SLAM VS PAL+

[syra]

Hehe...this is the fight I wanna see in PPV!

Anyway, I just want to gather some opinions. Haven't heard the SLAM but I have a MP that I love...
...and I heard a PAL+ and I thought it was amazing...especially the pre... I've been saving up for a pair...

peace

[BattleAngel]

Hi Syra (I'm the guy who eMailed you recently from ObsidianSW btw),

I too am interested in what people have to say about these units. I think there isn't a lot of experience with the Requisite on the forum- I know Malice flips out over his. Chap has one too and I think he believes the pre's in both are rather comparable if I'm not mistaken. I think he once described them as being very 'friendly.'

Want to hear something pathetic?

I had a dream last night that I walked into Sam Ash and they had the entire requisite line as well as a lot of the Manley line, and they had both the Pal+ and Slam on display. Just goes to show how bad this forum is for one's mental health!

[syra]

Hey BattleAnglel! Your dream shows our master clocks are in sync...

When I was in Boston GCpro had everything you could imagine to try out...From Pultecs and requisite stuff, to Manley and Crane song...Heaven on earth I'm tellin ya...

I don't know much about their department in LA...hope its good...

Anyway...in my eyes, a pair of PAL+ is the greatest competitor to the SLAM...Functionality-wise...I haven't had the opportunity to try them head2head yet....

[Jules]

Pal

[skip bitmin]

Originally posted by slipperman
Jules.

Your new website is hilariously twisted.

XOXOXO

SM.

Im afraid I am going to have.....to......agree.
mmmmm? going to have? to?...........I agree.
yes I agree with you mr slipperman that is a great web site.
The gear for sale part is hilariously twisted(those are my own
words)but seriously that was very funny,nice job Jules.

[Jules]

Hey it's not new!

It's been in operation for ages...

The sales section IS funny!

http://www.librarystudio.com

ALL props go in fact to Meg Lee Chin (Gearslutz webmistress)

To hire her contact her here work@megleechin.com

Check her own site http://www.megleechin.com

Try waiving your mouse over Berthovens head!

Er... Back to the main topic!

[malice]

Well, I know manley gear, I have a Pal+.

Unfortunatly I don't own a second Pal+, but it is in my chrismass list, and I've been a very good boy this year.

I can compare

1) the pre : Pal+ wins easily, it is ridiculous. I must say it is one of the best pre ever made to my knowledge. the sound is amazing, the feedback know that re-inject the signal from the second gain stage to the first is an amazing tool to beef up the sound. the clarity is also amazing.

2) compressor on tracking situation. Well, they both have interesting applications. For vocal, I would choose the pal (wich is a copy of an LA2A with some add features like the ability to dose the amount of compression and change the response curve of the key (like what you were able to do with a screw driver in an original LA2A. The Bandwith is far more extended as well.
I would say that in opto, the pal + wins, but you have a fet limiter that is very cool in the Manley ...

3) I can't judge in Mix buss application so far, but the manley is quiet interesting for that matter. Danny Mc Kinney from requisite says it is perfectly designed for that application, but I never tried this

malice

[Mike O]

Malice - Just to be clear; you do have personal experience with a SLAM?

[Jules]

http://www.requisiteaudio.com/rpal.html

[malice]

Originally posted by Mike O
Malice - Just to be clear; you do have personal experience with a SLAM?

Well, not much. I used one on two occasions. OTOH, I have regular experiences with Manley pres, Manley Elop etc ...

I have to be honest here, I really compared the pre on one occasion side by side. I really prefered the Pal pre on vocal, but I would need more "toying" with the SLAM to make a complete opinion about it. I tracked drums with the SLAM, and I was pretty amazed on Overheads, as well as trying it on two buss.

Anyhooo, the pal is really a love story for ,me, I just love it, so sorry if I've sounded a little biased

just to make it clearer

malice

[Mike O]

Originally posted by malice
Well, I know manley gear, I have a Pal+.

Unfortunatly I don't own a second Pal+, but it is in my chrismass list, and I've been a very good boy this year.

I can compare

1) the pre : Pal+ wins easily, it is ridiculous. I must say it is one of the best pre ever made to my knowledge. the sound is amazing, the feedback know that re-inject the signal from the second gain stage to the first is an amazing tool to beef up the sound. the clarity is also amazing.

malice

Originally posted by malice
Well, not much. I used one on two occasions. OTOH, I have regular experiences with Manley pres, Manley Elop etc ...

I have to be honest here, I really compared the pre on one occasion side by side. I really prefered the Pal pre on vocal, but I would need more "toying" with the SLAM to make a complete opinion about it. I tracked drums with the SLAM, and I was pretty amazed on Overheads, as well as trying it on two buss.

Anyhooo, the pal is really a love story for ,me, I just love it, so sorry if I've sounded a little biased

just to make it clearer

malice

Malice- Thanks for the clarification - not that you as a longtime contributer really owe it to me or anyone else of course. I am certainly not the GS "police"

Here is why I even asked.

I don't post much, but one of the things I like about GS is that most of the folks here speak of their own direct experience, usaually not just providing the yeah or nay opinion, but WHY (for example) the pre or optical limiter on one device sounds better than another. I would like to see that continue here and not to have GS go the way that so many other forums have.

Your first post sounded to me sounded like it was based on "expericence with Manley".

How is that relevant? The ELOP on the SLAM is different (according to Manley) is different from the ELOP. The pres are also different than anything the have ever offered.

I also found the comment "wins easily" very interesting. This is of course subjective and could be/have been your experiece. As a SLAM owner I am quite interested in any pre that "wins easily" of the SLAM pres.

I specifically did not respond to the comparison question because I do not have experience with both, but I intend to try the Requisite when I get a chance based on your (and others) love of the piece.

Again thanks for taking the time to clarify!

[malice]

Mike,

You are right about myh comment "easily wins", I'm really over enthousiastic sometimes with the PAL.

I'll take gladly another extra time to even make it clearer.

I agree that the pres on the SLAM sounded a bit different than other pres I've tried from Manley. They sounded quieter than the one I had before in the studio, and more clear. But I didn't compared them side by side, so it is here a judgment based on memories.
As for the ELOP, I didn't ran extensive tests between the Manley ELOP and the SLAM, but I found back the "feel" I had with ELOP trying the SLAM in opto ...

If they are so different, I'll be interested to know how much they are, maybe Eveana can fill the gaps here.

What I did is test both units in a vocal take situation and I liked the PAL better as a pre, and as an opto limiter. The Pal sounded more natural, you could hardly noticed the compression, and I liked that as well as the possibility to change the tones within the pre.

But they are two different piece of gear, and somehow, It would be difficult to conclude that one is better than the other on every occasion.

I like Manley gear very much, I don't want you or any of the Gearslutz members to think I could bash Manley

Hope this clarify my thoughts a little better


If you want some extra insights about Pal+ before trying it, feel free to contact me

regards

malice

[Bang]

Danny from Requisite makes everything amazing, from his PAL PLUS which I formally owned and LOVED on everything, to his guitar amplifiers, to even his extremely expensive but amazing sounding CABLE. Requisite stuff is TOP NOTCH.
Steve

[syra]

Thank you malice...and the rest of the crew...

I tested the PAL+ for 4 days H2H with an 2022 and a 2610. It gave me exactly what I was looking for: The clean 2022 sound with the thickness (not the dirt) of the 2610. Thick and lush it made the vocal sound like a bubble of smooth cream...

Also on Acoustic and electric guitar it was awesome. Compared to the 2022 it had an upper midrange sheen while adding balls down mid-low, breathing life into the sound.

And the feedback control is excellent...especially on DI'ed guitar...oh my god...there's your amp emulator...

Anyway...I'm in love too...so...the SLAM will have to wait a bit...not out o the picture at all...just on the waiting list a bit longer

[GreatDivideStud]

I've had a pair of Requisite Pal +'s for quite awhile now as well as a Requisite L2M Mk II. I just bought a digital Slam last week. I have not yet had a chance to really compare them, but my initial impression would be that the Pal wins on vocals. There is a beauty and silk to the tone and the compressor is stunningly smooth and transparent. It also has an idiot proof design (which I like)which makes it easy to get a great sound FAST.

I think my new Slam has a bad tube, so i've got to unscrew it from the rack, pop the top and replace. Requisite's smart design allows you to change a tube while it's still in the rack. Very Cool.

Anyway, not to slam the slam (after all, I bought it), but it seems a bit touchy to set up for my untrained fat fingers. Give me a few weeks to get some time with it and I'll post again.

Thanks,

Jamie

[BattleAngel]

Does anyone know of a dealer who can send out either a Pal+ or Slam for evaluation? I have a project coming up where I'd really like to try them on acoustic guitar, OH, and vocals.

[malice]

I've had a pair of Requisite Pal +'s for quite awhile now as well as a Requisite L2M Mk II. I just bought a digital Slam last week

I wish I had your rack

malice

[syra]

Hey GreatDivideStud, what do you think of your PAL+'s on your mix buss compared to the L2M? Danny was confdent that apart from some extra bells and whistles the PAL+ pair should sound very similar to the L2M.

[malice]

Originally posted by syra
Hey GreatDivideStud, what do you think of your PAL+'s on your mix buss compared to the L2M? Danny was confdent that apart from some extra bells and whistles the PAL+ pair should sound very similar to the L2M.

he told me the same, and that if I was to buy another pal+, he would apair them ...

nice guy

malice

[GreatDivideStud]

Originally posted by syra
Hey GreatDivideStud, what do you think of your PAL+'s on your mix buss compared to the L2M? Danny was confdent that apart from some extra bells and whistles the PAL+ pair should sound very similar to the L2M.

Yeah, they sound the same.

Jamie

[syra]

Thats good news...

If I am not being too personal...why did you buy them both (L2M - Pair of PALs)?

[GreatDivideStud]

Originally posted by syra
Thats good news...

If I am not being too personal...why did you buy them both (L2M - Pair of PALs)?

Someone once told me that more is better. I also had some empty rack space that was begging to be filled.

Actually, I had the L2m first and later wanted to buy Danny's mic pre which he stopped making (there is a new design coming very soon). Anyway, he sold me on the Pal's instead which was like throwing in 2 limiters for free (almost). So, in this case having more is better for tracking and mixdown.

Jamie