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moosers
Published on 02/15/09 at 14:47
The dbx 266XL is an analog compressor/gate in the form of a rackable piece of outboard gear. It has two channels and will take up one rack space. It can't be edited digitally and can only be controlled with what you see. It has both XLR and 1/4 inch inputs and outputs, making it easy to both set up with a patch bay or to simply plug your instrument or microphone right into.
UTILIZATION
The configuration of the compressor is easy to follow and easy to either compressor or gate your signal effectively. Each channel has seven knobs and few buttons to control the effect. There are two knobs on each channel to control the expander/gate for threshold and ratio and then has parameters for threshold, ratio, attack, release and output gain for the compressor. These parameters provide a good deal of control over your sound. The manual seems pretty complete, but this was easy enough to use and control that I never needed to look at it too much.
SOUND QUALITY
The sound quality of the dbx 266XL is good, but nothing to write home about. It will give you a basic compressor sound, but isn't nearly as clean as I would like. This being said, the price of this really determines how good of a sound you can expect from this because it is aimed at those looking to get a dirt cheap outboard compressor. The sound of this is fine for some things, but won't blow you away. I have used this mostly with electric guitar and bass guitar.
OVERALL OPINION
I've had the dbx 266XL for about three and a half years. I have found is useful, but not spectacular. The price is what will drive most people to this, as it did for me. Dbx makes quality products and even though this is toward the the low end of what they make, this is useful and is nice to have at such a cheap price.
UTILIZATION
The configuration of the compressor is easy to follow and easy to either compressor or gate your signal effectively. Each channel has seven knobs and few buttons to control the effect. There are two knobs on each channel to control the expander/gate for threshold and ratio and then has parameters for threshold, ratio, attack, release and output gain for the compressor. These parameters provide a good deal of control over your sound. The manual seems pretty complete, but this was easy enough to use and control that I never needed to look at it too much.
SOUND QUALITY
The sound quality of the dbx 266XL is good, but nothing to write home about. It will give you a basic compressor sound, but isn't nearly as clean as I would like. This being said, the price of this really determines how good of a sound you can expect from this because it is aimed at those looking to get a dirt cheap outboard compressor. The sound of this is fine for some things, but won't blow you away. I have used this mostly with electric guitar and bass guitar.
OVERALL OPINION
I've had the dbx 266XL for about three and a half years. I have found is useful, but not spectacular. The price is what will drive most people to this, as it did for me. Dbx makes quality products and even though this is toward the the low end of what they make, this is useful and is nice to have at such a cheap price.