dbx 1066 Dual Compressor/Limiter/Gate

Yuk. I play slap bass, and this really turns things to mud. Popping and slapping diads on the D/G or G/C strings can result in unpleasant distortion, even at slow attack and low ratio levels. And forget about articulation on the low B string. The expander is nice, but that's about it.

I returned it quickly, so I don't know about reliability...

I play thrash and slap-bass on a Rickenbacker 4003 and a Modulus 6-string with active Bartolini pickups. I absolutely do not recommend this unit for slap-bassists. I get much better, transparent compression with a Behringer composer.

Densely packed frontplate, but rather easily learned. Gate/ Expander:you know all the time what it's doing. Compressor section: full control of Attack and Release, but also "automatic" option that works reasonably well when there is no time for setup. Really transparent in visualisation. You know what is going on in any given Moment by just a glance. Exception: You can't tell whether the gain reduction LEDs show because of compression or because of noise gating. Well, by looking on the Threshold LEDs you can, but it can be confusing for a moment. On the other hand, you know very exactly what the expander/gate is doing. Pressing the "Stereo Link" button totally disables the knobs and the lights on the right side - well done,total link and no confusion. PeakPlus limiter is also easily handled. One can really operate the unit well only by visual feedback, which is great for fast live jobs.

The PeakPlus Limiter is really good. So I thought at least. Yes, nothing gets over the threshold. And it's fun on hardcore mixes to use the Limiter instead of compression. But there are audible artifacts, some slight initial distortion. Well, it is probably only in the most expensive germanium limiters that you won't hear them work, but it has to be considered more a rescue option than musically appliable when the demand is high. E.g. you can forget the piano afterwards. The Overeasy (soft knee) option somehow muddies the sound a little. But without, you can hear when the unit starts compressing, so you have to decide. What works rather well is low-ratio, low threshold, no overeasy, so that the unit is over threshold and compressing all the time. As the 1066 is really clean, this is no problem - except for all the background noises that come up via compression... The expander/gate knobs give some relief here, but there's an audible click when the gate opens, especially in high-ratio settings. Well, a gate attack time of "<0.1msec" is not exactly state of the art, and faster gates often click even more. But it has to be told, so use a dedicated expander when the requirements are high. It's damn good for just two knobs, but it can't replace a dbx 172.

I certainly feel I can depend on it. Would also buy it used. Would even rather have bought it used. Find a dissatisfied owner.

I like it, but I very nearly sold it because it is not what I was looking for. I want my compressors to be fast, and even if they advertise it as fast, it's actually dead slow, not to be recommended on percussive instruments or even on piano, unless for that"give me more attack"-effect compression. dbx makes it hard for customers to compare to other manufacturer's compression times, but the fastest attack is 3dB/msec. This is 5msec for 15 dB. The Urei 1176 works in the range of 20 MICROseconds, and BSS and LA Audio populate the 50microseconds range. Of course, they are more expensive or noisier. dbx's 160SL top-of the range compressor has those supposedly fast 3dB/msec on three o'clock, three quarters to the slow side, with a maximum of 400dB/msec. Well, if we could afford it..., but don't be fooled into buying a 1066 as a "fast" compressor. If you already got one, you could try to capture those transients that are to fast for the compressor section with the limiter, limiter threshold just above average level. But better choose a faster compressor for a faster compressor's task and use the 1066 for vocals and strings as well as quality live jobs. For more punch on drums by slow attack settings, it's probably perfect (to restore those transients you lost by using slow gates...)
At the moment, the unit is sitting between my mixing desk and my DAT Recorder when I go out to record classical music. I use the Peak Plus Limiter to protect the DAT from clipping, but even as it's fine and reliable as a protection, I would love to upgrade to a less audible limiter. On string instruments, I can even think of compressing them. I will keep my 1066 because it is such a clean box and does some things really well. I love it for what it does, with such low noise and easyness of operation. Yet it has got clear limitations and doesn't do the things I would need most.

The 1066 is generally pretty simple to use, and sports the usual compressor/limiter/gate front panel knobs and level meters. Every control is present, and easy to adjust, although the unit's power switch is on the rear of the unit presumably b/c there's no room on the front panel for it. Still it can be annoying, because I usually leave all the equipment in my rack on except for the 1066, so trying to find the power switch is a rather unwieldy task.

The manual is very thin, and gives only a rudimentary introduction to compression, but it does include some very useful tips on using the 1066 for various applications (e.g. fattening bass drums, gating mic noise, etc.). Still there's not enough information about using the sidechain inputs, so you might be on your own at times. Of course the 1066 is a pretty simple piece of equipment and just by playing with the front panel knobs you can get an idea of how it works if you're not inclined to read the manual.

The +4/-10 mode switch is on the rear panel, as expected. . .

The sound quality of the 1066 is mixed I'd say; it takes a lot of work to get it to sound transparent and if you push your compression ratios at all (4:1 and up), the unit starts to pump and breathe excessively. For the reason I would not recommend using this compressor on mixes at all. As an earlier review stated, it tends to muddy the midrange when compressing program material. Of course this is true for most compressors under $1000. . .

The 1066 is much better suited for specific tasks, and can be very useful for creative effects. I generally use mine for smoothing out levels from synth bass sounds, cleaning/tightening up bass drum sounds coming out of my sampler, gating tricks with synth leads, and for keeping transients in line when sampling. A couple of my friends are in a rock band, and I used to do their live sound on occasion, and I'd use the 1066 on their two singers' vocals with great success. The 1066 is nice and quiet, with very little noise even in unbalanced mode. . .Overall I'd say that once you learn the 1066's limitations, and become comfortable with the controls, the unit sounds pretty good.

The 1066's build quality is exemplary--every knob feels crisp and precise and the case is very solid and confidence-inspiring. The power transformer is internal, and all of the connectors on the rear panel are of high quality (e.g. Neutrik XLR connectors). dbx has a very good product reliability record as well; I've used the 1066 without a backup many times and have complete confidence in doing so.

Although I've never dealt with dbx, they are owned by Harmon Industries (they own Spirit, Lexicon, JBL, Harmon/Kardon, AKG, Digitech, and many more), and I've had nothing but positive experiences with Lexicon and AKG gear. That said however, I don't know whether that has any bearing at all on dbx's support, so I'll give a N/A for this category.

Most of the music I make is electronic with no acoustic instruments, but like I mentioned above, I have used the 1066 for vocals with great success (I've never used it on a guitar or bass though). I use the 1066 for sound design and compressing uneven sources, but again I strongly recommend against using it for program material. For me the 1066 works pretty well, though I definitely wish it worked more subtly with higher ratio settings (but at this price pointI should not be complaining) ;-)

My other equipment consists of several synths and samplers, a Mackie 1202VLZ, and some rackmount multieffects.

As far as other products go, I didn't really look very hard at other machines, except for the Behringer Composer Pro (MDX2200 I think), which at the time was about $145 cheaper. I don't like Behringer's reputation for copying other companies' products so I didn't mind paying the extra money for something that sounds a better, is built better, and holds its resale value better.

You don't need to be rocket scientist to use, but you gotta know what a compressor does in the first place. If you don't you can always check out the site at www.dbxpro.com to get a rundown of what a basic compressor/limiter/gate does. Okay for the intro, now for the sound.
I've used a BOSS LMB-3 Bass Limiter/Enhancer and this certainly knock the socks out of a very good pedal. Of course, the BOSS is much cheaper, but the dbx is *GOOD*. I play the bass, using an Ampeg SVT III Pro hooked to a twin SWR Goliaths (4x10s). I like the tight, fast feel of this system, and I'm into funk (lots of slapping) and jazz.
If you slap some really hot licks, you might hit the other strings or that the bass guitar rings like crazy. Setting the gate and Threshold levels properly will give you a super sound, quiet and the attack is sharp. Even though when I bought it I knew that the DDP was already out, I chose the 1066 for its classic sound. Extremely quiet and IMHO, beats the Alesis. besides, the dbx has XLR in and out, so you can really eliminate hum.

All bass players should use a compreeor, especially if you play in a group or if you slap a lot. You can really cut through the band and if for the funk stuff, you can remain quiet yet keeping the attack and snap. This unit is so transparent that you realize that sometimes I have to check whether it is in Bypass mode. An Side Chain comes in handy for adding an EQ, but I didn't use one since I use it mainly for bass.
The LED readings are pretty comprehensive and let's you know at a glance what settings you are on.

No problems so far, despite the fact that I live in a pretty humid climate.

Great all round performer for virtually every style, and I don;t need to change the strings so often when its dead because I can always tweak the 1066 with my amp to sound as though the strings are bright!

The 1066 has all the controls and displays you could ever want. I especially like the 3-segment LED that shows whether the signal is below, at, or above the threshold currently. Besides full manual control, it has an automatic mode, and a selectable hard or soft knee curve. Everything's well laid out and clear, though dbx crammed a lot onto the 1U face plate.

Clean sounding, with little noise. I've gotten good results on vocals, bass guitar, and piano. The auto mode works well for most applications, but for spacey synth pads I had to use the manual controls because it was pumping heavily. For bass, it retained the clarity of the attack when slapping and popping better than most other inexpensive compressors I've tried. The results on a 2-bus mix were less satisfying. I used it to compress CDs being played through a PA system for background music to make them less obtrusive. It muddied up the midrange significantly, even when not compressing much.

No problems so far.

A good, versatile device with many applications. I don't use the separate limiters, but the noise gates can be helpful to shut off humming single coil pickups or unused mics on stage.