No problem @ jgstarcaster ! Always happy to help and talk about gear - whether its something we designed or not!

Karpmentalise got to your question first but I can add a little bit more info for you:

You can effectively 'bypass' the 500 series module inserted into the rack by connecting your external preamp/processor directly into the Insert point of that particular 500-series slot.

All of the inserts are located POST-Module, PRE-ADC and so if you connect your preamp output into the Insert jack using the return path of an Insert cable (or a custom cable with the hot on the 'RING' of a TRS cable), then you can insert your own preamps without having to remove a module and record that signal straight into your DAW.

If you have it all hooked up to a nice patch bay then you can do this on the fly very easily but if not, then insert cables are easy to come by and they'll let you insert external compressors inline with your 500 series modules if required.

As Karpmentalise said, we would have loved to of made the bypass slot accessible but there's only so much stuff you can squeeze in! Also if it was easily 'switchable' by accident... I can imagine the support calls now

Hope this helps!

Thanks guys,
Ells

While you're here Ells and Sean, I'm a very patient man, and anticipation is half the pleasure as they say

But is there any chance you could publish the 500R8 manual on the website so those of us waiting for units can get stuck into that in the meantime?

Has anyone got and used one yet ?

Considering swapping out to this from my Discrete 8 or adding the non USB version via adat from my discrete 8 for more i/o and 500 format so interested in real world use if possible.

You have been vindicated and I have been proven wrong!

I sent back two Midas L6 racks because of noise.

I didn't want it to be true, but the ugly truth is there are many less than perfect 500 chassis for sale right now.

I don't know why, I just assumed more people would get it right. I'm asking stupid questions like, "How hard could it be?"

Hey monkeyxx,

It gives me no pleasure hearing this. I'm with you - "How hard could it be?!" API and others do it well, but too many of the low-cost racks are really poor in this respect. Part of it is it costs money to do it properly and it's impossible to charge these prices and do it without trade-offs.

All I can say is we won't be part of the problem - our power rails are very clean. Ed has been spending the run up to production working hard on optimising the power supplies for both the analogue and digital bits. The unit is very thermally efficient now as well as we have a sexy custom-designed aluminium heatsink on the 16V regulator.

Would be curious to hear which rack you settle on and how it performs! Cheers monkeyxx

I ended up with a Lindell 510 Power MK II.

It is completely silent. The power XLR cable is too short, and I had to bend the pins so it could fit the power supply. My CAPI modules don't sit flush to the box they stick out a little in sort of a weird cattywompus angle. My Five Fish fits in there just fine. Switches on the back feel a little cheesy. XLR and DSUB are great connection options. Looks very sleek in the rack. I give it four stars out of five I guess, for the price.

My other rack is an old beat up API 500V. I used to think it was a bit wonky, but I've come to realize that it's better in a lot of ways than a lot of racks out there. I guess it's the standard, anyway. The API power supply puts out 16.5 volts on one of the rails which is slightly disconcerting, but there's never been a real issue in use. The soldering inside the API PSU looks like it was done by someone who is both drunk and blind, I posted a thread about this years ago.

So that is my rack situation, I'm settled for now (finally.)

I am curious, if you can answer me this question,

Why is it more expensive to build a silent tight fitting rack?

If the Midas had just had a quiet power supply it could have been a real game changer. I would have thought that would have been a question of engineering chops and not necessarily cost, but I've never designed a power supply.

We followed the mech spec for the 1st run of prototypes and there were several modules that wouldn't fit. We're about 0.4mm bigger than the spec to accommodate all the modules.

But in terms of power supply - there's lots of audio products which have crap power supplies. 500 series racks aren't unique - but critical listeners use them and can detect the change in noise floor, distortion, etc on their 500 series modules. Why do some brands cut corners? There's always a list of reasons. The big issue is cost. A good power supply will cost a decent chunk of change even if you optimise the design for cost like we have.

I did think that the Midas PSU made my preamps perhaps a hair soft or mushy sounding.

I won't swear by it, I have no evidence other than what I think I hear, but the Lindell immediately sounds big and crisp like I'm used to from my API.

I think there was a difference in sound quality.

I've only mixed one song since then so I'm still trying to notice any sonic differences. The big test will be a full arrangement with multiple guitars, bass, drums, vocals, and so on.

You guys...the CAPI

I was already tied up with Sweetwater and the Midas so I traded up for the Lindell

Otherwise, I would have been looking at the CAPI, seems like one of the best overall options.

Posted in the other threads.

This is the more active topic: Updates on Cranborne Audio Camden 500, 500R8, 500ADAT - Test Drive Mojo!

Thank you, I'll delete my post then.

In case anyone wants more info on the Cranborne stuff: https://youtu.be/bp_55Xj2MmI

Sadly I cannot agree. Their QC is subpar, as I have come to experience, sadly. It is highly frustrating.

I own four Cranborne products and they are all solidly built and work flawlessly. QC problems can occur with any product, and the vendor you purchased from can take care of it.

All of my experiences with them have been great, they're quick to help and the products rock. And it's really not common to be able to talk to the people who have actually designed the hardware you're using, which is quite cool.

Sean,

I know this is an older post. I just wanted to tell you I love Cranborne. I initially bought the ADAT 500 to extent my Apollo. I loved it so much I bought a few of the Camden preamps and soon after the R8. Y’all are killing it. I’ve been working on a few diy 500 channel strip ideas with a few friends. I think the r8 and ADAT 500 are the perfect centerpieces for a lower cost console idea. It would be modular making it more affordable, but I wouldn’t have even considered doing this had it not been for you guys. Y’all are badasses!!

Hey theamazingtoad,

Sorry I only just saw your lovely comment - thanks so much for the kind words. All of us here at Cranborne are so happy to read comments like this where engineers and musicians get real benefits from our labours of love and get that joy of working with a modern analogue-digital Hybrid setup that R8/ADAT can facilitate.

All the best theamazingtoad!

Kind regards,
Sean from Cranborne

I'm taking the plunge into the 500R8. I really like the features of this and hope the interface side of things is stable with Logic. It will be nice to be able to focus on one unit instead of setting up a separate audio interface from outboard gear. Seems like a really nice and easy way to send your gear into a configurable chain of hardware.

Use my ADAT 500 every day. it is a phenomenal, great-sounding piece of kit. I recommend it to all of my engineer & sound designer friends that are eyeing 500 series.