Manley MSLAM SLAM Studio Compressor

Manley MSLAM SLAM Studio Compressor

Manley MSLAM, also known as Slam! is a professionally designed Tube Stereo Limiter and Mic Preamp made by Manley Labs that is a two-channel microphone preamp that comes along with each channel featuring one electro-optical (ELOP) and one field-effect transistor (FET) "brickwall" limiters. The unit is professionally constructed with professional-grade components, hand-wound nickel transformers and hand-selected tubes. The all-tube Class-A preamp is capable of offering +60 dB of gain to microphone and DI signals, and at the same time a separate tube path for the limiter is offering +20 dB of gain.

Each channel of the Slam! has ELOP and FET limiters available simultaneously or separately. Each is adding a distinct character to the sound that comes along with the ability to dial in the best of both. The ELOP circuit is before the mic preamp, that makes it nearly impossible for clipping the tube preamp stage. The ELOP's minimalist design comes with a fixed ratio, attack and release with only a variable control for threshold. Additionally, it is capable of offering a side-chain high-pass filter, with the 200 Hz setting optimized designed  for vocals and a touch of de-essing.

The FET circuit is a fast "brickwall" limiter that comes along with variable controls over threshold, attack and release. The circuit is capable of a variety of colors from clean to grungy, all the while maintaining "zero overshoot" limiting. With the clip setting selected, the FET is allowing for severe distortion by speeding up the timing circuit and allowing the limiter for working on the waveform rather than the envelope. Both the ELOP and the FET limiters have side-chain inserts (send & return) available on the rear of the chassis via Bantam (TT) jacks.

The Slam! is capable of offering a comprehensive monitoring with the use of the VU and LED ladder peak meters. In addition to the source toggle for gain reduction, input and output, the VU meter has a pad toggle which allows you to scale the signal down -6 dB for loud signals. The multi-color LED peak meter has a source toggle offering gain reduction, peak and reset & mode. The momentary reset & mode switch clears out any peak signals and allows for the calibration of the peak LEDs to match the meters of your A/D converters. Three Slams can be linked together offering six channels of limiting for 5.1 surround sound. A separate power supply is used to reduce the detrimental effects of heat and electromagnetic fields (EMF) from influencing the signal path. Hand-made in the USA, the unit is housed in a 2U steel chassis with a CNC-machined 1/4" faceplate that is also inlaid with laser-engraved inserts. The Slam! ships with a separate power supply, 16-pin multi-core connection cable, and IEC power cable.

Mic Preamp Controls
48V power for microphones requiring phantom power
Locking phantom power switch located on rear of chassis
5-way source: Line, DI, Mic, Mic 180, Mic 100 Hz
Mic 180: Phase reverse for microphone preamp
Mic 100 Hz: 100 Hz high-pass filter for microphone preamp
Input: Volume control with +60 dB of gain for Mic/DI, -20 to +20 dB for line input
Output: Final volume control and make up gain

ELOP Limiter
Ratio: 10:1
Fixed attack and release
Continuously variable threshold control
SC HZ: Flat, 100 Hz, and 200 Hz
200 Hz setting optimized for vocals with slight de-essing

FET Limiter
Variable threshold knob for FET Limiter
Attack 3-way toggle: Very fast (VF), fast (F), and medium (M)
Release 11-position dial: 10 ms to 2 seconds
Clip: Release setting to create severe distortion

Stereo Link
Stereo Link: Channel 1 controls both Channel 1 and 2
Dual Mono: Independent control of channel 1 and 2
Both & Ext: Stereo link with independent control of channel 1 and 2 and engages rear-panel link for surround control

Limit Button
Channel 1 Limit: Engages the opto-limiter, FET Limiter and output level knob for channel 1
Channel 2 Limit: Engages the opto-limiter, FET Limiter and output level knob for channel 2

LED Meter
GR: Sets LED meter to monitor gain reduction
Peak: Sets LED meter to monitor peak output
Mode & Reset: Momentary switch used to clear peaks from the peak meter and used to set up and calibrate the LED meters section

VU Meter Toggles
VU 3-way toggle: Sets source to GR (gain reduction), O/P (output level), I/P (input level)settings
VU Attenuate: Pads VU meter for loud signals with 0, -3, and -6 dB settings

Additional Features
Auto mute warm-up delay: 30 seconds
Hand-wound Manley iron input transformers
Silent conductive plastic input attenuator
Separate power supply
Smart-grounding