A complete studio-in-a-box. 28-in/30-out USB audio interface with high-performance
A/D-D/A conversion, low-jitter internal clock, comprehensive monitor controller, analogue
summing mixer, zero-latency artist mixer, and 8-slot high-current 500 series rack.
$1,799.00
500R8 is the centrepiece to the modern studio. It’s a 28-in/30-out USB audio interface that
combines a 500 series rack and high-performance A/D-D/A conversion with all of the
connectivity required in the modern professional or home studio.
500R8 features the studio essentials that you need to build your dream studio such as an
8-into-2 high-headroom analogue summing mixer, comprehensive monitor controller with
talkback facilities, 16-in/16-out ADAT interface, as well as a zero-latency analogue artist
mixer with reference-quality, high-powered headphone outputs.
The Best Of Analogue
By capitalising on the vast and ever growing 500 series market, you can configure your
500R8 to suit your tastes of analogue flavour. By installing your favourite 500 series
modules into the 8 available 500 series slots, you can create your ultimate analogue
front-end/preamp stage that can be multi-track recorded directly into your DAW.
Fill 500R8 full of vintage preamps for recording drums. Fill 500R8 full of clean and pristine
preamps for recording strings. Fill 500R8 full of Preamp, EQ, and Compressor modules to
create your own custom, analogue channel strips. The possibilities are endless and every
500R8 is unique to your sound.
Integrating 500 series modules into your workflow doesn’t stop after the recording.
Dedicated module source switches for each 500 series slot allow you to send USB channels
from your DAW, into 500R8, through the 8 installed 500 series modules, and back into your
DAW for recording (with that analogue ‘mojo’ applied). Think of 500R8 as a bank of 8
external Analogue Plug-ins.
For a more hands-on, all-analogue approach to mixing, 500R8 also features an 8-into-2
high-headroom analogue summing mixer with dedicated level and pan controls that you
can use to create your own high-headroom analogue mix before recording it back into your
DAW using dedicated USB inputs 9/10.
The Best Of Digital
In order to capture every subtle nuance of your analogue signal, 500R8 features
reference-class A/D-D/A conversion with 121dB (A-wtd) dynamic range and THD+N of
<0.00032% (@ -4dBFS, 1kHz, A-wtd), all governed by 500R8’s master-reference grade
internal clock with <0.5 picoseconds of jitter.
The combination of highly-accurate, low-jitter clocking and high-performance digital
conversion ensures that every ounce of analogue character is captured with the utmost
detail – free of unwanted digital artefacts from the conversion process and with a wide
dynamic range thanks to 500R8’s high-headroom analogue design and low noise floor.
USB Audio Interface
Cranborne Audio’s USB 2.0 audio interface provides high channel-count and low-latency
performance whilst being accepted by all PC/macOS devices with unparalleled stability and
longevity. 500R8 is core audio compliant for macOS or features a lightweight control panel
for Windows machines that absorbs as little CPU resources as possible to leave you with
more power for plug-ins within your DAW session.
Plug 500R8 into your PC/macOS device and your DAW will see a full 28-in/30-out USB audio
interface. 500R8 also includes a full complement of 5-pin MIDI I/O, ADAT I/O, Word Clock I/O
via BNC, and S/PDIF I/O to ensure that all of your digital studio connectivity is covered.
Monitor Controller
500R8 features a comprehensive monitor controller with connectivity for two sets of studio
monitors. As well as seamless speaker switching between both sets of studio monitors,
there’s a Mono button that sums L-R channels to check for mono compatibility, a DIM
switch that drops the speaker volume by 12dB for relaxed discussions during recordings,
and a speaker mute switch for when you are tracking with headphones.
500R8 also features a comprehensive Talkback section with XLR input, 48v phantom
power, push-to-talk operation, and automatic signal routing to all C.A.S.T. and headphones
outputs connected to the system.
Summing Mixer
Analogue summing can give your mix the final bit of analogue character required to
achieve professional and polished sonic results. What makes 500R8’s 8-into-2 channel
summing mixer so special is that it is positioned after the 8 500 series slots – allowing you to
insert saturation or subtle ‘bus-compression’ modules and create a stereo mix using
500R8’s dedicated analogue level and pan controls beneath each module. 500R8’s
summing mixer also has a dedicated converter which can be used to record your stereo
mix into your DAW on USB inputs 9/10 with a massive +24dBu of headroom.
Zero-Latency Artist Mixer
500R8 moves away from clunky “virtual” software mixers and gets your hands back onto
the mix. By using 500R8’s high-headroom analogue summing mixer, you can create
zero-latency, all-analogue mixes of live sources that can be blended with discrete USB
playback paths and sent directly to the recording musicians via C.A.S.T. or the local
headphone outputs.
C.A.S.T. Equipped
C.A.S.T. stands for Cat 5 Analogue Snake Transport and enables cost effective and organised
cable management around your studio. C.A.S.T. repurposes off-the-shelf, shielded Cat 5e,
Cat 6, and Cat 7 networking cables to transport 4 channels of balanced analogue audio over
a single cable.
500R8 has 4 C.A.S.T. IN ports that allow you to connect C.A.S.T. enabled devices (such as the
Cranborne Audio N22 and N22H) and relocate I/O wherever it is needed around the studio.
Connect mic/line sources into the C.A.S.T. breakout box and that signal travels through the
Cat 5 cable and directly into the modules installed into 500R8. At the same time, the
analogue mix created on 500R8 is sent through the same cable and into the connected
breakout box. This allows for seamless analogue audio connectivity between the control
room, live room, vocal booth, or the bedroom next door!
C.A.S.T. is 100% analogue and requires no setup in order to operate. It can easily work at
distances up to 100m when Cat 6 or Cat 7 cable is used and the complete studio cabling
infrastructure costs a fraction of what an analogue multi core would cost. No setup. No
latency. No fuss. And it sounds great.
Designed and Engineered in the UK
To ensure that every product bearing the Cranborne Audio name is worthy of studio
environments big or small, every 500R8 is carefully assembled by a skilled workforce with
immense attention to detail and every product is tested thoroughly by a skilled engineer
before shipping to destinations around the world.
Key Features:
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