Tools for Pros

Tools for Pros

Crookwood Mastering Consoles are not toys: they are professional machines to help audio professionals make better music and more money.

As a professional, you know that you have to look at the whole life cycle of the machine to know it's true cost and profit to you. Crookwood mastering consoles have several features that set them apart from others, making them the most cost efficient machines available.

Specifying the Console

We have the widest range of consoles available, because everybody works differently - it's one of the beauties of the mastering community. In this way you only need pay for the features you need. However this wide choice can sometimes make choosing more difficult.

Thankfully we've got lots of help on this website, and also a Configuration manual to help you decide what the right console is for you.  Even after ordering, you can amend the specification during the factory built, and even after delivery if it's not right.

If we don't make a console that's exactly right, we can even customise it to your needs.  We try very hard to get it right for you.

Installing the Console

After you've bought the console, you've got to install it.  Installing an EQ is easy, but a console has a lot more connections.  A big M10 (our biggest surround console) has over 200 connections to be made to fully integrate it!  Make sure to allow plenty of time to install the console and test everything out before you take your first session.

To help you, Crookwood provides a separate installation manual for each of our consoles, which you can download before the console arrives to get everything ready.  This manual details how to connect things up, how to avoid hum loops, dealing with mounting the gear and lots more.  This really helps you get up and running fast.

We're also readily available on the phone and on email to help you with any installation or integration problems.

Using the Console

Such a powerful machine could be difficult to use.  Thankfully we've made the user interface (the control panels) as easy as possible. The clear labelling and LCD screens show you instantly what's going on, and as a rule there is one button for one function.

Because you can print out your own labels, you can also label each button with the name that makes sense for you, in your own language if you want to.  For instance, source 1 can be labelled Sadie 1&2.  This makes it really easy for any operator to come in and quickly get the console to work the way they want, saving you time and money in training.

Again because the routers can replace a patchbay, it also makes it easy for the non technical to use, just button pushes, with everything shown in front of you.   Great if you have multiple staff, or just useful at 3am, when you can't quite think straight!

We also publish a separate user manual for each console, with just operator instructions in it, so it's easy to read, with the minimum of technical bumph.

Upgrading the Console

Our consoles are built to last a lifetime: some are still in everyday use, some 17 years after we first started making them.  While our consoles last forever however, formats come and go at regular intervals.

Because of the modular nature of our consoles it's easy to expand them to go from stereo to surround, or 5.1 to 7.1, or add converters, digital routing, or indeed any feature you want.  Each time you add stuff, you just pay for the new bits, retaining the investment of your initial purchase.

We also are continually improving our designs - life never stops still for the audio designer!  As we release improvements to the consoles, you can also replace these parts to keep you console at the cutting edge forever.  Recent releases include new monitor cards, power supplies and digital routing cards.

Perfect future proofing.

Repairing the Console

It's not talked about by salesmen trying to make a sale, but all electronics and mechanical things will fail given enough time.  This is just life and physics, and mastering consoles don't obey different rules.

We've done our best to make the machines as reliable as possible, and have used the best components where we can.  We have used telecom grade relays (10 million operations), industrial switches (1 million operations), high temperature capacitors, and our new digital power supplies reduce the power consumption, and heat generation  by 30%.

But stuff happens.  The great thing about a Crookwood is however that everything is modular.  For mission critical applications, you can purchase additional key spare cards that you can just swap out if a problem arises.  For other applications, we can help you identify the problem quickly, and provide a replacement part within a couple of days. Often you can reconfigure the console so you can carry on working.  No big courier bills, no excessive wait.

End of life

If your situation changes, there is always a healthy second hand market for the consoles. Even 10 year old consoles have sold for 50% of the original sales price!  Some of this is because the new owners know that we can upgrade and support the consoles in their new homes, so in many ways it's like buying a new console, but at a lower price.

It also reflects the fact that we don't sell our consoles to discount dealers: the selling price is the selling price, and you know that everybody pays the same rate.

Conclusion

All in all, you get a lot of console for your money, and one that will stay and work with you for as long as you want it.