The Crane Song STC-8 is a high-quality compressor that delivers consistent gain control without sacrificing musical definition or harmonic richness. It utilises a remarkably dependable peak limiter that provides overload protection that is critical to digital recording and broadcast transmitters.
The Crane Song STC-8 is engineered to provide musically transparent gain control but is also capable of emulating vintage equipment and creating distinctive new sounds. In addition, a switchable enhancement circuit creates analogue and tube-like warmth to enrich lifeless audio and digital recordings.
This vast flexibility is simplified by the inclusion of several optimised presets, allowing fast, easy set-up on a wide variety of sounds. It can operate in true stereo or discrete independent mono, accessible by a front panel switch. The STC-8s features include:
- Simultaneous Compression/Limiting
- Discrete Class A
- Balanced/Transformerless I/O
- Quick & Easy Presets
- ‘KI’ & ‘HARA’ Sounds
- Transparent Overload Protection
The Crane Song STC-8s sophisticated sidechain allows both compression and peak limiting to take place simultaneously, using the same proprietary gain control circuit. High signal quality is maintained by utilising the discrete class A audio path and by eliminating any VCA or optical gain control elements.
The Crane Song STC-8’s compressor is engineered to provide musically transparent gain control but is also capable of emulating vintage equipment and creating distinctive new sounds.
In addition, a switchable enhancement circuit creates “analogue” and “tube-like” warmth to enrich lifeless audio and digital recordings. This vast flexibility is simplified by the inclusion of several optimised presets, allowing fast, easy set-up on a wide variety of sounds. It can operate in true stereo or discrete independent mono, accessible by a front panel switch.
The Crane Song STC-8’s sophisticated sidechain allows both compression and peak limiting to take place simultaneously, using the same proprietary gain control circuit. High signal quality is maintained by utilising a discrete class A audio path, and by eliminating any VCA or optical gain control elements.
The Crane Song STC-8 requires 2 rack spaces. All inputs and outputs are transformer-less and balanced. The toroidal power transformer is UL approved and allows four-line voltages for international use. The Crane Song STC-8 delivers consistent gain control without sacrificing musical definition or harmonic richness.
Class A Discrete Topologies
The Crane Song STC-8 has a Class A audio path which is significantly different than designs that use integrated circuits. Class A circuits sound better because their distortion components tend to be Second Harmonic; musically pleasing. IC Op-Amps do not have class A output circuits and their distortion components tend to be high order odd harmonics; not musical. The most important thing to remember about Class A circuits is that they sound better. This type of technology has 2 disadvantages when compared to IC designs. 1) Due to the large number of parts in discrete circuits; they are costly. 2) Class A circuits run warm.
