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Is It Rack or Chassis? Getting Into 500 Series Processors

500 Series Interface: Cranborne Audio 500R8

I’ve got 500 series modules all over my wishlist this year. Every year around the holidays, I get really excited about trying something new in the studio. With budgets coming to a close for the year and money burning a hole in my pocket, it’s hard not to splurge on some studio upgrades that I want (in addition to the very real expenses that include the things I actually need).

Am I late to the game? Absolutely, but for what I would consider to be a good reason. Let me set the stage and take you back about a decade before we get into the good stuff – the gear.

Flashback: 500 Series in 2012

Back when I was a hungry audio engineering intern in Nashville circa 2012, 500 series was by far the HOTTEST thing in the game. Everybody from SSL to Radial to the retailers like Vintage King were trying to get in with their own hardware. Meanwhile, API was crushing everyone else having developed in this format for over 40+ years.

And while the modules were cool and flashy, they were limited to the biggest players. As you can imagine, it’s not cheap developing on a specific format for a niche of the market. Especially when hardware sales were already on the decline.

The Gold Rush

But the 500 series chassis (racks?)… Oh boy, could anyone make one of those.

Sorry guys, this offer’s no longer available. We can hope they bring it back at some point, right?

And make them, they did. Music manufacturers churned out 500 series racks left and right. There were promos popping up all the time shouting “buy 4 units, get a lunchbox free”. Or “spend $2500 on 500 series modules, get an 8-slot rack for half-off”! They were cheap to make and really only had one function – supplying power to the modules.

Despite that simple purpose, these early units failed. Hard.

Consider it a shared quality assurance test that large swathes of the audio industry participated in. A hive mind of excitement, then disappointment as engineers and producers everywhere started filling up their 500 series racks to find one issue after another. Better yet, they were all related to – you guessed it – power.

The Crash

There were two main issues that audio professionals quickly caught on to with 500 series units. While the lunchbox design was convenient, it also usually meant manufacturers would forgo the external power supply for the sake of portability. Big mistake (initially).

By having the power supply within the rack itself, units close to the power supply would often become noisy. They’d pick up on the electromagnetic waves from the power conversion. This problem has largely been addressed by shielding in modern units that continue to keep the power supply in the unit to avoid “the brick”.

Even if you got a unit a decade ago that wasn’t noisy, you’d still run the chance of getting an unexpected wakeup call. Halfway through loading up your 500 series chassis, you realized you didn’t have enough juice for the job! This was especially painful for those that chose to take a build-as-you-go approach to their collection. You’d leave slots open initially just to find those slots couldn’t support another module months or even years down the road.

Today’s standards have really addressed this issue as well. Most 500 series chassis oversupplying power to ensure sufficient headroom when running even the most power-hungry units at full tilt. Budget options have a standard to adhere to as well. Plus, QA has really stepped up to ensure that most chassis available have been vetted a bit more thoroughly than those initial models.

Some manufacturers have started addressing this problem on the module side too. They realized that a less power-hungry unit can work more efficiently in even the most inexpensive modern rack. Meanwhile, a few other manufacturers are loving the extra power they’re able to top into. Want a good example? Just go look at some of the tube units out there!

Why Start Now?

Other than the obvious “I want to try something new” statement that I started with, there’s plenty of innovation in this space that I’m excited to get involved with at all levels of the market. 500 series is no longer a major league-only sport for the APIs, SSLs & Neves of the world; there are DIYers and smaller manufacturers playing ball too. Need a few examples?

DIY with Classic Audio Products, Inc. (CAPI)

CAPI looks like a DIYers dream company if they’re looking to get into the standard modules you’d expect to find in a 500 series setup without the added cost of legacy name brand weighing them down. They’ve been around since 2008 and they’re constantly selling out of kits due to popularity. If you want to start with one of their DIY chassis, they run about $350 (when they’re in stock).

CAPI also offers classic 500 series preamp and EQ kits. Both follow a very familiar design for fans of API gear.

More Power with Rupert Neve Designs

In terms of power supply issues, Rupert Neve has so far seemed to go the furthest to address any concerns. Their 10-slot 500 series chassis, the R10, boasts a double-shielded, 2,400mA internal power supply. From there, it’s capable of supplying a whopping 200% of VPI-spec required current for each module.

Go ahead and load this one up with tube gear – it’s ready for the challenge.

Digital IO with Heritage Audio

Heritage Audio has been in the 500 series space for quite some time already. Between their 500 series modules and other outboard gear, they’ve really solidified themselves as a player in the Neve-styled gear space. It feels wrong to call them clones, because they’re just so premium feeling they could stand on their own merit.

Heritage leads the way when it comes to On-Slot Technology (OST). OST is their in-house solution for providing independent power to each of the slots in their rack. This is both functional (better headroom) and practical (isolated failures). In either case, a single module can no longer take down the whole rig.

We’re really excited for their newest addition though, the Heritage Audio OST-8 ADAT. It’s an 8-slot 500 series enclosure with 8 channels of 24-bit/192kHz A/D conversion. Hello, unused home studio digital inputs.

Digital Recall with WesAudio

WesAudio is another newer name on the market that we’ve been watching closely for a few years. Their big proposition is that their 500 series modules can be controlled via software. This makes the hybrid workflow of working with analog and digital gear together all the more seamless. With digital recall, simply loading up your session should be all it takes to dial in the DIONE NG500 bus compressor. Putting you right back where you left it set last time. Best of all – you can automate it via software too!

WesAudio gear does have one major caveat. While their modules will work with most 500 series chassis, you’ll need a WesAudio chassis to leverage the advanced features like digital recall. It makes sense why this is necessary, but we should all hope this innovation leads to a standard over time. That way, other manufacturers can start tapping into similar hybrid functionality.

More Connectivity with Cranborne Audio

Cranborne Audio has come out swinging with their 500R8 USB Audio Interface. It serves double-duty as an interface and an 8-slot 500 series chassis. I’m sure they’re not the first to think of this design, but they’re definitely the first to execute on it. They’re not pulling any punches either… This unit offers 28 in, 30 out, which exceeds almost all other USB interfaces on the market in terms of IO. This alone puts them solidly positioned alongside Apogee, RME & Universal Audio in terms of overall connectivity.

We’ll share more hands-on notes should we get a chance to demo this amazingly feature-packed unit.

Next Steps

There are so many different options to explore in the world of 500 series. Even just choosing the right chassis to house the modules can feel daunting. Do you go with more slots to grow into or stick with something smaller as you feel your preferences out? Small chassis can be found new for under $300 today. The price per channel doesn’t really decrease by much as you grow. So this doesn’t feel like one of those situations where you’re saving by buying “bulk” upfront. But buyer beware – small racks will fill up quickly if you catch the bug!

We’ll share our first foray into the 500 series chassis realm once the first contender arrives next week. If you want to follow along, make sure to join the email list below and come along for the ride!

Sony Electronics Introduces the C-80 Condenser Microphone for Studio Recording

Sony C-80 Condenser Microphone

Sony Electronics’ Pro Audio Division today announced a new microphone for home studios, the C-80, a uni-directional condenser microphone ideal for vocal/voice recording, instrumental recording, vlogging, webcasting and podcasting. This new product inherits the technology of Sony’s revered C-800G and popular C-100 microphones, making high quality sound even more accessible.

Key Features of the C-80

  • Utilizing the microphone capsule derived from the C-100 and a two part metallic anti-vibrational body structure used in the C-800G, the C-80 inherits the essence of these two industry standard models.
  • Dual diaphragm configuration suppresses sonic changes with distance (proximity effect) and allows more stability in the vocal recording process.
  • “Noise Elimination Construction” developed for the C-800G/C-100 prevents microphone body acoustic vibration, resulting in low noise and clear sound.

Sonic Characteristics of the C-80

  • Tight and rich mid-range capture provides a vocal sound with a clear core and presence, allowing vocals to stand out even when mixed with other instrumental sounds.
  • Realistic reproduction of the characteristics of an instrument, such as the sound of guitar strings and the resonance of the body.
  • Natural and clear vocal recording is achieved by suppressing boomy low frequencies and noise when close to the microphone.

“The C-80 takes advantage of Sony’s heritage in professional audio, providing users with an affordable introductory model that incorporates high-end professional features,” said John Studdert, Head of Media Solutions, Sony Electronics. “With unrivaled sound quality and thoughtful construction, the C-80 is a great addition to any audio enthusiast’s microphone collection and a perfect complement to Sony’s full line of professional audio technologies.”

The C-80 is planned to be available in November in the United States and Canada for a suggested price of $499 and joins Sony’s lineup of professional audio products including the MDR Series of headphones, wireless microphone systems, and portable field recorders.


For more information on professional audio products from Sony Electronics, please visit https://pro.sony/audio.  Learn about Sony Electronics’ latest news at https://pro.sony/press or follow Sony’s professional business on social media: LinkedInTwitterFacebookInstagram, and YouTube.

Audiotonix Gets Even More Creative with Slate Digital Acquisition

Slate Digital Acquisition

Chessington October 3rd, 2022 — Audiotonix has announced the acquisition of Slate Digital, one of the world’s leading software plug-in developers for audio creation and production. With a brand portfolio that includes Allen & Heath, Calrec, DiGiCo, DiGiGrid, Group One Limited, KLANG:technologies, Solid State Logic, and Sound Devices, the transaction further enhances the groups significant presence in the professional audio creation and production markets.

Slate Digital was co-founded in 2008 by Steven Slate and Fabrice Gabriel, with a mission to create outstanding digital audio tools for professional producers, mixers, and engineers. Since then, they have successfully developed many industry favourite software plug-ins, mixing and mastering audio processing software, virtual microphone modelling, audio samples and video courses. 

“The Slate Digital team share many of the key attributes we have across all our brands; great technology combined with committed staff with a real energy and passion for what they do” comments James Gordon, CEO of Audiotonix. “Their history and reputation for building stellar software tools is second to none, and from a business perspective their success in building a strong subscription model adds another bow in how we grow in the audio creation market. Personally, I’m looking forward to working with the Grenoble and US teams, to support them with their aspiration to continue to innovate technically and commercially, and to have some fun along the way.”

Steven Slate states, “I’m so proud of what our team has been able to achieve over the past decade, and as part of Audiotonix, Slate Digital will have the resources to think even bigger and offer way more value to our customers. Audiotonix shares the passion for pushing the boundaries within the industry, and I look forward to seeing how Slate Digital unlocks even more possibilities for music creators. The products that will soon be released in this new chapter are the company’s most bold and innovative to date. I believe our loyal Slate Digital customers will be thrilled at what is to come.” 

“Over the last few years, I have been working with the development team to pass on the skills and approach we have always had to our DSP work. Now having access to additional technology resources from Audiotonix will no doubt inspire the development team to new heights. This is truly an exciting prospect, and one of the core reasons we felt Audiotonix is the right partner for us to pass Slate Digital to” adds Fabrice Gabriel. “Personally, I am going to be working with the wider Audiotonix DSP teams to continue our knowledge share and algorithm development.” 

About Audiotonix

Audiotonix is a global market leader in the design, engineering and manufacture of professional audio mixing consoles and ancillary products. With innovative solutions from premium audio brands Allen & Heath, Calrec, DiGiCo, DiGiGrid, KLANG:technologies, Solid State Logic, and Sound Devices, our products are used extensively in live sound, broadcast, theatre production, installations, house of worship, film production, and recording studios globally.

About Slate Digital

Slate Digital makes audio plug-ins, recording equipment, sample packs, and production tutorial content for music producers and engineers. Based in Los Angeles and Grenoble, Slate Digital was founded in 2010 with the goal of empowering producers at all levels of experience create great-sounding music. Its innovative products, including its analog emulation plug-ins, the Virtual Microphone System, and it’s All Access Pass plug-in subscription have been recognized throughout the recording industry by organizations including NAMM and Sound on Sound.

The Front Bottoms Announce Champagne Jam 2022 Festival

Champagne Jam 2022

In what’s becoming an annual traveling festival for the band, The Front Bottoms have announced that they’ll be hosting Champagne Jam 2022 in Philadelphia this year. The two-day festival will span three venues featuring sets both nights from The Front Bottoms and some of their closes friends on December 16th and 17th.

Other bands include Joyce Manor, Titus Andronicus, Prince Daddy & The Hyena, Tom May of The Menzingers, with plenty of others joining in on the fun.

Venues include The Fillmore, Foundry, and Brooklyn Bowl – all three of which are located in a communal music space known as the Fillmore Campus.

Presale tickets are available now, with general on sale starting Friday, September 30th at 11 AM ET.

Ultra Music Festival 2023 Reveals Phase 1 Lineup

Ultra Music Festival 2023

Ultra Music Festival returns to Bayfront Park in Miami, FL on March 24-26, 2023. The annual EDM event draws crowds of over 150,000 music lovers to celebrate three nights of electronic music. With incredible light & sound productions, it’s a must-attend event for many in the scene.

Today, Ultra announced their first wave of artists, and already we’re seeing some heavy hitters for the event. The most notable name is headliner Swedish House Mafia, who has been on an absolute burner of a tour since their reemergence at Coachella earlier this year. Also on the list are EDM legends Armin Van Buuren, Eric Prydz, Hardwell, Martin Garrix, Rezz, and Zedd. More artists are sure to be added to roster as we get closer to the event.

Tickets are available now at ultramusicfestival.com.

Firefly Music Festival Celebrates Its 10th Year in Style

Firefly Music Festival 2022

Firefly Music Festival continues to be one of the biggest and best showcases of live music in its 10th year of operation, but it does so without becoming stigmatized in the way other music festivals of its tenure have. For as much as we know what we’re getting into with Bonnaroo, Coachella, or even Rolling Loud, Firefly manages to suspend belief and preconceived notions year after year.

I’m sure a good bit of that has to do with location. After all, Dover, Delaware doesn’t have quite the same mass appeal as some other festival destinations. Adding to that is the festival’s decision to host their event in September for a second year in a row. The heat that usually comes with a summer music festival can get unbearable. Somehow, the cooler temps offered by early fall in DE just seems to work.

But don’t mistake cooler temps for a low-key event – Firefly was anything but chill with such a killer lineup for 2022. You knew that instantly when the usually slower Thursday night festivities capped off with Halsey giving all the energy of a headliner trying to close down the weekend before it had even started.

And that kind of just set the standard for where things could go.

Friday, September 23rd

Friday had just as much crowd energy for killer sets from All Time Low and Avril Lavigne. She was celebrating her 20-year anniversary of her debut album (though by looks alone, she hasn’t aged a day since her debut album came out). As the night progressed, Friday brought us a solid discography from the always-great Weezer too.

As if things could get any more nostalgic than they already felt, seeing My Chemical Romance take the stage after so many years apart could bring a tear to any former emo kid’s eye. These are musicians who you can see have grown fonder of their work together. They’re proud of what they’ve created for their fans. It was an all-out love fest between the band and their audience; every word screamed back by thousands of voices in unison.

Saturday, September 24th

On Saturday, we got a bit of a reprieve from the heavier sets with indie-soaked pop flavors from Bleachers and HAIMJack Antonoff is truly a musical genius that I could listen to for days and I feel as though the girls of HAIM may be the greatest “family” band in modern music (not just because of a lack of competition – they play off of each other so naturally in a live setting.

Wrapping up Saturday night was Green Day – a band that I HAVE NOT given enough credit to in recent years. Let me confirm it now: these guys absolutely still know how to rock and they proved it by ripping through old stuff, new stuff, and everything in between without so much as a pause.

Sunday, September 25th

As we went into the final day of the weekend, Sunday started off feeling questionable at best. The weather forecast wasn’t on our side and as an outdoor event, even the slightest hint of severe weather can throw off the schedule significantly.

And that’s exactly what ended up happening. A forced evacuation impacted some earlier sets as weather conditions deteriorated and we wondered if Sunday’s headliners would end up cancelling. Fortunately, the storm cleared and we were able to re-enter just a few nervous hours later, welcomed in by alt-rock royalty, Manchester Orchestra.

Right up until Sunday night, Firefly really felt like more of a rock show than anything else. Sure there were some electronic and pop artists scattered throughout, but the energy of the weekend was very rock n roll through and through.

But let me tell you – Sunday night, leaned fully into the pop/disco realm with sets from The Kid Laroi, Charli XCX & the queen of the night, Dua Lipa. The lights, the sound… it was all so much, but the perfect way to put some polish on the events of the weekend and make the experience feel “complete”.

Dua Lipa owned the night, churning through track after track from Future Nostalgia and dipping into a bit of her back catalog to remind us of exactly how many bangers she’s put out. The pandemic was a disservice to us all, because these songs are 100% best enjoyed live.


On the way home from Firefly Music Fest, it was hard to truly quantify how much I missed this, and it’s likely because I struggled to put into words exactly what this is. Firefly is a music fest unlike any other, but it’s also got the shared traits of community and togetherness that makes all shows feel so positive. It’s different, but in many ways, it’s the same.

Whatever it is, it’s magical in its own right, and it’s just so damn refreshing to be back in the fold of it all again. My energy is drained, but my spirit is full. See you at the next one!