The perfect companion to any ADAT-equipped audio interface. 500ADAT is an 8in/8out ADAT expander with high-performance conversion and low-jitter internal clock, analogue summing mixer, zero-latency artist mixer, and 8-slot high current 500 series rack.
500ADAT is the perfect tool for the discerning audio engineer looking to increase the I/O count of their current audio interface whilst integrating the 500 series format into their studio setup.
It's an analogue/digital hybrid ADAT expander that combines our favourite analogue characters with digital precision by offering a completely customisable 500 series analogue front-end whilst containing the high-performance AD/DA conversion that is required for the modern DAW-based workflow.
500ADAT also features the analogue essentials that you need to unite digital and analogue production workflows such as an 8-into-2 analogue summing mixer, ADAT return switches for each slot, Zero-latency artist mixer with 2 reference-quality headphone outputs, and true ADAT & SMUXII/IV transmission to enable operation at the highest sample rates.
The Best Of Analogue Character - Thanks To 500 Series
500ADAT puts performance capture back at the heart of your recordings and back into the hands of the audio engineer. By capitalising on the vast and ever growing 500 series market, 500ADAT allows you to configure your own custom analogue front-end directly into your DAW for recording. Fill 500ADAT full of vintage preamps for recording drums, clean and pristine preamps for recording strings, or even create you own Preamp/EQ/Compressor channel strips and commit those to your recording; the possibilities are endless.
500 series integration doesn't stop once the performance has been captured... Dedicated ADAT source-select switches for each 500 series slot allows you to send your recorded stems/VSTs back through your 500 series EQs/compressors and print their effects back into your DAW for hands-on, all-analogue processing. 500ADAT also features an 8-into-2 high-headroom analogue summing mixer that you can use to sum your instrument stems into a stereo track to be recorded back into your DAW.
Digital Precision
Having a near-limitless selection of analogue preamps to pick from would be pointless if 500ADAT's conversion applied its own colour and effects. In order to capture every subtle nuance of your analogue signal, 500ADAT features reference-class analogue-to-digital conversion with 121dB (unweighted) signal-to-noise ratio and a master-reference grade internal digital clock with ultra-low jitter (<0.5 picoseconds). The combination of highly-accurate, low-jitter clocking and high-performance low-latency 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 500ADAT's high-headroom and low-noise floor analogue design.
8in/8out ADAT Interface
ADAT is tried, tested, and is still one of the most widely used interfacing protocols. Almost all major audio interfaces on the market today feature a pair of ADAT I/O lightpipe ports; 500ADAT is compatible with all of them. Using ADAT to transport audio to and from the 500 series format means that excessive cabling is minimal and the setup could not be easier.
Furthermore, as the internal clock of 500ADAT exceeds the Jitter performance of most standalone master-reference clocks, even slaving your audio interface off of 500ADAT's internal clock will introduce a notable improvement to the conversion of your audio interface.
Summing Mixer
Analogue summing can give your mix the final bit of analogue character required to achieve professional and polished sonic results. What makes 500ADAT's 8-into-2 summing mixer so special is that it is positioned after the 8 500 series slots - allowing you to insert saturation or 'bus-compression' modules and create a stereo mix using dedicated analogue level and pan controls. 500ADAT's summing mixer has a huge internal headroom of 26.5dBu which allows you to drive the 500 series modules and dial-in your preferred amount of saturation. With the addition of inserts per slot, external analogue equipment can also be inserted pre-A/D for even more integration with analogue equipment.
Zero-Latency Artist Mixer
500ADAT moves away from clunky "virtual" mixers and gets your hands back onto the mix by using a high-headroom analogue summing mixer to create zero-latency, all-analogue artist mixes that can be blended with the rear Aux Input and sent to two discrete headphone outputs - each with their own blend and output level controls.
CAST Equipped
CAST stands for Cat5 Analogue Snake Transport and enables cost effective and organised cable management around your studio by repurposing off-the-shelf shielded Cat5 Networking cables to transport 4 channels of balanced analogue audio (mic, Line, or Instrument level) over a single cable.
500ADAT has 4 CAST In ports that allow you to connect any of our breakout boxes (to be announced soon) and place analogue I/O where you need it - whether it's in the live room, vocal booth, or the bedroom next door.
Our clever impedance matching means that the signal quality can exceed that of a mic cable for a fraction of the price and over a distance of up to 100m. CAST is 100% analogue and requires ZERO setup. Plug one end of the cable in one box, and the other end into 500ADAT and it just works. No setup. No latency. No fuss. And it sounds great.
Manufactured In The UK:
To ensure that every product bearing the Cranborne Audio name is worthy of studio environments big or small, all 500ADAT's are manufactured in the UK under the company's founders and their watchful eye's. 500ADAT is carefully assembled by a skilled workforce with immense attention to detail and each and every product is tested thoroughly by a skilled engineer before shipping to destinations around the world.
