Manley® Variable Mu Limiter Compressor
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Add tube compression royalty to your mixes.
As Manley Labs' flagship compressor since 1994, the Vari Mu is a tube and transformer-driven classic that exudes handmade craftsmanship and is the gold standard among mixing and mastering engineers. The Manley Variable Mu Limiter Compressor plug-in gives your stereo buses or your entire mix the same clarity and cohesion as the high-end hardware.
Included Versions
UAD Native
Runs on your Mac or PC without UA hardware.Apollo Realtime & UAD‑2
Runs accelerated on Apollo interfaces and UAD‑2 hardware.UAD Native plug-ins run on both macOS 10.15 Catalina or newer and Windows 10 and 11. Go to our UA Support page for system requirements.
- Add definition and fidelity to individual tracks, stereo buses, or an entire mix
- Glue together difficult mixes with signature Manley tube compression
- Link channels for a precise, perfectly matched stereo image
- Select from Left/Right or Mid/Side operation for precise control of stereo imaging
- Use the plug-in-only Dry/Wet Mix control to easily dial in parallel compression
TAKE A LISTEN
Easily Add Stunning Polish
Treat your source material with velvety-smooth gain reduction, while infusing warm harmonic content, free of audible compression artifacts with the Manley Vari Mu Limiter Compressor plug-in and add a variable gain compressor with stunning transparency to your studio.
Enhance Tracks and Glue Mixes
The Manley Vari Mu Limiter Compressor plug-in can be used on single instruments such as bass or a lead vocal, or on subgroups like strings or horns. But its raison d'être is on the mix bus, where it can unify your mixes with a rich, hi-fi fit and finish.
Polish your Mixes with Powerful Controls
Parameter linking allows simultaneous adjustment of both channels with stereo signals. When unlinked, the plug-in's Mid/Side processing is improved over the hardware, giving you phase accurate stereo imaging. Use the High Pass Sidechain filter to reduce low-end pumping — letting you compress, say, overheads, while retaining punchy bottom-end. Dry/Wet Mix offers easy parallel compression — perfect for polishing vocals and more — while Headroom lets you optimize the Variable Mu’s overall level to your playback system.
“If you've got a ragged mix, this plug-in will give it a big hug. It's a stunning emulation of our Variable Mu hardware, right down to the last detail.”
– EveAnna Manley President of Manley Labs“The Manley Variable Mu is one of my go-to compressors for all types of sounds – especially when I’m looking for an upfront, in-your-face tone. It's fun to distort too.”
– Mike Larson (Pharrell, Daft Punk, Kendrick Lamar)“I used to lament that I had only one Manley Variable Mu. Thanks to UA, those days are in the past! Now I'm like that little old lady on the hot sauce commercials — I put that s*** on everything!”
– Phil Tan (Mariah Carey, Ludacris, Rihanna)“Three different hardware versions of the Manley Variable Mu have lived in my gear racks since the ’90s. Now the UAD version captures the same unique feel that the hardware adds to my mixes.”
– Mark Needham (The Killers, Neon Trees, P!nk)Customer Reviews
S. Tanno
March 17, 2024
Great to have in your arsenal!
When you want that subtle extra punch at the master bus, this should be appreciated by many music producers/engineers. Usually I would use it for only around 0.5dB reduction/gain, but still...
Read MoreM. Krizaj
March 16, 2024
Manley Variable MU Limiter Compressor
I Don't know what the emulation is, but the sound is muddy, warm and grate. 5 points for developers.
Read MoreJ. Leary
March 16, 2024
Love it, lifts my mixes to another level
I have been using the Manley Variable Mu compressor/limiter on most if not all of my mixes since I got it, and I love it! I usually start with a mastering preset and then just tweak it a...
Read MoreF. d'Ersu
March 15, 2024
Great
Does magic on master bus. One of the compression plugins I have.
Read More -
Customer Reviews
Manley® Variable Mu Limiter Compressor
S. Tanno
Great to have in your arsenal!
When you want that subtle extra punch at the master bus, this should be appreciated by many music producers/engineers. Usually I would use it for only around 0.5dB reduction/gain, but still it makes a huge difference!
M. Krizaj
Manley Variable MU Limiter Compressor
I Don't know what the emulation is, but the sound is muddy, warm and grate. 5 points for developers.
T. Zaporozhets
Great Compressor!
My go to compressor for mastering.
J. Leary
Love it, lifts my mixes to another level
I have been using the Manley Variable Mu compressor/limiter on most if not all of my mixes since I got it, and I love it! I usually start with a mastering preset and then just tweak it a little, get it so that the level of gain reduction is such that the meters move just a bit. My mixes definitely sound a little tighter or more cohesive. I love this plugin for mixing compressor duties!
F. d'Ersu
Great
Does magic on master bus. One of the compression plugins I have.
A. Hunt
Manley Mu-sic
A singer.
b. boubacar
Manley limitercompressor
So far good plugin
b. boubacar
Manley limitercompressor
So far good plugin
J. Tecson
Go to!
I use this on every mix bus I do - can't go without it!
J. Tecson
Go to!
I use this on every mix bus I do - can't go without it!
V. Ivanov
The sound is really great!!
The sound is really great, i use on my master channel. Also is great for bass and synths!
Best.
The Editor
https://www.theeditor.info/K. Efstratiou
great sounding compression
Lovely comp, does exactly what one wants it to do, slight compression, almost invisible, but when you bypass it, you want to activate it asap.
T. Kwon
awesome master comp
Sounds awesome. more native please UA...
D. Black
Excellent, it's Manley
I've used my UAD Manley Vari-Mu for a few weeks. Emulation is perfect, it sounds great, it's easy to set, and can be used on everything. At full price it's a good deal, at this discount, you have to consider just getting it unless you've got the hardware.
Realistically this is one of the few plug-in purchases that changes my audio so much to the better all by itself. And I'm not compressing by more that 3 dB. Insert Vari-Mu and there's the sound.
I'm running mine in stereo, but the special option to change to M/S in, out, or both is a relatively rare feature.D. Hogan
Like
Like
A. Desborough
Good, but was expecting more.
It doesn’t wow me like some other UA plugins. Quite effective on slower, non- transient heavy material, however probably wouldn’t be my first choice for that.
Mostly invisible (positive or negative, you decide) up to 2db of reduction, however any more than that i’ve found the action to be slightly unmusical.J. Slack-Smith
The Best I've Come Across
The Manley variable mu compressor is robust and produces the good vibrations that I had hoped for. You can't go wrong with this compressor.
T. Schindler
Very Good, but Handling could be better
I am using the Manley now instead of the SPL Iron i used before in the Master chain. The Manley has a much clearer sound. But i found the SpL better in the handling as a plugin. Both work very well for me as Mastering Compressors. I would like a compressor not with the hardware front usage in a plugin but with a good software handling and the sound of good hardware.
E. VELAZQUEZ
AAA for vocals
Extremely useful on vocals and acoustic guitars. Sweet!!!
A. pc
Excelente emulacion of Vari MU
Sin palabras , muy excelente compresor