266XS 2-Channel Compressor/Gate

The dbx 266XS brings the compression technology dbx invented to a straightforward 2-channel rack unit built for live sound and studio work alike. Its patented OverEasy compression provides an even, musical gain reduction curve instead of an abrupt hard-knee clamp, while AutoDynamic attack and release controls, found only on dbx compressors, automatically adjust their timing to the program material so you get natural-sounding compression without constant tweaking. Use it to even out uneven vocal levels, add sustain to a guitar, fatten up a kick and snare, or bring a lead vocal forward in a busy mix. The 266XS runs in stereo or dual-mono mode with true RMS power summing, so it handles a stereo bus or two unrelated mono sources equally well, and it accepts both XLR and 1/4-inch TRS connections on input and output. Separate precision LED displays for gain reduction, compression threshold, and gate threshold give you a clear visual read on what the processor is doing, and a side chain insert lets you set up frequency-selective or ducking effects. A program-adaptive expander/gate rounds out the unit, cleaning up noise between phrases or tightening a noisy guitar amp without chopping off the tail of a note.