Published 19/3/09
Mixing in the box
After a long wait, the Crane Song Egret is finally available. Featuring eight channels of company founder Dave Hill-designed digital-to-analogue conversion (considered by many to be among the best around) and a stereo line mixer with a stereo auxiliary return, the 2U rack is described as a “highly versatile workstation back end”. And we'd be inclined to agree.
Each channel has controls for Colour, pan and level, plus mute and solo buttons and an auxiliary send. Balanced insert points enable external studio gear to be patched into the Egret’s mixer, for further processing, while a master reverb, for example, can be set up on the aux send.
Despite the top-notch digital-to-analogue features, the Egret can be used as a conventional analogue summing mixer, using the bank of line-level inputs that serve as insert return points in digital mode. AES/EBU digital signals at sample rates of up to 192kHz can be connected to the device, and there are twin ADAT inputs that use the S/MUX protocol, allowing for eight channels of optical digital audio to be connected. A headphones socket, with dedicated volume control, enables the engineer to check the mix on cans if necessary.
In the UK, London-based KMR Audio are handling the distribution of the Egret, as well as Crane Song’s other products. It costs £4600 including VAT; in the USA, the price is $5600.
KMR Audio +44 (0)208 445 2446
www.kmraudio.com
www.cranesong.com
Each channel has controls for Colour, pan and level, plus mute and solo buttons and an auxiliary send. Balanced insert points enable external studio gear to be patched into the Egret’s mixer, for further processing, while a master reverb, for example, can be set up on the aux send.
Despite the top-notch digital-to-analogue features, the Egret can be used as a conventional analogue summing mixer, using the bank of line-level inputs that serve as insert return points in digital mode. AES/EBU digital signals at sample rates of up to 192kHz can be connected to the device, and there are twin ADAT inputs that use the S/MUX protocol, allowing for eight channels of optical digital audio to be connected. A headphones socket, with dedicated volume control, enables the engineer to check the mix on cans if necessary.
In the UK, London-based KMR Audio are handling the distribution of the Egret, as well as Crane Song’s other products. It costs £4600 including VAT; in the USA, the price is $5600.
KMR Audio +44 (0)208 445 2446
www.kmraudio.com
www.cranesong.com
