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Post by Deleted on Feb 15, 2021 21:27:54 GMT -6
There’s a lot to like about the Manley, my concern with them is they erase some of the lows. I haven’t tried one with the side chain hpf to know if it fixes that. I don’t know any of the others, I do know a lot of vintage vari-mu that don’t erase the lows, some enhance them. Not a fair standard of comparison when the question is ‘new’. The Manley doesn’t sound brown but replaces detail with Elmer’s glue.
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Post by boostudio on Feb 15, 2021 21:41:36 GMT -6
T-Bone: Honestly I haven’t used it for tracking much (been doing mostly mixing lately and use it for stereo sources mainly) but it sounds so sweet I wouldn’t hesitate to use it for tracking. It imparts a beautiful color even touching lightly - on stereo mix it gives a very noticeable widening imparting depth. Id recommend checking out the Vintage King demo which shows this clearly.
Regardless, it’s a good bang for buck since it can be used separately with its dual inputs and outputs (it does share a common threshold tho). Only down side is that can get a bit fiddly making sure the center imaging is right ... probably a good idea to talk to Bowie about rolling some matched tubes into mine. -Rich
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Post by OtisGreying on Feb 16, 2021 7:03:59 GMT -6
There’s a lot to like about the Manley, my concern with them is they erase some of the lows. I haven’t tried one with the side chain hpf to know if it fixes that. I don’t know any of the others, I do know a lot of vintage vari-mu that don’t erase the lows, some enhance them. Not a fair standard of comparison when the question is ‘new’. The Manley doesn’t sound brown but replaces detail with Elmer’s glue. What do you mean by this ? Lol.
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Post by OtisGreying on Feb 16, 2021 7:04:28 GMT -6
Anyone know how much T-bar and HPF sidechain mod cost for a unit sent to Manley?
I was also curious if they were thinking about a redesign considering the 6386 tube is back in production by JJ.
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Post by ab101 on Feb 16, 2021 11:56:41 GMT -6
Let's not forget the audio-scape v-comps. I would like to hear more about those on the 2 buss. Great designers, great people, and great prices.
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Post by dougwendal on Feb 16, 2021 13:43:24 GMT -6
Anyone know how much T-bar and HPF sidechain mod cost for a unit sent to Manley?
I was also curious if they were thinking about a redesign considering the 6386 tube is back in production by JJ.
From Manely's website regarding T-bar modification. www.manley.com/tech-pages/tbarCOST AND TURNAROUND TIME: The conversion kit installation can be done by Paul Fargo in our Arizona Service Center for $500 plus shipping, and includes all necessary parts and labor plus re-testing and calibration. This usually takes 2-5 days depending on existing workload. It is recommended to schedule in advance with Paul for fastest turnaround. We can also supply just the kit with installation instructions for $300 plus shipping (and sales tax as necessary) for installation in the field by a qualified technician.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 16, 2021 13:44:16 GMT -6
The Manley doesn’t sound brown but replaces detail with Elmer’s glue. What do you mean by this ? Lol. It’s lofi tube revival gear of a certain persuasion
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Post by OtisGreying on Feb 17, 2021 0:40:49 GMT -6
What do you mean by this ? Lol. It’s lofi tube revival gear of a certain persuasion This statement is equally as confusing. Lol.
I think you don't like the manley vari mu, correct?
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Post by EmRR on Feb 17, 2021 9:37:31 GMT -6
The Manley doesn’t sound brown but replaces detail with Elmer’s glue. What do you mean by this ? Lol. It does a creamy soft focus gauze thing, mids and high mids most affected from what I remember, reigns in the bottom. It doesn't sound 'bigger', just more 'packaged'. Original UA 175/176 I've used did even more of the same thing, downright smushy and likely to obliterate a lot of detail and dynamics, I rarely ever kept one of those inline when I auditioned. Good for punk rock guitars done with 57's probably! OTOH, a lot of bigger transformer old broadcast limiters BA-6A/26U/SA-39/etc stay out of that color territory, stay more midrange transparent, and can just sound like inflating balloons, everything bigger and more present. Always a taste thing, YMMV. Modern versus vintage transformers make huge differences, any of the modern clones of the above may sound completely different even though they're 'the same' on paper.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 17, 2021 11:12:09 GMT -6
It’s lofi tube revival gear of a certain persuasion This statement is equally as confusing. Lol.
I think you don't like the manley vari mu, correct? It liquifies the whole mix as you dig in and thumps around. You know how people put whipped cream on apple pie? That’s a bit weird but the British drench it in sweet cream. That’s disgusting. That’s digging in with a Manley.
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Post by drbill on Feb 17, 2021 11:42:28 GMT -6
This statement is equally as confusing. Lol.
I think you don't like the manley vari mu, correct? It liquifies the whole mix as you dig in and thumps around. You know how people put whipped cream on apple pie? That’s a bit weird but the British drench it in sweet cream. That’s disgusting. That’s digging in with a Manley. Who digs in on a Manley? No one I know. Standard procedure : just tickle the meters and you have one of the most beautiful de-digitizing devices ever designed. <thumbsup>
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Post by OtisGreying on Feb 17, 2021 11:42:53 GMT -6
I see. It's not for everyone. Very colored. One of my favorite albums of all time had a Manley on the mixbus of every song though so I think I like that color.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 17, 2021 11:47:19 GMT -6
It liquifies the whole mix as you dig in and thumps around. You know how people put whipped cream on apple pie? That’s a bit weird but the British drench it in sweet cream. That’s disgusting. That’s digging in with a Manley. Who digs in on a Manley? No one I know. Standard procedure : just tickle the meters and you have one of the most beautiful de-digitizing devices ever designed. <thumbsup> Nobody. Also the browner API 2500s. but still the cheaper way is to not have digital distortion in the first place by not over mixing, dithering, avoiding truncation, and all that. The Oxford plugs have been around since the 90s but people won’t buy them on Black Friday.
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Post by jmoose on Feb 17, 2021 13:51:18 GMT -6
I see. It's not for everyone. Very colored. One of my favorite albums of all time had a Manley on the mixbus of every song though so I think I like that color. The Manley Vari Mu certainly has a tone to it. Glorious when it works but sometimes its too much. Personally I'm fan but only have the UAD version. I love the hardware for tracking esp vocals, bass, guitar solos... In the discussion, has anyone tried the Manley Nu Mu? Impressions? They say its got the same "goo" but overall cleaner sound with the FETs and no output transformers? Yes no?
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Post by the other mark williams on Feb 17, 2021 19:27:30 GMT -6
It liquifies the whole mix as you dig in and thumps around. You know how people put whipped cream on apple pie? That’s a bit weird but the British drench it in sweet cream. That’s disgusting. That’s digging in with a Manley. Who digs in on a Manley? No one I know. Standard procedure : just tickle the meters and you have one of the most beautiful de-digitizing devices ever designed. <thumbsup> 100% agree. I'm really not sure that I've ever let it go over 2dB of reduction on the 2-bus at a loud transient.
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Post by EmRR on Feb 17, 2021 19:30:52 GMT -6
Who digs in on a Manley? No one I know. Standard procedure : just tickle the meters and you have one of the most beautiful de-digitizing devices ever designed. <thumbsup> 100% agree. I'm really not sure that I've ever let it go over 2dB of reduction on the 2-bus at a loud transient. Yep, and it's a good bit more than the 2dB indicated by the wiggly things, which aren't peak reading indicators.
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Post by the other mark williams on Feb 17, 2021 19:34:49 GMT -6
100% agree. I'm really not sure that I've ever let it go over 2dB of reduction on the 2-bus at a loud transient. Yep, and it's a good bit more than the 2dB indicated by the wiggly things, which aren't peak reading indicators. Good point.
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Post by wiz on Feb 17, 2021 22:05:01 GMT -6
Who digs in on a Manley? No one I know. Standard procedure : just tickle the meters and you have one of the most beautiful de-digitizing devices ever designed. <thumbsup> 100% agree. I'm really not sure that I've ever let it go over 2dB of reduction on the 2-bus at a loud transient. Just using the UAD Manley Vari Mu, right now... just under 2db... 8) It also maintains the depth of my mix, vs the SSL G buss UAD Cheers Wiz
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Post by ab101 on Feb 17, 2021 22:39:34 GMT -6
This is really subjective. The Manley Vari-mu I had was too sugary for my tastes. I really liked the regular Thermionic Phoenix, though I would like to know more about the mastering version.
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Post by kaleida on Feb 17, 2021 23:50:12 GMT -6
Retro 176s! Perfect for mix bus (and most other applications).
RS124s are cool for certain vibes, but I think they’re better in parallel on mix bus for general purpose use.
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Post by wiz on Feb 18, 2021 1:37:51 GMT -6
and...... I just went back to the SSL G Buss comp...LOL...
shaddup
Cheers
Wiz
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Post by levon on Feb 18, 2021 2:14:51 GMT -6
I was afraid there would be lots of recommendations for the Manley! Not easy on my wallet, but I'm about to sell my fishing boat, so I'll have some cash for a big purchase. My only concern with going with the Manley is that when using the UAD and Pulsar versions, I'm always using the Mix control, and my OTB workflow isn't set up for that. anybody heard the Tegeler? It's so cheap! If you can swing, go for the Vari Mu. I love it on my mixbuss. There's also the Manley Nu Mu, which is a bit cheaper but claims to have the Vari Mu vibe.
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Post by levon on Feb 18, 2021 2:21:31 GMT -6
and...... I just went back to the SSL G Buss comp...LOL... shaddup Cheers Wiz I actually use both, the Manley in front and the SSL Comp (my TK Audio version) last.
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Post by craigmorris74 on Feb 18, 2021 8:00:27 GMT -6
I didn't include the Nu Mu on the list because in the only side by side comparison I was able to find, while the Nu Mu was puchier, it didn't enhance the depth of the mix like the Vari Mu. It could have been a bad comparison.
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Post by jcoutu1 on Feb 18, 2021 8:23:53 GMT -6
This is really subjective. The Manley Vari-mu I had was too sugary for my tastes. I really liked the regular Thermionic Phoenix, though I would like to know more about the mastering version. Don't spend your money. The pots and switches on it are utter crap. Stick with the regular.
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