Compressor to compensate for volume fluctuations and increase the maximum volume level
Expander and gate reduce disturbing background noise
Side-chain input for looping in external effects
2-channel mono or link stereo operation
The dbx 266XS is a signal processor for processing the dynamic range .It can be used to compensate for volume fluctuations, amplify the volume impression and limit the maximum volume. This makes the dbx 266XS suitable for use in live productions and recording.
For signal processing, the dbx 266XS offers three functions: Compressor, Expander and Gate.
The compressor ensures a balanced overall volume by compensating for volume fluctuations. Adjusting volume differences between loud and soft passages is especially necessary for vocals. In music productions, compressors are used to increase the loudness of a recording. But compressors also improve the sustain of instruments such as guitars and basses, i.e. the notes sound longer.
The expander ensures that unwanted quiet signals are attenuated. Breathing noises from singers and can be reduced in this way. With the gate, on the other hand, soft signals are completely muted. Only above a certain volume level is a signal passed on. Noise and distracting background noise can thus be effectively suppressed. Gates are mainly used for recording drums. Crosstalk between different microphones and feedback can be avoided in this way. The result is a differentiated sound.
The dbx 266XS has two channels that can be operated separately (mono) or together (stereo). External effects can be looped in via a side-chain input and, for example, individual frequency ranges can be specifically compressed with an equalizer.