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Manley Stereo Variable MU Limiter Compressor

There are few modern classics in the world of professional studio effects hardware, but the Manley Stereo Variable MU limiter compressor is most definitely one such processor. An all-tube limiter built in the great tradition of the Fairchild 660, the Manley Stereo Variable MU has been a cherished part of many studios for decades.

Manley Stereo Variable MU Limiter Compressor Details

The Manley Stereo Variable Mu Limiter Compressor is the GLUE that holds the mix together while crystallising it into a professional, final product. All-tube, all transformer, an all-American legend. High Pass Side Chain mod now comes standard.

The Manley Stereo Variable Mu Limiter Compressor has been Manley’s bestselling product for many years. It is one of the very few compressors that has become a real standard in Mastering studios and contributed to most hit records over the last decade and probably the next. “Mu” is tube-speak for gain, and Variable Mu® is Manley’s registered trademark for this limiter compressor. It works by using the “remote cut-off” or re-biasing of a vacuum tube to achieve compression.

The precious vintage Fairchild 670 also uses this technique and is one of few all-tube compressors to do so. Even the sidechain has glowing rectifier bottles. How’s it work? The unique 5670 dual triode is at the centre of the peak-reducing and compression action constantly being re-biased by the vacuum tube rectified side-chain control voltages which cause this tube to smoothly change its gain. Just like that.

The COMPRESS mode is soft-knee 1.5 to 1 ratio while the sharper knee LIMIT mode starts at 4 to 1 and moves to a more dramatic ratio of 20 to 1 when limiting over 12dB. Interestingly, the knee actually softens as more limiting is used. Distortion can be creatively used by turning up the Input and turning down the Output while using very little or no compression. See the gain reduction curves here!

You might notice that the Manley Stereo Variable Mu Limiter Compressor has a ganged input control, but do not jump to conclusions that it is mono-unfriendly. Track away! There are separate threshold and output controls to make compensations with plus you can always adjust your individual source levels elsewhere, right? The advantage of the stereo input control becomes dramatically clear when you switch to LINK mode, and that’s what the Manley Stereo Variable Mu Limiter Compressor does better than anything else: final mix, 2-track, or mastering limiting and compression.

Specifications

  • Frequency Response: 20Hz-25kHz
  • Signal to Noise: 85 dB
  • THD: <0.1%
  • Maximum Gain: 35 dB
  • Maximum Output: 30 dB
  • Variable Attack: 25msec-70msec
  • Threshold: Continuously variable
  • Limit: (4:1 to 20:1) or COMPRESS (1.5 to 1)
  • HP SC: High Pass Side Chain Filter -3dB @ 100Hz
  • Dimensions: 483mm x 89mm x 254mm
  • Weight: 10.4 kg

TRY OUR ‘MY EFFECTS RACK’ FEATURE TO TRACK WHAT YOU HAVE IN YOUR EFFECTS RACK NOW, AND THOSE ITEMS YOU WISH TO ADD.

The details provided above are drawn from historical documents like advertising brochures or user manuals. They’re shared without bias or review. This info is given solely for your consideration, helping you gauge its usefulness to you.

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