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Author Topic: DBX 1066 (late 1996) compressor  (Read 3372 times)

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Offline chrisNova777

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DBX 1066 (late 1996) compressor
« on: December 02, 2015, 08:22:19 AM »
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/1996_articles/dec96/dbx1066.html
http://dbxpro.com/en/products/1066



http://web.archive.org/web/19970110233052/http://www.dbxpro.com:80/proprods/40pp1066.htm
Quote
The dbx1066 is the Stereo Compressor/Limiter/Gate of the 90's.

After producing the world's most renown series of compressors, the task of producing a new compressor worthy of our reputation would be daunting for most engineers. Not for dbx. Our engineers know audio like no one else in the world. Now the fruits of their talents are available to you in the form of the 1066 Stereo Compressor/Limiter/Gate.

Want to instantly add that classic dbx response to your mix? It's there at the touch of the "Auto" button. Or use the independent Attack and Release controls to tailor the 1066 to your specific needs. Unwanted frequencies or mic bleed in the signal path? Frequency dependent gain control is a snap to set up and execute with our Side Chain External button (SC Ext). Use the Side Chain Monitor button (SC Mon) and your favorite EQ to dial in the specific frequencies you want to trigger the device. As has become our standard, the contour switch allows entire mixes to be easily smoothed with soft compression while keeping low frequencies from punching holes in the overall mix. Selectable input and output metering allow you to make sure that everything is matched up level-wise, maximizing your signal-to-noise ratio.

For overall speaker protection, our new PeakStopPlus does all previous circuits one better. With a new design, the PeakStopPlus represses those unwanted transients from blowing your drivers while minimizing the distortion common to many other "hard" limiters.


Selectable Hard-Knee or OverEasy® characteristics make the 1066 ideal for your gain control needs, whether you're looking for "heavy" almost-special-effects compression or soft, smooth gain leveling.

New lightpipe technology replaces standard LED's found on most other units, making the 1066 both very easy to read and much easier to operate.

In the studio, broadcast facility or on the road with a P.A. system, the 1066 is designed for perfectly simple operation. The 1066 allows you to eliminate unwanted signals, flexibly control overall signal gain and guard your overall mix in dual mono or stereo operation.

At the heart of the 1066 is our new dbx V2 VCA. Developed especially for the 1066, 1046 and other 10 series products to come, this revolutionary VCA boasts superb dynamic range characteristics while maintaining very low distortion and almost immeasurable noise characteristics. The bottom line is this: a new VCA working in conjunction with world class design makes the dbx1066 perform better than compressors selling for hundreds more.

State-of-the-technology VCA's, meticulous component selection, and scrupulous testing procedures are just a few more reasons that the new dbx1066 is the latest in a long line of pedigreed dbx signal processors.

Specifications:
Input Connectors:
XLR and 1/4" TRS (Pin 2 and tip hot)
Type: Electronically balanced/unbalanced, RF filtered
Impedance: Balanced > 40 kOhm, unbalanced > 20 kOhm
Max Input Level: > +22 dBu balanced or unbalanced
CMRR: Typically > 50 dB at 1 kHz

Output Connectors:
XLR and 1/4" TRS (Pin 2 and tip hot)
Type: Servo-balanced/unbalanced, RF filtered
Impedance: Balanced 30 Ohm, unbalanced 15 Ohm
Max Output Level: > +22 dBm balanced, > +20 dBm unbalanced

Sidechain Input Connector:
1/4" TS
Type: Unbalanced, RF filtered
Impedance: > 10 kOhm
Max Input Level: > +22 dBu

Sidechain Output Connector:
1/4" TRS (tip hot)
Type: Impedance balanced, RF filtered
Impedance: Balanced 2 kOhm, unbalanced 1 kOhm
Max Output Level: > +21 dBu balanced or unbalanced

System Performance
Bandwidth: 20 Hz to 20 kHz, +0/0.5 dB
Frequency Response: 0.35 Hz to 90 kHz, +0/-3 dB
Noise: < -96 dBu, unweighted, 22 kHz measurement bandwidth
Dynamic Range: > 118 dB, unweighted
THD+Noise: 0.008% typical at +4 dBu, 1 kHz, unity gain 0.08% typical at +20 dBu, 1 kHz, unity gain < 0.1%, any amount of compression up to 40 dB, 1 kHz
IMD: < 0.1% SMPTE
Interchannel Crosstalk: < -80 dB 20 Hz to 20 kHz
Stereo Coupling: True RMS Power Summing

Compressor
Threshold Range: -40 dBu to +20 dBu
Ratio: 1:1 to :1
Threshold Characteristic: Selectable OverEasy® or hard knee
Attack/Release Characteristic: AutoDynamic
Attack/Release Modes: Selectable Manual or Auto
Manual Attack Time: Scalable program-dependent
Manual Release Time: Scalable program-dependent
Auto Attack Time: Program-dependent
Auto Release Time: Program-dependent
Output Gain: -20 to +20 dB

Limiter
Threshold Range: 0 dBu to +24 dBu (off)
Ratio: :1
Limiter Type: PeakStopPlus two-stage limiter
Stage 1: PeakStop® brickwall limiter
Attack Time: Zero
Release Time: Zero
Stage 2: Predictive intelligent program limiter
Attack Time: Program-dependent
Release Time: Program-dependent
Expander/Gate
Threshold Range: Off to +15 dBu
Ratio: 1:1 to 30:1
Attack Time: < 100 µsec
Release Time: Program-dependent

Function Switches
SC Ext: Routes the external sidechain input signal to the detector.
SC Mon: Routes the sidechain signal to the output, interrupting the normal audio.
OverEasy®: Activates the OverEasy® compression function.
Contour: Activates the frequency-dependent detector function.
Auto: Activates automatic program-dependent attack and release times, disabling the manual Attack and Release controls.
I/O Meter: Switches between monitoring input and output levels on the Input/Output Level meter.
Bypass: Activates the direct input-to-output hard-wire relay bypass. Relay automatically hard-wire bypasses unit at power-down and provides a power-on delay of 1.5 seconds.
Operating Level (rear panel): Switches the nominal operating level between -10 dBV and +4 dBu simultaneously for both input and output levels.
ST Link: Links both channels for stereo operation. Channel One becomes the master.

Indicators
Gain Reduction Meter: 12-segment LED bar graph at 1, 2, 4, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21, 24, 27 and 30 dB
Input/Output Meter: 8-segment LED bar graph at -24, -18, -12, -6, 0, +6, +12, and +18 dBu
Compressor Threshold Meter: 3-segment LED bar graph at Below (-), OverEasy®. and Above (+)
Exp/Gate Threshold Meter: 2-segment LED bar graph at Below (-) and Above (+)
PeakStop® : 1 LED to indicate PeakStop® limiting
Function Switches: LED indicator for each front-panel switch

Options
Output Transformer
Per Channel: Jensen®JT-123-dbx or JT-11-dbx, BCI RE-123-dbx or RE-11-dbx

Power Supply
Operating Voltage: Switchable: 100-120 VAC 50/60 Hz or 200-240 VAC 50/60 Hz
Power Consumption: 20 Watts
Fuse: 100-120 VAC: 250 mA Slow Blow
200-240 VAC: 125 mA Type T
Mains Connection: IEC receptacle

Physical
Dimensions: 1.75"Hx19"Wx9"D (4.4cmx48.3cmx20.1cm)
Weight: 5.1 lbs (2.3 kg)
Shipping Weight: 7.5 lbs. (3.4 kg)

Note: Specifications subject to change.

Offline chrisNova777

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Re: DBX 1066 (1996?) compressor
« Reply #1 on: August 01, 2019, 12:54:08 PM »
DBX 1066
Compressor/Limiter/Gate
https://web.archive.org/web/20151227104035/http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/1996_articles/dec96/dbx1066.html

Quote
Does the dbx 1066 represent one in the eye for its competition? Is it a device for Norman-lizing signal levels, or does it Harold a new era in signal processing? PAUL WHITE tries to keep off the puns long enough to find out.
 

American company dbx are probably best known for their tape noise-reduction system, and in the studio, their Over Easy compressor. After counting the knobs on their 1066, you could be forgiven for thinking that this is their Over Complicated model. First impressions can be deceptive, though, and closer inspection reveals that each channel of this two-channel device actually comprises three largely independent sections: an expander/gate, a compressor, and a peak limiter. Gated compressors are nothing new, but the only model I've worked with before that gives you gating, compression and separate peak limiting is the Drawmer 241.

LAYOUT & CONTROLS
Connection to this 1U processor is via either balanced XLRs or balanced TRS jacks, and two further unbalanced jacks per channel provide a means to insert an equaliser or other device into the side-chain input. The operating level may be switched between +4dBu and -10dBV.

The layout of the control panel is slightly confusing, in that there are no clear dividing lines between the three sections of each channel, so it isn't immediately obvious which controls relate to the compressor and which ones to the expander/gate. As it happens, the expander uses just two of the controls: Threshold and Ratio. To bypass the expander, the Threshold control must be turned to its 'off' position; a pair of LEDs, one red and one green, show whether the signal is being expanded or not.

The compressor section may be switched to operate in Over Easy mode -- dbx's interpretation of soft-knee -- or conventional hard-ratio mode, and like all the buttons on the 1066, its related button lights up when active. As with the expander, red and green LEDs show whether the input is above or below threshold, and a further amber status LED shows when compression is taking place in the Over Easy section of the compression range -- a nice touch. A conventional 12-section LED gain-reduction meter is also fitted, and there's also an 8-section level meter which can be switched to track the input or output level.

It's well known that low-frequency sounds tend to dictate a compressor's behaviour, and sometimes this leads to a dulling of the sound, so dbx have added a Contour switch, which filters some bass end out of the side-chain. In effect, Contour makes the compressor less sensitive to bass sounds, thus preserving high-frequency detail. A Side Chain Monitor switch enables you to hear the side-chain signal after processing by whatever is connected into the external loop, and a Side Chain Enable switch makes it possible to bypass any external side-chain processing without having to repatch. The side-chain monitor facility is particularly useful if you have a parametric EQ connected for de-essing, as it allows you to hear exactly which frequencies are being picked out.

The compressor controls are standard: Threshold, Ratio, Attack and Release. Even though there's a separate limiter, it's still possible to crank the compressor ratio up to infinity. For applications where the nature of the programme material is constantly changing, an Auto attack and release setting is available. Once the signal has been compressed, you can make use of the familiar make-up gain control, here labelled Output.

LIMITER
The limiter section comprises a single knob and a threshold LED, but the simplicity of the controls belies what's going on inside the box. In fact, limiting is achieved in two stages, the first being 'Instantaneous Transient Clamp' -- complete with obligatory trademark. This applies a soft logarithmic clamp function to ensure that the signal doesn't exceed the limit set by the 'PeakStopPlus' (trademarked, obviously) level control by more than a couple of dBs.

Stage two employs 'Intelligent Predictive Limiting', and it doesn't take too much intelligence to predict that this term also carries the familiar trademark logo. Its job is to monitor the input, then let the gain-reduction stage know, just in the nick of time, when a biggie is coming, so that it can attempt to pull the signal down below the level where the Instantaneous Transient Clamp clobbers it. Because the PeakStopPlus limiter is a failsafe device designed to work with absolute levels, it comes right at the end of the signal path, after the make-up gain control. In real life, such limiters are there as protective measures, but just occasionally, hard limiting can also be a useful creative effect.

A Stereo Couple button links the two channels for true stereo operation, and each channel has its own Bypass button, controlling a relay-switched hard bypass. Once you know what the controls do, the layout looks a lot less complicated than when you first open the box.

IN USE
The 1066 is quite straightforward to use. In stereo link mode, the left-hand set of controls takes over, and any illuminated switches on the right-hand channel go out. As you might expect, there's a significant subjective difference between Over Easy and hard-knee operation -- and as you flip between the two, you notice that gain reduction starts at lower threshold settings with Over Easy selected. On a test piano track, a hard-knee setting which produced minimal gain reduction on peaks increased to around 6dB of gain reduction when Over Easy was chosen.

Unless the degree of compression is kept fairly low, neither hard-knee nor Over Easy is particularly transparent, with hard-knee, as expected, producing the most positive compression. I get the impression that this unit was designed for people who like to use compression to create vocal or instrumental effects, rather than for invisible mending. The Contour control's action is subtle, but it does help prevent HF detail from suffering and doesn't seem to change the amount of gain reduction being applied too significantly.

The expander works smoothly and predictably, while the limiter is fast and positive; you can hear it working (unless the amount of limiting is kept to a minimum), but the side-effects are far less intrusive than those of clipping, especially if you're feeding a digital recorder, which won't tolerate any excess input signal. The signal path is, predictably, superbly clean and quiet, with plenty of headroom.

Operationally, I found the 1066's controls difficult to identify, because of the small legending and its position beneath the control knobs. The lack of well-differentiated areas on the front panel tended to exacerbate this problem, and the fact that all the buttons are grey when not lit up doesn't help much, either. In a studio, this unit would need to be mounted at a carefully-considered height in a rack to overcome these problems, while in a live situation (in poor lighting conditions), there's potential for getting hopelessly lost.

SUMMARY
I found the 1066 to be a combination of really good features and minor irritations, the poor control visibility probably being the biggest worry. I liked the illuminating buttons, the separate threshold indicators, and the unambiguous way in which control shifts to the left channel in stereo link mode. I was slightly disappointed, however, that I couldn't achieve more transparent compression when needed. With the Auto function engaged, using a 4:1 ratio with 6dB or so of displayed gain reduction resulted in quite audible compression, even in Over Easy mode. When you want to use a compressor as an effect, the 1066 sounds exactly right and works beautifully on vocals, drums, basses and so on, but for the times when you need to be more subtle, finding the right settings can be tricky.

The compressor market is more crowded now than it has ever been, with a choice of valves, FETs, VCAs, opto-isolators and who knows what else -- and every type has a unique effect on the sounds it processes. In the case of the 1066, the new dbx V2 (trademarked, naturally) VCA delivers pristine audio quality, yet this is anything but a sterile-sounding compressor. For many engineers, the dbx approach to compression is the definitive gain reduction treatment, and the 1066 provides plenty of character and scope for creativity without sacrificing the dbx sound. I'd feel less comfortable about using the 1066 for more subtle compression jobs, but if you're a fan of the dbx sound and want to combine it with a good expander/gate and a peak limiter, this has to be the box to go for.

 
pros & cons
dbx 1066 £480
pros
• Classic dbx compressor sound.
• Separate gate and limiter.
• Useful range of control options.

cons
• Panel legending and layout not as clear as it could be.
• Sometimes difficult to set up transparent compression.

summary
A flexible and powerful gain-control processor combining compression, limiting and gating. Better as a creative tool than for routine level control.