DBX 286S Mic Preamp/Compressor

Product Information

Within the preamp section, there are several controls. First, is the input gain knob that goes from 0 to +60 decibels, and from -15 to +45 decibels for the line input. Right next to it, there’s a small LED clipping indicator. Nothing too fancy, but gets the job done, alerting you about any potential problems at the input section. The DBX 286S has a 48v phantom power switch which is used to power most condenser microphones like the Behringer B-1, Blue Spark, and Neumann TLM 103 as mentioned in How to Get a Radio Voice post and a few others in Best Microphones for Online Radio post. High-Pass

I highly recommend this to people in a WFH situation as well as podcasters. The features on this piece of gear can save you a lot of work in post if you set them up properly. Is the sound quality "the best"? Of course not. You get what you pay for, but it is MORE THAN ADEQUATE for spoken word applications. Only the old crotchety snobs will find room for complaint.Overall, this is a sleek piece of kit that is a lot cheaper than other compressor gates on the market. Even though it arrives with lots of features, it’s designed to be very user-friendly. This is a great recording investment that should last you a long time. DBX 286s Review

Mic Preamp Phantom Power: +48VDC, applied to XLR pins 2 and 3 through 6.81kΩ resistors CMRR >40dB, typically 55dB Finally, you set the Output Gain control to the decibel volume level you want to output the signal at. This will really depend on what levels you're getting from your input at this point and how much you are going to boost them additionally in your audio interface or mixer that you're plugged the DBX 286s into next. Final Thoughts

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If an item can not be repaired, a similar alternative product or cash discount (as defined in this policy) will be offered The ratio controls the expansion and attenuation applied to the input signal once it is below the threshold we just set. Lower thresholds like 1:1 or 2:1 are better for slower material like vocals. The higher thresholds up to 10:1 are for very fast inputs, like percussion. Output This was the first channel strip that I ever owned. I've used it to record podcast dialog, studio vocals, and guitar. It's reliably gotten the job done, time and time again.

Make sure the equipment isn't going into the red section on the metre - Keep your eyes on those metres at all times. The DBX 286S mostly finds use as a microphone preamp, especially if we’re talking about condenser mics and vocal recording. It’s also used for instruments, but definitely not as often as vocals.

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The sonically pristine dbx 286s Mic Preamp has all the features you need, including wide-ranging input gain control, switchable +48V phantom power, and an 80Hz high-pass filter to remove low frequency hum, rumble or wind. Use the patented dbx OverEasy compressor to transparently smooth out uneven dynamics. Eliminate vocal sibilance and high frequency distortion with the frequency tunable De-Esser. Fine-tune the Enhancer HF Detail control to add sparkle and crispness, and make adjustments to the LF Detail control to add fullness and depth. And, the separate threshold and ratio controls on the Expander/Gate allow you to subtly reduce headphone leakage or radically gate noisy sound sources. I leave this off because it gives you less dynamic range, but if you're in a room with a hum below that frequency, experiment with turning it on.