8760 S. Sandy Pkwy.
Sandy, Utah 84070
Phone (801) 568-7660
Fax (801) 568-7662
Int’l Fax (801) 568-7583
customer@dbxpro.com
http://www.dbxpro.com
A Harman International Company
286A
Mic Preamp/
Processor
-20
-10
LEVEL (dBu)
48V
PHANTOM
POWER
HIGHPASS
(80Hz)
PROCESS
BYPASS
0
CLIP
30
25
GAIN REDUCTION dB
20
15
12
dB
16
963
COMPRESSOR
DE-ESSER
ENHANCER
GAIN
dB
+10
+15
+40
+30
+60
DRIVE
OFF
1
2
3
46
7
8
9
5
10
DENSITY
OFF
1
2
3
46
7
8
9
5
10
THRESHOLD
OFF
1
2
3
46
7
8
9
5
10
LF DETAIL
OFF
1
2
3
46
7
8
9
5
10
HF DETAIL
OFF
1
2
3
46
7
8
9
5
10
FREQUENCY
Hz
800
1k
8k
4k
10k
THRESHOLD
dBu
OFF
-30
-5
-15
+15
EXPANDER/GATE
RATIO
MIN
1.5:1
5:1
2:1
10:1
GAIN
dB
-30
-10
+5
0
+10
THRESHOLD
-
CLIP
+
OUTPUT
MIC PREAMP
®
• New dbx standard internal power supply
• Frequency control for De-Esser
• Expanded meter to show heavy De-Essing
• Above/Below threshold indicator for gate
• +48VDC Phantom Power
• Precision detented controls
18-1666-B 10/98
The dbx 286A’s Mic Preamp and five processors can be used independently or in any combination. Why mic up
vocals and instruments through a noisy, blurry mixer? The dbx 286A’s sonically pristine Mic Preamp has all the fea-
tures you need, including wide-ranging input gain control, switchable 48V phantom power and an 80Hz high-pass
filter. Use the 286A’s newly designed and patented OverEasy® Compressor to transparently smooth out uneven
acoustic tracks or deliver that classic “in your face” rock vocal. Take out vocal sibilance and high frequency distor-
tion in cymbals with the 286A’s frequency tunable De-Esser. Fine-tune the Enhancer’s HF Detail control to add
sparkle and crispness to tracks. LF Detail control adds fullness and depth to vocals and bass instruments while simul-
taneously cleaning up muddy low midrange frequencies. And, the Expander/Gate’s separate threshold and ratio con-
trols allow you to subtly reduce headphone leakage or radically gate noisy guitar amps.
The dbx 286A’s full complement of metering and status LEDs visually guide you to achieving the right sound. The
floating balanced XLR mic input accepts balanced or unbalanced inputs. An additional 1
⁄
4" TRS phone jack can
accept balanced/ unbalanced line signals to process live electronic instruments or pre-recorded tracks at mixdown.
An insert jack between the 286A’s Mic Preamp and signal processing sections can be used to “loop out” to external
processors (such as EQ) or to mix the Mic Preamp’s signal out to an external destination.
The cost and hassle of patching together multiple processors for use on one track can be frustrating. The dbx 286A
gives you all the tools you’ll need in one box, with the shortest signal path to help keep your music sounding clean.
