Crane 543094 Song Interstellar Instruction Manual
- June 4, 2024
- Crane
Table of Contents
Crane 543094 Song Interstellar
IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS
- Read these instructions
- Keep these instructions
- Heed all warnings
- Follow all instructions
- Do not use this apparatus near water
- Clean only with a dry cloth
- Install in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions
- Do not install near any heat sources such as radiators, heat registers, stoves, or other apparatus (including amplifiers) that produce heat
- Protect the power cord from being walked on or pinched, particularly at plugs and the point where they exit from the apparatus
- Only use attachments/accessories specified by the manufacturer
- Unplug this apparatus during lightning storms or when unused for long periods of time
- Refer all servicing to qualified service personnel. Servicing is required when the apparatus has been damaged in any way, such as power-supply cord or plug is damaged, liquid has been spilled or objects have fallen into the apparatus, the apparatus has been exposed to rain or moisture, does not operate normally, or has been dropped
- CAUTION: To disconnect the unit completely from the MAINS, unplug the unit. Turning the power switch off does not disconnect the unit from the MAINS.
The internal clock of Interstellar has the lowest jitter of all pro audio products we know of. For best sonic and low jitter, results use Interstellar as the master clock in your setup. A warm-up period of 1/2 hour to 45 minutes will give the best results.
THE CONTROLS
Let’s have a closer look at what the front panel controls have to offer.
POWER SWITCH
A straightforward ON/OFF switch to turn the unit on or off. Power is indicated
by lighting of the LCD display.
SAMPLE RATE SWITCH
The clock rate can be set from 44.1 kHz to 192KHz When using the USB interface
the sample rate is set buy the daw Whenever the sample rate is changed, the
convertor is re-calibrated. This will keep the convertor working as accurately
as possible.
TRIODE
The triode function creates a triode tube-like harmonic structure. The process
contains strong, but not strictly, even order harmonics. This affects the
bottom end of your signal by fattening it up and it should be noted that even
order harmonics are difficult to hear. The harmonic structure changes with
signal level and the amount of process being applied, just like it does in a
tube in the analog world.
PENTODE
The pentode function creates mostly third harmonic information but contains
some higher-order odd harmonics depending on the signal level and the amount
of processing. It is very much like driving a pentode into overload. The
pentode process makes things sound brighter and brings out the detail. You can
also hear this as a compression effect. The pentode process affects the triode
processing stage as both processes are in series.
TAPE
The tape function emulates magnetic recording tape. Tape distortions consist
of odd harmonics, starting with the third and fifth. As you increase the level
on the tape process the harmonic content increases and higher odd harmonics
are added. A tape recorder also contains records and reproduces equalizers
that modify the harmonic content. The result is a sound that fattens up the
bottom and midrange of a recording. As you increase the process there can be a
loss of higher content with respect to low frequencies if driven far enough.
The high frequencies start compressing sooner than the low frequencies. This
is a result of the compression function and eq curves in the process. The
compression also squashes peaks and results in a higher average level. The
tape process sits in series after the triode and pentode processes and thus
modifies them.
FUNCTION
The function switch has 5 settings
- USB off, DSP off
- USB off, DSP on
- DITHER set
- USB on, DSP off
- USB on, DSP on
When the USB is off Interstellar will function as a stand-alone ADC When the USB is on and the computer recognizes Interstellar the sample rate is controlled by the computer Dither can be set to 16 or 24 bit When in then DITHER SET mode, the sample rate control changes the dither between 16 and 24 bit this applies to both USB and non-USB modes of operation.
METER
The meter will show input level, in the event of clipping – overs the “L”, “R”
or both will turn red for about 1 second
THE INTERSTELLAR
generates harmonically related information. The processing was developed by
studiously analyzing the harmonic distortion and characteristics found in
classic and revered audio equipment and a lot of listening!
The harmonic process runs 32-bit internally.
We recommend that, if you are recording to 16-bit, you monitor the process from the 16-bit output of your system to get optimum results by adjusting INTERSTELLAR’s processing and dithering. By using the process you will affect your average signal level if you turn the process up far enough. When adding harmonic content, the audio is going to get louder. The dsp process reduces the peaks in your signal while at the same time increasing the low-level harmonic content.
HOW MANY PROCESSES TO USE
There are no hard and fast rules, you need to use your ears. If it sounds good, it is good. To get you started, we’ve provided some general guidelines. Making your recorded material sound “good” is what it’s all about. The process is level and program dependent. Settings that will work best for one source may not work at all for another source. As a general purpose setting jump-off point, try running the process knobs at 35 to 60. This should be safe. When you run into the 50 and up range it is easy to go too far but, don’t forget, it could be a cool thing.
The INTERSTELLAR processing can be extremely subtle or very drastic. It depends on how you use it. Getting to grips with the diversity of the processes will take a little ear training. When you’re tweaking the signal being processed by the INTERSTELLAR, don’t forget to switch the DSP in and out regularly to give you an indication of where you started out from. The human ear loves a little harmonic generation so you’ll quickly find that turning INTERSTELLAR’s DSP off results in an apparent loss of life/excitement in the musical source material.
Even small amounts of DSP, e.g 10 Triode, 25 Pentode and 20 Tape, can make quite a big difference. You may not notice this turning up the pots, but by putting the unit in bypass and then switching the processing back in, it will become very apparent. The amount of process can result in subtle changes or drastic changes depending on what the program is like and how much process is being added. It will be easier to hear in material that is more open as opposed to material that is very dense. The amount of low-frequency information will also affect how we hear the process.
DITHERING
The dithering process in INTERSTELLAR is proprietary to Crane Song. It is an
analog-generated source that has been filtered to a spectrum where the ear is
the least sensitive. We believe that this process sounds better than other
systems and is less likely to cause noise problems as compared to other dither
sources. The dither is added to the audio source as opposed to a digital
process. This is in our opinion the best way to dither an AID converter:
Dithering happens in the conversion. To disable the dither just run the unit
in 24-bit mode.
SYSTEM REFERENCE for USB
For both AD and DA, a complete interface
INTERSTELLAR AD INTERFACE
By using the AD as the master interface the clocking will be uncompromised
NOTE: All ADC outputs are active when using the USB connection, to allow
for flexible routing WC outputs can be used to clock the system.
For Windows the USB driver is by Ploytec, it avoids using the windows drivers and can result is a low latency For the driver part of the USB part of the equation, the main part of latence will be what the daw software requires for buffers For MAC use the built in MAC USB driver.
QUANTUM ADC JITTER MEASUREMENT
Phase Noise L(f) in dBc/Hz
The jitter value in this measurement from 1 Hz to 1 00KHz is 0.54pS typical measured with a Symmetricom 3120Ausing a Stanford Research Systems Rubidium Frequency Standard, PRS10 Without info on the measurement bandwidth and test instrument used, the measurement is impossible to know about Test Software does not make a distinction between random and deterministic jitter. AES- 12id-2006 (r2011) excludes modulation components below 10 Hz in its jitter definition. Jitter requirements depend on the circuits being used and the desired results.
Phase Noise L(f) in dBc/Hz
Jitter measured from 1 0Hz to 20KHz is 0.044pS or 44 fS typical measured with a Symmetricom 3120Ausing a Stanford Research Systems Rubidium Frequency Standard, PRS10 without info on the measurement bandwidth and test instrument used, the measurement is impossible to know about Test Software does not make a distinction between random and deterministic jitter. AES-12id-2006 (r2011) excludes modulation components below 10 Hz in it’s jitter definition. Jitter requirements depend on the circuits being used and the desired results.
SPECIFICATIONS
- Analog Input: Transformerless balanced stereo input on XLR-fm connectors. The default calibration is +20 dBu = Digital zero.
- Gain adjust trims are on the back panel. The analog input range for 0 dbfs is adjustable form + 16 to +26 dBu
- Word Clock Outputs: these 8 BNC connectors are a TTL level square wave that can be used to provide sync to other equipment. The WC outputs will be at the selected sample
- Internal Sample Rate: 44.1 kHz to 192KHz determined by front panel switch or the USB daw setting
- S/PDIF Output: Unbalanced digital output 75 ohms RCA connector
- AES Output: Balanced digital output 110 ohms XLR connector
- Optical Out: This is the Toslink format, stereo.
- Power: 25 watts at 115 or 230 volts, 50 or 60 Hz. Fuse size is MDL .3A for 115 volts; MDL .25A for 230 volts
- Pilot Lamp: #7335 lamp
- Shipping Weight: 15Ibs (6.7kg)
- Depth Behind Panel: 10 inches (25.4cm) plus user input/output connectors
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