DBX 266XL COMPRESSOR

[CHRISDABASS]

hey

i just bought this from sound control today!!

[url="http://www.dbxpro.com/266XL/266XL.php"]http://www.dbxpro.com/266XL/266XL.php[/url]

i have to say that its amazing value!! i got mine for 75 quid!! brand new!!

just check the spec for yourself!!



took it to a fairly low level band practice tonight and hooked it up to the effects loop of my trace combo and it sounds really good! pretty comprehensive controls for all you fine tuning people out there but its also a few buttons on it that make gettin a good overall sound a breeze!!

worth a try for anyone looking for something versitile becauase its two channel with both XLR and normal jack inputs and outputs! so it will work with anything!! good for the studio 2 i'd imagine!!


get your self one and see what you think

[Dood]

I was going to buy the 166XL as the 'contour' function, which is a side chain filter, is perfect for bass guitar. The 266XL would be awesome if it had the same function.

Out of all the compressors I looked at for my rack, the choice was down to the DBX 166XL and the TC Electronic C300. I decided the C300's functionality suited me better, but as I'm sure you have found out already, The DBX is also a fantastic compressor!

Good purchase!!! ;o)

[Joshbasscana]

I didn't realise Sound Control stocked these! I need a compressor apparently. Somebody recommended me to get one to punch through the mix more. Im not too sure but I sure wouldn't mind getting my hands on one of these babies and trying one out!

[CHRISDABASS]

[quote name='Joshbasscana' post='163258' date='Mar 25 2008, 04:56 PM']I didn't realise Sound Control stocked these! I need a compressor apparently. Somebody recommended me to get one to punch through the mix more. Im not too sure but I sure wouldn't mind getting my hands on one of these babies and trying one out![/quote]



yeah its definatley worth a try mate



as far as i know this unit works best when used in the effects loop of your amp! compressors do take a lot of experimenting at first and can be hard to get to grips with so dont give up on it if you dont understand it at first! (im no expert but if it sounds good to you then it is good!!)

i just use it to keep my finger style playing in check and then when i play slap it really kicks in! makin pretty heavy slap playin possible without it gettin out of control loud!!!

i used it again tonight and for me its sounds just great, ive had a few compressor pedals( ebs, aphex) and i much prefer this to both of them!


good luck with it mate

[pjbass]

Cool, i'm considering the DBX 166XL for my rack.
Dood, what were the features that you were looking for in the C300 that the dbx didnt do?
Was it purely the parallel compression (is this also called NY compression?)?

[Dood]

[quote name='pjbass' post='165368' date='Mar 28 2008, 04:10 PM']Cool, i'm considering the DBX 166XL for my rack.
Dood, what were the features that you were looking for in the C300 that the dbx didnt do?
Was it purely the parallel compression (is this also called NY compression?)?[/quote]


I think the 166XL is pretty cool. Like the rest of the DBX range they are well known for their quality all the way down the range.
The C300 differs greatly from the DBX units. Firstly and foremost, its a multiband compressor. Compression can be applied to seperate frequency bands, as opposed to one compressor to cover the full range. This is especially useful in the composite modes, when used with mastering a complete mix for example. For bass it is ideal, as you wont suffer from 'pumping' or softening of upper frequencies under hard compression. The C300 has also been set up with a set of program modes. Really childs play! For example, the frequency ranges and envelopes of say a Bass Drum Vs a Bass Guitar Vs a choir of vocals are so very very different and would require different forms of compression with varied settings, including attack / release / crossover points / side chain filtering and then expansion and gating. TC have taken the guess work out with a whole set of programs. You just select the type of signal going in.. say, Acoustic Guitar or drums, then set the threshold and make up gain. So easy! ;o) - The program decides what type of compressor to use (full or multi) and what settings should be applied

Finally, what pretty much every other compressor lacks on the market is the parallel mode. I think you are correct, it is also known as NY compression. In short, it's the ability to mix the orginal clean signal back into (in addition to) the compressors own signal.

Describing the result is difficult, but there are loads of articles on the net. I find I get to keep my accents and louder dynamics. However if I play lightly (say in fast passages) the compressor takes care of levels and brings the level up accordingly. Actually, harmonics and tapping sounds just ping out of my speakers, but doesnt sound all squishy! Oh and is VERY handy for not eating the velocity of my low F# that needs a certain amount of volume to be heard!

[edit] The C300 allows full stereo or dual mono functionality, as well as chaining 2 stereo parallel/multiband compressors together for some crazy compression in one box!

[pjbass]

thanks Dood, im going to check it out.

Re SC - the guys always mark up their price -get them to price match!

[Dood]

[quote name='pjbass' post='165425' date='Mar 28 2008, 05:29 PM']thanks Dood, im going to check it out.

Re SC - the guys always mark up their price -get them to price match![/quote]


heh heh, no probs! I got a bit carried away! I picked up my comp 'ex-demo' from a shop. So pretty much brand new, only a few marks on the outside. Bargain!

Yep SC should be able to do a good price for you! Let us know how you get on!

[silverfoxnik]

Going slightly off-topic, I have a DBX MC6 which is not very well known compared to the rest of the DBX range and as far as bass use goes, it's a great piece of kit.

It's based on the 160 series technology as I understand it and, though it's not very sturdy, it's great for my bass in a live situation. I don't record stuff these days, so have no idea how good it'd be for that, but at £45 all in from the States, it's great value for money!

[url="http://reviews.harmony-central.com/reviews/Effects/product/dbx/MC6/10/1"]http://reviews.harmony-central.com/reviews...ct/dbx/MC6/10/1[/url]

[url="http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/apr98/articles/dbxmc6.html"]http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/apr98/articles/dbxmc6.html[/url]

[nottswarwick]

dood, how do you link it with the head - do you play bass straight into the compressor, or do you use the eff. loop?

[pjbass]

[quote name='nottswarwick' post='165740' date='Mar 29 2008, 09:55 AM']dood, how do you link it with the head - do you play bass straight into the compressor, or do you use the eff. loop?[/quote]

I would think it'd be an effect loop job, or after a pre-amp/ before a power-amp.

I had a thought about using the pre-amp section of my pjb briefcase for compression in the meanwhile. It has optical 1:3 comp that's really nice.
If i pre-out from the PJB and into an ABM head - is there a problem with using "instrument in" or should i use the "line-in"?

[Joshbasscana]

[quote name='CHRISDABASS' post='162944' date='Mar 25 2008, 01:10 AM']hey

i just bought this from sound control today!!

[url="http://www.dbxpro.com/266XL/266XL.php"]http://www.dbxpro.com/266XL/266XL.php[/url]

i have to say that its amazing value!! i got mine for 75 quid!! brand new!!

just check the spec for yourself!!



took it to a fairly low level band practice tonight and hooked it up to the effects loop of my trace combo and it sounds really good! pretty comprehensive controls for all you fine tuning people out there but its also a few buttons on it that make gettin a good overall sound a breeze!!

worth a try for anyone looking for something versitile becauase its two channel with both XLR and normal jack inputs and outputs! so it will work with anything!! good for the studio 2 i'd imagine!!


get your self one and see what you think





[/quote]

I was reading some reviews on this particularly compressor (on Harmony Central as you do...) Sorry to dampen the mood on the thread chaps but Ive been reading that this compressor does have an issue of "clicking." Anyone come across this? Or are these just vicious rumours

Josh

[Dood]

[quote name='nottswarwick' post='165740' date='Mar 29 2008, 10:55 AM']dood, how do you link it with the head - do you play bass straight into the compressor, or do you use the eff. loop?[/quote]

Bizarre! I was sure I had replied to this thread!

Well, As I have a pretty high output bass with active electronics, I get very good results going straight into the compressor chain.. Out of that into my GForce, then out of that straight into my F1.

I just like having the least amount of EQ and signal path before the compressor, so if I crank it hard, I am less likely to pick up any noise. To be honest though, the C300 is very quiet indeed. I'm really impressed, even when chaining the 2 stereo compressors in series!

[Murph_Orpheus]

Actually thats something I can never get my head around, I'm just putting together my first rack system, whats the best way to connect it all up? rack head>compressor>tuner etc? Then I gotta figure out what inputs to use to connect it all! :wacko:

[truegeminis]

All these rack compression units seem to have 2 channels, is there any reason for this? And what effect does running the two chains in series have (as mentioned by Dood)?

[neilb]

[quote name='Murph_Orpheus' post='168775' date='Apr 2 2008, 11:06 PM']Actually thats something I can never get my head around, I'm just putting together my first rack system, whats the best way to connect it all up? rack head>compressor>tuner etc? Then I gotta figure out what inputs to use to connect it all! :wacko:[/quote]


I used to run this:


bass>amp>FX send to tuner in>tuner out to compressor in>compressor out to FX return.

However, I found that to my ears the tuner (a Behringer cheapo) was colouring my sound too much.

I now go

bass>amp>FX send SPLIT to tuner in AND compressor in.Compressor out to FX return.

Sounds much better.


Just experiment, but i think the comp sounds better on the loop if its a passive bass.

[bremen]

[quote name='Joshbasscana' post='168015' date='Apr 1 2008, 11:12 PM']I was reading some reviews on this particularly compressor (on Harmony Central as you do...) Sorry to dampen the mood on the thread chaps but Ive been reading that this compressor does have an issue of "clicking." Anyone come across this? Or are these just vicious rumours

Josh[/quote]

That'd be less of an issue with bass than stuff like vocals/acoustic instruments I'd have thought.

[Dood]

[quote name='truegeminis' post='169683' date='Apr 4 2008, 10:48 AM']All these rack compression units seem to have 2 channels, is there any reason for this? And what effect does running the two chains in series have (as mentioned by Dood)?[/quote]

Some are 2 mono compressors in one box, so you could use them as one stereo channel or use one each for different applications. In a studio you could use one for a Bass Drum track and the other for a Snare Drum track for example.

Running chains in series is purely to taste. Sometimes having 2 compressors subtely acting on the signal results in a nicer less compressed sounding signal than one unit compressing hard thus eating all your lovely tone. I image the effect to be similar to having a valve preamp, where each valve has a little effect on the signal, but by the end of the chain the overall effect is a nicely controlled tone.


[quote name='bremen' post='169876' date='Apr 4 2008, 03:59 PM']That'd be less of an issue with bass than stuff like vocals/acoustic instruments I'd have thought.[/quote]

Well, it's actually the power of the bass signal that can cause those clicks as the compressor struggles to control the velocity of the signal. You'll hear these artifacts, especially on cheaper compressors at higher threshold and ratio settings. If the compressor features a side chain filter, or allows you to insert a side chain filter in a loop, this can greatly relieve the clicking effect. The side chain filter attenuates bass frequencies from the control signal to the compressor (*NOT* the input/output signal) so that less of those frequencies have an effect on the compressor clamping down so hard on the bass signal. The overall effect is that you suffer less from 'pumping' and loss of top end. (sometimes you see compressors with enhancers on, to add the top back in). Multiband compressors are less likely to suffer from these noises, unless they aren't a particularly good design!!