UNIVERSAL AUDIO VCA VU

The VCA VU Compressor/Limiter is a faithful emulation of the first commercially available VCA compressor, the dbx 160. Originally designed and sold by David Blackmer in 1971, this solid-state design set the standard for performance and affordability. “VU” is the common nickname for this widely regarded studio staple, famous for its simple control set and firm compression characteristics. The original unit is still considered the very best VCA compressor ever made. Unlike later monolithic IC units, the “VU” uses a series of discrete components for gain reduction, and therefore has unique nonlinearities not found in other VCA compressors—thus giving it a sonic distinction from later models. The VCA VU captures all the sonic nuances from our “golden” modeling unit and the simple control set of the hardware, including Threshold, Compression (Ratio) and Output Gain. Like with the hardware, LED threshold indicators are provided, as well the Input/Output/Gain Change VU meter for which the unit is famous. Features • Plug-in emulation of the dbx 160, the very first solid-state VCA compressor • Faithfully modeled, same simple control set of its analog counterpart • Threshold, Compression and Output controls with VU meter mode selection • Modeled from desirable ‘non-monolithic’ original design, adding unique nonlinearities