Manley STEREO VARIABLE MU LIMITER / COMPRESSOR - 3/2004 - Manual (Page 3)

INTRODUCTION
THANK YOU!...
for choosing the Manley Laboratories Stereo Variable Mu ® Limiter Compressor. This unit has
been our best selling product for many years. It is one of the very few compressors that has be-
come 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 our 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 compressor to do so, that we know of. Even the side-chain has glowing rectifier
bottles. How’s it work? The unique 5670 dual triode is at the center 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.
LOCATION & VENTILATION
The Manley Stereo Variable Mu
® Limiter Compressor must be installed in a stable loca-
tion with ample ventilation. It is recommended, if this unit is rack mounted, that you allow
enough clearance on the top and bottom of the unit such that constant movement of air can
flow through the ventilation holes. There are 8 tubes inside this unit so it does run quite hot.
Good ventilation is definitely encouraged.
UNPACKING: Unpack the unit carefully by removing all the custom foam packing material
and make sure that all supplied accessories are present. Carefully examine all items for any pos-
sibility of shipping damage. All of the tubes are already installed and should have survived the
journey from our factory to your studio. They should be standing at attention in their sockets,
and should show no signs of distress such as chipped glass, loose internal components or obvi-
ous breakage. If the unit is damaged or fails to operate, notify the shipper or your dealer or us or
your local authorities immediately. Or if you suspect The Shipping People threw it off the air-
plane and onto your front porch whilst flying overhead at 30,000 feet, notify the shipping com-
pany without delay and complain to them as we only guarantee this unit to be able to survive a
drop of 23,487 feet or less.
Your Manley Variable Mu ® Limiter Compressor was packed with extreme love and care, and
each box includes the following components and accessories:
a) 1 each, 6 foot IEC 3-conductor power cable
b) 1 each, Owner’s Manual
(that we hope you will keep reading.)
It is prudent to retain the shipping materials for future use, as they are custom-formed for this
unit and will greatly minimize the chance of shipping-related damage should you ever need to put
your precious Variable Mu ® in the careless hands of The Shipping People again. We have heard
that certain rodents might enjoy munching on the packing foam. We are sorry to report that we do
not warranty the packing foam against attack by mice, rats, or other hungry critters, hungry chil-
dren, hungry neighbors, etc. Try glue traps or spring-traps loaded with peanut butter to eliminate
these unwelcome freeloaders from your property.
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