Recording - October 2015 - 42

Manley CORE Reference Channel Strip

When engaged, the Hi/Low GAIN
switch will also amplify the input noise, so
what you want to do is only add the +20
dB when needed. Don't start with it
engaged and bring the Input level down;
start with the Hi/Low off and Input level
turned up for the cleanest signal, only
engaging the Hi setting when and if necessary. Note that the levels are 20 and
40 dB in line mode.

@ 6 dB), Release (1.5 sec to 100 ms @ 6 dB)
and Threshold. It can also be completely
bypassed. It's a very modern opto-compression sound compared to what you'd get on a
vintage LA-2A; it retains an "opto" smoothness, but it can be very fast and grabby when
you need it to be. It is a great and subtle compressor for tracking, to control peaks and prevent clipping; it's also fantastic on mixdown
as well, even when hit nice and deep.

Overall I found this preamp clean, open,
hi-fi and opulent. This is not a dusty, gritty,
thick vintage-tube box. Instead, like all the
Manley gear I've worked with to date, it
offers the clean, airy sonic depth that good
tube gear offers. The instrument input, which
engages its own circuit, is very clean, solid,
and dimensional. I especially enjoyed working with it on direct bass guitar.

Baxandall EQ
The EQ section of the CORE is a simple
"sculpting" style 3-band EQ. It features
two Baxandall shelves with corner frequencies of 90 Hz and 12 kHz and boost
or cut of ±12 dB. The mid section is a bell
curve with a choice of two switchable frequency ranges-a low setting of 100 Hz
to 1 kHz and a high setting of 1 kHz to
10 kHz. In either range, the bell provides
±10 dB of boost/cut.
This EQ section, while simple, offers a
wide throw of band overlap, great for
gently sculpting and carving your tone. It
can add air with ease or softly tame the
highs, and it can add a wide heft or gently lessen bass buildup. I found it highly
adept at seating vocals in a mix, gently
thinning the mud and adding a touch of
air to acoustic guitar, and more. As with
the Massive Passive, the power in this EQ
is all in subtlety and band overlap-a
power in simplicity.
Note that the EQ, unlike the compression, is not defeatable. This is the only
issue I found with the CORE that I did not
like. EveAnna let me know that (even

Compression first
Just as unique as the input attenuation
arrangment of the CORE is the fact that
the Compressor comes before the microphone preamp, which has caused confusion on some web forums. The best way
to think of it is that the preamp and compressor are actually the same circuit, and
the only part of the compressor that
comes before the mic preamp is its
Vactrol photocell. It's not like having a fullon separate compressor in the chain prior
to the mic pre. This design was first implemented on the VOXBOX and keeps the
input signal from clipping the unit.
The compressor itself is set to a fixed 3:1
ratio with controls for Attack (60 ms to 5 ms

though the pots are not detented) setting
the gain controls to their 12 O'clock position is the same as turning the EQ off.
Still, it would have been nice to be able
to quickly compare and audition flat vs.
EQed signals at the flip of a switch.
Limiter and...
The Limiter section offers a min-max limiting control (threshold) and a release control.
There is also a red LED that indicates when
the Limiter clamps down. The Limiter's attack
is preset at 115 s with a selectable release
of 300 ms to 2.3 ms. Unlike many lowercost limiters, this one does not clip and distort easily unless really pushed hard. Even
then, it just pins the signal in a harmonically
saturated, almost syrupy way, rather than
fizzing out like many others do.
The last knob on the CORE is the output
gain control. It has a 10 dB throw of -6
dB to +4 dB for final level tweaking.
The bright blue backlit 3-function meter
not only has settings for gain reduction,
but it can also be set to show the input
level or output level, making it essential
for proper calibration and gain staging.
Note that as the CORE's meter is an analog device, Manley reminds us that 0 on
the VU meter should be equivalent to -18
dBFS in your DAW, not digital zero.
Final thoughts
I spent a few months with the CORE,
using it for tracking as well as for mixdown. I discussed my sonic impressions
of each of its modules above; if I were to
discuss the sound of the CORE as a
whole, the adjectives that come to mind
are pure, clean, airy, and hi-fi. I quite
liked it for tracking vocals of all sorts,
acoustic instruments and more.
At the end of the day, the design choices made to bring this unit in at its asking
price were great ones. The CORE is a
class act from stem to stern: a fantastic
channel strip with exceptional audio quality, creativity-friendly settings, and the
unique sonic stamp that has made Manley
a go-to name in audio for decades.
Price: $2250
More from: Manley Laboratories,
www.manley.com

EveAnna Manley On The CORE's Heritage And Design
I really enjoyed my chat with EveAnna, who covered a lot of
territory with depth and insight. Here are the essentials from our
interview.-PV
This is obviously not a "budget" piece, but it is a less expensive way for someone to get into Manley gear. The most
obvious question is, how did you pull that off without compromising the Manley sound and quality?
42

RECORDING October 2015

EveAnna Manley: The VOXBOX was designed back in 1997.
Knowing what we knew and how we'd built things before, we
just took everything to the Nth degree in the VOXBOX. It was
designed to be the most badass unit... we chose to put transformers on every input and every output, there was complicated
routing where you can come in and out of the preamp and compressor, out of the EQ and limiter, so much creative stuff going
on... all without worrying about cost.


http://www.manley.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recording - October 2015

Contents
Recording - October 2015 - Intro
Recording - October 2015 - Cover1
Recording - October 2015 - Cover2
Recording - October 2015 - 1
Recording - October 2015 - 2
Recording - October 2015 - 3
Recording - October 2015 - 4
Recording - October 2015 - 5
Recording - October 2015 - Contents
Recording - October 2015 - 7
Recording - October 2015 - 8
Recording - October 2015 - 9
Recording - October 2015 - 10
Recording - October 2015 - 11
Recording - October 2015 - 12
Recording - October 2015 - 13
Recording - October 2015 - 14
Recording - October 2015 - 15
Recording - October 2015 - 16
Recording - October 2015 - 17
Recording - October 2015 - 18
Recording - October 2015 - 19
Recording - October 2015 - 20
Recording - October 2015 - 21
Recording - October 2015 - 22
Recording - October 2015 - 23
Recording - October 2015 - 24
Recording - October 2015 - 25
Recording - October 2015 - 26
Recording - October 2015 - 27
Recording - October 2015 - 28
Recording - October 2015 - 29
Recording - October 2015 - 30
Recording - October 2015 - 31
Recording - October 2015 - 32
Recording - October 2015 - 33
Recording - October 2015 - 34
Recording - October 2015 - 35
Recording - October 2015 - 36
Recording - October 2015 - 37
Recording - October 2015 - 38
Recording - October 2015 - 39
Recording - October 2015 - 40
Recording - October 2015 - 41
Recording - October 2015 - 42
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Recording - October 2015 - 80
Recording - October 2015 - Cover3
Recording - October 2015 - Cover4
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