Manley Labs has announced the Nu Mu studio compressor.

Created in the tradition of the Variable Mu is a hybrid compressor design that combines the front-end tube topology of the T-Bar Variable Mu with a solid-state sidechain and output stage to deliver Manley’s signature tube sound in a package that reckons to ‘break new ground in performance and value’.

Among its features are Manley Iron input transformers on balanced XLR connectors, the same ultra-low impedance switched mode power supply used on the Manley Core, and an all-new feature called the HIP control, allowing it to apply compression at lower dynamic ranges, while leaving louder dynamics unaffected. The result is a higher overall level, without squashing the dynamics of transients.

‘Until now, this type of effect could only be accomplished using parallel compression, combining the compressed and uncompressed signals,’ says Manley Labs President and co-founder, EveAnna Manley. ‘The Nu Mu’s HIP function achieves the same results, but with less effort and less hardware. It’s perfect for adding just a kiss of compression, but with that classic Manley sound.’

The Manley Nu Mu will be available mid-January 2016, at a MSRP of US$2800.

More: www.manley.com