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STC-8
Discrete Class A Stereo Compressor Limiter
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TO TOP
Tom Cochrane
- somewhere in Canada
" being in the market for a bus eq I tried the Ibis a month
ago up against 3 other high end, highly touted stereo eq and all
I can say is this eq is incredible, it smoked the competition !
I am a musician first and foremost and the Cranesongs stuff is some
of the most musical gear I have ever
heard ...
I eq the Ibis on the mix in such a way that I emphasize the fundamentals
in a song in the Hi's and hi mids and lows so the song sounds consistently
focused , punchy and bright but smooth on all systems I play it
on ... to use a photography term this eq has wonderfully detailed
resolution... being so bloody impressed with the Ibis I got the
STC 8 and strapped it across the mix before the Ibis yesterday ,
wow a bus comp/limiter that doesn't mangle the sound (unless you
want it to)...again really musical....
great work and good people ..thanks Dave and Scott...
In an era where there seems to be more boutique audio equipment
designers than pop stars Cranesong stands out as a company that
will be around for a long long time and I think that Dave Hill and
his products will achieve the same level of legendary respect that
Rupert Neve and his designs have gained.... ... actually this guy
Dave Hill is like the Burt Rutan of audio gear.. he gives audio
gear a different kind of wings.
Dave Cooley
-LA underground music scene-- "Still my mastering compressor
of choice after nearly 10 years. A workhorse."
Bob
Rosa, Engineer -- C+C Music Factory, Madonna, Mick Jagger
"I was going to buy a Fairchild..."
Chuck
Ainlay, Engineer as quoted in Electronic Musician DEC 1999
George Strait, Vince Gill, Dixie Chicks, Trishia Yearwood
"The Crane Song STC-8 is a unique compressor/limiter
with several parameters that don't translate to other dynamics processors.
Ainlay used the unit in KI Mode, which adds second-order harmonic
distortion to warm up the sound. The STC-8 offers presets, but Ainlay
chose the variable mode. This allowed him to dial in his own attack
and release times (medium attack, medium-slow release), as well
as gentle curve and slope on one channel and aggressive curve and
slope on the other."
Stephen
Meyer, ESR Studios NY [link]
...What a kick-ass compressor. Wish I could afford 4!
Dave
Kob, FOH Engineer
Live Sound International December 1998
Dave
Kob's FOH resume is hard to match. Working almost exclusively with
Clair Brothers, Kob's clients have included The Who, Don Henley,
The Police, Sting, Fleetwood Mac, Page & Plant, and Steely Dan.
Kob wont the LIVE SOUND Tin Ear Award (that's actually a prestigious
prize) in 1997.
"Dave Hill (of Crane Song) designed for Summit. About four
years ago, I was having a challenge trying to get John Enwhisle's
eclectic bass playing style to sound great live, because he plays
so fat and with such wide dynamic range.
I didn't know of any one compressor that would work. So I was shopping
around for more complex compressor, and I ran across a Crane Song
ad in one of the trade mags and they sent me one.
I messed around with it in the shop and I took it to rehearsals
with the Who and played with it for a week, and it was great. It
has two complete limiters that you can adjust to sound like anything
in the world. It's almost too complex for a lot of guys."
Dave
Kob, FOH Engineer as quoted in a Mix Magazine interview...
The Who's Quadrophenia Tour
"It works flawlessly (STC-8)...there's no other compressor
that could do what this one does. You'd have to use 3 other ones
to get what this one does on its own."
Dave goes on to say
"John [Entwistle] has a very esoteric, unique bass sound. It
has a huge dynamic range, from barely touching the strings to really
nailing you to the wall. You have to use both a compressor and a
limiter, and the Crane Song does both really well."
Dave
Kob, FOH Engineer [interview]
Audio Media May 1999
Page & Plant Tour
"The great thing is you can make it (STC-8) sound
like any compressor in the world, so now it's my standard bass compressor."
Brad
Blackwood, formerly of Ardent
Mastering - Now at Euphonics
Masters Memphis , TN
"The STC-8 gives me more control over program material
than any other compressor I've tried. But more than that, the STC-8
gives me different colors to work with - from clean and transparent
to warm and creamy. You want to blitz the stereo buss with fast
attack compression for modern pop and still retain some dynamics?
No problem. You want to smooth things out and counteract digital
harshness so prevalent today? No problem. It's like no other
compressor I've seen or heard. No matter what the project is, if
it's mastered here it's going through an STC-8..."
Lars
Hidde, Rivery
Records - Los Gatos, California
...I got an STC-8 and an STC-8H. Coupled with
my HEDD-192... they are awesome...amazing...ClassA with Ki... Sensei
Dave is the Master...
Stephen DeAcutis, SOUND
SPA RECORDING
I have read many posts on how transparent the STC-8 is. Well, let
me say that this box can be just as aggressive as the best of the
exploding drum buss or 2 mix compressors out there today. Oh and
yes this box can be transparent, but dot go by how the meters are
dancing.
BlackCat
Studios, Thadd
In my eyes cranesong is making some of the best (if not THE best)
gear at this time.
P.S. I highly recomend the STC-8 and HEDD, they have made my time
in the studio much easier/enjoyable. Amazing gear. I couldn't agree
more! Love my STC-8!!!
Trevor
Zylstrahief, Chief Engineer - Mars Musical Adventures Recording
Studio
I love the STC-8
Jim
Griffith, Hollywood [link]
The Crane Song STC-8 is my choice, hands down. It is
the only compressor I've used that can control dynamics while staying
completely transparent.It can also add that fat compressed rock
thing if you want it to (without collapsing the stereo image). But
again, the best thing about it is you can squeeze 8 to 10db out
of a track without it being obvious.
MIX
ONLINE Sep 1, 2000 -"Outboard Gear: Who Uses What, and Why?"
Lee Popa - As FOH engineer for Macy Gray "--- "I love
all the tube compressors - for me, it's all about the compression
- and I just used a Crane Song stereo compressor, which was great."
TRAKKER
Class A Discrete Single Channel Compressor
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TO TOP
Rich Nappi of Elias Arts in Randolph NJ
(E-mailed sent Feb. 6, 2005) ..about a year ago, and after
many months of contemplation, i purchased an IBIS + a pair of Trakkers
for my mix bus applications. needless to say, i was floored by how
great these boxes worked(they're built as great as they sound, too!).
now that i've owned them for awhile, and really have had a chance
to dig in, my appreciation for them just keeps going up and up.
their versatility is amazing. i use them for everything-tracking,
re-mixing, 2bus, not a day goes by without me pumpin' something
through these things.
thank you for making my life easier, my music better, and for caring
enough about what you do to make such wonderful products.
congrats!-->rich.
Alan
Peterson Dec 23, 1998 Radio World
"The Trakker functions as a musically transparent
compressor or as a 'vintage' limiter with lots of squeeze where
it counts."
Richard
Hilton and Gary Tole
Nile Rodgers Productions
"The Trakker is an extremely good sounding and versatile
compressor/limiter. It immediately assumes a prominent place in
our rack."
Brent
Bodrug, The
B-Group Music
Yes, it really is unbelievably fantastic. I'm VERY anxious to get
another Trakker as well as the Flamingo and HEDD. Ah, to be independently
wealthy... ; )
Kevin Perry of Chameleon Music (rec.audio.pro
posting June 28 2002) Nashville, TN
" Crane Song Trakker- best compressor made IMHO...
...You won't believe how un-compressed 12 dB of compression can
sound.... "
From the Audio Technia web site --
A conversation with Eddie Mapp, FOH for Evanescence
HEDD
Harmonically Enhanced Digital Device
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TO TOP
Glenn
Meadows - Nashville, TN
(formerly of Masterfonics Mastering - before 2002)
"For an effect unit with only two knobs to adjust, the HEDD
provides more subtle enhancement to the mix than any other processor
I've used. It's able to add that extra 'something' that always seems
to be missing!"
George
Peterson, Editor
Product Hits of 101st. AES Mix Magazine
"HEDD's effect is intoxicating, particularly on rock tracks,
adding warmth and a gutsy LF fullness."
Dave
Martin October 1998
Recording magazine
"Describing the sound of HEDD is a little difficult. It sounds
like it adds clarity and detail to tracks that I really hadn't missed
until starting to use this box, and the pentode processing adds
a certain thrust I found really nice. The signal sounds creamier
- not muddy, just smoother."
Audio
Medias' Benedick Grant reviews the HEDD [review]
January 1999
...When you play the Pentode and Triode together you can get some
incredibly nice, warm combinations that will just make the mix stand
up.
Stephen DeAcutis, SOUND
SPA RECORDING
Since I started mixing into the Hedd-24/48 my Studer A80
half inch has been getting some well deserved time off. The conversion
is accurate and transparent and when I switch between the 2 inch
and the Hedd the only audible difference is whatever amount of Hedd
processing you may wish to introduce into the program material.
Jim Merod - Stereo
Times Review December 2000
"...the HEDD demonstrated its clean, clear, undamaging signal
delivery. I am, in one word, impressed. This Crane Song A/D and
D/A box is special."
Jeffrey Reed of Taproot
Audio Design - Oxford, MS (taken from e-mail)
"Leinies
kick ass and so does HEDD!
... Seriously, it's probably the best investment I made in my analog
mastering chain. I'm particularly digging what it does for my high
end. Whatever it's doing, I love it!"
Ryan Moore of Twilight
Circus -
*Thanks for sending the PDF, I appreciate your efforts in tracking
it down. I have the HEDD set up in my studio now & I think its
great sounding. Excellent as a stand alone converter & the harmonic
knobs get a nice analogue type vibe going in small doses. An antidote
finally for digititis. I like the looks too - it matches my console
(Trident) funnily enough.
Thanks again & all the best,
Ryan
HEDD
192 Harmonically Enhanced Digital Device
Bob
Ludwig - Gateway
Mastering
The HEDD-192 performs very special function which
are emulation of Tube transfer function and tape saturation. There
is nothing else like it. When I have to deal with digital tapes
that suffer from "digititus" the HEDD-192 can transform
their brittleness into a much more musical and satisfying sound.
The tape saturation can emulate that analog sound without having
to actually transfer sounds into the analog tape domain and back
again. The amount of processing is confined to the subleties of
the real-world counterparts."
Link Simpson - Steller
Studios - Vancouver BC Canada -- "Hello I am new user.
I have a Hedd 192 and a Avocet. I am very happy with both units.
The Avocet has taken my monitors to the next level, plus the intuitive
control interface is great. The Hedd 192 is mainly being used for
A/D converters and to my ear sounds much better than my previous
set up. What I like most about both units is the fact that I took
them out of the box and they worked right away. They sounded great
straight away, and I have not found any significant bugs with either
piece to date. Great Job. Thank you.
Bob Boyd -Ambient
Digital, Houston, TX
This thing is fantastic. There's nothing that does what this
box does. It often plays a large part in my mastering process. It
can change the foundation of the mix so much for the better that
it's often my starting point.
Lars
Hidde, Rivery
Records - Los Gatos, California
...I got an STC-8 and an STC-8H. Coupled with
my HEDD-192... they are awesome...amazing...ClassA with Ki... Sensei
Dave is the Master...
Richard Kuschel, rec.audio.pro
posting
Name 3 Things you are glad you got/bought in 2001:
Crane Song HEDD
Mike Shipley, Independent engineer (Queen, Shania Twain,
Sex Pistols, Def Leppard, Aerosmith etc.) -Audio
Media article May 2001
"We used the HEDD 192 modified by Dave Hill, which emulates
the harmonics you get from tape that you don't get from digital."
Lynn Fuston of 3D
Audio On a scenic hilltop outside of historic Franklin, Tennessee
(3dB
posting July 5, 2002)
"The converters in the HEDD 192 are first class, among the
best out there..."
Randy
LeRoy, Final
Stage Mastering Nashville, TN
"I have also added a Crane Song HEDD-192. Frequently, I get
harsh digital mixes that need warmth and texture. The HEDD sounds
analog, but disguises itself as a digital processor." (Pro
Sound News April 1, 2002)
Quote taken from E-mail July 11, 2002
"The HEDD 192 allows me to give harsh digital mixes the tone
of analog tape without having to align a machine. Since it's addition
to the studio, my tube gear has become lonely!"
Julian Standen, Library Studio - London, UK
"using the Cranesong Hedd's tape & valve simulation on
my Pro Tools mixes adds warmth that neither I or my clients could
survive without, for tracking it's an awesome converter and the
Hedd process helps me put phat audio on my hard drives"
Mark Christensen - Engine
room Mastering - New York, New York Audio Media September (American
Edition) 2002 page 36
"The Crane Songs tend to be a little less strident. I don't
want to say warm, but they're warm."
Gary Longest,
MortarWorks - Richmond, VA
"...It just sounds too damm good! The "fullness"
it adds is quite amazing. I look forward to using it on all of my
future projects!
Thank you for building such an extraordinary device."
(Excerpted for brevity from a analog letter,enveloped and stamped
sent with his HEDD registration)
Buddy Miller - Quotes taken from HomeRecording January 2003
page 29 "This piece is incredible for making a mix sound warm
and beautiful, or tracking through."
page 30 "I've got the Crane song Hedd (Harmonically Enhanced
Digital Device), which seems to help that tape-saturation thing.
It's about take the edge off. I mix through the Crane song. Its
converters are beautiful-sounding. It's just got three knobs on
it- Triode, Pentode, and Tape. They work with each other, and you've
got to be careful not to just ame a nice fuzztone, but it can add
so much to a mix."
Damon Whittemore-ValveTone
Mastering - Portland, OR
"The Crane Song HEDD 192 is one of those rare pieces of gear
that, day in and day out, makes mastering both easier and more satisfying.
It constantly surprises me with its incredible blend of fidelity,
flexibility and aesthetic contribution. It's emulation of desirable
"vintage" harmonic content has become a signature part
of the ValveTone Sound. Well done!"
Yiannis Zoumis - Zoumis Recordings - Crete Hellas,
Greece:
"And HEDD is THE BEAUTY!!!!! I am very proud to have it first
in Hellas(Greece)"
Bill Hobson,
Crowtown Studios -Edmonton, Canada
Hybrid
Digital/Analog Projects --- "We use top of the line "Crane
Song" processors to bring you the benefits of analog sound,
even in the digital domain! When you've done all your analog tracks
you can dub them to the Hard disk and put away your reel until mix
down."
FLAMINGO
Discrete Class A Stereo Microphone Preamplifier
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PAR's
Frederick J. Bashour test drives Flamingo [review
in .pdf]
March 1999
I know, I know, it's a solid-state unit, and I'm a tube kind of
guy. The bottom line, however, is not only did it save my ass on
that session, but it also proved to be the best-sounding preamp
I had in my arsenal for my Manley C24 stereo microphone.
Eddie Ciletti at the Boston Pre Party [story]
July 24 & 25 1999
The discoveries made attending an eight-preamp evaluation event.
As a reviewer, I rarely have the opportunity to compare more than
two similar products at a time. Even at the AES convention œ
with so much gear under one roof and so little time...
Brett
Eliason, Producer, Engineer
Pearl Jam, Neil Young, Mad Season, Three Fish
"I have been able to do side by side comparisons
between the Flamingo and several other high end and vintage pre's.
The Flamingo beat them in fullness of sound, and punchiness on every
occasion."
Eric
"Roscoe" Ambel, Cowboy
Technical Services Recording Brooklyn, NY
The Crane Song Flamingo has a very big sound. It works great with
all the mics that have been fed to the bird, big and small, black
and silver and has enough gain to work really well with the ribbons
too. The combinations with and without the fat and iron switches
all come in handy. With both input and output gains the unit can
get up on its hind legs in various positions without straining.
I like it and the green light very much.
MIX
Magazine January 2005 interview Eric "Roscoe" Ambel's
Urban Rock Corral - 'THIS BROOKLYN COWBOY WEARS MANY HATS'
"...Ambel especially fancies Crane Song mic preamps: “We've
been getting really nice vocals using the Beyer M-500 hypercardioid
ribbon mic through the Crane Song Flamingo [dual Class-A mic preamp]
and a [UREI] 1176.”
SPIDER
8 CHANNEL Discrete Class A Microphone Preamplifier, MIXER, A/D convertor
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Andy Sneap
"...just want you to know I'm thrilled to bits with the Spider,
sounds absolutely killer. I've been freaking out since up grading
to HD, there's actually something about the top end of the 192's
I don't like, especially with vocals and thankfully this seems to
be the solution. Cheers for finally getting it all sorted, pass
on my gratitude to Dave Hill. Best Wishes Andy
Dr. Fred Bashour - Pro Audio Review December 2002 page 56
"I have received considerably more than my usual share of 'Great
sound, Dr. Fred' comments on every project I have tracked through
the Spider."
Michael Wagener Double
Trouble Productions, Inc WireWorld Studio Nashvillie, TN
"From totally clean and transparent to fat and bigger than
life, the SPIDER is one-stop-shopping." (Taken from e-mail)
(Artist Michael has worked with Ozzy Osbourne, Alice Cooper, Metallica,
Janet Jackson, Skid Row, Extreme)
Also check out Mr. Michael Wagerner's post on gearslutz.com "Cranesong
Spider, is it worth it?"
Carey Carlan,
(rec.audio.pro postings 1,
2
)
I have yet to get a recording through the Spider that doesn't leave
me in awe. Everything sounds good when passed through this box--from
the sound off our A&H PA board at the church to my best gear
in fine halls recording a symphony orchestra.
Mr. Carlan's other rec.audio.pro postings
It went smashing! The recording was in a ballroom with the usual
clinking and kitchen noises (freezer rumbling, dishes clattering),
but even so was very clear and accurate.
Things I like:
1) The SOUND! This box will remain in service for as long as the
digital interfaces are compatible. I can't even imagine improving
on the sound.
The Spider performed flawlessly, producing some of the best sounds
I have yet put to tape....
... I'll not be wanting to retire this box EVER!
Mark Little, Stevens Point, WI (taken from
e-mail)
"the crane song spider is the best piece of gear i have in
my studio, and hands down the best value in pro audio today. i think
that customers
have a little initial sticker shock when they see the price- but
it is worth every penny, if not more.
... sooner or later EVERYTHING gets run through the Spider. and
the tape emulation is much more than a side feature - it's fantastic."
Tardon - Mr.
Toad's (taken from e-mail) San Francisco, CA
"It just blew away my previous 9 years worth of recordings"
Ben Wigler - Young
Idiot Productions - (taken from e-mail) Cold Spring Harbor,
NY
"It's been roughly 8 months since I took delivery of my Spider,...
it's still the most astounding pro audio unit I have ever encountered!
I haven't missed the sound of 2" tape at all. This unit has
allowed me to go all digital with a smile! No need to be stuck in
the past anymore... with Crane Song gear, I'm equipped to carve
out a totally new sonic niche. Working with your products every
day is extremely inspiring, and I just thought it was time to say
so! I'm planning on purchasing two Trakkers within the month, and
I'm sure I'll be just as happy as I am with my Spider.
Thanks so much for making my life tremendously simple =)
Ben Wigler also says:
I use this baby day in and day out... and really, it's just such
a pleasure. When I'm lazy, I can plug in an electric bass and get
a superb bass tone within seconds with as little or as much color
as I want. I've even gotten some REALLY interesting distorted and
clean guitar sounds with it (I should show you some clips some time)!
Over all, there is nothing this baby can't do."
Bill Hobson,
Crowtown Studios -Edmonton, Canada
Hybrid
Digital/Analog Projects --- "We use top of the line "Crane
Song" processors to bring you the benefits of analog sound,
even in the digital domain! When you've done all your analog tracks
you can dub them to the Hard disk and put away your reel until mix
down."
Analog
Dither CD
"Black Crowned Crane" picture used with
permission from 'International
Crane Foundation'
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Ross
Hogarth and Hoax Productions - {Gov't Mule, Roger Waters, The
Black Crowes, Shawn Colvin, John Mellencamp, R.E.M. and Jewel are
some of the artists this Grammy-winning producer/engineer/mixer
has had the joy of working with over his two decades in the recording
studio.Ross' wide varied experience and taste opened up all creative
doors and usual and unusual possibilities. He's never allowed himself
to be pigeonholed or trapped in any one musical genre as his studio
work runs the gamut from the heavy metal insanity of Motley Crue
and Coal Chamber to the Grammy-winning Keb' Mo' release Slow Down
to recent releases by Melissa Etheridge (Lucky), Ziggy Marley (Dragonfly)
and John Fogerty (Deja Vu (All Over Again)}
"wow that is incredible .... this is not subtle ...I
love it
warms and fattens
amazing dude ....
that is all i can say .....i now can say that I love noise .....
yes, it is very cool how it smooths out the digital ...
what a great concept"
RO Recommends (Recording.org
Recommends)
Absolutely incredible!!! Crane Song analog dither CD
Brad
Blackwood, Mastering Engineer (formerly of Ardent
Studios) Now at Euphonics
Masters Memphis , TN
When Dave sent me this Analog Dither, I wasn't sure what
to expect. But it has proven itself valuable many times, enhancing
and improving the warmth and smoothness so hard to achieve with
most modern recordings. Done right, 16 bit can sound very good,
and Dave Hill does digital right...
Bob Olhsson (Early Motown Studio engineer guru)
"saved my project"
Monte
P. McGuire
In the end, the mix sounds a bit more dimensional
and I'm not having so many 'tiny' problems that seem to need surgical
EQ. Technically, there must be some processing or converter shoddyness
going on somewhere that the dither is saving me from, but I can't
tell where. I'm using 48 bit plugins exclusively, and only
one of the compressors doesn't dither from 48 bit to 24. So... who
the heck knows why it's making things nicer, but it is a definite
improvement.
Jeff Lowes, On-Track Recording -Recording.org posting
June 2002
I mixed it into a tune I'm mastering(recorded/mixed on ProTools
LE at 16/44.1 I think - took the CD-R & D/A'd it out of my TASCAM
CD-RW2000 (24 bit), ran it across my tube A/D at 24/88.2 & into
the DAW - which was a huge improvement in itself). I could not believe
what I was hearing! All of a sudden my sound had depth and (just
like they said) life & warmth! When I muted the dither track,
my "so much better" hi-res track now sounded thin &
flat. Unbelieveable. How do they do that?!? I have found a secret
weapon (Ha, Ha, Ha. I am ZATAR!!!)
Don Morrell -Kudos from the basement of a church in sunny
Anchorage, Alaska
"... I added the Cranesong dither at the last stage, tweaking
it subtly, to my taste. He (my client) suddenly blurted "What
happened? What did you
just do?". I told him. We A/B'd it with/without. Subtle but
in this case, very apparent.
... Nutshell: like me, he noticed the additional low-end definition/added
warmth and what seemed to be more spaciousness achieved by dialing
in the Cranesong noise."
D. Chin - The Last One Records - Los Angeles, CA (taken
from e-mail)
" we have used the dither CD that you sent us and are quite
impressed with the results! The 16bit audio is indeed warmer than
that achieved with other dithering, much more analog in feel. Thanks
so much for providing us with the CD. We hope to work with more
of your products in the future"
Customer
Service
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TO TOP
Rick
Krizman, KrizManic Music - rec.audio.pro
post
"Amen" and "me too" to all
of the above. In addition, let me mention the amazing customer support.
Scott Lillo from Cranesong noticed in one of my posts here
that my housekeeper had sheared the knob off my on/off switch -
he took it upon himself to contact me and send me another switch.
thanks, Scott.
John De Carteret, Nova
Recordings
If you want the best of the best in professional audio gear,
you go to Crane Song. If that's not enough! Their after sales service,
(should it
ever be required) is without equal.
No matter what happens, you'd never know it had. My brand spankin'
new STC- 8M was smashed up while in transit. No fuss, no bother
and in no
time the unit was back with me in the UK. Restored by John; Tried
and tested by Dave in the USA.
Michael Javier - San Jose, CA
"Thank you for the most outstanding customer service in the
world. I guess this is one of the reasons why I love telling people
how great Crane Song is. Please let me know if you need anything
else. In the meantime, I'll still be enjoying my Spider. Thanks
again."
Taken from e-mail. After sending a replacement Spider power supply
that was damaged in shipping.
Brent Bodrug, The B-Group
Music
It's fantastic to know that the people behind GREAT gear are great
also.
Michael Lawrence, Brooklyn, N.Y (web
site)
"your honesty & commitment in this business is inspiring.
thanx mate,
ml"
Tom Cochrane
- somewhere in Canada
In an era where there seems to be more boutique audio equipment
designers than pop stars Cranesong stands out as a company that
will be around for a long long time and I think that Dave Hill and
his products will achieve the same level of legendary respect that
Rupert Neve and his designs have gained.... ... actually this guy
Dave Hill is like the Burt Rutan of audio gear.. he gives audio
gear a different kind of wings.
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