Cranborne Audio : Brick Lane

Cranborne Audio emerged in 2018 with their CAMDEN 500-series preamp and saturation module, garnering industry recognition including a 2021 NAMM TEC Award nomination in Signal Processing Hardware.

The UK-based manufacturer has since developed an integrated ecosystem comprising 500-format rack units, the CARNABY parametric harmonic EQ, its rack-mounted variant (HE-2), and their proprietary C.A.S.T. (Cat-5 Audio Signal Transport) network architecture for distributed audio routing.

Having established themselves as providing unique hardware for the modern creative workflow their latest design, the Brick Lane 500 has caught our attention.

Let’s delve a little deeper...

What is the Brick Lane 500?

The aptly named Brick Lane 500 is an analogue dynamics processor implementing PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) compression provides the user with six styles of legendary hardware compression within one 500 series format module. The Brick Lane circuit allows you to have the same compression characteristics, controls and familiar sonics of these designs, but with extra harmonic elements, which can be controlled by the unique ‘Stress’ control dial.

What are the types of Compression available?

VELVET : Vintage Vari-Mu-style with Valve inspired harmonic compression

FLOAT : Transparent Opto-inspired with moderate transparency and gentle wavelike compression

SMASH : FET-style with aggressive dynamic reduction and extra punch

TAME : Ultra fast transparent control and precise dynamic control

GLUE : Mix-bus style for gentle bus-style compression

POLISH : Mastering-style limiting with Cranborne Audio’s ‘Analogue-Lookahead’ technology

What is the ‘Stress’ Control?

The ‘Stress’ control changes the saturation and harmonic character depending on the compressor profile you've chosen. For example it can be a loudness clipper when used with POLISH or add extra Valve-style warm when choosing VELVET. It’s your ‘extra’ control that changes and enriches the harmonics differently depending on the compression style chosen.

Is there a Stereo-Link?

Cranborne Audio introduced us to the excellent Optosync in their CARNABY 500 EQ where you can control the settings from adjacent units, the primary (left) module shares control data settings to the secondary (right) module wirelessly, and provides you with true stereo-unit control between two devices.

What are the Compression controls?

The PWM compression has been designed to minimise unpleasant compression artefacts and allows each compressor it's own unique Thresholds with variable Attack and Release controls depending on the mode chosen.

There are also four selectable High Pass Filter settings included in the Brick Lane, from OFF, 60Hz, 100Hz and 200Hz allowing you the flexibility to tweak even further with +/- 20dB Input and Output/Make-Up Gain. 

Stepped controls?

All the front panel controls are stepped for quick recall and there is True Bypass switching, and Cranborne have provided complete or post input trim modes which are available on DIP switches.

 

 

For more information about the Brick Lane 500 and other Cranborne Audio products please click HERE