HISTORICAL NOTES

The earliest Langevin Dual Mono Mic Preamps were built at the VTL factory in 1992 and 1993. We had aquired the brand from the Mark IV Audio Group and for awhile the asked us to put "In co-operation with Mark IV Audio, Inc." on the faceplates. We obliged until we received a letter from them wondering why we had their name on our faceplates... it seemed as they had forgotten that they had told us to put that there! We were all too happy to finally remove that disclaimer.

Also note the earlier Langevin Dual Mono Mic Preamps had one shared Phantom Power switch per channel. The whole audio circuit was different, actually. 

LANGEVIN FAQs

We frequently get asked a number of questions regarding Langevin, including the proper pronunciation of the name. (the 'g' is soft like in 'gelatin' or 'orange').

Langevin was one of the original pro audio manufacturers dating back to WWII. In that era there were far fewer audio manufacturers and Langevin gear was very popular and especially respected in the broadcast industry. There were very few recording studios then and most of them relied on Langevin, Altec, Fairchild, and other great brands as well as home-made gear. Early Langevin equipment was vacuum tube based and later became mostly discrete transistor based. Today, you can often find vintage Langevin pieces still in use after all this time.

Are these the exact same circuits as the vintage pieces?

The mic preamplifier and EQ borrow some ideas from the old circuits but are not identical at all. We designed new gain blocks to deal with the balanced/unbalanced saga better than they used to in the olden days. And of course, we use new parts! Transistors, pots and most components have become significantly improved over the last 30 years. The limiter is a blend of the old discrete style of Langevin discrete and the also vintage 'LA' series of Levelling Amplifiers. Manley developed a similar opto-based limiter and has used it in the Manley ELOP® Limiter, Langevin ELOP® Limiter, Langevin Dual Vocal Combo, and the VOXBOX® limiter / de-esser section.

What's the difference between a Manley Pultec or ELOP® Limiter and a Langevin one?

The Manley units are all-tube while the Langevin units have all-discrete make up gain amplifiers. The EQ or limiting and metering sections are all the same Manley-to-Langevin. Your choice becomes between the sound of discrete transistor cicuitry in the Langevin gear or vacuum tubes with and without transformers in the Manley gear. Different flavours, but all build side-by-side with all high quality parts and reliable construction techniques at the Manley Labs factory.

Do we support any of the vintage Langevin products?

Sorry, no. We just bought the name and rights to use any of the old circuits. We didn't build the old stuff and never have had parts or real documentation. The usual experts on vintage gear and restoration are your best bet.