
500ADAT is the perfect tool to increase the I/O count of any ADAT-equipped audio interface.
It's an 8-in/8-out ADAT expander that combines a 500 series rack with high-performance AD/DA conversion and ADAT I/O that allows any engineer to integrate the 500 series format into their studio using free ADAT I/O on the back of many popular audio interfaces.
500ADAT features analogue essentials that unite digital and analogue production workflows such as an 8-into-2 analogue summing mixer, Zero-latency artist mixer with 2 reference-quality headphone outputs, and true ADAT & SMUXII/IV transmission to enable operation at sample rates up to 192kHz
By capitalising on the vast and ever-growing 500 series market, you can configure your 500ADAT 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 500ADAT full of vintage preamps for recording drums. Fill 500ADAT full of clean and pristine preamps for recording strings. Fill 500ADAT full of Preamp, EQ, and Compressor modules to create your own custom, analogue channel strips. The possibilities are endless and every 500ADAT 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 ADAT outputs from your audio interface, into 500ADAT, through the 8 installed 500 series modules, and back into your audio interface for recording (with that analogue ‘mojo’ applied). Think of 500ADAT as a bank of 8 external Analogue Plug-ins.
For a more hands-on, all-analogue approach to mixing, 500ADAT 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 the dedicated 1/4” mix output jacks on the rear panel.
In order to capture every subtle nuance of your analogue signal, 500ADAT features reference-class AD/DA conversion with 121dB (A-wtd) dynamic range and THD+N of
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 500ADAT's high-headroom analogue design and low noise floor.
ADAT is tried, tested, and still one of the most widely available interfacing protocols in the audio industry, however it often remains unused and underutilised by many audio engineers and producers. Almost all major audio interfaces on the market feature a pair of ADAT lightpipe ports - simply connect 500ADAT to those ports and you can enhance and expand the possibilities of your studio.
By containing its own converters and using ADAT to transport audio to and from the 500 series format, 500ADAT removes analogue cabling spaghetti between your rack and interface whilst eliminating the worry of mismatched analogue operating levels between interface inputs and 500 series module outputs. 500ADAT is compatible with any session running from 44.1kHz to 192kHz and can achieve 8 channels of I/O expansion at 44.1kHz to 96kHz or 4 channels of I/O expansion at 176.4/192kHz.
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 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 500ADAT’s dedicated analogue level and pan controls beneath each module. 500ADAT's summing mixer also has a dedicated line output which can be used to send your stereo mix into your audio interface for recording.
500ADAT 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 the Aux Input and sent directly to the recording musicians via C.A.S.T. or the local headphone outputs.
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 Cat5 networking cables to transport 4 channels of balanced analogue audio over a single cable.
500ADAT has 4 C.A.S.T. IN ports that allow you to connect C.A.S.T. enabled breakout boxes (such as the Cranborne Audio N22 and N22H) to 500ADAT and relocate analogue 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 500ADAT. At the same time, the analogue mix created on 500ADAT 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 6e or Cat 7 cable is used and a complete cat 5 studio cabling infrastructure costs a fraction of what analogue multi core would cost. No setup. No latency. No fuss. And it sounds great.
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 watchful eye. 500ADAT 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.
"Cranborne's 500ADAT sounds great, boasts useful facilities, and makes adding 500-series processors to your existing audio interface convenient and hassle-free. You get a lot for your money too!" - Read the full review from Sound on Sound here
The 500 series format is the most cost-effective, and flexible way to add a variety of analogue gear into your studio, but it’s never been the easiest system to integrate into your studio setup. Until now.
1. Goodbye To Cable Spaghetti
500ADAT seamlessly integrates the 500 series format into your studio without running multiple analogue cables to and from your audio interface’s I/O. D-subs, XLRs, and TRS jacks cost money, take up space, and look unsightly. 500ADAT exchanges all of that copper for 2 optical cables. With 500ADAT, there are less physical electrical contacts to go wrong and less margin for error during patching. Spend more time making music and less time patching.
2. Get More Recording And Playback Channels From Your Audio Interface
Moving 500 series connectivity away from analogue lines to ADAT means that all of your interface’s analogue I/O is freed up and available for use elsewhere. ADAT is often left unused on audio interfaces whilst precious analogue I/O is permanently plumbed into your 500 series rack or patch bay. Move your 500 series modules to those dusty ADAT ports, free up those Line Ins and outs, and utilise more of your audio interface’s available I/O.
3. Upgrade Your Conversion
With converters and digital clocking built-in that exceeds the technical performance of the best audio interfaces on the market, 500ADAT not only gives you more channels during recording and mix down, but also elevates your sonic capture capabilities to the next level with huge dynamic range, inaudible THD+N, and less than 0.5 picoseconds of clock jitter.
4. Simplify Your Hybrid Studio Workflow
Remove the complexities of analogue I/O levels, re-patching, and patch bays by moving towards a simpler, yet more advanced integration of 500 series and other analogue equipment. 500ADAT’s module source switches allow for Analogue XLR or ADAT sources to be routed through the 500 series modules at a flick of a switch. 500ADAT is a completely optimised and fool proof way of using 500 series during recording and mixing.
5. 500 Series Made Easy, and Made Better
Not only does 500ADAT sit in the same place as your current 500 seres rack and analogue cabling, but it also brings much, much more to your studio capabilities. It also features a reference-class headphone amplifier and a high-headroom analogue summing mixer in one integrated, high-performance, and streamlined package.
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Digital Performance | |
---|---|
A/D Conversion | |
Test Signal Path | XLR Input - 500 Series A/D Converter - APx555 (ASIO) |
Frequency Response | -1dB, 2.2Hz to >80kHz--0.05dB, 20Hz to 20kHz |
THD+N | <0.00032% (-110dB) @ -4dBFS, 20Hz - 40kHz, 1kHz, A-weighted-<0.00065% (-104dB) @ -1dBFS, 20Hz - 40kHz, 1kHz, A-weighted |
THD | <0.00014% (-117.5dB) @ -8dBFS, 20Hz - 40kHz, 1kHz, A-weighted-<0.00023% (-113dB) @ -4dBFS, 20Hz - 40kHz, 1kHz, A-weighted-<0.0006% (-105dB) @ -1dBFS, 20Hz - 40kHz, 1kHz, A-weighted |
Dynamic Range | 121dB A-weighted, AES17 method, 20Hz - 20kHz |
Max Input Level | +24dBu |
D/A Conversion | |
Test Signal Path | 500 Series D/A Converter - Insert Send - APx555 (ASIO) |
Frequency Response | -1dB, <1Hz to >61kHz--0.05dB, 20Hz to 20kHz |
THD+N | <0.0003% (-110.5dB) @ -4dBFS, 20Hz - 40kHz, 1kHz, A-weighted-<0.0004% (-108dB) @ -1dBFS, 20Hz - 40kHz, 1kHz, A-weighted |
THD | <0.00014% (-117.5dB) @ -8dBFS, 20Hz - 40kHz, 1kHz, A-weighted-<0.00018% (-115dB) @ -4dBFS, 20Hz - 40kHz, 1kHz, A-weighted-<0.00036% (-109dB) @ -1dBFS, 20Hz - 40kHz, 1kHz, A-weighted |
Dynamic Range | 121dB A-weighted, AES17 method, 20Hz - 20kHz |
Max Output Level | +24dBu |
Clocking | |
Jitter | <0.5ps |
Analogue Performance | |
Line Outputs (Aux 1+2, Mix) | |
Test Signal Path | Aux Input - Line Outputs - APx555 (Line In) |
Connection Type | 1/4" Jack, Impedance Balanced |
Output Impedance | 150ohm balanced, 75ohm unbalanced |
Max Output Level | <+22dBu |
Freq Response | -1dB, 1.4Hz to >80kHz |
THD+N | <0.003% @ +18dBu, 1kHz |
Dynamic Range | 105dB A-weighted, AES17 method, 20Hz - 20kHz |
Noise Floor | <-93dBu A-weighted, 20Hz - 20kHz, (Unity Gain) |
Summing Mixer | |
Test Signal Path | XLR Input - Summing Mixer Bus (Unity) - Mix Output -APx555 (Line In) |
Freq Response | -1dB, 2.25Hz to >80kHz--3dB, 1.2Hz-0.5dB, 3Hz |
THD+N | <0.0007% @ +23dBu (-1dBFS), 1kHz |
THD | <0.0003% @ +14dBu (-10dBFS), 1kHz-<0.0004% @ +20dBu (-4dBFS), 1kHz-<0.00055% @ +23dBu (-1dBFS), 1kHz |
Dynamic Range | 108dB A-weighted, AES17 method, 20Hz - 20kHz |
Noise Floor (A/D 9-10) | -108dBFS A-weighted, 20Hz - 20kHz |
Max Contribution Level | +28dBu |
Pan Law | -4dB |
Noise Floor (Mix Output) | -90dBu, A-weighted, No channels routed |
Headphone Amp | |
Test Signal Path | Aux Input - Headphone Output - APx555 (Line In) |
Frequency Response | -1dB, <1Hz to >70kHz |
THD | <0.0006% (-104.4dB) @ 20dBu, 1kHz, A-weighted, 300ohm load |
THD+N | <0.00085% (-101.4dB) @ 20dBu, 1kHz, A-weighted, 300ohm load |
Output Impedance | 0.33 Ohms |
Output Wattage | 250mW x 2 @ 600 ohms, 1kHz-650mW x 2 @ 220 ohms, 1kHz-1.21W x 2 @ 100 ohms, 1kHz-500mW x 2 @ 32 ohms, 1kHz |
Dynamic Range | 114.5dB A-weighted, AES17 method, 20Hz - 20kHz, 300ohm load |
Noise Floor | -93.5dBu A-weighted, 20Hz - 20kHz, 300ohm load |
System Performance | |
Analogue Path Phase Performance | |
Test Signal Path | XLR Input - Empty 500 Series Slot - Summing Mixer Bus (unity) - Mix Output - APx555 (Line In) |
Phase | <1.5° @ 20Hz, <11° @ 20kHz |
Test Signal Path | XLR Input - Camden 500 Preamp (Mic Mode, 6dB Gain) - Summing Mixer Bus (unity) - Speaker A Output - APx555 (Line In) |
Phase | <3° @ 20Hz, <13.5° @ 20kHz (Preamp mic mode, 6dB Gain) |
Digital Round-trip Performance | |
Test Signal Path | 500 Series D/A Converter - 500 Series A/D Converter - APx555 (ASIO) |
Dynamic Range | 118dB A-weighted, AES17 method, 20Hz - 20kHz |
THD+N | <0.0004% (-108dB) @ -4dBFS, 20Hz - 40kHz, 1kHz, A-weighted |
Power | |
AC Requirements | 100V – 240V AC, 50 – 60 Hz |
Total Power Consumption | 24v, 5A DC, 120w |
500 Series Slot Current | 250mA per rail |
Total Available 500 Series Slot Current | 2A |
Environmental | |
Operating Temperature | +1 to 30 degrees Celsius |
Storage Conditions | -20 to 50 degrees Celsius |
Dims/Weights | |
Unit | |
Width | 481mm(19"), Rackmount |
Height | 185mm(7"), 4u |
Depth | 219m(8.6") |
Unit Weight | 7kg |
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