Manley VOXBOX - MVB 1996 - 2/2000 and MVBX 6/2000 - 4/2003 - Manual (Page 12)

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The LOW FREQUENCY ROLL-OFF switch works on mic, line and instrument inputs. We use it to
reduce room rumble, excessive proximity effect and sometimes to achieve hotter overall levels. It reduces bass
a bit gentler and smoother than most mic pre filters. It is 6 dB per octave, rather than 18 dB per octave.
A little note about the INPUT control. This control is before any other circuitry that might distort. In a
sense, it is a variable pad. Manley mic preamps can handle very hot signals cleanly because of this. The GAIN
switch, that many mistake for a pad, sets the amount of negative feedback. We sometimes use this to optimise noise
but more often use it to control how "forward" or "aggressive" we want it to sound. There is no typical setting for
the LEVEL control with mics but you will find that with line level signals, "unity gain" is near 12:00. You may
find that guitars and basses, through the front panel 1/4" input, will require, what seems to be a high setting.
The compressor starts off being unusual in that it is before the mic pre. The attack and release are
conventional enough that any engineer familiar with compressors will be at home and may not notice these
controls are a bit unusual. As usual, ATTACK adjusts how percussive transient sounds affect compression. At the
slowest settings, (ex)plosive consonants, pops or drums should not really "trigger" the compressor. Faster settings
allow these peaks to cause compression & makes them quieter. RELEASE is the time the compressor takes to
get back to no compression or full volume. "Slow" release makes the gain creep back to full and "fast" release
brings the gain back up as quickly as possible. This is how the VOXBOX and most compressors operate but we
added a few new twists.
Normally a compressor uses this one pair of attack and release times to provide some degree of control.
Uniquely, we used 4 pairs to get it better. One pair is the light dependent resistors own attack and release
characteristic which is the basic attack and release of the original Manley Electro-Optical Limiter. You get this
winning characteristic in the VOXBOX if you dial up FAST RELEASE & FAST ATTACK.
Try this; dial up SLOW RELEASE and SLOW ATTACK and feed it some music. This combination is
set up to look like a good engineer riding a fader (a "great" engineer would anticipate a loud note but we couldn't
quite design that in). As you move the ATTACK to MED and FAST, notice how the compressor quickly handles
transients like drums but for the slower sounds has very slow release. In other words it combines the best parts
of conventional controls and "auto" settings. It sounds liquid smooth and very transparent.
MED RELEASE with MEDIUM ATTACK is for vocals - that easy.
LA-2A = FAST ATTACK & MEDIUM FAST RELEASE
LA-3A = SLOW ATTACK & MEDIUM SLOW RELEASE
MED FAST RELEASE & MED FAST ATTACK is the most complex setting. Here is four pairs of time
constants set up to be cool for drums and bass. We wanted it to be punchy with a good amount of thump and click.
You could spend hours trying to get that from most compressors. It also works nicely on "announcers" and
"commercials". It can be a bit "pumpy" on a music mix - but without the wimpiness that usually goes with it.
The THRESHOLD control is designed so that as you turn clockwise more compression happens.
BYPASS simply stops the light hitting the opto's. It can be switched in and out smoothly during music !
Unlike many compressors, this one has no "make-up gain" control. The INPUT level is before the
threshold because it is a mic preamp. It makes comparing compression (in and out) not ideal when used as a mic
pre because pure compression always reduces volume. In line input mode we gave you one way to compare. Use
the EQ INPUT toggle switch between "LINE IN" (no compress) and "PRE OUT" (compress). You can also hear
the "color" of the Manley tube circuits this way (not easily).
How much compression to use? Well it depends on the singer and other factors including taste and
experience. Most freelance engineers record vocals using the very best mic & mic pre they can get, put it through
an optical limiter and record direct to tape - no EQ, no gate, no console. A singer with wonderful mic technique
probably won't need much compression, if any. Singers with perfect mic technique are as rare as virgin nightclub
singers ;-) Most often you can expect needing 3 to 6 dB of compression. The idea is, use as little as possible but
the vocal should stay reasonably level and not jump out and bite you or disappear into the track. As you get into
deeper compression you can make the quiet phrases louder along with louder leakage from other instruments, more
headphone leakage and audible room rumble. In a very quiet room you might get away with 10 or 15 dB. The usual
idea for recording is that you need to keep the vocal sounding natural yet level controlled. A few other common
problems of over-compressing are less natural dynamics and mic technique and faster session burn-out. Serious
squashing, if needed, may be better in the mix stage. Distortion on the other hand may be better recorded on a
second track. Here the vocalist has to interact with the distortion to get the best effect. Record one signal clean
and one track from the distortion device. This gives most options in the mix. You can switch in one for some lines,
or re-distort a better way, or not. You can put a fuzz box in the Insert Loop but we suggest post EQ & Limit.