dbx Pro 262 User Manual

Compressor/

Operation

Manual

Limiter

262

WARNING

FOR YOUR PROTECTION, PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING:

WATER AND MOISTURE: Appliance should not be used near water (e.g. near a

bathtub, washbowl, kitchen sink, laundry tub, in a wet basement, or near a swimming
pool, etc). Care should be taken so that objects do not fall and liquids are not spilled
into the enclosure through openings.

POWER SOURCES: The appliance should be connected to a power supply only of
the type described in the operating instructions or as marked on the appliance.

GROUNDING OR POLARIZATION: Precautions should be taken so that the ground­ing or polarization means of an appliance is not defeated.

POWER CORD PROTECTION: Power supply cords should be routed so that they are
not likely to be walked on or pinched by items placed upon or against them, paying
particular attention to cords at plugs, convenience receptacles, and the point where
they exit from the appliance.

SERVICING: To reduce the risk of fire or electric shock, the user should not attempt
to service the appliance beyond that described in the operating instructions. All other
servicing should be referred to qualified service personnel.

FOR UNITS EQUIPPED WITH EXTERNALLY ACCESSIBLE FUSE RECEPTACLE:

Replace fuse with same type and rating only.

SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS

NOTICE FOR CUSTOMERS IF YOUR UNIT IS EQUIPPED WITH A POWER
CORD.

WARNING: THIS APPLIANCE MUST BE EARTHED.

The cores in the mains lead are coloured in accordance with the following code:

GREEN and YELLOW - Earth BLUE - Neutral BROWN - Live

As colours of the cores in the mains lead of this appliance may not correspond
with the coloured markings identifying the terminals in your plug, proceed as fol­lows:

¥ The core which is coloured green and yellow must be connected to the

terminal in the plug marked with the letter E, or with the earth symbol, or
coloured green, or green and yellow.

¥ The core which is coloured blue must be connected to the terminal

marked N or coloured black.

¥ The core which is coloured brown must be connected to the terminal

marked L or coloured red.

This equipment may require the use of a different line cord, attachment plug, or
both, depending on the available power source at installation. If the attachment
plug needs to be changed, refer servicing to qualified service personnel who
should refer to the table below. The green/yellow wire shall be connected
directly to the unit's chassis.

WARNING: If the ground is defeated, certain fault conditions in the unit or in the
system to which it is connected can result in full line voltage between chassis
and earth ground. Severe injury or death can then result if the chassis and
earth ground are touched simultaneously.

U.K. MAINS PLUG WARNING

A moulded mains plug that has been cut off from the cord is unsafe. Discard the
mains plug at a suitable disposal facility. NEVER UNDER ANY CIRCUM-

STANCES SHOULD YOU INSERT A DAMAGED OR CUT MAINS PLUG INTO
A 13 AMP POWER SOCKET. Do not use the mains plug without the fuse cover

in place. Replacement fuse covers can be obtained from your local retailer.
Replacement fuses are 13 amps and MUST be ASTA approved to BS1362.

The symbols shown above are internationally accepted symbols that warn of
potential hazards with electrical products. The lightning flash with arrowpoint in
an equilateral triangle means that there are dangerous voltages present within
the unit. The exclamation point in an equilateral triangle indicates that it is nec­essary for the user to refer to the ownerÕs manual.

These symbols warn that there are no user serviceable parts inside the unit.
Do not open the unit. Do not attempt to service the unit yourself. Refer all ser­vicing to qualified personnel. Opening the chassis for any reason will void the
manufacturerÕs warranty. Do not get the unit wet. If liquid is spilled on the unit,
shut it off immediately and take it to a dealer for service. Disconnect the unit
during storms to prevent damage.

CAUTION

ELECTROMAGNETIC COMPATIBILITY

This unit conforms to the Product Specifications noted on the Declaration of
Conformity. Operation is subject to the following two conditions:

¥ this device may not cause harmful interference, and
¥ this device must accept any interference received, including interference

that may cause undesired operation. Operation of this unit within signifi­cant electromagnetic fields should be avoided.

¥ use only shielded interconnecting cables.

DECLARATION OF CONFORMITY

ManufacturerÕs Name: dbx Professional Products
ManufacturerÕs Address: 8760 S. Sandy Parkway

Sandy, Utah 84070, USA

declares that the product:

dbx 262

conforms to the following Product Specifications:

Safety: EN 60065 (1993)

IEC65 (1985) with Amendments 1, 2, 3

EMC: EN 55013 (1990)

EN 55020 (1991)

Supplementary Information:

The product herewith complies with the requirements of the
Low Voltage Directive 73/23/EEC and the EMC Directive
90/336/EEC as amended by Directive 93/68/EEC.

dbx Professional Products
Vice-President of Engineering
8760 S. Sandy Parkway
Sandy, Utah 84070, USA
February 6, 1997

European Contact: Your Local dbx Sales and Service Office or

International Sales Office
68 Sheila Lane
Valparaiso, Indiana
46383, USA
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]

RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK

DO NOT OPEN

ATTENTION: RISQUE DE CHOC ELECTRIQUE - NE PAS OUVRIR
WARNING: TO REDUCE THE RISK OF FIRE OR ELECTRIC

SHOCK DO NOT EXPOSE THIS EQUIPMENT TO RAIN OR MOISTURE

CONDUCTOR

L

N

E

LIVE

NEUTRAL

EARTH GND

WIRE COLOR

Normal Alt

BROWN

BLUE

GREEN/YEL

BLACK

WHITE

GREEN

Warranty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Inspection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Front Panel Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Rear Panel Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Operating Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Applications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13

8760 South Sandy Parkway

Sandy, Utah 84070 USA

Tel: [phone]

Fax: [phone]

E•Mail: [e-mail]

Home Page: http://www.dbxpro.com

International Sales

68 Sheila Lane

Valparaiso, Indiana

46383 USA

Tel: [phone]

Fax: [phone]

1

Table of Contents

¨

Compressor/

Limiter

262

2

Warranty and Introduction

1. The warranty registration card must be mailed within 30 days after purchase
date to validate this warranty and proof-of-purchase is considered to be the
burden of the consumer.

2. dbx warrants this product, when bought and used solely within the U.S., to
be free from defects in materials and workmanship under normal use and
service.

3. dbx liability under this warranty is limited to repairing or replacing defective
materials that show evidence of defect, provided the product is returned to
dbx WITH RETURN AUTHORIZATION from the factory, where all parts and
labor will be covered up to a period of two years. A Return Authorization
number may be obtained from dbx by telephone. The company shall not be
liable for any consequential damage as a result of the product's use in any
circuit or assembly.

4. dbx reserves the right to make changes in design or make additions to, or
improvements upon this product without incurring any obligation to install
the same on products previously manufactured.

5. The foregoing is in lieu of all other warranties, expressed or implied, and
dbx neither assumes nor authorizes any person to assume for it any obliga­tion or liability in connection with the sale of this product. In no event shall
dbx or its dealers be liable for special or consequential damages or from any
delay in the performance of this warranty due to causes beyond their control.

We congratulate and thank you for your purchase of the dbx 262
Compressor/Limiter. The 262 provides two channels of classic dbx compression
at an unheard of price and boasts features found on our industry standard com­pressor/limiters, such as:

• OverEasy®/Hard Knee Selection - allows selection between our famous

OverEasy® compression curve and the classic “Hard Knee” curve popularized
by the original dbx 160, 161, and 162.

• True RMS Level Detection - senses the power in the program in a musical

manner, much as the ear does, giving results superior to peak or average
detection.

• True RMS Power Summing™ - When the two channels of the 262 are stereo

coupled together, the RMS energy of the two signals is intelligently summed
together in a way that prevents phase cancellation of the two signals which
would normally cause unmusical compressor action.

• Balanced 1/4” TRS Inputs and Outputs can be used with pro and semi-pro,

balanced or unbalanced systems..

• DC-Controlled Parameters - the signal does not pass through any of the front-

Warranty

Introduction

panel controls. Instead, a DC voltage controls all functions; this eliminates any
possibility of potentiometer noise developing over time.

Although the dbx 262 was designed to be the easiest stereo compressor/limiter
on the market to use, we suggest that you read this operation manual to fully
understand the 262's power. We have kept the manual simple and easy to read
so that you can get back to work quickly.

We know you'll enjoy your 262 and thanks again for purchasing a quality dbx
product.

Before continuing any further, please inspect the contents of the dbx 262 box to
be sure that the following items are included:

• dbx 262 Compressor/Limiter

• Operation Manual (yes, you are already reading it)

• Registration/Warranty card

• 4 Rack Screws and Washers

• Power Cord

If anything is missing, please notify your dealer.

The information contained in this manual is subject to change at any time with­out notification.

BYPASS Switches and LEDs: In Bypass mode, the 262’s processing and con­trols are disabled, presenting unaltered input signal at the 262’s output. The
bypass mode for each channel works independently, even when in stereo cou­ple mode. Bypass mode is especially useful for making comparisons between
processed and unprocessed signals. When bypassed, the red LED adjacent to
the switch is lit.

THRESHOLD Control: Adjust this control to set the threshold of compression
from -40 to +20 dBu.

3

Inspection and Front Panel

Inspection

Front Panel

Operation

3

CHANNEL ONE

-10

-20

-30

0

+10

OVEREASY

O +

-40

+20

dBu

-

4:1

6:1

3:1

2:1

1:1

RATIO

-4:1

-2:1

-1:1

0

:1

-10

-20

OUTPUT GAINTHRESHOLD

+10

+20

dB

GAIN REDUCTION dB

STEREO
COUPLE

1361015202530

CHA

BYPASS

-

Compressor/

Limiter

262