The 286s is a full featured Channel Strip Processor that delivers a studio quality microphone/instrument preamplifier and four processors that can be used independently or in any combination. The sonically pristine 286s mic preamp has all the features including wide-ranging input gain control, switchable +48V phantom power and an 80Hz high-pass filter to remove low frequency hum, rumble or wind. Use the patented dbx OverEasy compressor to transparently smooth out uneven acoustic tracks or deliver that classic in your face vocal performance that only a dbx compressor can. Eliminate vocal sibilance and high frequency distortion from instruments such as cymbals with the frequency tunable De-esser. Fine-tune the Enhancer HF Detail control to add sparkle and crispness to your tracks and make adjustments to the LF Detail control to add fullness and depth to vocals and bass instruments while cleaning up the muddy low midrange frequencies. And, the separate threshold and ratio controls on THE Expander/Gate allow you to subtly reduce headphone leakage or radically gate noisy guitar amps. The 286s offers a full complement of metering and status LEDs to visually guide you to achieving the right sound. The floating balanced XLR Mic Input accepts balanced or unbalanced inputs to easily connect to professional and home studio microphones. The additional 1/4" TRS Line Input can accept balanced/unbalanced signals to process live electronic instruments or pre-recorded tracks at mix-down. Use the Insert jack to interface between the mic preamp and the signal processing sections to loop out to external processors (such as EQ or delay unit) or to mix the mic preamp's signal out to an external destination. The cost and hassle of patching together multiple processors for use on one track can be frustrating. The 286s provides you with the entire mic processing you need in one box, with the shortest, cleanest signal path to keep your music sounding its best.