Manley Labs VOXBOX | Review

[@facelessproduction7059]

It's THE BEST! No brainer! Its the "Fairchild", the ---> KING of the Vocal Preamplifiers on the market! IT'S THE BEST!!! 💯👍❤💥🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

[@ripdocholiday9650]

that Manley voxbox is magic I need 2 of these

[@BaserockStudio]

Manley has a way of superficially pigeonholing their units with some of their names. For instance the “slam” is capable of very subtle and tasteful compression as well as more aggressive sounds. Loved the video. I just found you and you do an amazing job 🙏.

[@SeawellStudios]

I really appreciate your kind words Dom! I agree, this is much more than just a Voxbox! That's cool to hear about the Slam, I haven't had a chance to use one yet and would have assumed it was anything but subtle. Thanks for checking out the video and for taking the time to comment!

[@Lantertronics]

Minor note at 3:58 -- as you increase the gain on that knob, it's actually *decreasing* the negative feedback, resulting in potentially more interesting nonlinearities. (Increasing negative feedback decreases gain and tends to linearize the response).

[@SeawellStudios]

Cool, thanks for sharing!

[@richardgordon9939]

hi I'm new to preamps. could you tell me how i would connect the voxbox to my apogee desktop audio interface. what inputs and outputs of the voxbox do i use?

[@mikewolfe9458]

This is a great review. Thanks for sharing!

[@SeawellStudios]

Thanks for checking it out! I'm so glad you enjoyed it. This box is a beast!

[@NoirEtBlancVie]

Hi! I wanted to say how much I truly have enjoyed your reviews, I think they’re some of the very best on KZbin, well done and always looking forward to more. (I totally want that Retro 176!)

[@SeawellStudios]

Thank you so much! I really appreciate your kind words, I just subscribed to your channel and look forward to diving in more there. Very impressed with what I've seen so far, great job man! I definitely don't think you'd be disappointed with a 176, it is truly special!

[@kennethmclellan]

thank you for this video very informative clear and precise delivery of information,it would be good to hear and see your use of the UAD VoxBox

[@SeawellStudios]

Thank you, I'm so glad you enjoyed the review! To be completely honest, I don't ever use the UAD plug-in. I did compare the hardware vs the plug-in in this video here in case that interest you: kzbin.info/www/bejne/b4bJlIJnat2Ye8k&pp=ygUZdm94Ym94IGhhcmR3YXJlIHZzIHBsdWdpbg%3D%3D

[@kennethmclellan]

Cheers will check it out

[@waltfreer]

Fantastic review! I fell in love with it then saw the price. Definitely get what you pay for!!

[@SeawellStudios]

Thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed it! Yeah the price is painful, there are some decent used deals to be found though 👍🏼

[@musiccreation1198]

Thanks for making this video. I'd love to hear your thoughts and review of the VoxBox hardware to the UA plugin.

[@SeawellStudios]

You're so welcome! Thanks for letting me know you’re interested in the shootout vs the UAD plugin. I'll be glad to do that!

[@waltfreer]

Awesome review! Thank you! I have watched some comparisons of the UAD vs hardware, and it seems to me the UAD is darker than the Manley on the top with identical settings. I’m curious for your thoughts on that perception! Thanks again for a great review. I want one! 😊

[@SeawellStudios]

I'm so glad you enjoyed the video, thank you for checking it out! The plug in at the same settings(just basing off the number on the dials) is definitely different than the hardware. I'm not sure the reasoning on that but it's why I calibrated and measured in the shootout I did to make sure they were actually boosting the same amount instead of just visually setting them the same. You can check out that video here if you're interested: kzbin.info/www/bejne/b4bJlIJnat2Ye8ksi=EiIqkVSmdRuxJnRn Even calibrated to technically be doing the exact same thing, they definitely don't sound identical. I agree, I want one! The unit I used in these videos is my buddy Mark Kano's. I'm saving up for my own at some point 😊

[@siriusfun]

Loving all these tube-based gear reviews! Further to earlier comments on the 176 and RS660 vids, I have also been seriously considering the ELOP+. Manley stuff is top shelf (Massivo, Vari Mu and stereo Pultec over here) and I'm wondering if you have any experience with the ELOP, and if so, what your thoughts are? Would a deep dive review be possible? Cheers from Toronto!

[@SeawellStudios]

Unfortunately, this is the only piece of Manley gear I’ve had the pleasure of using but it definitely makes me want to hear more! The build quality is probably the best I’ve ever seen.

[@siriusfun]

@@SeawellStudios Yes, they're built like battleships. Truly impressive! I'll keep my eyes open and fingers crossed for more Manley reviews in the future...

[@MariooDisco]

Why is that every single "dry" vocal in any of those reviews sounds better than mine fully processed 😭 ... I guess voxbox wouldn't fix it 🤔

[@SeawellStudios]

Getting a great sound up front definitely helps! The two vocals in this example were both tracked with a Korby KAT microphone. It does sound great from the start and has been my main go-to vocal mic from 20 years now. The male vocal was Korby KAT > Shadow Hills Preamp > Serpent Audio Splice MKII compressor. If I remember correctly the female vocal was Korby KAT > APA Juggernaut preamp > Buzz Audio Essence compressor. I hope that helps!

[@allthingsfrench1391]

I really appreciate your video on the Manley which I purchased. I've been trying to use it myself with some difficulty to process already recorded vocals. It seems as if you barely notice the difference especially with eq...I noticed you eq'd the vocal before using the Manley. You already had a fantastic vocal sound with the mic. Unfortunately with the vocal I have the sound is not the best. This is why I want to send it through the Manley. All the tracks are going through it which is frustrating.. I i'soed the vocal and bussed to another track to print. At first I was all excited... but later felt it still needed eq. And wondered why I don't hear a significant change in the eq. Why do I not hear the eq even when I aggressively eq? I noticed the same with your track. I need all the help I can get obviously... and want to get the best out of the Manley. Recording with it is awesome but I'm having difficulty with processing after. Thanks for the best review I've seen yet.

[@SeawellStudios]

Hi, thanks for checking out the video! I'm sorry to hear your particular Voxbox isn't quite doing what you're looking for yet. For these examples, the only EQ I did before it hit the VoxBox was a high pass filter with the Massenburg EQ Plug In around 80hz. The reason being, the mic used on both of these examples(Korby KAT) doesn't have a high pass. Other than that, these weren't EQd before hitting the VoxBox. It's definitely important to get as great of a sound as you can at the source. I know if you're mixing tracks that were recorded somewhere else, that isn't always possible. In those instances, I would do some corrective EQ with a clean digital EQ plugin like the MDW or FabFilter and then use the VoxBox to sweeten things up after that. The VoxBox is awesome but it's not the most surgical EQ for sure so that is one area where it will probably not be the best option. I hope that helps!

[@allthingsfrench1391]

@@SeawellStudios thank you!! It does help.

[@SeawellStudios]

@@allthingsfrench1391 Ok great! You're so welcome.

[@bransilveous]

Awesome video! Do you have a video tracking with the Manley?

[@SeawellStudios]

Thank you so much! I only got to use it during the mix this go round but I'll see if I can borrow it again at some point and do a tracking video!

[@biggerpicturerecordings]

The input is an attenuation knob, so as I understand it 5 o’clock is fully open which lets you use less pre amp and makes a really full sound. Then back down from there when needed - this changed a lot for me

[@SeawellStudios]

Correct! I tended to like the negative feedback introduced by the preamp gain but the next time I get to use a VOXBOX I’m going to give your approach a try. Thanks for sharing!

[@biggerpicturerecordings]

100% there is no wrong way to use it, just different approaches. That’s why I stay with this unit, so many ways to be creative !

[@SeawellStudios]

For sure! With all the headroom, I can imagine the way you mentioned would sound huge. It’s such a great box, I definitely plan on purchasing one of my own eventually!

[@drakewatkins2624]

Would a tlm 49 be good to use with this

[@SeawellStudios]

I haven’t used a TLM 49 but I can’t imagine the VoxBox being a bad pairing with any mic honestly. It’s extremely versatile!

[@LightsandMotion]

man that sounded great on bass. you couldn't get the EQ to sound bad

[@SeawellStudios]

Agreed! Huge, clean sound, love it!

[@paulsmith1807]

if all your thresholds are near or at maximum, don't you need more gain coming through the preamp - especially with the female vocal?

[@SeawellStudios]

The VoxBox is a bit unusual in the sense that the compressor is before the preamp gain. It's actually kind of cool once you get used to it. In this video, I just dialed in the preamp gain to get the color I wanted and didn't push past that as it had the tone I wanted. You can use the "input" knob as it is before the threshold but it's a bit of a balancing act because there is no make up gain. Even though the threshold dials were dialed up near their limit here, I was able to reach the tone and amount of gain reduction I was looking for so it was fine. Also, I found that sometimes pushing the input more would make me want to dial the preamp gain back so you just have to find the best balance you're looking for. Overall, I like to make sure my sound examples in reviews or shootouts are gain level matched as much as possible so that had something to do with it as well.

[@paulsmith1807]

@@SeawellStudios that's definitely different but sounds amazing as you mentioned. Great review as well 🙂

[@SeawellStudios]

@@paulsmith1807 thank you! It definitely is different and I wish there was an output knob of some sort but to be honest the headroom is so high I don't know that you could ever push this thing to sound bad! I really appreciate you taking the time to watch and contribute to the conversation.

[@yangjiyangji]

Best manley review

[@SeawellStudios]

Thank you you so much, I really appreciate that!

[@yangjiyangji]

@@SeawellStudios what was your thoughts when controlling desser frequency? (Male vocal)

[@SeawellStudios]

@@yangjiyangji I thought it sounded nice. I never really track with de-essing so I doubt I would use it there but it is a great option to have when inserting it in the mix. It's not as flexible as some of the plug-in options but when one of the VoxBox frequencies matches the vocal you're working on, it produces a much better de-essing sound than what I'm used to from plug-ins.

[@yangjiyangji]

I come back for this review. This review is so helpful. Keep going!

[@yangjiyangji]

And if you have a chance, i'd like to see voxbox as a tracking gear! This unit is so good

[@Desi1080ptv]

I wish you could shoot out this with the tubetech Cl1b I don’t know which one to buy

[@SeawellStudios]

I will do my best to get a CL1B in here at some point! They are very hard to get ahold new for now. Used prices are way too high currently so I'd be very patient when looking for one. Definitely wouldn't overpay, they are good but not worth what a lot of them are listed for on Reverb right now.

[@Desi1080ptv]

Indeed I had just bought one and paired it with the Neve 1073 Bae but the Cl1b had a faulty glitch so I sent it back now I just have my Neve and I was interested in the Manley or if I should buy another Cl1b to go with my neve , but yep your 100% right about the price is just crazy

[@Desi1080ptv]

But that chain with the Cl1b and neve was the best I’ve ever heard I was sad the unit I had was faulty

[@SeawellStudios]

Man, that's a bummer! Since you have the BAE, I think you'd be happiest with a working CL1B. The VoxBox is awesome but the 1073 > CL1B chain is THAT sound. It's too bad Heritage or Warm couldn't nail the tone with their clones. Hopefully Tube-Tech will get their supply chain issues figured out here soon.

[@Desi1080ptv]

@@SeawellStudiosthank you yep that makes to much sense thanks 🙏

[@ultranadax6852]

Was the Patrick Rock track ever released or on a future album? Never heard of him, but that track! "Will we ever hear the sound" 🔥

[@SeawellStudios]

I don't think he has officially released that one yet but he does have it up on his Soundcloud page here: soundcloud.com/atrickockusic/will-we-ever-hear-the-sound-patrick-rock?