Avocet Crane Song ii Monitoring Controller - Is it worth it?

A

astokesmusic

Member
Currently, I’m reconstructing my home studio and I’m looking for a monitor controlling device. I’ve done some research about the Avocet Crane Song ii monitoring controller and while it seems very useful, has several preamps (including some analog ones), it has talkback, and it can control different sets of monitors in various ways, I’m not sure if my I want to spend $2500 to $3k or above. Does anyone have some experience with this controller? I’d love some further information and insight about this controller and perhaps some advice on other great monitor controllers.
 
I use the Presonus Central Station which is much more affordable. You can select a variety of inputs and outputs, and also has talkback facilities.
 
I guess it depends on what your needs and workflow is like. I've been really taking my time with building out my studio upgrade and have a couple interim interfaces. Was considering the Presonus Quantum 4848 to interface with my large analog console for instance but the work I do actually doesn't match the idea. The more I work, the more I'm figuring out what I need and don't.

Point is, as a temporary set up, while I save money for the Neumann KH310's, I'm using a few monitors I already have in an odd configuration. So I had considered a few of the monitor control products. What I decided on was a passive XLR switchbox to feed my four pair monitor setup. I used an SPL meter and some pink noise to level match all four, along with metering and now it is set and forget. For me, having a set up that ensures reproducibility has more value than having the other features of most of these products. Due to the sporadic nature of my work, I can go quite some time between mixing sessions. This set up forces me to adjust my ears rather than setting volumes that suite my mood of the moment. I keep my SPL meter on a small tripod and often use reference tracks at the start of a mix session. From there, I don't touch monitor level and can use the SPL meter as an additional reference.

Nail down your actual needs with regard to workflow. This will make the decision on what to get far easier.
 
Hit up Massive Mastering, he has (had?) one as the center of his mastering studio.

Whether it's worth it or not depends on what level you are working at. It's all monitor path, so it won't help if you don't have awesome monitors in an awesome room.
 
astokesmusic said:
Currently, I’m reconstructing my home studio and I’m looking for a monitor controlling device. I’ve done some research about the Avocet Crane Song ii monitoring controller and while it seems very useful, has several preamps (including some analog ones), it has talkback, and it can control different sets of monitors in various ways, I’m not sure if my I want to spend $2500 to $3k or above. Does anyone have some experience with this controller? I’d love some further information and insight about this controller and perhaps some advice on other great monitor controllers.
Click to expand...
What is your budget, and what are you monitoring with in your home studio? I ask, because I would surely place that much money on the before mentioned before spending the funds on simple switching...
 
+ 1 about the budget available for the monitoring piece ,

and about the Avocet , the unit is built with hi quality parts ,
of course designed for professional mastering hi level jobs ,
then for professional for hire and private studios too ,
even if the sound from where it comes in to where it goes out has to go through a few dozen components and soldering,

for home , projects , semi-pro , but which I have also seen used by professional studios with no issues ,
this one does its job more than adequately ,

ESI - MoCo

MoCo stands for
www.esi-audio.com www.esi-audio.com

hope this help ,
cheers

Ps:
just as well , in audio as well as in other type of works ,
frequently : "Less Is More" .
 
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