Cranborne Audio drops Brick Lane MC4

Four channels, wild routing, and nerdy control tricks prove Cranborne went way past a simple rack remake.

What this announcement boils down to

• This is the Brick Lane MC4, a rackmount evolution of the Brick Lane PWM Modal Compressor.
• It debuted tied to NAMM 2025 expectations, and it officially lands as the next logical step.
• Like the Carnaby HE2 Harmonic EQ, it expands far beyond scaling up channel count.

Why the MC4 exists at all

• Cranborne Audio usually tests ideas in 500-series form first.
• EC1 and EC2 preamps, plus Carnaby HE2, all followed that path.
• A rack version with extras felt inevitable once the Brick Lane module appeared.

Core hardware overview

• The unit runs four channels of analogue PWM compression.
• Every channel also includes gating, staying fully in the analogue domain.
• Digital control handles recall and remote operation via USB or Ethernet.

Routing and flexibility details

• Channels can work solo or be linked in multiple configurations.
• Supported setups include dual-mono, stereo, Mid-Side, series, dual-band, and de-esser.
• Insert points exist on all channels, so external gear can jump in easily.

Compression styles on tap

• Velvet leans into old-school Vari-Mu behavior with harmonic color.
• Float chases opto-style smoothness and gentle movement.
• Smash brings FET aggression and a forward punch.
• Tame focuses on extremely fast transient control.
• Glue targets bus compression duties.
• Polish handles limiting duties using Analogue Lookahead for instant response.

Extra tone shaping control

• A Stress parameter adds mode-specific harmonic saturation.
• Saturation shifts dynamically with gain reduction.
• The processor can feel corrective or experimental, depending on intent.

Enigma control layer explained

• Enigma unlocks parameters normally locked in the analogue gear.
• Users can tweak knee shape, detector behavior, and time weighting.
• High-frequency emphasis and similar tweaks happen without conversion.

Philosophy from the company

• Sean Karpowicz frames the MC4 as the result of a long-term obsession.
• Analogue Lookahead became the catalyst for rethinking dynamics processing.
• The design aims to remove accepted analogue limitations entirely.

Availability and pricing snapshot

• Release is planned for the end of Q1 2026.
• Pricing lands at £2699 including VAT, or €3099.