Cranesong

The Crane Song a valve-based tube EQ for the 500 format. Using a dual triode circuit with a 12AX7 tube, Dave Hill’s latest creation features three bands and filters. Breaking it down, the EQ has 24 dB/oct high pass and low pass filters, each with seven frequencies: the top and bottom band are shelving, each with eight frequencies; and the mid band is peaking with eight frequencies.According to Crane Song, the three bands work by using buffered RC circuits in the negative feedback path around the tube amplifiers. The result: a fat sounding EQ rich in second harmonic triode tube color. Crane Song Insigna is 3-band valve EQ for the 500-series format with high and low cut filters.Crane Song Insigna features at its core, a dual triode circuit with a 12AX7 tube. All the three bands offer a selection of eight centre frequencies with both the Low and high band being shelving bands. Buffered RC circuits are used in the negative feedback path around the valve amplifiers for an impressively fat sound rich in second harmonic.The High-Pass and Low-Pass filters use steep 24dB/oct filters and offer a choice of 7 frequencies each.Specifications:1-slot 3-band EQ for 500-series formatHigh and Low shelving bandsPeak Mid band24dB/oct high pass and low pass filtersFat sounding and rich valve sound

FLAMINGO, is a high quality two channel discrete class A microphone pre-amp. It can be operated as a musically transparent pre-amplifier, but is capable of emulating vintage sounds as well as creating distinctive new ones.The input gain is selected by a stepped switch for gain matching and repeatability. This is followed by a continuously variable attenuator to provide gain trim. Gain is adjustable in 6 db steps to 66 db gain and down to off by the attenuator. Each channel has independently switchable phase and phantom power switches. FLAMINGO also contains a two channel 22 element VU meter with an over load indicator to allow accurate monitoring and ease of level adjustment.Unique to FLAMINGO are three switches that allow the user to select different sounds; these are the IRON, SOUND and TONE switches. The SOUND switch changes the type of amplifier and the IRON switch puts iron in the audio path. The TONE switch, a 3 position switch, allows for standard - (the original Flamingo sound) when the switch is in the center position, when moved to the right, Flamingo operates as a transparent preamp, and when the switch is in the left most position, it has more color. Needless to say, by using these switches FLAMINGO can produce many different combinations of sounds.Also added to Flamingo is an input impedance switch. Providing 2 choices, the first is the original Flamingo; the second is to match large diaphragm condenser mics as recommended by David Bock, of Bock Audio. It also has transformer-less balanced inputs and outputs. FLAMINGO is designed to be flexible and give the user a tool to solve real world recording, broadcast, and sound reinforcement problems. It can provide an artistic choice of sounds at the flip of a switch.

FALCON is a classic sounding tube compressor in a 500 series package. FALCON features 3 attack and 3 release time settings, hard and soft knee choices for compression or limiting, two different audio path sounds, wet-dry mixing for parallel compression, and is linkable.The audio path color is changed by modifying the tube circuit so it has negative feedback or does not have negative feedback.  This along with the optical like quality of the compressor allows for a colored vintage sound or a much cleaner sound with optical characteristics. When linked the master unit controls all functions on the slave except for wet-dry and make up gain.  The link system is capable of doing 5.1.

SYREN is a classic sounding tube preamp in a 500 series package, using a dual triode circuit with a 12AX7 tube SYREN features a dual gain stage circuit and allows overdrive effects.A switch selectable HI-z input is included.  The low cut filter is at 90 Hz and is 24 db/ octave.  The pad has -15 db and -25 db settings to allow a wide input range of signals.The audio path color is changed by modifying the second stage tube circuit so it has negative feedback or does not have negative feedback.  This changes the interaction between the tube stages and thus the sound of the pre-amp.  With negative feedback it is a more accurate audio path with wider frequency response and without negative feedback it has a more open warmer sound.

IBIS is an analog equalizer that boldly takes equalization to a new level of musicality. Each of its four bands features switch-selectable frequencies centered on and covering musical-step intervals from 32-Hz "C" to 22.35-kHz "F." Its four overlapping bands are labeled with note names and frequency allowing for the first time a "translation" between musician-speak and engineer-jargon. The bandwidth control has similar notation with adjustment from 0.2 octave to 4 octaves per band and a boost / cut range of 12 dB.The low-cut filter is switch selectable from 20-Hz to 150-Hz with slopes of either 12-dB or 24-dB per octave. Like most Crane Song products, IBIS utilizes discrete class-A circuitry and features a truly unique and adjustable "color" function that can be applied to either the entire audio path or to any individual frequency band. A fully stepped mastering version is also available.

Phoenix II is an update of Crane Song's suite of TDM plug-ins designed to emulate the unique properties of a magnetic tape machine. Phoenix II runs both NATIVE and DSP on Avid's PT 10 AAX format. Phoenix II uses 32 bit floating point math and has a lower noise floor than the original release.Designer Dave Hill has crafted this software with the same attention to detail he used to create the electronics for ATR Service's much heralded "Aria" discrete tape recorders.  His intimate knowledge of analog electronics, as well as decades of experience as a recording engineer has spawned a very useful, musical suite of plug-ins.  The Phoenix II process not only incorporates the nonlinear saturation characteristics created by magnetic tape itself, but also includes the interrelation of an analog tape recorder's record/reproduce electronics and equalization curves.  Phoenix II is a ground-up application derived from HEDD technology, and specifically engineered and optimized for Avid's PT 10 architecture.Phoenix II has five different tape-analog characteristics, The type is selected with a switch for easy comparison between the types, and the brightness is also selected with a switch.  Gold is the position where the color is approximately flat in frequency response, with Sapphire being a brighter, and Opal being a warmer tonality.  A level control determines the amount of the Phoenix II process integrated into the audio signal, and an input trim determines "how hard you hit the tape." Because the DSP process is level dependent, the input level trim control has been improved and an output trim control has been added.   The input trim can also be used to prevent clipping in the rare cases where clipping may be a problem and bringing up the level of a track for an increased amount of color.  This can be useful on material that is hitting close to or at digital zero and on material that has a low recorded level. When the input trim and output trim controls are at 0dB, (no change in gain) and no tape process is being added to the sound, the plug-in is bit accurate, meaning the output exactly matches the input. 

PHOENIX is a TDM plug-in suite for Pro Tools HD that is designed to put analog color into the digital domain by increasing apparent loudness without increasing gain (e.g., by modeling analog tape compression). The result is that added realism that is missing in many modeled synths, EQs and digital samplers. The five different "flavors" of PHOENIX can result in a much more musical and satisfying sound.Each one of the five different TDM plug-ins emulate different tape characteristics. Each one also incorporates a color change button allowing three choices to modify the process per plug-in. The Gold button is the position where the color is approximately flat in frequency response, with Sapphire being a bit brighter and Opal having a warmer tonality. A level control determines the amount of the PHOENIX process integrated into the audio signal, and an input trim determines "how hard you hit the tape." Because the DSP process is level dependent, reducing the input level will also cause a change in sound.The input trim can also be used to prevent clipping in the rare cases where clipping may be a problem. This can be useful on material that is hitting close to or at digital zero. When the input trim is at 0dB, (no change in gain) and no tape process is being added to the sound, the plug-in is bit accurate, meaning the output exactly matches the input.The PHOENIX suite contains five separate plug-ins:Luminescent is the most neutral sounding process of the five.Iridescent has a similar magnetic character, but with a fatter bottom and midrange. This plug-in is the most similar to the tape knob on HEDD-192.Radiant is characterized by a more aggressive compression curveDark Essence is even more aggressive. (The effect is a color with a wider frequency range--when used on a vocal Dark Essence can reduce sibilance problems by increasing the apparent loudness of the rest of thesignal.)Luster starts more gently than the other four processes, but becomes as aggressive as Dark Essence when the process is at full scale.

Peacock can be used on a stereo bus to create the classic vinyl sound.  On individual tracks it is also very useful in creating large fat sounds, smoothing of the harmonic content and making a nice smooth vintage sound on vocals and other instruments.There are three main controls; Harmonic, Dynamic and Color.  The Harmonic and Dynamic controls interact and control the level of the harmonic distortion.  The Color switch changes the character / interaction of the controls and sets the maximum amount of midrange / LF color and the HF compression characteristic.  The Dynamic control is the tricky one, what is does is time modulate the distortion components which are very frequency dependent due to the RIAA curve.  There are two main components that cause time modulation in a vinyl record.  The first is due to the cutter and the playback stylus not having the same shape, this is called tracing distortion the other is tracking distortion due to the playback systems miss-alignment and the inability to perfectly follow the grove in the record. The Dither control adds noise that is the spectrum of record noise.  It modulates some of the internal functions an adds dither to the audio path at a level for 16 bit ditheringColor = Gold is an extremely close match to the test material which is a record and the original wave file.  It has been optimized at 96K but will work fine at other sample rates. The Silver setting is lighter setting and coloring increases in the order of the settings; Silver, Gold, Rich, Fat, Deep.   Silver is also the brightest setting.  The amount of time modulation with the Dynamic control is level dependent and has a maximum range.  It is more of a matter of finding the control position that is optimum.   Pushing it to higher levels creates ugly sounds.  The code prevents this. 

Now with Remote II, and a ultra low jitter D/A with digital optical input "Avocet" is designed to solve the problems of accurate monitoring and volume control as required by workstation users, studios and mastering rooms alike. It is a stereo controller with three digital inputs, three analog inputs and a headphone system. It's comprised of a rack mounted unit and table top remote control. Avocet has many features including; dim, mute, phase, mono, and 16 bit truncation functions, plus a speaker select switch that sends line level balanced audio to one of three outputs. The six input sources have on the fly gain trim capability and all digital signals are up-sampled and jitter reduced to ensure highest accuracy during D/A conversion. The internal headphone amplifier can be fed from the program source or an external input. Provisions for a talk back function are included. Avocet can operate in surround up to 7.1, with the appropriate number of audio boxes in the system.

The Cranesong STC-8 Stereo Mix Buss Compressor/limiter. Highly regarded and sought after processor capable of emulating vintage equipment and creating distinctive new sounds to enrich lifeless audio and digital recordings. The Cranesong STC-8 Stereo Mix Buss Compressor/limiter is a high quality stereo compressor combined with a remarkably dependable peak limiter, providing overload protection critical to digital recording and broadcast transmitters. The STC-8's compressor is engineered to provide musically transparent gain control, but is also capable of emulating vintage equipment and creating distinctive new sounds. In addition, a switchable enhancement circuit creates analog and tube like warmth to enrich lifeless audio and digital recordings. This vast flexibility is simplified by the inclusion of several optimized presets, allowing fast, easy set-up on a wide variety of sounds. It can operate in true stereo or discrete independent mono, accessible by a front panel switch. The STC-8's sophisticated side-chain allows both compression and peak limiting to take place simultaneously, using the same proprietary gain circuit. High signal quality is maintained by utilizing a discrete class A audio path, and by eliminating any VCA or optical gain control elements.  The STC-8 requires 2 rack spaces. All inputs and outputs are transformerless and balanced. The toroidal power transformer is UL approved and allows four line voltages for international use. The STC-8 delivers consistent gain control without sacrificing musical definition or harmonic richness.          FEATURES Highly regarded and sought after processor capable of emulating vintage equipment and creating distinctive new sounds to enrich lifeless audio and digital recordings Simultaneous Compression/Limiting Discrete Class A audio path Balanced/ Transformerless I/O Quick & Easy Presets Transparent Overload Protection Stunning versatility to produce clean or charactered, well glued mixes Transparent sound, highly regarded for use on vocals, overheads, toms and acoustic guitar as well as the mix buss

TRAKKER is a high quality Single Channel Discrete Class A Compressor Limiter. It functions either as a musically transparent compressor or as a vintage compressor - limiter with selectable hard or soft knee.TRAKKER is a maximum-versatility toolkit for solving real-world recording, broadcast, and sound reinforcement problems with the utmost attention to signal quality. Trakker can create distinct new sounds or maximize existing ones. TRAKKER has adjustable threshold, attack, release, knee shape, and makeup gain controls. In addition to Character Switchthese controls, a function switch allows the selection of transparent operation or vintage operations such as optical, air optical, soft knee, and hard knee - each with four different amplifier/gain control sounds.Amplifier gain control sounds are: Transparent Vintage (tube or old style Class A) Transparent with VCA artifacts Vintage with VCA artifacts

HEDD, short for harmonically enhanced digital device, is a technological breakthrough in signal processing. HEDD is engineered to be musically transparent while providing the capability of generating tube/analog sounds in the digital domain. HEDD gives any user who works with digital the ability to sound less digital and more analog. Applications include: CD preparation, work station input and output, DAT machine A/D and D/A convertor replacement and effects generation (warming or changing sounds in the digital domain). HEDD 192 can be used in tracking, mixing or mastering. The HEDD signal processor has the following features: High Quality 24 Bit A/D and D/A Convertors 24 Bit Processing Adjustable Triode, Pentode and Tape sounds Digital I/O, AES and S/PDIF External WC Sync Input and Output Will be Upgradable to 192K sample rates (once parts are available) The front panel controls allow the user to select input source, sample rate, and continuously variable triode and pentode sounds. The HEDD can operate as an effects device or as separate A/D and D/A convertor with the sound enhancement process applied to either the A/D or D/A convertor. HEDD has transformerless balanced analog inputs and outputs, transformer isolated digital inputs and outputs, and uses separate power transformers and supplies for the analog and digital sections. The unit is 1 rack space tall and operates from 115V or 230V mains.