Most compressor/gates provide less than musical compression, coupled with gating that swallows transients—or closes early, cutting off decay and reverb tails. The superb engineering in the 266XL ensures that both its compression and gating provide versatility and excellent sonic performance in situations where other compressor/gates typically produce undesirable processing artifacts. When using the 266XL’s AutoDynamic™ Attack and Release controls, artists and engineers will find that the center settings deliver classic dbx compression, while the full control range produces voicings that extend from slow “leveling” to aggressive “peak” limiting. The Auto Dynamic™ circuitry continuously adjusts the actual attack and release times to optimally match the program material. Since users aren’t restricted to using the Attack and Release controls only in “peak” operation, they can tailor the response of the 266XL for individual tracks, mixed program material, special effects or system protection. As a result, production studios can use the versatile 266XL to replace multiple “single-purpose” limiters while sound reinforcement users can standardize on the 266XL for all of their applications. The 266XL’s advanced gate circuitry uses a completely new, program-dependent timing algorithm to produce ultra-smooth release characteristics—even with complex signals, such as voice or reverb decays.