The eight 500-series module slots deliver 250mA per slot, with 2A total for all slots, ensuring the best possible performance from your precious rack modules. The audio interface features 28 inputs and 30 outputs with high-stability low-latency USB 2.0 and plenty of further options for expanding your connectivity including ADAT (up to 16 channels), S/PDIF, 5-pin MIDI, and Cranborne's proprietary C.A.S.T. ports, which use Cat 5e, Cat 6, or Cat 7 cabling for connecting to breakout boxes to eliminate excess cabling or to increase available channels with modules like the 500ADAT or a second 500R8. The 500R8 includes an external power supply, an IEC power cord, 16 module mounting screws, and an allen key.
Connect 500R8 directly to your PC/Mac and capture every last nuance of your analog sources with reference-class AD/DA conversion and superior internal clocking. Effortlessly pass audio between analog and digital worlds without digital artifacts that color and degrade your recordings.
- Eight balanced XLR inputs, one per module, plus one 1/4" insert per module input
- Eight XLR direct module outputs
- Stereo XLR and balanced 1/4" speaker outputs
- Stereo 1/4" pairs for Mix Output, Aux Output, and DAW 2 Input
- XLR Talkback Input with phantom power
- Two high-powered 1/4" headphone outputs
- Dual optical ADAT inputs and outputs (16-channel max capacity)
- 3.5mm S/PDIF I/O
- BNC Wordclock input and output with DIP-switch controls for clock settings
- 5-pin DIN MIDI input and output
- USB-B 2.0 host connection
- Four Cat 5 C.A.S.T. ports with extra C.A.S.T. link port for second 500R8 system
Dedicated source select switches for each 500-series slot adjusts the signal routing to send analog, C.A.S.T., or USB sources through each of your modules. Bypass unused 500-series slots using 500R8's dedicated slot-bypass switch and you can use all of the available analog paths for recording whilst you continue to build your 500-series collection.
Create vocal booths, isolation booth, or run our a microphone to the hallway for ambience, C.A.S.T. is the best way to expand your 500R8 and get the most out of your studio space. If you have preamps installed into the 500R8, C.A.S.T. can transport their 48V phantom power through the C.A.S.T. connection via Cat cables and directly to condenser or active microphones connected at the end point. C.A.S.T. is completely plug-and-play and works at distances up to 328' for maximum flexibility and convenience.
Record a variety of sources with the Cranborne Audio Camden 500, a 500-series microphone preamp with some serious Mojo, thanks to the two innovative color circuits that inject warmth, character, and that gooey, vintage vibe into any signal. Designed to be the cleanest and most transparent preamplifier available, the Camden 500 exhibits the theoretical limits of EIN, THD, phase shift, and frequency roll-off performance, resulting in audio playback that's open, natural, and intimate. Instruments sound like they're in the room next to you and drums sound tight and punchy.
The Mojo circuit features two settings, Thump and Cream. Thump adds harmonics to the signal in the 20 to 100 Hz range resulting in a fuller low-end on smaller speakers. Cream behaves similarly to how valves and tubes impact the sound. It drastically increases harmonics and dynamically smooths-out the low mids for increased HF emphasis. Both circuits are controlled by the Mojo knob, allowing you to dial in the perfect amount of color for just-a-touch or full-on saturation.
- Fully discrete, transformerless design, featuring custom ‘Camden’ preamp topology
- Optimized for and fully compliant with the 500-series format, Camden 500 is not a 19” unit shoe-horned into a 500-series module, it has been designed from the ground-up to perform under the low-voltage power rails and supply current limitations of the 500-series format, whilst delivering groundbreaking performance
- Performs at the near-theoretical limits of noise, distortion, and phase/frequency linearity at all gain settings
- Optimized input impedance and input headroom for Mic, Line, and Hi-Z sources
- Mic preamp, instrument DI, and—thanks to Mojo—line-level analog saturator
- Custom ‘Mojo’ analog saturation circuit with variable control, true bypass, and 2 discrete styles—Thump and Cream
- Reamp tracks from your DAW through Mojo to apply analog saturation to your stems, VST, and stereo mixes
- Thump excites low-end content by boosting lower odd/even harmonics from a range of 160 to 20 Hz and below
- Cream boosts odd/even harmonics, whilst also reducing the amplitude of the fundamental frequencies and applying typical transformer-style transient taming
- Gold flashing on backplane contacts for increased conductivity and durability
- Designed and engineered in the United Kingdom
- Stepped gain control
- Camden 500 features a premium, 12-way switch gain control that applies up to 68.5 dB of clean, transparent preamp gain in 5.5 dB steps. This makes it easy to recall gain settings and easy to match the gain of two Camden 500's for stereo applications.
- Stereo matched
- With carefully selected modern components, any two Camden preamps are completely stereo matched to within 0.1 dB. Every Camden preamp also passes through a rigorous frequency response test at the factory that ensures it performs the same as the last.
- Progressive-slope high-pass filter
- Camden's high-pass filter features a progressive slope where low end is rolled off initially at around 6 dB/octave and then increases to 12 dB for the lowest octave, preserving the low end you want and cutting what you don't.
- 3-way input type switch
- Tailored input impedance and headroom for Mic, Line, and Hi-Z sources means punchy and full-range line recording with +26.5 dBu of input headroom as well as alive and natural sounding DI'd instruments with its unique BJT design and 1.5-megohm input impedance.
Thump
- Excites low-end content by adding harmonics to the signal in the 20 to 100 Hz range, resulting in fuller low-end on smaller speakers. As Thump is not EQ-based, the additional harmonic content is shaped by the source and its existing low-end frequency content, resulting in a natural addition of extra “Thump”.
Cream
- Introduces a vintage smoothness and edge that is similar to how valves and tubes impact the sound of a preamp. Cream drastically increases harmonics and dynamically smooths-out the low mids for increased HF emphasis. Like Thump, Cream is completely dynamic and will vary its effect, based on the input level and source material.
Variable
- Unlike transformer or valve preamps, Mojo is variable and can be dialed in to taste. Transformers and valves are integral parts of certain preamp designs and so cannot be removed from the signal path or altered for different effects. Mojo on the other hand can be dialed in to taste or crucially bypassed when you need a clean and pristine recording.
Vintage vibe without compromise
- Transformers and valves sound great, but they have a flavor that can't be removed. The phase shift, noise, and THD added by these designs give them their sound, but that sound sometimes isn't always suited to a particular source. Camden gives you 3 discrete tonal flavors that allow it to excel on any source or instrument.