dbx 286 S, User Manual

Page 1: ...286 User Manual Mic Preamp Processor Professional Audio Equipment ...

Page 2: ... Power Cord WARNING THIS APPLIANCE SHALL BE CONNECTED TO A MAINS SOCKET OUTLET WITH A PROTECTIVE EARTHING CONNECTION The cores in the mains lead are coloured in accordance with the following code GREEN and YELLOW Earth BLUE Neutral BROWN Live As colours of the cores in the mains lead of this appliance may not correspond with the coloured markings identifying the terminals in your plug proceed as f...

Page 3: ...y Sandy Utah 84070 USA Date September 10 2010 European Contact Your local dbx Sales and Service Office or Harman Music Group 8760 South Sandy Parkway Sandy Utah 84070 USA Ph 801 566 8800 Fax 801 568 7583 ELECTROMAGNETIC COMPATIBILITY This unit conforms to the Product Specifications noted on the Declaration of Conformity Operation is subject to the following two conditions this device may not cause...

Page 4: ...4 2 2 Front Panel 5 Section 3 Basic Operation 10 3 1 Connecting the 286s to Your System 10 3 2 Understanding the 286s Mic Preamp 10 Section 4 Problems Possible Causes Solutions 16 Section 5 Technical Support and Factory Service 18 Section 6 Technical Specifications 19 Section 7 Block Diagram 21 286s Table of Contents ...

Page 5: ...ion These two sections can be used together or the 286s can be used as a dedicated Mic Preamp by defeating the Processing Section via the front panel BYPASS switch Furthermore the Processing Section provides four specific types of processing Compression De essing Enhancement and Expansion Gating These four controls can be used in any combination as appropriate to your requirements External audio p...

Page 6: ...urn a product to the factory for service you MUST first contact Customer Service to obtain a Return Authorization Number No returned products will be accepted at the factory without a Return Authorization Number Please refer to the Warranty information on the following page which extends to the first end user After expiration of the warranty a reasonable charge will be made for parts labor and pac...

Page 7: ...rts and labor will be covered up to a period of two years A Return Authorization number must first be obtained from dbx by telephone The company shall not be liable for any consequential damage as a result of the product s use in any circuit or assembly 4 dbx reserves the right to make changes in design or make additions to or improvements upon this product without incurring any obligation to inst...

Page 8: ...INE OUTPUT Jack The 286s LINE OUTPUT jack accepts either balanced or unbalanced 1 4 phone plugs Nominal output signal levels is 0dBu into 600Ω and maximum output signal level is 21dBu into 600Ω Output impedance is 100Ω unbalanced 200Ω balanced The output is tip HOT INSERT Jack The 286s INSERT jack allows you to either add an effects loop directly into the 286s circuitry chain or take a separate mi...

Page 9: ...e you connect a microphone power on the unit or press the PHANTOM button This will eliminate spikes and surges acoustical feedback loud pops momentary hiss or other unwanted sounds Mic Preamp MIC GAIN dB and LEVEL dBu LEDs including CLIP LED Use this control to set the level of gain added to the microphone input signal or a line level input Note that the 286s processing controls or an external pro...

Page 10: ...NTOM POWER button is in 80 Hz HIGHPASS Button and LED Press this button In to activate the 286s pre processing third order filter The HIGHPASS function filters out frequencies below 80Hz by 18dB octave before any compression de essing etc is applied to input signal This is most effective for reducing hum rumble wind and other low frequency problems The HIGHPASS filter is also before any external p...

Page 11: ...release for smooth compression to 10 a fast release where compression follows the envelope of the program very tightly There is no absolute right way to set the DENSITY control However in general slower settings are useful for gating out noise present behind vocals and acoustic instruments while faster settings are useful for tightening up the sound of percussion instruments e g a kick or snare dr...

Page 12: ...ss all signals unattenuated effectively bypassing the gate Turning the knob fully clockwise causes the gate to attenaute input signals below approximately 15dBu The amount of attenaution depends on the setting of the Expander Gate s EXPANSION RATIO The THRESHOLD LED located to the right of the EXPANSION RATIO control lights when the signal is below the set THRESHOLD The THRESHOLD LED lights when t...

Page 13: ...you have adjusted the 286s controls for the desired amount of processing adjust the OUTPUT GAIN control clockwise to add gain as needed The red OUTPUT GAIN LED located to the right of the OUTPUT GAIN control lights when the 286s Processing Section is clipping reduce gain via the OUTPUT GAIN control Set this control so that the OUTPUT CLIP LED never lights If the OUTPUT CLIP LED is still lit reduce...

Page 14: ...O NOT connect anything other than a microphone to the MIC INPUT C Connect the load e g mixer recorder etc to the 286s LINE OUTPUT jack D Connect an external processor or effects device to the 1 4 INSERT jack Optional 4 Connect the AC power cord to the AC power receptacle on the back of the unit Note We recommend you always power on the unit with the MIC GAIN control set to its minimum level fully ...

Page 15: ... in level below the threshold of compression the compressor gain remains fixed If the input increases above the threshold of compression the gain begins to decrease i e the amount of gain reduction increases For very large input signals the gain can decrease considerably On the 286s compression occurs as an input level is driven into gain reduction by the DRIVE control as the DRIVE setting adjuste...

Page 16: ...er sometimes called a Spectral Enhancer adds clarity and detail to vocals or other line level signals by intelligently boosting specific frequency ranges Use the HF DETAIL control to add high frequency energy to the input signal Use the LF DETAIL to add punch and definition at the lower end of the spectrum The HF Detail circuitry in the 286s uses a dynamic shelving equalizer to provide results sup...

Page 17: ...ain is added at all the preceding stages of the 286s Using the Four Processors in Different Combinations Note Too high of a THRESHOLD setting with expansion i e lower EXPANSION RATIOs may cause the 286s to attenuate the desired portion of the signal as well as the undesired portion Too high of an EXPANSION RATIO setting my cause undesirable effects with highly modulated program material like vocal...

Page 18: ...ng should initially be applied conservatively to taste avoid overusing an effect unless it is absolutely necessary For example use De Essing for sibilance or high frequency distortion only otherwise turn the control OFF Or for material already rich in high frequencies set the HF DETAIL to Off or use it minimally This will ensure that the 286s circuitry produces superior audio without any artifacts...

Page 19: ...ctively re energized and enhanced with treatment Use to taste Program Dependent Use when program material needs treatment Make sure you use only as much treatment as needed Not Recommended The 286s is generally not applicable to these applications Compressor Note The Compressor is OFF when the Compressor DRIVE is set to the off position Suggested Initial Compressor settings Smoothing Out A Vocal P...

Page 20: ...multitrack studio applications consider gating out the hiss during the initial recording then adding HF DETAIL enhancement afterwards during mixdown Audible Distortion With certain combinations of controls especially when they are used at more extreme settings towards fully clockwise distortion or artifacts may occur In this case lessen one of more of the controls in use For example higher DRIVE s...

Page 21: ...cessive brightness try reducing the HF DETAIL or increasing the De Esser THRESHOLD if the audio is a single track as appropriate Low Rumble or Excessive Low Frequencies Although the HIGHPASS button works effectively to reduce hum rumble wind noise etc at the input LF DETAIL can restore low frequency power to objectionable levels if used too liberally This is especially true if the rear panel INSER...

Page 22: ...vice be prepared to accurately describe the problem Know the serial number of your unit this is printed on a sticker attached to the rear panel Note Please refer to the terms of your Limited Two Year Standard Warranty which extends to the first end user After expiration of the warranty a reasonable charge will be made for parts labor and packing if you choose to use the factory service facility In...

Page 23: ...ance 100Ω unbalanced 200Ω balanced Maximum Level 21dBu 20dBm 600Ω load Gain Adjustment Range 30dB 10dB Noise 85dBu unweighted 20Hz 20kHz Both Gain Controls set for 0dB all processing controls OFF Frequency Response 20Hz 20kHz 0 5 0 5dB Distortion 0 08 THD 20Hz 20kHz 10dBu all Processing Controls OFF COMPRESSOR Threshold Range 40dBu to 20dBu Compression Ratio 4 1 For input levels beyond 20dB above ...

Page 24: ...Adjustable 1 5 1 10 1 Maximum Depth 50dB Attack Time Program Dependent approximately 2ms at maximum attenuation Release Time Program Dependent approxiamtely 10ms dB DYNAMIC RANGE Typically 105dB Power Requirements 15 W USA 120VAC 60Hz 100VAC 50 60Hz Operating Voltage EU 230VAC 50 60Hz Operating Temperature 32 F to 113 F 0 C to 45 C Dimensions 1 75 x 5 75 x 19 45 x 175 x 485 mm Weight Net Weight 4 ...

Page 25: ...286 21 286s Section 7 Block Diagram ...

Page 26: ...286 22 286s ...

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Page 28: ...286 8760 South Sandy Parkway Sandy Utah 84070 Phone 801 568 7660 Fax 801 568 7662 Int l Fax 801 568 7583 Visit us online at www dbxpro com 18 0728V A Printed in China ...