OWNER'S MANUAL MANLEY MASSIVE PASSIVE STEREO TUBE EQ MANLEY LABORATORIES, INC. MANLEY LABORATORIES, INC. 13880 MAGNOLIA AVE. CHINO, CA. 91710 TEL: (909) 627-4256 FAX: (909) 628-2482 http://www.manleylabs.com email: emanley @ manleylabs.com email: service @ manleylabs.com Rev.
CONTENTS SECTION PAGE INTRODUCTION 3 BACK PANEL & CONNECTING 4 FRONT PANEL 5,6,7,8 CREDITS 8 THE MASSIVE PASSIVE BEGINNINGS, THE SUPER PULTEC THE PASSIVE PARAMETRIC WHY PASSIVE, WHY PARALLEL PHASE SHIFT, WHY TUBES 9 10 11 12 CURVES 13 to16 TUBE LOCATIONS, ETC 17, 18 EQUALIZING EQUALIZERS (GENERAL) EQUALIZER TECHNIQUES TRANSLATIONS 19 20 to 24 25 TROUBLESHOOTING 26, 27 MAINS CONNECTIONS 28 SPECIFICATIONS 29 WARRANTY 30 WARRANTY REGISTRATION 31 APPENDIX 1 - EXAMPLE SETTINGS 32 A
INTRODUCTION THANK YOU!... for choosing the Manley MASSIVE PASSIVE STEREO TUBE EQUALIZER. This EQ is supposed to be somewhat different from any EQ you may have used before , as well, this manual may be a bit unusual in that you may find it worthwhile to read. Even though at first glance the Massive Passive looks fairly conventional, you should take an hour and read this manual before you jump to conclusions or confusions.
THE BACK PANEL MANLEY LABORATORIES AN EVEANNA MANLEY PRODUCTION CHANNEL 2 13880 MAGNOLIA AVE., CHINO, CA 91710 PHONE (909) 627-4256 FAX (909) 628-2482 DESIGNED BY HUTCH email: emanley@manleylabs.
THE FRONT PANEL 22 ± 1K 82 ± 3K9 SHELF BOOST 220 ± 10K SHELF BOOST OUT 560 ± 27K SHELF BOOST 82 ± 3K9 22 - 1K SHELF BOOST SHELF BOOST OUT OUT OUT 220 ± 10K SHELF BOOST BOOST 560 ± 27K SHELF BOOST BELL CUT SHELF OUT OUT OUT OUT POWER CUT BELL CUT BELL CUT BELL CUT BELL CUT IN IN BELL CUT BELL CUT BELL 0 0 GAIN 20 0 20 0 20 0 -6 20 0 DB DB DB DB BANDWIDTH BANDWIDTH BANDWIDTH BANDWIDTH FREQUENCY 150 220 FREQUENCY 560 820 FREQUENCY 1K5 2K2 1K 39
THE 4 BANDS BOOST OFF CUT 22 - 1K SHELF BOOST OUT BELL CUT 1 2 3 4 5 LOW SHELF BOOST OFF CUT HIGH SHELF 560 - 27K SHELF BOOST BELL OUT CUT BELL BELL GAIN CCW = FLAT 20 0 20 0 DB DB BANDWIDTH BANDWIDTH BANDWIDTH CCW = WIDE FREQUENCY 3K9 FREQUENCY 150 220 100 2K7 330 68 470 47 680 33 22 5K6 1K8 FREQUENCY SELECT 8K2 12K 1K2 820 16K 560 1K 27K 1) BOOST / OUT / CUT, TOGGLE. Each band has individual toggles to select whether that band will boost or cut or be bypassed.
4) BANDWIDTH. Similar to the "Q" control found in many EQs. A more accurate term here would be "Damping" or "Resonance" but we used "Bandwidth" to stay with Pultec terminology and because it is a "constant bandwidth" (*) design rather than "constant Q" and because of the way it uniquely works in both Bell and Shelf modes. In Bell modes, you will find it similar to most Q controls with a wider shape fully CCW and narrower fully CW. The widest Q (at maximum boost) is about 1 for the 22-1K band and 1.
NOTES 1) Do not assume the knob settings "mean" what you expect they should mean. Part of this is due to the interaction of the controls. Part is due to the new shelf slopes and part due to a lack of standards regarding shelf specification. 2) You may find yourself leaning towards shelf frequencies closer to the mids than you are used to and the "action" seems closer to the edges of the spectrum than your other EQs. Same reasons as above.
Beginnings "The Super-Pultec" The very earliest equalizers were very simple and primitive by todays standards. Yes, simpler than the hi-fi "bass" and "treble" controls we grew up with. The first tone controls were like the tone controls on an electric guitar. They used only capacitors and potentiometers and were extremely simple. Passive simply means no "active" (powered) parts and active parts include transistors, FETs, tubes and ICs where gain is implied.
"The Passive Parametric" For years, we had been getting requests for a Manley parametric equalizer, but it looked daunting because every parametric we knew of used many op-amps and a "conventional parametric" would be very impractical to do with tubes. Not impossible, but it might take upwards of a dozen tubes per channel. A hybrid design using chips for cheapness and tubes for THD was almost opposite of how Manley Labs approaches professional audio gear and tube designs.
Why Passive? And Why Parallel? If you hate tech talk, just skip this section - it has to do with electronic parts and circuits and design philosophy. The Massive Passive is a "parallel design" as opposed to the far more common "series design". A few pages back, we mentioned the main reason for going with a parallel design was to avoid extreme signal loss, which would require extreme gains and present the problem of noise or extreme cost.
Phase Shift? Why Tube Gain Stages? Deadly topic. This is probably the most misunderstood term floating about in the mixing community. Lots of people blame or name phase shift for just about any audio problem that doesn't sound like typical distortion. We ask that you try to approach this subject with an open mind and forget what you may have heard about phase for now.This is not to be confused with "time alignment" as used in speakers, or the "phase" buttons on the console and multi-mic problems.
LOW SHELF CURVES Just like most EQs, a 100Hz low shelf doesn't reach "max" until about 10 Hz.
MORE 100Hz SHELVES SHOWING BOOST AND CUT WITH VARIOUS BANDWIDTHS THIS IS ABOUT +1.5 DB AT 300 Hz AND NEGLIGIBLE LOW SHELF +20 WIDE BW LOW SHELF +20 MED BW LOW SHELF -20 MED BW LOW SHELF -20 WIDE BW SPICE SIMULATION CURVES THESE CURVES SHOW ONE OF THE IDEOSYNCRACIES AND IT IS POSSIBLE FOR A LF BOOST TO SOUND AS IF IT HAS LESS LOWS DEPENDING ON THE FREQUENCY AND INSTRUMENT.
TYPICAL BELL CURVES "dB" set at max (20 dB) and changing the Bandwidth Narrow Bandwidth Bandwidth at 12:00 Wide Bandwidth Wide Bandwidth Bandwidth at 12:00 Narrow Bandwidth Changing "dB" and Changing Bandwidth Max Boost Narrow Bandwidth 12:00 Boost Narrow Bandwidth Max Boost Wide Bandwidth 12:00 Boost Wide Bandwidth 15
LOW PASS FILTERS 1.5 dB bump on the 6K, 7.
THE GUTS AC VOLT CHANGE GAIN TRIM GAIN TRIM +4 / -10 CHANGE +4 / -10 CHANGE 5751/12AX7 5751/12AX7 6414/12BH7 6414/12BH7 6414/12BH7 6414/12BH7 1) To Open: Disconnect the AC Power cable, let sit 15 minutes to allow the power supply capacitors to discharge. Remember there are high voltages (300VDC) used in the Massive Passive and that the capacitors may continue to hold a charge after power is removed - BE CAREFUL! We suggest using gloves and/or "one hand only" when the top is off.
Channel 1 DIP SWITCH SETTINGS Channel 2 LEFT CARD RIGHT CARD INPUT OUTPUT INPUT OUTPUT INPUT BACK PANEL BACK PANEL BACK PANEL BACK PANEL INPUT -10dBv +4 dBu -10dBv +4 dBu OUTPUT OUTPUT This procedure also results in a polarity reverse which means that the 1/4" outputs will reverse phase both in bypass and EQ. This may not be problem but you should be aware of this. It is definately better to keep PC or "polarity correct" in general.
Equalizers EQs range from simple bass and treble controls on a hifi system to pretty tricky parametric EQs and 1/3 octave graphic EQs. As an audio freak, you have probably tried quite a few EQs and have gotten both great results and sometimes less than great and you probably have a favorite EQ. Now that you probably have a digital system, you may have questions about these digital EQs and the differences between any analog and digital techniques.
EQ TECHNIQUE One of the best things about almost all EQs is that you don’t really need an instruction manual. You plug it in, turn a few knows and when nothing happens you take it out of “bypass” and the rest is easy. You just keep twiddling until it sounds like you want it to. Most digital devices like synthesizers and reverbs tend to get a lot of use from the included presets. Most guys just don’t want to get into that kind of “programming”.
1) The song and the vocals was what producers wanted and perhaps that hasn’t changed much. Bands were recorded with live vocals back then. Even overdubs were a band thing. Much of the signature of both the British or American sound were the vocal harmonies. Same today. 2) It was only practical to record as a band, as a group. They rarely used a click, except for TV & film scores. The “groove”, as today, was important, but it was a little less rigid.
Rather than try to do all your compression while recording vocals, save some for the mix. This takes a little pressure off of finding the “ultimate” compressor with perfect settings and you have the option of compressing the vocals as a group. Real Drums: Typically need lots ‘o’ EQ because we typically closemike individual drums. Big shelf boosts on the Massive Passive are particularly good.
Loops: The trick? Make the bad stuff sound good and the good stuff sound bad. Put it all together and go nuts with the mute switches. For that ol’ telephone filter, first try the two mid bands with deep shelf cuts. You might expect to just use the filters but these ones probably neither go high enough nor low enough for this purpose so use them in combination with those deep shelves. Synths: There is a lot of room to EQ on analog synths and often less with samplers.
If you are attempting to master the project or “pre-master” (this year’s hot, new audio buzzword) yourself, here are some suggestions. Take a week off after mixing, then listen to the mixes on as many different systems as you can, friend’s homes, cars, boom boxes, headphones, etc. and make notes. With an eye on those notes, adjust. Now check it out on some of those systems again, before you send it out.
Translations This is just a few commonly used musical terms translated into technical terms or specific Massive Passive techniques. Note that these are fairly loose descriptions and definitions. Your mileage may vary. Bottom, Fat for more: the deep lows bell boost below 100Hz or use any low shelf up to even 330Hz. When you use a shelf this high, you should experiment with the bandwidth control more towards straight up or towards narrow. Tubby probably too much lows.
TROUBLE-SHOOTING There are a number of possible symptoms of something not quite right, some may be interfacing, others we will touch on as well. If you suspect a problem the following paragraphs should help. NO POWER, NO INDICATORS, NADA - Probably something to do with AC power. Is it plugged in? Check the fuseon the back panel. A blown fuse often looks blackened inside or the little wire inside looks broken or it's resistance measures higher than 2 ohms.
IT MAKES NOISES WHEN THE FRONT PANEL IS TAPPED - An easy one. Some tubes become microphonic over time. That means they start acting like a bad microphone. Vibration has caused the supports for the little parts in the tube to loosen and now the tube is sensitive to vibration. Easy - Replace the tube. Which one? The one that makes the most noise when you tap it. Usually this will be one of the smaller (gain stage) tubes closest to the front.
MAINS CONNECTIONS Your MASSIVE PASSIVE has been factory set to the correct mains voltage for your country. The voltage setting is marked on the serial badge, located on the rear panel. Check that this complies with your local supply. Export units for certain markets have a moulded mains plug fitted to comply with local requirements. If your unit does not have a plug fitted the coloured wires should be connected to the appropriate plug terminals in accordance with the following code.
SPECIFICATIONS MANLEY MASSIVE PASSIVE STEREO TUBE EQUALIZER Maximum Input : 1.5% THD +20 dBm Maximum Output : 1.5% THD Unbalanced: 20-20K Balanced: 100 to 20K Low Freq Saturation Headroom (referenced to +4 dBm) Eq boosted full 20 dB +37 dBm +37 dBm +26 @ 20 Hz 33 dB 13 dB flat THD & Noise (1kHz @ +4 dBm) .
WARRANTY All Manley Laboratories equipment is covered by a limited warranty against defects in materials and workmanship for a period of 90 days from date of purchase to the original purchaser only. A further optional limited 5 year transferrable warranty is available upon proper registration of ownership within 30 days of date of first purchase.
WARRANTY REGISTRATION We ask, grovel and beg that you please fill out this registration form and send the bottom half to: MANLEY LABORATORIES REGISTRATION DEPARTMENT 13880 MAGNOLIA AVE. CHINO CA, 91710 USA Or you may FAX this form in to: +1 (909) 628-2482 or you may fill in the online warranty registration form found in the Tech Support section of our website www.manleylabs.
This Preset is a great example of how: 22 ± 1K 82 ± 3K9 SHELF BOOST 220 ± 10K SHELF BOOST 560 ± 27K SHELF BOOST 22 ± 1K MANLEY SHELF BOOST 82 ± 3K9 SHELF BOOST OUT OUT OUT OUT to drive the unit hard for a little THD warmth to mess up somebody who studies your settings the Massive Passive is different from other EQs 220 ± 10K BOOST 560 ± 27K BOOST OUT OUT SHELF BOOST OUT OUT POWER BELL CUT CUT BELL CUT BELL CUT IN IN BELL CUT BELL CUT BELL CUT CUT BELL BELL 0 0
68 330 22 1K 680 470 270 120 180 82 3K9 2K7 1K8 1K2 330 470 680 DB OUT 220 ± 10K 220 10K FREQUENCY 1K5 2K2 6K8 4K7 3K3 BELL SHELF 20 BANDWIDTH 1K 0 CUT BOOST 820 1K2 1K8 560 2K7 0 CUT DB OUT 560 ± 27K 18K OFF 22 OFF 39 0 +4 68 9K 220 120 6K 7K5 PASS HIGH PASS LOW GAIN POWER 18K OFF 22 OFF 39 12K -6 0 +4 IN 68 9K MASSIVE PASSIVE STEREO EQUALIZER 12K -6 IN 220 120 6K 7K5 68 33 47 DB OUT 22 - 1K 20 22 1K 270 120 180 82