Cranborne Audio Brick Lane 500

The geniuses at Cranborne Audio have pulled it off again: designing a piece of gear that you wouldn't have even thought possible.
Meet the Brick Lane 500, a 500-series analog compressor with a unique and groundbreaking feature: analog look-ahead.
Allows the Brick Lane to detect transients even before they actually occur - something that, until now, has only been possible in the digital world.

Six legendary compression characters

In addition to this revolutionary technology, the Brick Lane 500 offers six completely different compression characters, each with its own personality, sound and dynamics:

• VELVET - Vintage Vari-Mu-style with tube-like harmonic compression.
• FLOAT - Transparent, Opto-inspired dynamics with soft compression.
• SMASH - FET-like aggressive reduction, explosive punch and impact.
• TAME - Ultra-fast transient control and surgical dynamic precision.
• GLUE - Subtly brings the mix together with soft master bus compression.
• POLISH - Mastering control with the cleanest, fastest analog look-ahead.

With Modal PWM Compression, it feels like you have six legendary hardware compressors at your fingertips.
Each mode changes not only the sound, but also how the Attack and Release controls work, from slow Vari-Mu curves to lightning-fast FET responses.
Compression ratios range from gentle 2:1 pushes to aggressive 20:1 obliterations, while knee characteristics move from buttery smooth curves to razor-sharp precision.

Stress - the secret weapon

The STRESS controller is a true chameleon. In every mode, it changes harmonic character and saturation profile.
What adds subtle tube warmth in VELVET becomes a transient-destroying beast in SMASH, a mix-glue tool in GLUE and a loudness/clipping finalizer in POLISH.
Compression thus becomes not only a dynamic tool, but also a creative sound design and mixing tool.

Smart Features

• Hi-Pass Sidechain - A variable sidechain filter (60 Hz, 100 Hz or 200 Hz) prevents low frequencies from "pumping" the compressor. Perfect for mastering or mix bus applications.

• Opto Sync - Pair two units for a perfectly identical stereo pair. All settings - input, threshold, attack, release, output, stress, SCF and mode - are seamlessly synchronized via an optical link.

Specifications

• 500-series analog compressor
• analog look-ahead via Modal PWM Compression
• six unique compression modes
• Opto Sync for stereo
• Sidechain filter: 60 Hz, 100 Hz or 200 Hz
• input gain, threshold, attack, release, output, stress and bypass controls