Manley CORE Reference Channel Strip

An innovative channel strip that combines the technology of Manley's greatest gear into a single, affordable, easy-to-use, and most importantly, awesome-sounding unit!

The Manley CORE is an innovative channel strip that combines Manley’s Greatest Hits with fresh technology. The remarkably intuitive front panel combines musical and forgiving circuitry that allows the musician to concentrate on his performance instead of being lost in a sea of knobs. Ease of use and intelligently chosen operating points make it virtually impossible to cut a bad sounding track!

Manley’s experience and insight working with the industry’s top recording engineers and musicians culminates in the CORE. At this price, there is no other channel-strip with higher headroom or more seductive sound than the CORE. Handcrafted in the USA, built like a tank, built to endure, the epicenter of your recorded art will be the Manley CORE.

The Manley CORE is an innovative and affordable mic preamplifier, compressor, equalizer, and limiter combo-unit that combines the greatest hits of the Manley product line with fresh technology. The intuitive design incorporates musical and forgiving circuitry that allows the user to concentrate on performance rather than be lost in a sea of knobs. No other channel strip at this price point offers higher headroom or higher end sound than the CORE, which is, like all Manley products, handcrafted in Southern California.

“As more musicians are contributing to a project remotely, coached by the recording engineer over the telephone, we saw the need to provide an affordable and easy-to-use, excellent sounding recording channel for these guys. They aren’t engineers, they are musicians!” commented EveAnna Manley, president of Manley Labs. “The CORE is feature-laden without being confusing. Its whole purpose is to give the musician the tools he needs to turn in a great sounding track.”

CORE Specifications

FRONT PANEL CONTROLS

• 48V Phantom power switch
• 120Hz High Pass Filter switch
• Phase Invert switch
• Input Attenuator (Variable Pad)
• Mic Pre Selectable Gain 40dB or 60dB (Total Gain >70dB)
• Line Amp Selectable Gain 20dB or 40dB

MIC / LINE PREAMPLIFIER

The signal enters through our renowned handwound MANLEY IRON® input transformer with nickel laminations in a mu-metal can. The tube amplifying stage is the latest implementation of our famous Class A circuit topology found in the 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.

¼” DIRECT INPUT

• Similar to the DI in the Manley SLAM!®, this all-discrete solid-state circuit with 10 Meg Ohm input impedance is perfect for guitars, bass, keyboards, etc.

COMPRESSOR

• Featuring our successful ELOP® technology also found in our famous Manley VOXBOX®
• Compressor is uniquely before the Mic Preamp making it virtually impossible to clip
• Ratio 3:1
• Continuously variable Attack, Release, and Threshold controls
• Silent Bypass switch

EQUALIZER

• Low and High Baxandall Shelves (80Hz and 12kHz) with ± 12dB range
• Sweepable Midrange Bell EQ (100Hz – 1kHz) or (1kHz – 10kHz) with ±10dB range

LIMITER

• Fast attack FET “brickwall” limiter
• Continuously Variable Threshold and Release controls
• Peak Limit LED indicator
• 10dB range output gain control

METER

• Large illuminated analog display
• 3-way meter-select switch shows Compressor Gain Reduction, Micpre Output Level, and Main Output audio levels.

INPUTS AND OUTPUTS

• Balanced XLR Mic Input
• Balanced XLR Line Input
• Front Panel Direct Instrument ¼” Input
• Insert point between Mic Preamp and EQ/Limiter via ¼” TRS jack
• Balanced XLR Direct Output (after Preamp/Compressor section)
• Balanced XLR Main Output