Dbx 296 owners manual

Page 1

MODEL 296

SPECTRAL
ENHANCER

OPERATION MANUAL

Page 2

all» from

OPERATING CONTROLS

Front Panel

BYPASS Hr C uFF(

c. kHz) cup C)
o o o o o o o o o o O
16 40

l 1.5 2.4 3.9 6.2 10 25 .
Q3 Spectral Enhancer 296

I . OFF u MIN MAX OFF MAX OFF MAX

GAIN (dB) HISS REDUCTION LF DETAIL HF DETAIL O Q
' INPUT -" PROCESS

Note: The INPUT and PROCESS controls are available independently for channel 1 and 2.
POWER LED: The red POWER LED lights when AC power is applied to the rear panel power jack.

INELJT Congo

BYPASS Button and LED: Press this button In to bypass the front panel controls, effectively canceling the function
and processing effect of the 296s enhancement settings. The input signal is still present at the 296s Output, but
is now unaltered by the 296s controls. The BYPASS feature is especially useful for making comparisons between

processed and unprocessed signals. (Note: the 296 BYPASS is hardwired. It will pass signal even if the unit is not
powered.)

The red BYPASS LED lights when BYPASS is active.

GAIN (dB) Control: This control sets the level of the input signal. To add gain, rotate the control clockwise from 0.
To attenuate the input signal, rotate the control counterclockwise from 0. Note that the 0 setting (control set to 12
oclock position) is the nominal, or unity gain setting; in this case, the input is neither boosted or attenuated.

PRQQESS antrols

HISS REDUCTION Control and HF CUTOFF LED Meter: Use the HISS REDUCTION control to activate the
296s high frequency filter. For normal operation, adjust this control clockwise from MIN until the audible hiss is re-
duced or eliminated. The fully counterclockwise setting turns the Hiss Reduction function Off. Note that HISS RE-
DUCTION, when active, is applied to the dry input signal before any detailing.

The HF CUTOFF LED meter is a useful guide to setting the HISS REDUCTION control because it shows the
bandwidth of the filter at every moment, providing visual verification of the filters audible effect.

LF DETAIL Control: Use this control to set the amount of low frequency energy that the 296 adds to the input sig-
nal. The LF DETAIL control boosts the bottom end frequencies (centered around 50Hz) while simultaneously cut-
ting the muddy m_id-bass frequencies. For most applications requiring LF DETAIL, start with the control at 5 and
adjust as necessary. The fully counterclockwise setting turns this section Off.

HF DETAIL Control: Use this control to set the amount of high frequency energy that the 296 adds to the input
signal. Continuous analysis of the input signal intelligently and automatically determines the amount of equaliza-
tion necessary at each moment to achieve detailed, defined audio that is never shrill or over-sibilant. Modest set-
tings (between 4 and 6) go a long way for most applications, and fully clockwise settings will be more than
sufficient for almost any application. The fully counterclockwise setting turns the HF DETAIL Off.

CLIP LED: The red CLIP LED lights when the 296s controls are adjusted so that the unit is clipping. If this occurs,
your output peaks may be exceeding +20dBu. Turn down one or more of the following 296 controls until the LED
stays off: HF DETAIL, LF DETAIL, INPUT GAIN. If clipping is still evident at the 296 output, the input signal to the
296 is too hot; turn down the level of the unit driving the 296 (e.g., keyboard, preamp, mixer, etc.).