Manley Labs Mastering Version Stereo Variable Mu Limiter Compressor

From the heart of professional audio production, the Mastering Version Stereo Variable Mu Limiter Compressor is a legendary, all-American, all-tube, all-transformer device that has been the cornerstone of many hit records over the past decade. This top-selling product from Manley is renowned for its ability to bind the mix together, crystallizing it into a polished, professional final product.

The term "Mu" in tube terminology refers to gain, and the Variable Mu Limiter Compressor, a registered trademark of Manley, operates by utilizing the "remote cut-off" or re-biasing of a vacuum tube to achieve compression. This technique, also employed by the precious vintage Fairchild 670, is one of the few all-tube compressor methods known.

The unique 5670 dual triode is at the core of the peak-reducing and compression action, constantly being re-biased by the vacuum tube rectified side-chain control voltages. This causes the tube to smoothly alter its gain, providing a soft-knee 1.5 to 1 ratio in COMPRESS mode, and a sharper knee LIMIT mode that starts at 4 to 1 and moves to a more dramatic ratio of 20 to 1 when limiting over 12dB.

The Mastering Version Stereo Variable Mu Limiter Compressor is equipped with a ganged input control, separate threshold and output controls, and a High Pass Side Chain mod as standard. This mod, which comes with two switches on the front panel, one for each channel, ensures that the side chain does not respond to frequencies lower than 100Hz. This is particularly useful for music with heavy bass lines or bass-heavy mixes where you don't want the bass driving the compressor's action.

The device also offers a Mid/Side mod upgrade, opening the door to stereo encoding and decoding as well as exciting image enhancement processing capabilities. This allows for the augmentation of the stereo image by compressing only the in-phase information, or for creating a "more-mono" mix for broadcast or vinyl-cutting by killing off more of the out-of-phase info.

The Mastering Version Stereo Variable Mu Limiter Compressor is not just a tool, but a creative partner in audio production. Whether you're tracking, mixing, or mastering, this device offers unparalleled control and sonic excellence. It's like pouring a bowl of sweet cream over the mix, giving your music a big, warm hug.