the Library or your own
creations.
‘Filename.xps’: Displays any currently loaded Setup File and its presets.
Factor y Pre se t s: Displays the default Factory Presets.
User Presets: Displays any loaded User Presets.
Saving Presets and Setups
Click on the S ave button to see the Save pop-up menu. Four opt ions are available. If an option
is not currently available it will be grayed out and inaccessible.
Save to New File… Select this to start a new Setup file. There are two prompts - fi rst for the
setup filename, then for the preset name. You must provide a name for both the setup file and
the preset. Click OK (ENTER) to complete the save. It is a good idea to create a folder in which
to save several setup files for a project.
Save ‘File Nam e’ – “P res et Na me” Overwrites the settings of the loaded preset (whether a
User Preset or a preset from a Setup File) with the current settings. If a Setup File is currently
loaded, the nam e of the Setup File is displayed follow ed by the name of the pr es et itself. If a
User Preset is loaded, its name is displayed.
Save to ‘File Nam e’ A s… Saves the current settings as a new preset into the Setup file that
is open (if one is not open, the option is grayed out). You will be prompt ed to give the pres et a
name.
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Put into Preset Menu A s… Save the current settings into a User Preset that will always be in
your Load menu ( until deleted) . You will be pr om pted to give this preset a nam e. User Pres et s
are stored in the plugin’s preference file.
You may delete User Presets and presets within a Setup File. Factory Presets and Setup
Library files cannot be deleted or overwritten.
1. Hold the Command (Mac)/Control (PC) key down.
2. Click-and-hold the Load butt on to s ee the pop-up m enu.
3. While still holding the Command/Control key, select the preset or setup to delete.
4. A confirmation box will appear, allowing you to cancel or ‘OK’ the deletion.
A/B Comparison and Copying
The Setup A/Setup B button may be clicked to compare two settings. If you load a preset in the
Setup B position, this will not affect the preset loaded into the Setup A position, and vice-versa.
If you want to slightly modify the settings in Setup A, you can copy them to Setup B by clicking
on the Copy to B button, then alter Setup A and compare with the original Setup B.
The name of the current setup will be shown in the title bar (on platforms which support it), and
will switch as you change from Setup A to Setup B.
Note: an asterisk will be added to the preset name when a change is made to the preset.
3.3 Interface Controls
Controls can be in one of three states:
1. Not Selected where the control is not the target of any user entry
2. Selected where the control is the target of mouse control entry only
3. Selected and A c tive where the control is the target for both mouse and keyboard entry
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Toggle Buttons
Toggle buttons display the state of a control, and allow switching between two or more states.
Single-click to change the control’s state. Some toggle buttons have a text dis play w hic h
updates with the current setting, and others (bypass, solo, or monitoring toggles) illuminate
when the control is active.
Some plugins have link buttons betw een a pair of toggle butt ons , allowing clic k-and-drag
adjustment while retaining the offset between the controls.
Va lue W indow Buttons
Value window s dis play the value of a contr ol and allow click-and-drag adjustment, or direct
control via the keyboard.
Using the m ouse, click-and-drag on the value window to adjust. Some value windows
suppor t left/right, s om e up/dow n (as you hover over a button, arrow s will appear to let you
know which direction of movement that button supports). Y ou may also use your mousewheel to adjust parameter values.
Using the a rrow keys, click once with mouse to selec t the button, and then use up/down –
left/right (depending on the direction supported by that button) to move in the smallest
incremental steps across the button’s range (holding down the arrow keys will move faster
through the range).
Using key entry, double click on the button to open the value window, and directly enter the
value from your keyboard. If you enter an out of range number, the button stays selected but
remains at the current setting (system beeps if system sounds are on).
Some plugins have link buttons betw een a pair of value window s , allowing c lic k-and-drag
adjustment while retaining the offset between the controls.
Sliders
Click or scroll the mouse-wheel on the slider itself or anywhere within the sliders track. The
numerical value of the slider settings is displayed in a hover window above the slider path.
Hover Box
Hovering boxes will appear and display the control value when hovering with the mouse over
the control.
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Multiple Control Selection
One of the most powerful features of the WaveSystem is the ability to select and adjust multiple
controls simultaneously. Using the mouse, drag-select the desired group of buttons or graphic
cont rols by clic king and holding at a point outs ide the cont rols , and forming a rectangle that
includes the controls you wish to adjust. Alternatively, press and hold Shift while clicking the
mouse on any control you wish to link. This method is useful when you want to select two or
more controls that are not adjacent to one another.
TAB Functions
TAB moves the ‘selected’ status to the next control, with shift-TAB moving in the reverse
direction. A dditionally, the Mac has an option-TAB function for ‘down’ movement and shiftoption-TAB for ‘up’ m ovem ent wher e applicable. If you have s ever al Value Window Buttons
selected, TAB functions will take you through the selected controls only. Hitting Esc or Return
will return the 'focus' to the DAW application.
A Note on A utom ation
When you automate settings in Stereo mode, your settings will be saved for the specific channel
(L or R) you have selected, but will affect both L and R.
When you automate L and R to different values in modes other than St ereo, but then wish to
return to Stereo mode, you will need to delete your s ettings for one of the sides (L or R) before
you return to Stereo mode in order to avoid conflicting values.
3.4 W aves Pref eren ce s ( Pro Tool s only)
When launching Pro Tools, hold Shift to view the Waves plugin Preferences window. The
following opt ions are available:
• Don't use AudioSuite plugins
• Don’t use RTAS plugins
• Rescan all plugins
• HU I control surface support (low resolution)
• Enable s ingle-click text entry
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