Cranborne Audio Brick Lane 500 Modal PWM Compressor

The Cranborne Audio Brick Lane 500 modal PWM compressor brings the same innovative Modal PWM Compression architecture found in the rack-mount Brick Lane MC4 into a single-slot 500 Series module, delivering six distinct compression characters in a fully analog signal path. As a result, engineers get six complete compression personalities — Velvet (Vari-Mu style, soft and rich in overtones), Float (Opto-style transparent leveling), Smash (aggressive FET-style for drums and percussion), Tame (fast technical transient control), Glue (classic VCA bus compression), and Polish (mastering limiter for final polish) — each setting the ratio, knee, style, and rate of change within the analog gain stage itself. Compression ratios span from a gentle 2:1 up to an aggressive 20:1, covering everything from subtle vocal leveling to hard-hitting parallel drum compression. In addition, all controls — Input, Threshold, Attack, Release, and Output — use 41-way detented pots for precise, repeatable settings, alongside a Stress control that injects harmonically-rich saturation into the signal for added analog character. Marshall Music South Africa stocks the Cranborne Audio Brick Lane 500 modal PWM compressor for studios across South Africa who want one 500 Series module that covers every compression scenario.

Precision Control and Flexibility From the Cranborne Audio Brick Lane 500 Modal PWM Compressor

Whether you’re shaping a vocal with gentle opto-style compression or smashing a drum bus with an aggressive FET mode, the Cranborne Audio Brick Lane 500 modal PWM compressor keeps the engineer firmly in control. A three-position side-chain filter toggle — offering 60Hz, 100Hz, and 200Hz options — allows low-frequency content to be excluded from the detection circuit, preventing bass and kick drum energy from triggering unwanted gain reduction. However, what truly separates the Brick Lane 500 from conventional 500 Series compressors is the Modal PWM architecture itself, which reshapes the behaviour of the analog gain stage rather than simply adjusting ratio and threshold, resulting in compression characters that feel genuinely different from one another. A 12-segment LED level meter and 12-segment gain reduction meter provide clear visual feedback across all modes, while a true bypass switch keeps the signal path clean when the module is not needed. Marshall Music South Africa recommends the Cranborne Audio Brick Lane 500 modal PWM compressor to South African engineers who want maximum compression versatility from a single 500 Series slot.

Tech Specs

• Format: Single-slot 500 Series module, mono compressor
• Compression Architecture: Modal PWM (analog gain stage reshaping)
• Compression Modes: Velvet (Vari-Mu), Float (Opto), Smash (FET), Tame (transient), Glue (VCA bus), Polish (mastering limiter)
• Compression Ratio Range: 2:1 to 20:1
• Controls: Input, Threshold, Attack, Release, Output (all 41-way detented pots); Stress (harmonic saturation)
• Side-Chain Filter: Toggle switch — 60Hz, 100Hz, or 200Hz
• Metering: 12-segment LED level meter and 12-segment LED gain reduction meter
• Bypass: True bypass switch
• Signal Path: 100% analog

Cranborne Audio

Founded in the UK in 2017 and launched at the 2018 NAMM Show, Cranborne Audio set out to bring a “modern approach to vintage sound” to project, large-format, and home studios. The name nods to Cranborne House, the former Soundcraft headquarters where the founders first worked together — and that pro-console heritage shows up throughout the range. Cranborne’s products pair transparent, high-headroom analog signal paths with switchable Mojo saturation circuits, letting engineers dial in vintage colour on demand rather than being stuck with it.

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