DBX - 286A Microphone preamplifier

The microphone preamp and the five processors of the dbx 286A can be used independently or in any combination. Why record vocals and instruments through a noisy, blurry mixer? The crystal-clear sound microphone preamp of the dbx 286A has all the necessary features, including a wide-range input gain control, a switchable 48 V phantom power supply, and an 80 Hz high-pass filter. Use the new and patented OverEasy compressor of the 286A to transparently smooth out uneven acoustic tracks or to reproduce the classic 'in your face' rock vocal. Eliminate vocal sibilance and high-frequency distortion in cymbals with the 286A’s adjustable frequency De-Esser. Precisely adjust the HF Detail control of the Enhancer to add brightness and clarity to tracks. The LF Detail control adds fullness and depth to vocals and bass instruments while cleaning up the muddled mid-bass frequencies. Additionally, the separate threshold and ratio controls of the Expander/Gate allow you to gently reduce headphone bleed or to apply a radical gate to noisy guitar amplifiers.

The full range of status LEDs and level measurement on the dbx 286A visually guides you toward the desired sound. The balanced floating XLR microphone input accepts balanced or unbalanced signals. An additional 1/4" TRS jack can accept balanced or unbalanced line signals for processing live electronic instruments or pre-recorded tracks during mixing. An insert jack between the microphone preamp and the signal processing sections of the 286A can be used for a 'loop out' to external processors (such as EQ) or to route the microphone preamp signal to an external destination.

The cost and difficulty of connecting multiple processors for use on a single track can be frustrating. The dbx 286A provides all the necessary tools in one device, with the shortest signal path to help you keep your music clean.