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"I've Been Waiting All My Life" featuring the Manley CORE® Reference Channel Stripplay button

"I've Been Waiting All My Life" featuring the Manley CORE® Reference Channel Strip

Manley

collapse expand iconDescription

Building upon a 25-year legacy of producing some of the most revered recording studio equipment, Manley Labs has created the CORE studio reference channel strip that combines the best of Manley's legendary products with technology that is fit for today's home and professional studios. The CORE features a remarkably intuitive front panel that combines musical and forgiving circuitry, allowing musicians to concentrate more on their performance instead of being lost in a sea of knobs and settings. By simplifying controls, the CORE makes it easy to cut great sounding tracks every time.

CORE is the culmination of Manley's extensive experience working with some of the industry's top recording engineers and musicians, resulting in high headroom and a seductive sound that very few manufacturers can provide at this price level. Handcrafted in the USA, CORE is built tough like a tank and ready to endure long and intensive recording sessions as the epicenter of your studio setup.

Mic/Line Preamplfier

Your signal enters into the CORE through Manley's distinguished handwound Manley IRON input transformer with nickel laminations in a mu-metal shielding can. The tube stage of the amplifier is Manley's latest implementation of their famous Class A circuit topology that's also found in the legendary VOXBOX and Manley Dual Mono & Mono Microphone Preamplifiers. This all-triode vacuum tube circuit runs on a regulated 300 Volt B+ supply yielding huge headroom and relentless output drive capability.

1/4" Direct Input
Similar to the D.I. in the Manley SLAM!, this all-discrete solid-state circuit with 10 Mohm input impedance is perfect for guitars, bass, keyboards, etc.

Compressor

The CORE's compressor section features Manley's successful ELOP technology, the same technology also found in the legendary VOXBOX voice processor, and is uniquely placed before the microphone preamp making it virtually impossible to clip. A 3:1 compression ratio with continuously variable attack, release and threshold controls give you ultimate leveling capabilities and the silent bypass switch lets you decide weather or not to use compression on your source.

Equalizer

The EQ section provides full frequency range control featuring low and high Baxandall Shelves (80Hz and 12kHz) with a +/-12dB range, and a sweepable Midrange Bell EQ (1kHz–10kHz) with a +/-10dB range. Controls are stripped down to four knobs with selectable frequency ranges to make EQ settings fast and efficient without getting bogged down over extensive control options.

Limiter

The limiting section features a fast-attack FET "brickwall" limiter with continuously variable threshold and release controls. Simple to set, with a peak limit LED indicator and 10dB range output gain control, you'll always have signals at their highest, optimal levels of performance.
Open Box Manley CORE Channel Strip Level 1
Open Box Manley CORE Channel Strip Level 1
Open Box Manley CORE Channel Strip Level 1

collapse expand iconFeatures

  • All-tube preamplifier audio path
  • Renowned hand-wound Manley IRON input transformer
  • Same class-A circuit topology found in the VOXBOX
  • 1/4" direct input with discrete solid-state circuit
  • Manley ELOP compression technology
  • Compressor uniquely placed before mic preamp
  • Low and High Baxandall Shelves with ±12dB range
  • Sweepable Midrange Bell EQ with ±10dB range
  • Fast attack FET "brickwall" limiter
  • Large illuminated analog display
  • 3-way meter-select switch

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5

2 Reviews

100%

of respondents would recommend this to a friend

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Reviewed by 2 customers

  • Manley Tube Goodness

    5

    submitted4 years ago

    byJon P.

    fromLasVegas

    The tube path is fat but not flabby, the compressor 3:1 Elop can be transparent to heavy character, the BAX EQ has nice filters on the low end, great for bass with a 48V DI rather than the front panel DI which isn't quite as good. I don't normally limit when tracking, but just in case you get a momentary spike you won't lose the performance. I got two of these over a single Vox Box. I use them to touch up mix busses and on the 2 buss if a tube path is needed with or without signal chain bypass.

  • Core Channel

    5

    submitted11 years ago

    byDAVID

    fromSarasota, Florida

    I just racked this thing up and performed a quick shootout comparing to my UA LA610 MKII using a Neumann TLM 193 on vocal and acoustic guitar track. I tracked the same vocalist and guitarist through the same chain Microphone into Channel strip first UA than the Manley Core into RME Babyface running 192 KHz into Protools 11. The biggest difference I found was the Manley seemed to sound a little cleaner, perhaps even a more modern sound than the UA 610. While I will not be dumping my 610 anytime soon, I do find the addition of the Manley piece to be a nice complement to my existing arsenal of hardware. Can't wait to try a high end ribbon through the Manley core, I suspect great things. Great product, built like a tank serious hardware chassis. buy two for stereo, my next purchase.

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