dbx 510 Subharmonic Synthesizer

A lot of people are deterred because it is a 500 series module rather than a stand-alone product. Don't let that deter you. It's fantastic and there are lots of solutions. I went with an inexpensive Alctron Rack3 500. Even though the DBX is intended to be vertical, horizontal is completely satisfactory provided you don't mind the controls being on their side. I added Hudson Hi Fi 1U 500 Series Universal Blank Panels (available on Amazon) to finish it off.

I was skeptical initially, but I got the compressor on time and paid ~$100 less than the new...it was still in the plastic bag so, I'm guessing it was actually new...

This thing is dope! I use it for rap vocals mainly. It has a great sound and I'm super happy I bought this for the price. I normally don't skimp on studio equipment but i've got a damn good pre so I thought maybe this 160 clone would do just fine. I was right. I won't go into detail about it sounding "warm" as that s*** is subjective. I know that the response is great and if you just spend time tweaking and not over compressing, use the overeasy switch!! ...you can get a good sound you will be happy with. Excellent solid product. -k

Perfectly present and quiet. I’m impressed with how effective DBX products have been in work workflow chain. You need one of these in your life. Loud, present, doesn’t add too much unneeded saturation. I’ve recorded some hit records with this bad boy.

Lack of any audible distortion. Not flexible enough for "squashing" things, but great for stuff like vocals, anything that doesn't have lots of transients, or for very gentle processing of a mix.

Really happy with the 560a, I have it linked to an Avedis MD7 preamp and run the pre along side this compressor to track bass. It's very transparent and does its job very well. For the price, it's a no brainier.

I like this a lot! It does exactly what it says it does. This is one of those units that you slap it on, forget that it's there, and if you remove it from the mix it sounds like something is missing. Make sure your AD converters are good, b/c this thing can really clip an AD if you push it too hard. You really need to make sure your levels are good. It really distorts in my Apogee Rosetta, so I'm either going to upgrade the signal path for the Rosetta or route it through my BLA Sparrow red mkii.

These pre-amps are really nice, very low noise, don't add color to the sound in contrast with other pre-amps (which is desirable in certain situations), and the high-detail feature is quite nice!

Fantastic value. Solid and well made. Works exactly as it should. Packaging was excellent. Arrived on time.

Clear sound from the 580 mic pre. Also has a good sounding instrument input, a perfect DI for my Bass. Bonus is the easy to read VU meter and very useable, switchable EQ. A solid unit for my 500 series rack, happy I have it.

Versatile EQ with excellent control that I use mostly for cutting offensive frequencies during tracking. Mid priced, but solid, dbx is a name you can count on. I have several dbx products, they have excellent features and are useful, well built devices. Don't be fooled by the price.

Excellent, flat mic pre. The high and low boosts sound great on many vocalists.

It is always reassuring when one buys a really good piece of audio gear that just does the job without complaint or colouration. dbx compressors are used in grade A studios around the world because they are snappy, fast, easy to use and have great metering. Most importantly, it sounds really good especially on drums and vocals. Nice to have in a modular 500 series format for lower cost, smaller footprint and reduces my stress for it. dbx outperforms, as usual.