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With the CORE, Manley Labs leverages over 25 years of experience in recording gear favored by demanding studios. The idea is simple: gather the essentials of the Manley "lineage" into a coherent channel strip without unnecessarily complicating the ergonomics. You get the character of the brand's tube architectures while benefiting from a product designed as a nerve center for recording: quick to master, reliable, and tailored to deliver flattering sound right from the source.
The Manley CORE targets sound engineers, producers, and musicians who want a premium recording chain to capture vocals, guitars, basses, keyboards, or line sources with true analog personality. Whether in a high-end home studio or professional studio, it is especially relevant if you're looking for a "mix-ready" capture: substance, depth, and controlled dynamics without losing the sense of space.
Its intuitive approach also suits sessions where speed is essential (vocal takes, overdubs, day-long recordings): less time adjusting, more time recording. And thanks to its high headroom, the CORE handles powerful performances, high-output microphones, or instruments with sharp transients with ease.
At the heart of the CORE, the tube amplification stage is based on the latest implementation of Manley's famous Class A circuit, derived from the brand's references. The all-triode architecture and 300 V B+ power supply promote a very "studio" behavior: lots of air, progressive saturation when pushing gain, and above all a sense of reserve (headroom) that helps keep the signal clean and full. Result: vocals gain presence, instruments thicken, and attacks remain controlled without becoming aggressive.
The signal passes through the hand-wound Manley IRON input transformer. This is a key element of the signature: it provides harmonic density and a solid low-mid foundation while maintaining clear definition. This carefully crafted input allows you to get the best out of condenser and dynamic microphones alike, giving sources a more "finished" sound right at capture.
One of the CORE's strengths is its philosophy: a clear front panel, carefully selected controls, and a circuit described as musical and flattering. The goal is to reduce the risk of poor settings and make recording enjoyable, even when quick decisions are needed. In practice, this translates into a coherent chain where the sound remains enhancing, whether for intimate vocal takes or more energetic sources.
The CORE offers balanced mic and line inputs on XLR, as well as a front-panel instrument input on a 6.35 mm jack to plug in a guitar or bass directly. An insert point is also available between the mic preamp and the EQ / limiter section via 6.35 mm jack: ideal for inserting external processing (de-esser, additional EQ, specialized compressor) while maintaining clean routing logic. On the output side, you have a direct balanced XLR output (after the preamp and compressor section) and a main balanced XLR output, facilitating parallel recording workflows, safety copies, or sending to different recording paths.
