DBX 286 S Reviews

Not just for voice

I initially bought this unit to help with recording vocals (which it is superb for) but now use it for post-production on just about everything (guitars, bass, piano, strings - everything). If you are not a professional engineer with years of experience and full understanding of compression and EQ settings, then a few days with this machine and you'll be able to add clarity and fullness to your music. It doesn't use the standard naming conventions but you will soon understand how to use the features. Its cheap but far from nasty. Definitely recommend for all home studios. Great product.

Solid unit for price

This is a very sturdy machine, that's rackable and comes in an all metal casing.

The preamp on this DBX has up to +60dB gain that should be enough for even more gain hungry microphones.

This units compressor controls are a bit limited and tricky to figure out, as threshold, attack, release and ratio are all controlled by two buttons (drive and density). The gain reduction meter is helpful for understanding the compression system.

Not much to say about the de-esser, it does it's job nicely and has a wide frequency range on which it can be applied.

The enhancer section provides low and high frequency detail that should be good for voice-overs and other live applications where it's not possible to tweak the details in your DAW.

Don't really use the expander/gate section so much, but it works as intended.

I really like how the knobs feel on this device, they have little steps instead of smooth gliding action.

I don't like the fact that it doesn't have a power-off switch and that I have to unplug it every time after using.

The overall sound quality is decent, but it is not ultra low-noise.

Great Vocal Processor for Voice Over

Although I can't comment on this products durability with pro singing, I have dabbled and it is fantastic! Also brilliant for guitar DI.

My main use for the product is for my Voice Over studio. This DBX 286 S is everything I needed to take the quality of my audio production to the next level. I can now achieve brilliant radio commercial style voice over !

samples!

Good but no XLR out

This is a nice, inexpensive product for improving recordings with a microphone. I've used it on a lot of recordings for pop vocals and it certainly makes them cleaner and also a bit less noisy. It's very easy to use and looks pretty nice sitting on my rack too.

I am surprised, however, that it doesn't have an XLR output, which is a strange omission. Although this isn't a big problem for me as I can just use normal jacks, I can imagine for some this could be a deal breaker.

Overall I'm happy with it, but it might not be for everyone.

Worth the money

This is a great beginner's compressor which is worth the money. It does not have extreme compression capabilities, but seems to knock off the extreme ends. The EQ seems to help 'fill out' my vocal sound and comes with a phantom power supply. I would rather it had an XLR out instead of a jack, but overall great value for money.

DBX 286 S

One of the best features it has is 48V phantom power. I already bought other brand's compressor and was confused because it hasn't got phantom and was absolutely useless for me. Very easy to set. Just try to adjust setting during test recording and you will find settings you need in few seconds. Bypass settings and you will get difference. Using enhancer and it helps a lot. I just don't understand why it hasn't on/off button? High pass filter works good too.

Versatile

I've connected it with motu ultralite significantly better than motu's mic preamp.

User friendly just tweak attenuators to your liking however it's best to leave some off if not needed.

Nice cheap unit

I use this DBX 286s in the capacity of a Radio Amateur processor with transmitting equipment. Apart from doing everything that it should, it also appears to be impervious to RF interference. Very easy to use in this capacity as it is "set and forget"!