P
Poni
New member
What is the consensus on this thing.
MarkoPolo
New member
Its a good work horse comp many studios have them or the big brother DBX166. just a straight up comp no real major coloring.
not the best but by far not the worst.
I have one.
not the best but by far not the worst.
I have one.
Teacher
New member
alot of hip hop and RnB producers use the 160xl
J
jslator
New member
IMNSHO, it's "big brother" the 166 is OK on some things as long as you are going for a very dark and obviously-compressed sound, but the 266 is just plain unworkable. Save yourself some headaches and get an RNC. Even some of the cheap Behringer stuff sounds a lot better to my ear than the 266.
S
SmattyG
New member
Yeah, I have two of those 266xl's, and I'm not really impressed with them at all... I avoid using them if I can. Sometimes that means that I don't do any compression while tracking...
I also have a 166, but I don't like it that much either. Partly because you can't set the attack and release, but also because it dose have a kind of 'dark' sound to it that was mentioned before. Can work nice for some things though...
I also have a 166, but I don't like it that much either. Partly because you can't set the attack and release, but also because it dose have a kind of 'dark' sound to it that was mentioned before. Can work nice for some things though...
Tom Cram
New member
Seems like I answer this question every couple of months.
The 266xl was designed for guitar/bass rigs and small P.A. applications. It has crossed over to demo studio use because of its price, not its design. For studio use I'd be looking at the 160a, 1066, DDP, and maybe the 166xl.
On a related note, the 166xl was designed more for live use because of its brickwall protection limiter. The compressor section is the same as the 1066 though.
The earlier 166 mentioned by SmattyG is actually one of my favorite compressors. It does have a dark sound that works fantastically well on electric guitars, kick drums, and brass. Some of my biggest distorted guitar tracks were acheived with the 166.
Tom Cram
dbx Senior Technical Support
(801) 568-7530
tcram@dbxpro.com
"I should have been a plumber."
-Albert Einstein-
The 266xl was designed for guitar/bass rigs and small P.A. applications. It has crossed over to demo studio use because of its price, not its design. For studio use I'd be looking at the 160a, 1066, DDP, and maybe the 166xl.
On a related note, the 166xl was designed more for live use because of its brickwall protection limiter. The compressor section is the same as the 1066 though.
The earlier 166 mentioned by SmattyG is actually one of my favorite compressors. It does have a dark sound that works fantastically well on electric guitars, kick drums, and brass. Some of my biggest distorted guitar tracks were acheived with the 166.
Tom Cram
dbx Senior Technical Support
(801) 568-7530
tcram@dbxpro.com
"I should have been a plumber."
-Albert Einstein-
J
Jeppo
Member
Yet again..........
I also answer this question every couple of months. The 2666XL is a cheap compressor that is not worth it. I've used it on vocal & acoustic guitars. Sounds OK, but noisy. I can't believe this thing was designed for bass guitar - on low frequencies this piece of junk clicks louder than my ole grandad's false teeth.
The pops and clicks of this thing have been well documented. Save your money for something more useable.
I also answer this question every couple of months. The 2666XL is a cheap compressor that is not worth it. I've used it on vocal & acoustic guitars. Sounds OK, but noisy. I can't believe this thing was designed for bass guitar - on low frequencies this piece of junk clicks louder than my ole grandad's false teeth.
The pops and clicks of this thing have been well documented. Save your money for something more useable.
H
Han
New member
Guys
If you use a 266XL on guitars or bass and you keep the ratio low, for example between 1.2-2.0:1, and you set the threshold around 0, you will notice some pretty decent sound.
I don't like this baby on horns and winds, but distorted geetar, bass, kick or snare, or even on the stereo drum buss, it will do a pretty nice job.
I compared the 266 and the 266XL (which sounds different) to the Manley VariMU, and IMHO the DBX sounded less dull than the Manley.
I got to have a pile of RNC's one of these days!!
If you use a 266XL on guitars or bass and you keep the ratio low, for example between 1.2-2.0:1, and you set the threshold around 0, you will notice some pretty decent sound.
I don't like this baby on horns and winds, but distorted geetar, bass, kick or snare, or even on the stereo drum buss, it will do a pretty nice job.
I compared the 266 and the 266XL (which sounds different) to the Manley VariMU, and IMHO the DBX sounded less dull than the Manley.
I got to have a pile of RNC's one of these days!!
E
ebeam
New member
I've got a couple 160A's and they are pretty cool. Not the most versatile compressor (no attack or release) but they have a nice color to them and can get pretty gritty and mean sounding if you push them. You can also link two for stereo use. I picked mine up for $200 a piece. Not something to put on every track and definitely not 'transparent' like the RNC but a nice tool none the less.
B
Beatnik
New member
Love it
Personally I love the 266XL, but that cause i use it mostly for live stuff. I have it permanently in my Bass guitar rig (Ratio 4:1, attack and release set minimum for full pump, sounds tight and smooth)
when recording i'll use it to gain headroom by useing it as a limiter, but i usually use the Timeworks compressor that came with Sonar2XL for basically everything, haven't found a better compression plugin (except for Waves Ultramizer L1+, damn that thing just makes everything live and pumpin)
I only use it for vocal when doing rap because, well, you have to, and it handles the syllabence well, especially with an EQ patched into the insert jack
Personally I love the 266XL, but that cause i use it mostly for live stuff. I have it permanently in my Bass guitar rig (Ratio 4:1, attack and release set minimum for full pump, sounds tight and smooth)
when recording i'll use it to gain headroom by useing it as a limiter, but i usually use the Timeworks compressor that came with Sonar2XL for basically everything, haven't found a better compression plugin (except for Waves Ultramizer L1+, damn that thing just makes everything live and pumpin)
I only use it for vocal when doing rap because, well, you have to, and it handles the syllabence well, especially with an EQ patched into the insert jack