No you are not the only one, but you probably the only one with enough courage and honesty to admit it.....Anyway, keep on taking notes, because statistically, chances are you will achieve your goals and be successful....
Disregard the negativity. We all start (AND END) somewhere. If something adds value to your existence, ONLY YOU get to make that determination. I just got done writing down every single thing I found of value in this video,, as I will be using them while mentoring those who seek my guidance. Many blessings to you in your quest to learn and improve. #NOTESROCK
Sometimes Radio people like to joke around or do it their way how ever that maybe...By Commenting with TOXIC style never helps anything...Thank you Mike for your detail and sensitivities. I left Radio and have my own DBX ready and excited to connect for a Podcast currently doing.
As an audiobook narrator who does his own editing and mastering I find this is a great timesaver, especially being able to gate out mouth noise, breaths, and outside noise.
I've just bought two of these units for a radio studio - we've never sounded so good ! Thanks for taking the time to demo this properly, letting us hear how it actually affects your voice
The dbx 286s is amazing! After recording our first two albums without one, we bought a 286s to see if we could improve the vocal recording process on our newest album we are currently recording. The 1st album was almost all SM58 direct into a Tascam DP-32, or through a vocal effects pedal 1st. For the 2nd album we dug out an old AKG C 3000B and also used a new Neumann TLM 102, they added diversity and options for the vocals. Now we're using the dbx 286s with the AKG, Neumann and a new Shure SM7B and the 286s made all 3 microphones come alive! A little compression when recording makes the mixing process so much easier!
Holy lord! I've been making music for over 20 years now and I am 32... literally NO ONE explained these basic things to clear and easy to understand to me! That is absolutely ingenious! Instantly bought it :) thx man!
Great vid. I just bought the dbx 286s, the scarlet solo and the Shure sm7b. This tutorial is the best I've seen so far. really helped me with my setup. Thanks
yes and i guess its with dynamics in general? im wanting an sm57 however. wondering if i should get this dbx but if notice some noise...i'd need a fethead or cloudlifter right? my current setup is the 2i2 2nd gen and at2035. i can get -57 noise floor but my room isnt well treated and looking into dynamic now but worried about the extra noise or something
I know this is an older post, BUT, I have been screwing around with my dbx286 FOREVER and have never been able to 1-understand it properly and 2-get it set up to work the way it should. I do live internet radio, and some VO work. I will now keep the dbx286 in the line. Thanks again. you have saved the life of a dbx286!!
I've had the 286S for about 4 months now and as a streamer on Twitch I couldn't have chosen a better all in one box. Great alternative to having to buy a compressor, a Cloudlifter, etc etc. At $200 it's a steal. Glad to see you covered this awesome piece of gear and covered it very well at that. Great job! Love your videos.
Ayy, I picked this up back in March after frustration at my self-pieced rack not being clean enough for my RE20. Was so blown away by how clean this handles the signal and easy to use.
just get an Apollo Twin Duo instead.. smaller form factor, zero latency processing with a dual-core processor inside the unit, no need for a rackmount unit
Finally a proper explanation of compression! So many people - even those claiming to be audio experts - incorrectly state that compression lowers the loud and increases the soft. No, it simply reduces the decibels of the loud signals by some ratio, thereby compressing the signal. Because that signal is now compressed, you have more overhead, which you can utilize by turning the gain up.
What I like about this guy is that he speaks slow enough (with dramatic pauses) that I can watch the videos at 2x speed and still understand, word for word, what he’s saying. Making his 20 minute videos only 10 minutes. Awesome!
Hi, thank you for the great video! I would like to note that the "DRIVE" control is more like the "THRESHOLD" on other compressors. In fact, the 286s uses a fixed threshold but the DRIVE adjusts the level of the signal that enters the compressor. As the manual says, "The DRIVE control determines the overall amount of gain reduction by setting the signal level going into the gain control circuitry. Turning DRIVE clockwise will increase the input signal, and therefore increase the amount of applied gain reduction".
I posted 2 years ago about an auction for one of these - it fell through. I got the OG 286A from the US, recapped it and I absolutely love it. This is the fourth or fifth time I have watched this. It's a bible. Welcome to Sept 2022.
same here. About 3 months ago I browsed online and just picked this one for the reasonable price and features. After about a 15 min setup session fiddling with the settings, it sounds great. And the clean pre-amp really helps with the RE-20 mic (which has a very low output & needs a lot of gain) Now that I see Mike also giving it a thumbs up, I'm very happy I landed on this one.
This was an incredibly helpful tutorial for understanding my DBX -- I made some tweaks and it has reduced my room floor, cleared up my s-sounds, and by using the by-pass filter have no more annoying hum from the HVAC unit next door! Thanks so much...
Mike, I've watched dozens of your videos and you NEVER disappoint. Fantastic explanation of compression, etc. I stream on Twitch, and currently I pass everything through Adobe Audition using a virtual cable to pass the audio on to the streaming software. This solution works (my PC can handle it no problem), and its "adaptive noise reduction" works quite well. But, it always feels like a janky solution. So many moving parts in software, and having to compensate for the added audio delay, it makes getting started with the stream feel so... tenuous. That's not a good feeling to have before streaming. Thanks for your explanation, I will probably get this product (or after some research perhaps something else like it).
Excellent Video Mike. Well explained and demonstrated. The box can be confusing because it does not use the normal terminology like gate and "attack and release"
Former DBX286s user here. I've had 2 of them: the first died after 2 years, the second one after a year and a half, so I gave up. I switched to using a Cloudlifter with the same Shure SM7B, and I am much happier. Any tweaks I might want to the sound, I do with plugins afterward. I definitely liked the concept of the 286s, and enjoyed them while they lasted. Anyway, great video as always.
I use the dbx 286s, a komplete audio6 and a sennheiser e935 I had laying around. Not only does the dbx save a lot of audio tinkering time in post processing. It's perfect for live-streaming stuff. It has just the right features for a live-stream setup. And this video made me get the 286s. Thanks Mike!
Yes, plugins are great as far as ability, but trying to use them sucks compared to old fashioned outboard gear with real knobs! Musicians, especially guitarists, lol, love real knobs to turn!
Came back to revisit this vid just to say I bought one shortly after seeing you (and another trusted voice out here in YouTubistan) give it the run through and I have no regrets. I paired it with a DBX 131s equalizer a short time afterwards and I love my sound now. I bought one of them remote controlled power plug things and plugged both into it so I can turn them off and on to keep them from being on when not in use.
The Fethead doesn't require an extra XLR and plugs directly into the mic versus the Cloudlifter that is $50 more and does. Fethead does actually sell a version designed for permanent installations that looks and functions like the Cloudlifter but they also have other single channel models. Cloudlifter offers a single, double and quad channel unit while Fethead offers a model for dynamic mics, one for lesser sensitive condenser mics and even offers the Airhead which is 15 db of reduction that I personally use when recording gunfire for motion picture and TV.
Hi there. Im learnig about DBX 286S and you teach me a lot! Sorry about my english. Im a brazilian old man making my audiobooks. Working in that and wanted to improve it. Thanks a lot.
I just have to thank you for all of your advise in your video's... I have taken many of you tips and applied them to my recording chain. Added the dpx 286s today and followed you all the way thru the video AND BOOM - It Magically cleared up my chain and the loud room I have to record in. I will be making a few changes to the room to deaden it some more - But WOW! What a difference it has made! I am using it with my new Digital Mixer - the Yamaha MG10XU & New CAD E100S - Love that mic! It reminds me of when I was the Production Director for Citidel in SLC and had a Neumann in my studio. THANK YOU! THANK YOU!! THANK YOU!!! I hope you are getting paid from these companies - I sure you sell more products than you know~!
Thanks for talking about the concepts and then treating them with the preamp instead of talking about the preamp features. This serves much more as an educative video instead of a review. Great job!
Fantastic video. I have a Steinberg UR242, the sm7b and a cloudlifter. On my way to getting the dbx 286s next month. Thanks for the great information on it.
I think the most important point of this thing is that it works in fully analog domain so it causes (practically) zero delay compared to any DSP processing. You can even record both unprocessed signal and the processed signal if your interface can take two line signals (so you can have raw output from the DBX 286s mic preamp on L channel and fully processed signal on R channel). I'm absolutely allergic to any latency for may monitoring sound to my ears so I really like analog processing for monitoring but the ability to also capture the raw signal allows adjusting the filters in DSP in post-processing. That said, you may have to solder your own adapter to be able to capture the signal and still keep the DBX 286s in the processing loop because that must be all done via 3 rings in the effect loop plug of 286s.
i've been considering this for exactly the reason in the intro. Usually I run a VST host to process while streaming or recording and it takes a little too much cpu.
Thanks. I learned something, and I'm already a user of the 286s. A tip when you go shopping for your own, Mike: The dbx 286a is essentially identical in function, and can often be purchase a bit cheaper; under $100 sometimes. The older dbx 286 [no letter, sometimes labelled "Project 1"] is SLIGHTLY different: It doesn't allow you to adjust the frequency of the de-esser. But guess what? It still works great. It can sometimes be had for about $60. WITH OLDER GEAR, the knobs and buttons can get scratchy or glitchy, but fear not; many times they can be rehabilitated. I'll have to make a video about that someday, but the key is DeoxIT F5 Fader Cleaner.
The way you have your mic setup is extremely soothing. Thanks for not adding a bunch of annoying processing that mutates your voice into something it's not. Sounds great, keep up the great work! 10:41 "Don't overdue it though otherwise..." you'll sound like Leo Laporte!
Wow. I know nothing about mics let alone preamps and all the fancy sound devices. I understood everything you explained and was able to digest it. I just bought a Shure MV7 and was thinking about boosting the potential of the mic. Thank you for such a helpful explanation!
Thank you Mike. This was the clearest explanation i have heard, and was very helpful. I use the Shure microphone and a Scarlett 2i2 so this was very relevant to my experience!
Funny. When i bought my dbx compressor back in october 2016, i found your channel while looking up tutorials and here you are now doing a walkthrough. Great video. I've been subbed since then and i really enjoy your content
Hey Mike, I just wanted to thank you for this video. Today I received my DBX 286A and I can't wait to use it during my live-streaming sessions. The 286A is the same piece of equipment with basically just an older looking front-plate. The A costs a bit less, and I picked it up thanks to your persuasion. I'm constantly looking for ways to improve the quality of my content, and I think the advice I've been gleaning from your channel over the last few weeks has really inspired me to get out there and record something amazing. :)
Got this thing this week and am super happy with it, but had a bit of a snag setting it up that I wanted to mention here. Before i ordered this thing I use a CAD GXL2200 and a Shure X2U XLR to USB converting preamp for phantom power. Now I have added this DBX 286 to my setup using an xlr cable as the mic input and then a 1/4 to 1/8 headphone cable for the output to try and plug it into my computer and it was just awful. All kinds of popping and whining, I can only assume due to improper grounding or something like that. Anyway i switched to using a 1/4 headphone to xlr cable and then ran it to my Shure X2U so i would use my USB port again and it was just perfect. No pops or crackles or hums or anything. Plus now i don't have to feel bad about dropping the Shure X2U from my set up after spending $100 on it :) Though I did just learn that the streaming software OBS i bought this to use it with at some point added a built in software compressor without my notice...so...might not have needed it after all :( BUT since i have it i guess it at least keeps the strain off my cpu that the OBS compressor would use! So I am going to fill the $200 hole in my wallet with that silver lining and go from here. Still super happy with this thing.
I bought this after watching this video and I absolutely love it. If your starting out or don't want to spend to much time editing then this is perfect for you! Thanks Mike!
My chain is SM7B > Cloudlifter > DBX 286S > Zoom H5 and I am getting stellar results. I just hate the extra hiss in the headphone port of the Zoom H5 but luckily that isn’t there in the actual recording. With a high-pass filter and some treatment in my closet I am getting around -75db so it’s better than expected. I’d love to see the results in a treated Whisper Room.
if it still bothers you, a ground noise loop isolator should do the trick. I know you said doesn't affect recording but I hate the hiss also and this seems to fix it for me.
@@TeacherCast The DBX at full gain adds a noticeable amount of hiss/noise, the Cloudlifter allows you to turn the preamp knob down to +45dB or lower and get the remaining 25dB from the CL
@@DEDR1CK I just bought the Shure, Cloudlifter AND dbx. I'm going to play with everything during the holiday break. Many have said NOT to use both the CL and DBX together for a variety of reasons. Some have said it's ok to use both. What does everyone here say?
Really great walkthrough and tutorial. Been looking for this kind of strip processor! Loved the fact that you overdid some of the effects to show how far they can push the signal!
Good Video! I got the dbx286s and the SM7B and I love it, I've had it for about 1.5 year now and I'm so pleased with it! I also got a mixer in my chain just for some fun effects.
Fantastic product. I use it on all of my livestreams on my gaming channel, and although it has a bit of a learning curve to tune it to your voice and setup, it works great with the SM7B as Mike showed. Just make sure you use high quality and low-noise XLR cables from your mic to the DBX 286s, and from the DBX 286s to your other preamp or whatever you're plugging it into.
Just stop by to say thanks for all of your great informative podcasts, your videos on the DBX 286 and the Stellar X2 were great helps. Like the deep knowledge base you share
Dude, you explained that soooo well, all my questions are answered! Greetings from Germany. Next time, i will pay you for doing such a great and informatic Video :P
Very pleased with mine, the only difference that I have with my set up is that I use a Valve Pre-amp before hand. Very happy with the results using a Heil PR40 and PR781 , I use this set up for Ham Radio. Great Video!
Done! Im sold, this is fantastic. Im working on my first podcast with a cheap Behringer C-3 mic and a Focusrite Scarlett Solo. I can add all the effects in Logic Pro X after the fact but it would be great to just not worry about that in post. Also, if I record interviews on FB Live I can use this a my sound and would be amazing!
Thank you a lot, mike, for sharing this video with us! This was the video that made me aware of this piece of tech, and since having a signal as processed, like what im getting after post in OBS right now for every application, it was simply gold to me! Compressor, Expander/Gate, a dynamic equalizer and a de-esser before the signal even gets to my audio interface? I'm in love! I'm sure this will be the pre-amp i'll end up buying. Great stuff...
Hiya, Dunno if my comment 3 weeks ago inspired this (I would like to think) but it was a good watch, really enjoyed it and learned some things (like I did not realise you kept the output at 0). Anyway just to let you know that the DBX 286s had a predecessor called the DBX 286a. No-one is sure why DBX discontinued one for the other as, apart from the order of the chain, they are identical. The DBX 286a comes up on Ebay a lot cheaper than the new DBX 286s - I am currently tracking one for £40 in the UK. Many thanks for the video.
The 'bypass as an input' trick is cool, but going though a line in on most interfaces will accomplish the same thing. There is a 'pre-amp' in line with the line in, but it is not generally amplifying, especially if the outboard gear is set correctly. You definitely want to bypass high gain, inexpensive, mic level pre-amps, but I have not had, and wouldn't expect, extra noise from a line in.
I was about to say the same. I'm still learning the fundamentals, though I learned this just recently and bought myself a new interface with Line In (Stenberg U242) for this very reason.
First of all I would like to mention that I am one of your fans and I would like to thank you for your effort…I would like you to recommend a smaller version of the DBX 286s in which that it can be easy for traveling and it has almost the same features, thank you and waiting for your reply.
Great Voice, Great Bro and a professional Voiceover Speaker...and also funny guy...I like you so much and it's a pleasure to listen and see you. Greetings from Germany...Take care...Achim
I bought one back in 2018 and got an open box deal off of American Musical. I like it, but I wish I knew about this video sooner because I've been fiddling with the settings since I bought it.
Am I the only one actually taking handwritten notes? Dear God! Thank you so much for these videos.
No you are not the only one, but you probably the only one with enough courage and honesty to admit it.....Anyway, keep on taking notes, because statistically, chances are you will achieve your goals and be successful....
Tch, back off old timer! (JK, I'm a handwritten note junkie myself :-P )
Disregard the negativity. We all start (AND END) somewhere. If something adds value to your existence, ONLY YOU get to make that determination. I just got done writing down every single thing I found of value in this video,, as I will be using them while mentoring those who seek my guidance. Many blessings to you in your quest to learn and improve. #NOTESROCK
Hehe
Sometimes Radio people like to joke around or do it their way how ever that maybe...By Commenting with TOXIC style never helps anything...Thank you Mike for your detail and sensitivities. I left Radio and have my own DBX ready and excited to connect for a Podcast currently doing.
2:37 Preamp
4:34 Compressor
7:45 deesser
9:25 Enhancer
11:35 Expender
15:22 output
Thanks for the video!
Thank you!
I wonder if you can use this if you already have a external preamp. I would like to use it for the dessers.
As an audiobook narrator who does his own editing and mastering I find this is a great timesaver, especially being able to gate out mouth noise, breaths, and outside noise.
I've just bought two of these units for a radio studio - we've never sounded so good ! Thanks for taking the time to demo this properly, letting us hear how it actually affects your voice
The dbx 286s is amazing! After recording our first two albums without one, we bought a 286s to see if we could improve the vocal recording process on our newest album we are currently recording. The 1st album was almost all SM58 direct into a Tascam DP-32, or through a vocal effects pedal 1st. For the 2nd album we dug out an old AKG C 3000B and also used a new Neumann TLM 102, they added diversity and options for the vocals.
Now we're using the dbx 286s with the AKG, Neumann and a new Shure SM7B and the 286s made all 3 microphones come alive! A little compression when recording makes the mixing process so much easier!
Compression Settings for hip hop vocals, what would you recommend?
Can dbx 286s support 3 mics at the same time?
@@Slingshot4FunTW No. There is just 1 XLR microphone input and 1 Line Input. I don't know if you can use both at the same time, I haven't tried it.
@@dreddydreson5676 Sorry I can't help, I know nothing about hip hop.
Holy lord! I've been making music for over 20 years now and I am 32... literally NO ONE explained these basic things to clear and easy to understand to me! That is absolutely ingenious! Instantly bought it :) thx man!
Great vid. I just bought the dbx 286s, the scarlet solo and the Shure sm7b. This tutorial is the best I've seen so far. really helped me with my setup. Thanks
NemRaps Nice gear combo.. Should do you well... Enjoy it!
HEY DO YOU USE PRO TOOLS ?
@@bradleysmith681 is the gain knob turn to almost 60 db make the noise floor more apparent in this?
NewbArchitect Are you talking about the mic preamp? If so, the sm7b requires the preamp to be full clockwise, so you might notice some noise.
yes and i guess its with dynamics in general? im wanting an sm57 however. wondering if i should get this dbx but if notice some noise...i'd need a fethead or cloudlifter right? my current setup is the 2i2 2nd gen and at2035. i can get -57 noise floor but my room isnt well treated and looking into dynamic now but worried about the extra noise or something
I know this is an older post, BUT, I have been screwing around with my dbx286 FOREVER and have never been able to 1-understand it properly and 2-get it set up to work the way it should. I do live internet radio, and some VO work. I will now keep the dbx286 in the line. Thanks again. you have saved the life of a dbx286!!
I've had the 286S for about 4 months now and as a streamer on Twitch I couldn't have chosen a better all in one box. Great alternative to having to buy a compressor, a Cloudlifter, etc etc. At $200 it's a steal. Glad to see you covered this awesome piece of gear and covered it very well at that. Great job! Love your videos.
Ayy, I picked this up back in March after frustration at my self-pieced rack not being clean enough for my RE20. Was so blown away by how clean this handles the signal and easy to use.
NOOO
Now I want the 286s even more. This is the best and most thorough walkthrough I have seen. Thanks Mike
If only it was a bit smaller!
Jafar Uddin thats what she said
u know it ;)
I know he is awesome
just get an Apollo Twin Duo instead.. smaller form factor, zero latency processing with a dual-core processor inside the unit, no need for a rackmount unit
Finally a proper explanation of compression! So many people - even those claiming to be audio experts - incorrectly state that compression lowers the loud and increases the soft. No, it simply reduces the decibels of the loud signals by some ratio, thereby compressing the signal. Because that signal is now compressed, you have more overhead, which you can utilize by turning the gain up.
I have watched many videos about the DBX286s. For the first time , I understand how it works and adjusted it the way I always wanted.
What I like about this guy is that he speaks slow enough (with dramatic pauses) that I can watch the videos at 2x speed and still understand, word for word, what he’s saying. Making his 20 minute videos only 10 minutes. Awesome!
Hi, thank you for the great video! I would like to note that the "DRIVE" control is more like the "THRESHOLD" on other compressors. In fact, the 286s uses a fixed threshold but the DRIVE adjusts the level of the signal that enters the compressor. As the manual says,
"The DRIVE control determines the overall amount of gain reduction by setting the signal level going into the gain control circuitry. Turning DRIVE clockwise will increase the input signal, and therefore increase the amount of applied gain reduction".
Wow this is one of the best sound recording tutorials ever on UA-cam! Thank you Booth Junkie!
Thank you Mike. This explains in great depth what each knob does. It has helped me set my DBX to get a better quality voice.
I agree, he should become part of their product info videos xd
I posted 2 years ago about an auction for one of these - it fell through. I got the OG 286A from the US, recapped it and I absolutely love it. This is the fourth or fifth time I have watched this. It's a bible. Welcome to Sept 2022.
I got this thing about 2 months ago, I was shocked today when I saw you had a vid on it!
same here. About 3 months ago I browsed online and just picked this one for the reasonable price and features. After about a 15 min setup session fiddling with the settings, it sounds great. And the clean pre-amp really helps with the RE-20 mic (which has a very low output & needs a lot of gain) Now that I see Mike also giving it a thumbs up, I'm very happy I landed on this one.
A vivid description of the 286s functions, thank you!
This was an incredibly helpful tutorial for understanding my DBX -- I made some tweaks and it has reduced my room floor, cleared up my s-sounds, and by using the by-pass filter have no more annoying hum from the HVAC unit next door! Thanks so much...
The Best DBX Settings Video yet.
Mike, I've watched dozens of your videos and you NEVER disappoint.
Fantastic explanation of compression, etc. I stream on Twitch, and currently I pass everything through Adobe Audition using a virtual cable to pass the audio on to the streaming software. This solution works (my PC can handle it no problem), and its "adaptive noise reduction" works quite well. But, it always feels like a janky solution. So many moving parts in software, and having to compensate for the added audio delay, it makes getting started with the stream feel so... tenuous. That's not a good feeling to have before streaming.
Thanks for your explanation, I will probably get this product (or after some research perhaps something else like it).
Best video I've seen explaining use one of these units . I wish I had this knowledge 10 years ago
Great demonstration of the expander/gate!
I’ve used a 286 for 17 years, great piece
Excellent Video Mike. Well explained and demonstrated. The box can be confusing because it does not use the normal terminology like gate and "attack and release"
Former DBX286s user here. I've had 2 of them: the first died after 2 years, the second one after a year and a half, so I gave up. I switched to using a Cloudlifter with the same Shure SM7B, and I am much happier. Any tweaks I might want to the sound, I do with plugins afterward. I definitely liked the concept of the 286s, and enjoyed them while they lasted. Anyway, great video as always.
I use the dbx 286s, a komplete audio6 and a sennheiser e935 I had laying around. Not only does the dbx save a lot of audio tinkering time in post processing. It's perfect for live-streaming stuff. It has just the right features for a live-stream setup. And this video made me get the 286s. Thanks Mike!
I think this is just the thing I've been looking for, working with VSTs on the backend is a huge pain. Thanks Mike!
Yes, plugins are great as far as ability, but trying to use them sucks compared to old fashioned outboard gear with real knobs! Musicians, especially guitarists, lol, love real knobs to turn!
Best preamp processor explanation on the web! Thanks.
Came back to revisit this vid just to say I bought one shortly after seeing you (and another trusted voice out here in YouTubistan) give it the run through and I have no regrets. I paired it with a DBX 131s equalizer a short time afterwards and I love my sound now. I bought one of them remote controlled power plug things and plugged both into it so I can turn them off and on to keep them from being on when not in use.
The Fethead doesn't require an extra XLR and plugs directly into the mic versus the Cloudlifter that is $50 more and does. Fethead does actually sell a version designed for permanent installations that looks and functions like the Cloudlifter but they also have other single channel models. Cloudlifter offers a single, double and quad channel unit while Fethead offers a model for dynamic mics, one for lesser sensitive condenser mics and even offers the Airhead which is 15 db of reduction that I personally use when recording gunfire for motion picture and TV.
I got its older brother the 286A, which as far as i can tell is just a new coat of paint. Thank you booth junkie!
Where were you with this great tutorial when my career began back in 2000 man? 😁 Compression explained finally! 👍
came to check the dbx 286s. got a free lecture instead. dude 🖤
Hi there. Im learnig about DBX 286S and you teach me a lot! Sorry about my english. Im a brazilian old man making my audiobooks. Working in that and wanted to improve it. Thanks a lot.
Wow what a great video Booth Junkie! Very detailed and you seem to have a knack with explaining things in a easy to understand way.. Peace brother
I just pulled the trigger on an eBay purchase of a used one. 127 delivered. looking forward to messing with it! This is my third time watching this.
Was thinking of buying one of these, this has made my mind up for me, thank you for a great and in-depth video. Much appreciated.
I just have to thank you for all of your advise in your video's... I have taken many of you tips and applied them to my recording chain. Added the dpx 286s today and followed you all the way thru the video AND BOOM - It Magically cleared up my chain and the loud room I have to record in. I will be making a few changes to the room to deaden it some more - But WOW! What a difference it has made! I am using it with my new Digital Mixer - the Yamaha MG10XU & New CAD E100S - Love that mic! It reminds me of when I was the Production Director for Citidel in SLC and had a Neumann in my studio.
THANK YOU! THANK YOU!! THANK YOU!!!
I hope you are getting paid from these companies - I sure you sell more products than you know~!
Thanks for talking about the concepts and then treating them with the preamp instead of talking about the preamp features. This serves much more as an educative video instead of a review. Great job!
Fantastic video. I have a Steinberg UR242, the sm7b and a cloudlifter. On my way to getting the dbx 286s next month. Thanks for the great information on it.
I think the most important point of this thing is that it works in fully analog domain so it causes (practically) zero delay compared to any DSP processing. You can even record both unprocessed signal and the processed signal if your interface can take two line signals (so you can have raw output from the DBX 286s mic preamp on L channel and fully processed signal on R channel). I'm absolutely allergic to any latency for may monitoring sound to my ears so I really like analog processing for monitoring but the ability to also capture the raw signal allows adjusting the filters in DSP in post-processing.
That said, you may have to solder your own adapter to be able to capture the signal and still keep the DBX 286s in the processing loop because that must be all done via 3 rings in the effect loop plug of 286s.
i've been considering this for exactly the reason in the intro. Usually I run a VST host to process while streaming or recording and it takes a little too much cpu.
yoooooo hitman boi
I use this for my voice over work, it's excellent! nice informative video. Thanks
Great video Mike. Fantastic piece of kit. I've been using this for a while now and love it for the same reasons you so eloquently explained.
I literally just bought this thing tonight and can expect it in a few days. I’m happy this came into my suggestions ! Def will take notes tomorrow
I have the older A version and I love it :P.
Thanks. I learned something, and I'm already a user of the 286s.
A tip when you go shopping for your own, Mike: The dbx 286a is essentially identical in function, and can often be purchase a bit cheaper; under $100 sometimes. The older dbx 286 [no letter, sometimes labelled "Project 1"] is SLIGHTLY different: It doesn't allow you to adjust the frequency of the de-esser. But guess what? It still works great. It can sometimes be had for about $60. WITH OLDER GEAR, the knobs and buttons can get scratchy or glitchy, but fear not; many times they can be rehabilitated. I'll have to make a video about that someday, but the key is DeoxIT F5 Fader Cleaner.
The way you have your mic setup is extremely soothing. Thanks for not adding a bunch of annoying processing that mutates your voice into something it's not. Sounds great, keep up the great work! 10:41 "Don't overdue it though otherwise..." you'll sound like Leo Laporte!
Wow. I know nothing about mics let alone preamps and all the fancy sound devices. I understood everything you explained and was able to digest it. I just bought a Shure MV7 and was thinking about boosting the potential of the mic. Thank you for such a helpful explanation!
Thank you Mike. This was the clearest explanation i have heard, and was very helpful. I use the Shure microphone and a Scarlett 2i2 so this was very relevant to my experience!
I've been looking for this video for years and I didn't even know it. Thanks for the detailed heads up!
Great video.. Well explained... A thought to keep in mind when adjusting processing is that "less is often more."
Just: less is more. Period
Funny. When i bought my dbx compressor back in october 2016, i found your channel while looking up tutorials and here you are now doing a walkthrough. Great video. I've been subbed since then and i really enjoy your content
I liked the opening, honestly.
Hey Mike, I just wanted to thank you for this video. Today I received my DBX 286A and I can't wait to use it during my live-streaming sessions. The 286A is the same piece of equipment with basically just an older looking front-plate. The A costs a bit less, and I picked it up thanks to your persuasion. I'm constantly looking for ways to improve the quality of my content, and I think the advice I've been gleaning from your channel over the last few weeks has really inspired me to get out there and record something amazing. :)
This! I just ordered a used 286A from guitar center for $50 (before taxes and shipping)
Im getting this pre amp along with Lexicon MX400 in a week,not for voice over ,but for singing.Thanks great review!
Got this thing this week and am super happy with it, but had a bit of a snag setting it up that I wanted to mention here. Before i ordered this thing I use a CAD GXL2200 and a Shure X2U XLR to USB converting preamp for phantom power. Now I have added this DBX 286 to my setup using an xlr cable as the mic input and then a 1/4 to 1/8 headphone cable for the output to try and plug it into my computer and it was just awful. All kinds of popping and whining, I can only assume due to improper grounding or something like that. Anyway i switched to using a 1/4 headphone to xlr cable and then ran it to my Shure X2U so i would use my USB port again and it was just perfect. No pops or crackles or hums or anything. Plus now i don't have to feel bad about dropping the Shure X2U from my set up after spending $100 on it :)
Though I did just learn that the streaming software OBS i bought this to use it with at some point added a built in software compressor without my notice...so...might not have needed it after all :( BUT since i have it i guess it at least keeps the strain off my cpu that the OBS compressor would use! So I am going to fill the $200 hole in my wallet with that silver lining and go from here. Still super happy with this thing.
I just bought this off eBay for 100 bucks! Can't wait to get it set up tomorrow.
Very educational video, just amazing! and just remeber another important thing, all these is happening BEFORE the A/D conversion.
I finally "get" this stuff! Thank you. Your explanations are so helpful.
I bought this after watching this video and I absolutely love it. If your starting out or don't want to spend to much time editing then this is perfect for you! Thanks Mike!
My chain is SM7B > Cloudlifter > DBX 286S > Zoom H5 and I am getting stellar results. I just hate the extra hiss in the headphone port of the Zoom H5 but luckily that isn’t there in the actual recording.
With a high-pass filter and some treatment in my closet I am getting around -75db so it’s better than expected. I’d love to see the results in a treated Whisper Room.
can i please have your sm7b? im poor :(
if it still bothers you, a ground noise loop isolator should do the trick. I know you said doesn't affect recording but I hate the hiss also and this seems to fix it for me.
piscesdreams1023 why use the cloudlifter and dbx?
@@TeacherCast The DBX at full gain adds a noticeable amount of hiss/noise, the Cloudlifter allows you to turn the preamp knob down to +45dB or lower and get the remaining 25dB from the CL
@@DEDR1CK I just bought the Shure, Cloudlifter AND dbx. I'm going to play with everything during the holiday break. Many have said NOT to use both the CL and DBX together for a variety of reasons. Some have said it's ok to use both.
What does everyone here say?
Really great walkthrough and tutorial. Been looking for this kind of strip processor! Loved the fact that you overdid some of the effects to show how far they can push the signal!
Omg this was so helpfull :) I have an Rode Procaster and the DBX 286s, and with your help it dosent sound muddy anymore
What are your settings?
Good Video! I got the dbx286s and the SM7B and I love it, I've had it for about 1.5 year now and I'm so pleased with it! I also got a mixer in my chain just for some fun effects.
Amazing video! Thanks so much
Thanks Mike
You have a gift of explaining how these gadgets work
Thank you thank you thank you
this is great - I know it's an older vid but I'm literally buying one of these units and this is a nice walkthrough of features. Appreciate it.
Fantastic product. I use it on all of my livestreams on my gaming channel, and although it has a bit of a learning curve to tune it to your voice and setup, it works great with the SM7B as Mike showed. Just make sure you use high quality and low-noise XLR cables from your mic to the DBX 286s, and from the DBX 286s to your other preamp or whatever you're plugging it into.
I broadcast with this and it is amazing
Great video!!! Your advice, helped me successfully set up my DBX 286s Mic Preamp..
Just stop by to say thanks for all of your great informative podcasts, your videos on the DBX 286 and the Stellar X2 were great helps. Like the deep knowledge base you share
I actually have both the mic and the amp and this video helped me dial things in! THANK YOU SO MUCH! I owe ya!
Dude, you explained that soooo well, all my questions are answered!
Greetings from Germany.
Next time, i will pay you for doing such a great and informatic Video :P
Wow, you're really driving the 286s. I didn't realise the sm7b output was that low!
Dude? Did I just find the holy grail video for streamers?
Very pleased with mine, the only difference that I have with my set up is that I use a Valve Pre-amp before hand. Very happy with the results using a Heil PR40 and PR781 , I use this set up for Ham Radio. Great Video!
What’s your call sign got any clips of it on the air?
bro,darling.
that's your best sounding mic
i dig that set up.
Done! Im sold, this is fantastic. Im working on my first podcast with a cheap Behringer C-3 mic and a Focusrite Scarlett Solo. I can add all the effects in Logic Pro X after the fact but it would be great to just not worry about that in post. Also, if I record interviews on FB Live I can use this a my sound and would be amazing!
I will surely purchase this one
Thank you a lot, mike, for sharing this video with us! This was the video that made me aware of this piece of tech, and since having a signal as processed, like what im getting after post in OBS right now for every application, it was simply gold to me! Compressor, Expander/Gate, a dynamic equalizer and a de-esser before the signal even gets to my audio interface? I'm in love! I'm sure this will be the pre-amp i'll end up buying. Great stuff...
Wow thank you for this. Very informative! Think I’ve decided on a pre-amp
Love it Mike. The double intro made me, as the kids say, LOL.
Been following you and your channel for ages and found it super useful! Thanks so much.
Great video. This has really helped me understand & set up my 286s to my liking. Thank you.
Thanks for your help dude! I'm going to be buying ALOT of stuff soon, including a preamp!
Hiya,
Dunno if my comment 3 weeks ago inspired this (I would like to think) but it was a good watch, really enjoyed it and learned some things (like I did not realise you kept the output at 0).
Anyway just to let you know that the DBX 286s had a predecessor called the DBX 286a. No-one is sure why DBX discontinued one for the other as, apart from the order of the chain, they are identical. The DBX 286a comes up on Ebay a lot cheaper than the new DBX 286s - I am currently tracking one for £40 in the UK.
Many thanks for the video.
Wow, a video walkthrough which explains EVERYTHING I've been wanting to know! Thank you very much!
The 'bypass as an input' trick is cool, but going though a line in on most interfaces will accomplish the same thing. There is a 'pre-amp' in line with the line in, but it is not generally amplifying, especially if the outboard gear is set correctly. You definitely want to bypass high gain, inexpensive, mic level pre-amps, but I have not had, and wouldn't expect, extra noise from a line in.
I was about to say the same. I'm still learning the fundamentals, though I learned this just recently and bought myself a new interface with Line In (Stenberg U242) for this very reason.
Thank you for this video!!! I had no idea on how to set up my DBX until I saw this! Thank you again!
I am very impressed to this video because this is so easy to understand explanation. And
I have almost understood How to use this machine.
First of all I would like to mention that I am one of your fans and I would like to thank you for your effort…I would like you to recommend a smaller version of the DBX 286s in which that it can be easy for traveling and it has almost the same features, thank you and waiting for your reply.
Did you decide to buy one for yourself? I did and love it.
This is the definition of a perfect guide/walkthrough!
Thank you for this. I'm just ordered this!
Man that was great. I didn't even know what this was until a few days ago and you really explained it all. Really helpful video! Thanks!!! -Duane
Great Voice, Great Bro and a professional Voiceover Speaker...and also funny guy...I like you so much and it's a pleasure to listen and see you. Greetings from Germany...Take care...Achim
I bought one back in 2018 and got an open box deal off of American Musical. I like it, but I wish I knew about this video sooner because I've been fiddling with the settings since I bought it.
Thanks mate! I dropped the fithead and I will go for this one.