User Manual

BASICS

This Microphone Preamp, like most mic preamps, is pretty easy to use. First we can discuss why

outboard mic pre's have become "a must have item" in almost every studio even though your console

probably has a bunch of them and that manufacturer claims that they are really great and you don't need

outboard mic pre's. Then, why is everybody buying them, using them, and why are most people going back

to tubes?

Good question. The signal from a typical mic is very low - anywhere from 20 to 70 dB below your

normal line level signals. 95% of the time 30 to 40 dB of gain is all that is needed to boost the signal to line

levels. Where you really need a lot of gain is with most ribbon mics and when you are recording quiet music

from a distance. What is required of a good Mic Pre? No EQ, no compression, nothing elaborate - just basic

gain. Each preamp, tube or solid state seems to impart a flavour or color (or personality) of its own. Some

of these flavours are subtle and some are not. Maybe it is the mic reacting different into different circuits.

A few engineers have an array of mic pre's and use them almost like effects - using each for a certain flavor

as needed. The rest of us only have the budget for one or two great mic pre's so we tend to choose one that

sounds "best", or is priced for us, or is used by "xxxxxx" or has cute ads. The Manley Mic Pre wins most

shoot-outs or at least ties with units twice as expensive. It is regularly used by major engineers, in "A" rooms

for famous artists and by hundreds of serious musicians in project studios. Most people choose the Manley

because it sounds "alive" and musical, warm and rich without audible distortion and the instrument sounds

like the real thing. What more is there ? You probably agree that if more color and personality is needed,

then the engineer has EQs and compressors and dozens of digital toys to squeeze that once clean signal

through. This is not the main function of a well engineered Mic Pre, however we have included the Gain

Control for some subtle differences of taste, style and so-called "tube warmth".

Some consider that the "headroom" factor is the most important issue in mic pre's. We believe that

it is just one of a number of issues. The input stage is unlikely to clip because the Attenuator (not the GAIN

switch) is before the tubes. This Preamplifier has more headroom than almost all mic pre's. The line driver

clips at between +30 and +32 dBV. This is about twice the voltage that most solid state can deliver. If

overdriven, which is not easy, it starts to clip in a gentle, smooth way, creating less nasty upper harmonics.

A more likely effect will be that the next device after the pre will be the place actually distorting. More

importantly are subtle issues of transient response. We believe this is one area where good tube circuits are

audibly superior to virtually all solid state. The transient details are important for reproducing the true

character of the instrument, the room and stereo image. Solid state often seems to smear transients, probably

due to the extreme amounts of negative feedback normally used to achieve the distortion specs. Transient

accuracy is not a "spec" and test benches don't produce hit records. You should be able to readily hear this

"effect" if your monitors are good. More than Left -Right it should also have nearness or depth.

Which brings us to the next topic - METERING - We do get questions like "How do I set up the Mic

Pre levels when there are no meters?". Answer - Look at where you are sending the signal, if it has meters

- use them. Why ? Most people are recording to digital mediums where there is no real standard. If you use

the tape machine's digital meters, you will most likely get the best recording levels using the machine's

meters. If we included a meter, it would most likely not be "calibrated" to your meters and mislead or

confuse the user. Also, if we included metering, it would be VU which is a standard of its own, appropriate

for analog tape only. Start off with the GAIN switch set to "45" which is what most people use. Turn up

the LEVEL control until the loudest peaks to tape are a few dB below maximum and not producing "Over"

Leds (for safety) and not too low (10 dB below clipping or lower). If we had a "Clipping LED" for the

preamp, it would be probably be dark when the machine's meters were pinned. Cosmetically a meter might

be nice but functionally it would be misleading or mostly useless.