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DBX 160A or pedal compressor?

DBX 160A or Pedal Compressor

  • DBX 160A

    Votes: 30 46.2%

  • Pedal Compressor

    Votes: 35 53.8%
  • Total voters
    65
Aragrim

Aragrim

Dec 3, 2019
118
236
Belgium
www.instagram.com
#1
I sold my whole bass rig because I was playing guitar in a band for a while(I am mainly guitarist for 16 years now).

I only got my lovely warwick thumb NT4 left but I want to buy a bass rig again and I know I'm gonna buy a ampeg svt 3 pro rig but I don't know what compressor...

I wanna go simple and was thinking about going for just everything in a rack and buy the DBX 160A so it also can go in the rack with the amp and the rack tuner or is it simply to old and should I buy a pedal?


Thanks
 
#2
It was a hard call but I went with "pedal". They're easier to roll as your tastes change and portability may become an issue. Nothing wrong with the dbx but you can get an inexpensive dedicated pedal or multi FX that will get you 98% there (think Zoom MS60B). For that fact, you'll have access to several comp emulators and...hey!...they come equipped with a tuner!

Riis
 
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#4
oh I should have said: It will probably never leave my music room. so portabillity isn't important. I just don't really wanna build a pedalboard again... I already have a big one for guitar here.

If I take a pedalcompressor again it's the Cali76. God what a beast! Love that thing but I'm just sick of having pedals over and over again. I had like 60 pedals so I'm done :p
 
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#5
Aragrim said:
oh I should have said: It will probably never leave my music room. so portabillity isn't important. I just don't really wanna build a pedalboard again... I already have a big one for guitar here.

If I take a pedalcompressor again it's the Cali76. God what a beast! Love that thing but I'm just sick of having pedals over and over again. I had like 60 pedals so I'm done :p
Click to expand...

Nothing wrong with a rackmount comp. If you're feeling particularly adventurous, skip the dbx and find a used Rane DC24...it has a crossover and can do the dual channel thingy....hours of entertainment value!

Riis
 
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#12
Plain Old Barry said:
Try the MXR pedal... I've owned a bunch of 160 variants as a player and sound guy, and I really like the MXR pedal for bass.
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silky smoove said:
The Cali76 is an attempt at doing the 1176 thing, which is a very different sound to the 160A. Are you sure you know what type of compression you want, regardless of the format it comes in?
Click to expand...


The M87 is also an attempt at the 1176.

The reason I like the M87 for bass, is that it's NOT transparent, but the coloration enhances many bass sounds. I haven't heard the Cali, but I'm sure it's popular for similar reasons. I love they way the M87 "blooms" with a fat sound.
 
#13
Plain Old Barry said:
The M87 is also an attempt at the 1176.
Click to expand...
Having owned an M87 and an 1176 I’ll just say that to my ears an M87 sounds nothing like an 1176. The M87 is a fine compressor in its own right regardless of trying to cop the vibe of any other compressor, and I really enjoyed it as an end if chain limiter.
 
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#15
silky smoove said:
Having owned an M87 and an 1176 I’ll just say that to my ears an M87 sounds nothing like an 1176. The M87 is a fine compressor in its own right regardless of trying to cop the vibe of any other compressor, and I really enjoyed it as an end if chain limiter.
Click to expand...

Same here with ownership, but I wouldn't say nothing like, I'd say "kinda', but not the same", but different than a 160x.

Either way, definitely different than any of the 16(x) variants I've had (160a, 160x, 162, 165a, 166) . I think the Really Nice Compressor is a lot closer to Over Easy settings than any pedals I've seen.
 
#20
Zooberwerx said:
It was a hard call but I went with "pedal". They're easier to roll as your tastes change and portability may become an issue. Nothing wrong with the dbx but you can get an inexpensive dedicated pedal or multi FX that will get you 98% there (think Zoom MS60B). For that fact, you'll have access to several comp emulators and...hey!...they come equipped with a tuner!

Riis
Click to expand...
The dbx model in the Zoom is what I used for 95% of my compressor needs in that pedal
 

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