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.

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

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.

System Requirements

macOS Catalina 10.15, Big Sur 11, Monterey 12, Ventura 13, or Sonoma 14
Windows 10 or Windows 11 (64-bit editions)
Intel, AMD or Apple silicon processor
Internet connection to download software and authorize native UAD plug-ins
Free iLok account with iLok Cloud or iLok USB (2nd generation or higher)
Free UA Connect application for managing native UAD plug-ins
A supported DAW compatible with VST, AU and AAX plug-in file formats.

Native UAD Instruments Requirements

Sample-based UAD instruments require SSD storage with APFS formatting for macOS or NTFS formatting for Windows
1 GB to 10 GB available SSD storage per plug-in (space requirement varies per UAD Instrument). A minimum of 100 GB available storage is highly recommended.
Individual UAD Instrument storage requirements are listed on UA Connect’s UAD Plug-Ins tab.

Notes

Operating systems not listed above are untested. Although untested operating systems may work, they are not supported by Universal Audio.
Pre-release and beta versions of operating systems are not supported.
Native UAD plug-ins on Apple silicon machines automatically run natively on Apple silicon in DAWs that support native Apple silicon.
Windows running via Bootcamp on Mac systems are not supported.