Manley Vox Box

Recording Chick said:
Does anyone have experience with the Manley Vox Box micpre / comp/ limiter / EQ. I'm looking at getting one of these and pairing it with an U87.
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Haven't had any experince with the manley...but damn, you look good! :)

Sounds like a great combo...you go girl!
 
Yeah, I've used one on several occasions..it sounds REALLY good and is pretty flexible..I would say you can't go wrong with that chain...

Ray
 
I have used one several times.
I would not hesitate to own one if I could afford to spend that much on a single channel. The detented knobs allow instant recall of settings. The EQ and compressor is absolutely fabulous.

It also makes the best Bass Guitar front end I have ever used or heard. It makes the Musicman 5 string I was using just growl with delight.

If I could afford the 3 to 4 grand to buy one, or if I could find a good used one reasonably priced I'd go for it.

I have never paired it with a U87 but have with a Manley Reference Tube and a TLM 103 as well as a few Earthworks. All sounded great.

Tom
 
tmix said:
I have never paired it with a U87 but have with a Manley Reference Tube and a TLM 103 as well as a few Earthworks. All sounded great.

Tom
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Ooooh...Manley RefCard. How did that thing sound? I've heard great things. Love to pair one of those with a VoxBox.
 
Wow, I wasn't expecting that many people to have experience with it. It sounds like I can't go wrong with it. With Manley, that is what I would expect. At 3,600 they're pretty proud of it. Thanks for the input guys.
 
Recording Chick said:
Does anyone have experience with the Manley Vox Box micpre / comp/ limiter / EQ. I'm looking at getting one of these and pairing it with an U87.
Click to expand...

At that price level, other channel strips should be considered as well, which would include:

Pendulum Audio Quartet
Millenia Media SST
Pendulum Audio Quartet II

You might call Mercenary Audio and Atlas Pro Audio about all of these products.
 
Ive tried out the Vox Box before and was unimpressed. I was expecting more for the price but it was really nothing special. In my opinion there are much better all in one units out there. Check out the Pendulum Audio channel strip. I've used that once and it was much more fun than the Vox Box
 
You might also want to try posting your question over at gearslutz.com, or just try running a search there. Those guys live for this type of high end gear and many people who post there have experience with this kind of stuff every day. They should be able to give you a very good picture of how the Manley box compares to other channel strips in the same price range. However, I doubt you will be dissapointed with anything in this price range. Once you get into the high end stuff it's less of a question of what is better, and more of a debate over what flavor of chocolate you want to smother your mics in.
 
We use a VoxBox at the studio I work with, and I like it alot. The EQ and Compressor are especially nice!

We usually pair it with a Kiwi, but we also have a U87... honestly, on most voices I prefer the Kiwi. It sounds more smooth/sweet (based on its EQ curve). The U87 is a little "harsher" and direct sounding, which can be good for some voices, but I prefer the Kiwi sound...
 
I was hoping the Manley would warm up and round off that harsh direct sound of the U87. Thanks for the Heads up about Gearslutz. I think the name suits me.
 
I've done vocals using the Voxbox and a Lawson L47 and they were the best I ever heard on my voice.. think Suzanne Vega's first record. Ican't afford that stuff for my own studio but I have a Langevin DVC and some mics that work real well for my voice and comes close. I've used a U87 doing background vocals but it didn't work for me.

Kiira
http://www.2tough.com/~kiira/rec - the story of a good bedroom gone bad
 
The DVC was the other Manley mic pre I was considering. What are the mics you're pairing with it that you like. Currently I'm using the Shure KSM44, But I Used the AT4050 for "Slippery Road".
 
freshears said:
Haven't had any experince with the manley...but damn, you look good! :)

Sounds like a great combo...you go girl!
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Do we need to hose you down? :cool:

She's pretty yes, but I don't see why we can't all chat without the "damn you're hot!" or whatever. It's kind of awkward for sure and she's here to learn like most folks.

Sorry...carry on. :)

War
 
Karyn, IMHO the U87ai (never used older U87 version) although a high quality microphone, is overated. If I HAD to spend that much, would very seriously consider something like a Manley condenser or the Soundeluxe
cardiod version of a Telefunken Elam 251 (Vega has used an original '251 BTW).

You're definitely in "Fletcher" :) at www.mercenary.com territory at this price level for mic and pre. It would be VERY smart to contact him for advice.

BTW on many singers, humbler choices like a Shure Unidyne III series,
Electro-Voice RE series, or various ribbon microphones like RCA 77's or
AEA's can sound terrific too. I also respect the Studio Projects T3 a bunch.

Another excellent mic is the Electro-Voice 635a. This is one of two
microphones (the other is the SM57) that a world class AE, by the name
of Bob Ohlsson, ALWAYS trys when first matching mics to a vocalist.

It's a whole different ballgame when you have a high class pre to run these
through.

Chris

P.S. Examples of Unidyne III's would be SM7, SM57, 545 series.
RE series would be RE20, RE15, and RE16, for example.
 
Recording Chick said:
The DVC was the other Manley mic pre I was considering. What are the mics you're pairing with it that you like. Currently I'm using the Shure KSM44, But I Used the AT4050 for "Slippery Road".
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My best vocal mic is a Beyer M260 ribbon that I sent to Stephen sank for repair - he puts in an RCA 77DX ribbon and the mic then sounds like the RCA... quite close though I have never sung through a 77. It sounds really good, as good in its own way as the Lawson which I liked as much as any Neuman I ever sang through. I also have the cardiod version of the ksm44, a ksm32 and I use that sometimes through the DVC. It also works well. I have used a borrowed at4060 an that I also like a lot, haven't tried the 4050. The only problem with the DVC is it doesn't have huge amounts of gain so it only just squeeks by with the Beyer which is low output. I make up a little gain by twisting up the output on the comp section. I am building another preamp to solve that problem.

For the money the DVC is awesome. I like it because it is very easy to use an dial in a good sound... I only use my ears for stuff because engineering theory is too hard. I just twist knobs until things sound right and the DVC just has a few knobs that do the right thing when I'm recording voice. For the money I think it is a great value. I also use the direct in for bass... quite cool with the EQ and el-op compressor. I mean if you can afford a Voxbox I would go for it but the DVC does really well for about $15-1600 I think from Fletcher. I lucked out an got one a week old one from a friend of a friend.

You can use the pre and comp section seperately btw which comes in very
handy.

Oh an the Beyer can be bought for anywhere from $150 to $300+ use, I have one from the 60s, and may have a whacke ribbon but the Sank repair is only $125. You can call Stephen an yak about it.. he's cool an knows what he is doing.

hth,

Kiira
http://www.2tough.com/~kiira/rec
 
Well, the Manley is a tad rich for my blood. It is, by pretty much all accounts, a kickass channel strip. I've only gotten to touch one. I would temper what was said above about U87, that if it's the right mic for you, a U87, especially an older one (pre Uai), rocks. And many top vocalists and producers would agree. My old partner "Mo" Maureen Fleming, used U87 extensively on her album "Dreamers", with great success. She has a voice in your range, but deeper, the classic Chaunteuse type.
I listened to the one full song you have up, and you have a set of pipes, milady. I expect you know that. Please stick around. Some of the testosterone driven guys of the Cave could do with a set of curtains every so often. I hope we'll get to chat. PM me- we have many things in common. I recorded my first on a Roland VS1824CD and went through all the B.S. involved in exporting those tracks to Pro Tools. I'll bet we can exchange horror stories. We also used POD Pro a fair amount, maybe we can exchange some tricks, I've learned a couple. The recording world desperately needs a woman's touch, and- you have good taste in gear. Look out- from the point of view of many of the denizens of a board like this, you are the archtypal "perfect woman". It will take strength to get through this. Welcome to the board! You can find my website in my member profile. I don't usually put it in my posts, as some consider that to be SPAM. See you around.-Richie
 
kiira said:
My best vocal mic is a Beyer M260 ribbon that I sent to Stephen sank for repair - he puts in an RCA 77DX ribbon and the mic then sounds like the RCA... quite close though I have never sung through a 77. It sounds really good, as good in its own way as the Lawson which I liked as much as any Neuman I ever sang through. I also have the cardiod version of the ksm44, a ksm32 and I use that sometimes through the DVC. It also works well. I have used a borrowed at4060 an that I also like a lot, haven't tried the 4050. The only problem with the DVC is it doesn't have huge amounts of gain so it only just squeeks by with the Beyer which is low output. I make up a little gain by twisting up the output on the comp section. I am building another preamp to solve that problem.

For the money the DVC is awesome. I like it because it is very easy to use an dial in a good sound... I only use my ears for stuff because engineering theory is too hard. I just twist knobs until things sound right and the DVC just has a few knobs that do the right thing when I'm recording voice. For the money I think it is a great value. I also use the direct in for bass... quite cool with the EQ and el-op compressor. I mean if you can afford a Voxbox I would go for it but the DVC does really well for about $15-1600 I think from Fletcher. I lucked out an got one a week old one from a friend of a friend.

You can use the pre and comp section seperately btw which comes in very
handy.

Oh an the Beyer can be bought for anywhere from $150 to $300+ use, I have one from the 60s, and may have a whacke ribbon but the Sank repair is only $125. You can call Stephen an yak about it.. he's cool an knows what he is doing.

hth,

Kiira
http://www.2tough.com/~kiira/rec
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Thanks Kiira, That's more helpful than you know. I tried to find your website to listen to you, but I guess you don't have one. So I don't know how similar our voices are. Do you think the gain problem would be there with the KSM44 or is that a problem only with the Beyer. For that much money I want plenty of gain. I don't think I will be building my own preamp any time soon, however I probably will be putting Groove tubes in my Bellari RP220. IT STOPS THERE!!
 
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Thanks for the heads up about mercenary audio Chess Parov. I figure if I just buy all the mics I won't just have to pick one.

Warhead- Thanks for your concern. I don't want to be a distraction to the Intent of the forum. I guess it's unusual for a woman to take interest in audio stuff, but I learned after I got my first big studio bill that I could have bought my own studio at the $65 an hour rate they charged me. Sorry if this offends some people here. I just like to spend way to much time on vocals. Watching that studio clock tick by makes my vocal chords tighten up. I think my vocals have improved in the ambience of the "FREE" atmosphere. Learning the audio end is the agony and price of having a studio with unlimited tracking and mixing time. I rather enjoy it now after getting over the learning hump. At first it was a little daunting.

Rich-I PM'd you. Hope it worked.
 
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