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Posted 20 hours ago

DBX 286S Mic Preamp/Compressor

£90£180.00Clearance
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About this deal

The DBX 286s is a Channel Strip processor that features a studio-quality mic preamplifier and four processors. Depending on your needs, these processors can be used all at once, or separately. Collection and delivery costs are included for the first 2 years in the event of an item becoming faulty Users have noted that one downside is the absence of a power button on the machine, which can be slightly annoying. Some have also noted that the device emitted a low hissing sound which would have to be removed in audio editing later.

That said, this is not the model you’d want if you’re building a state-of-the-art fully professional studio. It just won’t bring out the full potential of your other gear, and you might want to go with something more advanced in this case, like Avalon’s VT-737SP. This cookie stores user-like settings for the chat system provider, which are required for our online chat service. Trusted Shops Individual LED displays for compression threshold, gain threshold, and gain reduction. This allows for speedy, easy set up. As it stands I can only recommend this channel strip to one group of users: podcasters/streamers for non professional use. If don't see any levels it is probably because you're using a condenser mic that needs phantom power, so turn it this on. For my dynamic mic, I don't need this, so I have it set to off.

Discussions

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 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. We recommend adjusting the Drive to around 3 and Density to around 3 as well. Tweak these settings to develop a sound that's really good for your station and your style of voice. De-Esser 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. Precise LED monitoring means you'll always be aware of the state of the important settings on your channel strip. LEDs show you the preamp level, gain reduction on the compressor, as well as info on the de-esser, expander, and a clipping indicator. Be totally aware of the state of your channel strip and have total peace of mind at your gigs.

When I'm done, I put the end covers on the Gator case, and put it away, out of sight until I need it again. I've had it a couple months, and it's all good. I'm entirely satisfied with its performance. The preamp is really clean and transparent until you push it really hard, at which point it just rounds things off a smidge and gives you a tiny bit of attitude. I use every one of the processors as intended. No complaints....except G.A.S. (Gear Acquisition Syndrome).The enhancer is also a noteworthy addition, although it’s not an essential one. While not exactly complex or intricate, you can use it to enhance low-end or high-end frequencies. The low-end knob boosts anything between 80 and 250 Hz, while the high-end control works dynamically, depending on the input. 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. However, when using the mono cable, you’re not supposed to plug it all the way in. Otherwise, you’ll just stop the signal from going to the main output. It’s a bit of a hassle, but you can still use this output for this purpose as well. Hello! I don't have much hardware I only have my interface a SSL 2+ and I was looking to boost my vocals a bit with a simple hardware compressor, and found the dbx 286s I was attracted to it as it also has a few extras like the noise gate, I'm trying to treat my room as best as possible but I might have to move to a different room as it is really small and the echoes go crazy, I've tried using the plug ins gates and they help but it can still be improved. So you mention you don't see a point in using this noise gate, do you think it would benefit me at all to buy this piece? I'm rather new in music hardware so I just need to know if you think this would be good as an entry level channel strip at least to get the hang of it.I think it's all been said that needs to be said.

The de-esser is quite a useful and most definitely a welcome addition. With it, you’re able to smooth out any excessive high-end noise caused by sibilant consonants in vocals. There’s no compression or de-essing or noise gates. It is just a simple preamp with some EQ controls on it. The advantages it has are the two channels, an extremely wide frequency range that gives openness to the tone (10 Hz to 200 kHz), and the more affordable price. The downside is that Behringer equipment at this price level might not always be that reliable. Please note that this extended warranty is currently only available on products sold within the UK, EU or EEA, and is subject to the terms and conditions as detailed on the extended warranty certificate provided. Well, if it works it works - as I said, I don't really see how but I can certainly see it might not cost you any in that circumstance!

Customer Reviews

If you want a pre-amp that's super portable, get a Focusrite or a MixPre. But if you can spare a bit of extra space, and want a nice pre-amp that comes with all these other features, get this 286s. Noise: <-80dBu unweighted (20Hz-20kHz); Both Gain Controls set for 0dB, all processing controls OFF

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