The chain is as follows:
-RE20 via XLR(female) to XLR(male) inputted into the True P-Solo Ribbon Pre, high gain mode engaged and maxed (+76db gain)
-Balanced output over 1/4" TRS into Line In on the dbx286s channel strip
-Output over 1/4" TRS from the output jack into channel 2 of the Scarlett Solo preamp, Line mode.
Clip 1: Gain maxed on P-Solo, no additional gain from dbx:
Vocaroo | Voice message
Clip 2:Same as above, but with around +10 additional gain from the dbx's built in preamp (around ~+86dB total):
Vocaroo | Voice message
You're using an XLR-XLR cable, right?
Yes: this connects the microphone to the TPS-Ribbon Pre. Then, a 1/4" TRS connects that to the dbx286s channel strip, which is then connected to the Scarlett Solo via another 1/4" TRS.
Where is the output of the 286s going, what interface or something else into Audacity?
Into a Scarlett Solo in Line mode over Channel 2, which uses a TRS input. I'm then using Audacity to monitor the output levels.
I've not had the need for a massive amount of gain for RE20's. One might wonder how quiet or far from the mic we're talking about here.
Around 3 inches away from the mic; Or rather, an inch (sometimes two in the worst case) away from my BSW REPOP pop filter.
There are two ways to connect the preamp to the dbx286s; via Line In, or via "Insert"; When I had it in "insert", there seemed to be plenty of gain, but it was more noisy. After reading a bit online, I think I'm supposed to use Line In instead. Now that I'm attempting to use Line In, I'm needing much more gain.