I am always skeptical of terms like, Mojo, Thump and Cream as adjustment settings for electronic items, especially pro gear. So I did do some homework to make my own assessment of what these settings did on my Camden 500s. I have however seen and heard some plugins recently that really did enhance what was coming back at me, sound-wise. So I spent some time when I first got these and read the descriptions from Cranborne Audio as well as reviews. I'm still not sure exactly what the frequency boost/cut and numbers are but I did manage to find really pleasing enhancements/improvements over the X-32 "Midas designed" pres that I had used for several years now. I used to play drums in a friend's studio who used a Geoff Daking pre on my snare drum, which I LOVED!. I found a snare setting on the Cranborne that compared favorably to that sound I recalled from the Daking. I used the other Camden 500 on kick and found an equally fat and fitting setting for that. I have taken phone pics of both units' settings. Now each time I listen, I smile at the audible improvement that both the snare and kick send back to me. Very pleased at the improvement and.....at $ for the pair, they are both paid for in full.

I bought it as a super clean DI to be used with amp simulators.

But it's also a great mic preamp.

Maybe I don't get the "mojo" thing but it's really really obvious and not at all subtle. The knob starts at like 7 o'clock, and I wouldn't turn it past 9 o'clock unless you are being silly or creative.

My other preamps are a pair of Great Rivers, a pair of Neve 511s, and a Crane Song Syren. I also have really nice interface preamps that I use (Focusrite 8pre). This is my sixth preamp and I think it holds its own very well against the other preamps and I will definitely use it.

I think a stereo pair would be really nice because it's my only preamp with a line-in, and boosting a line level signal cleanly is a really nice feature. You could even use it as an external saturator / outboard equipment, since you can use mojo on the line signal.

The Mojo mode in the Camden is similar to the VHD mode in the SSL. Except the Mojo mode has fixed 2nd/3rd order levels whereas the SSL has a knob to blend any ratio of 2nd to 3rd order. But Mojo mode also has a sub harmonic mode (Thump) which the SSL does not have.

The Camden has an input setting for Line In levels but no pad, whereas the SSL only has a 20dB pad switch.

Both have a high pass filter although the Camden's frequency is fixed. Both have 48v phantom power although the switch on the Camden has a delayed power on and delayed power off. That can help reduce the thump you get when powering on or off. I didn't realize the Camden had that so the first time I turned on phantom power and didn't get signal from my mic for a few seconds, I suspected its phantom power was dead. Nope, I just didn't realize that cool, power delay feature on the Camden. That's the first mic pre I've ever had that does that.

The gain knob is switched and not a potentiometer. I thought that would be an issue at first but turned out to be great for my needs. Since I use my first Camden mainly for a guitar DI box preamp, I put a red dot sticker at the setting for DI so I can use it for many other instruments and easily return to its DI level. Once I get my 2nd Camden, the stepped gain will be good for balanced stereo levels, especially when switching to line input to use them as an outboard stereo saturation box.

The clean mode of the SSL (Superanalog) has been very nice for tracking clean signals from my instrument DI boxes. Now for the Camden... WOW!!!! It seems flatter than a Grace or Millenia mic pre so my DI tracks have never been captured this accurately before. It's perfect for re-amping through real amps or using an amp sim like ToneX which is currently my favorite.

At first I only got this for my clean DI signals but then I tried the Mojo mode on a vocal track. WOW again!!! This test ended my self control and as soon as the Camden went on sale again (right now), I ordered another to have a stereo pair. With their switchable line level input, I can now pump stereo tracks from my DAWs through the Camden to add their great sounding harmonics or full blown distortion.

I've seen vids of people saying they could be happy with banks of nothing but the Camden and I now happily agree. My main desk 500 chassis is very happy although everything will have to shift to the right to make room for the 2nd Camden. The SSL 611DYN will go into another side rack with another 500 chassis. Can't wait until the second one arrives in a few days.

I really don't have anything negative to say about this. If you are looking specifically for a characterful, vintage-sounding preamp, this is probably not it, but as long as you know that it is meant to be a super clean, super transparent, super smooth, super quiet preamp, you will not be disappointed. I have been using the preamp on my Audient iD 24 primarily because the iD preamps are already as good or better than most standalone "clean" preamps. This is one of the few, at least at this price point, that is an actual worthwhile upgrade from that. Previously, I had tried the SSL SiX CH, but it has a harsher top end and a higher noise floor than even the Audient. The Camden is at least as quiet and even cleaner and smoother than the Audient.

On top of that, you also have the mojo circuit. I wouldn't consider this to be essential, but I like how it acts as a bass boost in the thump mode, basically negating the need for an additional EQ for that. I haven't used the cream mode, so I can't really comment on it. Nevertheless, this is a great preamp that really can't be beat unless you are after a specific sound.

I had been using colored preamps after being disappointed with the quality of preamps built into my audio interfaces. I had API style, Neve style, and more. After hearing the camden, I was blown away. It sounds like real life but it has none of the harshness or hyped high end I typically associate with clean preamps. It kinda makes my colored preamps sound harsh now. I sold all my colored preamps and bought 8 of these. I wish I could go back and re-record in progress projects with these. I am enjoying running the mix bus through the thump mojo. The saturation is practically non-existent past 200Hz so it's not the same saturation you get from a silicon steel output transformer where there is significant THD past 1kHz. It's more similar to a high quality nickel output transformer, which alone would cost $, so it's a great deal. The cream setting has more uniform THD across the frequency spectrum. It peaks around 200Hz and falls off as a wide bell shape. This data was gathered with REW. Cream seems to clip easier and has a more noticeable edge to it. Both flavors are useful for different instruments and styles, but I usually enjoy having them off to experience the true to life 3D sound of the raw camden. It's an inspirational piece of equipment.

Hello, Just got a pair of these with the Cranborne R8 unit. I must say that these are super clean. This is a very revealing mic pre and that can be good and bad. The articulation is superb but if there are duds or "weak links" this pre will expose them. For clean vocals, acoustic guitar, piano or any instrument where clarity is important it is to me one of the best that I have heard. This is not by default a colorful pre but with the turn of a knob... Whoa Boy!! You can go from clean to frizzy with cream and from clean to a transformer like low end with thump.. I would not say like the well known products that uses tubes and transformers (or both) but the circuit does its own Camden then that you dial in just right. I like it .. I like the versatility and I like the options. Looking forward to seeing all that this great sounding, versatile and an economic no brainer cost wise preamp can do for my productions. At this level it does not make any sense to me not pick one or two or eight! Have fun.

Wow, is this ever the most versatile preamp I've ever used! From super clean to flat-out distortion, this preamp has you covered. It's fantastic for recording or mixing. You won't regret this purchase!

This is really good ! Clean when needed and 2 different saturations. I can only compare the goodness to my Shelford Channel and it holds its own! And wins for Bass DI every time it's worth every penny. I will get at least one more maybe 3 !

Preamp sounds great and seems to have an almost non-existent noise floor. It's one of the cleanest, quietest pre-amps I own, but it breaks up in a really appealing way when you drive the input gain.

The "Mojo" switch can also be seen as "dark" and "bright." It's a nice feature to have. The Mojo knob though... it doesn't seem to do much other than activate the circuit. I'll have to play around with it on more sources.

Would definitely recommend this for the price:quality. Well done.

I recently purchased the Cranborne 500 ADAT chassis and this preamp was included for free as a deal. This isn't something I normally would've purchased but after listening to it and doing some drum and vocal recording with it, I liked it so much that I purchased a second one to have a pair. It has a very smooth and natural sound which makes sense as they're going for a super flat and clean sound. It's great for detailed vocals and sounds super natural on drum overheads. However, when you need a little warmth and color, the mojo knob is incredible and adds just the right amount of saturation to your signal. This thing is a steal at it's price but is also just a great preamp regardless of price. If you're looking for a clean, detailed and highly transparent preamp but don't want to spend the money for a Grace or Millenia, look no further.

So quiet and tasteful on everything I've tried it on so far, it's rack companion full of these would be absolutely wonderful to me but... will be quite happy with a pair of these no doubt!

Have used this preamp so far on vocals, acoustic guitar (DI and Mic), electric guitar amp and bass amp. The combination of the cream and thump helped me add very nice texture to my recordings. This is currently my favorite compared to the SSL SiX preamp.

For 3 reasons. Maybe 4.
It's a very clean preamp with amazing specs. But with mojo you can add thump or cream to the signal. So right there that's 3 reasons. What I love about this is that it has line ins on the front and back. I can send signal from my interface in the back and print that back in the DAW. Or if I have synths, as soon as I plug in the from 1/4" (line) the back inputs is bypassed. I'm able to get great "mojo" and anything. I'm not just forced on a DI or Mic input.
The picture here is the old version. The new version has a 48v LED and now the signal LED is multicolored going from blue (quiet) to green to red. The low signal still lights up giving you reassurance that you are patched. The old design you had to hit it a lot harder to get even a flicker. I have 4 now. Can't help it. Gotta have them in pairs simply because why not. These are sweet and for the price they are amazing. Ya I said it. Amazing.

I won't be surprised if this becomes a classic. Not because of the mojo( which is awesome) - But because Cranborne created the cleanest preamp you can buy ( Look at the phase shift specs !!! ) It stacks SO well and ive actually fallen in love w it clean- and having such a clean and beautifully full signal really makes me feel like Im getting the most out of my massive collection of emulation plugins- Whats crazier is they sourced the materials outside of the audio industry to save US money. So yea, give it a couple decades but im telling you- 5 STARS

These preamps are a killer option at their price point. Being able to add two different types of saturation depending on source material is great. Love these.

I LOVE THIS PREAMP. It sounds EXCELLENT on everything I've tried it on. You have lots of choices of tone shaping with the Mojo button, from off (clean), to thump (sounds SOOOO GOOOD on bass), to cream, which you can adjust to your style. Personally, I've found the thump setting suits my vocals better than Cream or clean, but I tracked some female vocals on which cream sounded better. The ability to so easily switch between tones is a huge plus that you don't get from many preamps, much less at this price point. I will be buying more of these when I get more money to do so, and the best part of all is that I can buy 3 of these for the same cost as I would spend on some of the competitors.

If you want to hear this preamp in comparison to others, go to the search bar and search Sweetwater's vocal pre-amp shootout. I already wanted the Camden even before the shootout, but listening to the shootout confirmed it for me.

I got it, I liked it, and it was clean. Unfortunately I can't say much else "positive" it didn't blow me away. Got the SSL Six Ch instead, nothing more needed to be said.

I bought a few of these so I could bypass the preamps on my Avid C|24, and I'll have to say these are definitely a bit better than what the C|24 has onboard. I've waited a while to write my review because I wanted to really put them through the paces before jumping on the "these are awesome" bandwagon. They're not awesome. They're pretty OK, and they definitely have more headroom and gain than my onboard preamps, but they're noisy, especially the HI Z input. They are, however, quite versatile for adding coloration to the output signal, and that can be useful, but. . . . . I used one on a vocal track with a Shure KSM32, and it was pretty good. I used two of them to close mic an acoustic guitar using a Miktek C7 on the body, and a Rode NT2A on the neck, and that also turned out pretty good. Then I plugged a bass guitar direct into the HI Z input, and man was that noisy! I was able to get above the noise threshold for the recording, but the sustained notes had a very distinctive hiss that had to be faded out, which kinda killed the feel of the track. Anyway, I'm glad I bought them. They are worth the price I paid, but do they stand up to the hype? I don't think so.

I've had the pleasure of owning this beautiful mic preamp for the past year and it has all but replaced all other preamps I've used. What I like most about it is that when I set up a microphone such as my trusty Advanced Audio CM800T (typically in omni) what I hear through my monitors is nothing short of a completely accurate representation of that vocalist. There's a special place in my heart for Neve clones and Burl transformers but what I've noticed since using this beauty is that I feel the need to EQ so much less and can use plugins to give the sound additional flavor later if I'm looking for more of a Neve or SSL tone. There's something to be said for having clarity up into the highest and lowest reaches of the frequency spectrum with no phase-shifting or other funny nonsense interfering with what you hear. This preamp gets me the modern, crystal clear pop and rap sound I'm looking for when I track both myself and the other artists I bring into my studio. I'd give it 6 stars if I could.

HI-Z/LINE/MIC switch went south and preamp emits a hum. My BAE stuff works like a champ in comparison. I don't recommend these at all. They do sound swell when working though. Waste of money for me. That's life sometimes. I'll be moving on.

This is my first review for any product on this site and I have been purchasing gear at Sweetwater for over a decade. Don't hesitate when considering this preamp. I just plugged a bass guitar (Squier Jazz) into the DI input on the front panel just to test the operation of the module and I was amazed at the sound I was hearing. Straight through, the input sounds very clean..reminds me of other Class A solid state stuff that costs 3x more. When I engaged the Mojo circuit..WHOA!!! You can dial up a lot of character here. Still haven't plugged a microphone into the pre yet...I will follow up later with that review. If you are looking for more sonic flavor and quality components...this is an unbelievable value even if you only used it as a DI.

Firstly I will say these resemble something "cheap" and "low quality" from the outside. However the attention to detail and quality of components exceeds many other products at twice the cost or more. These are insanely versatile units and sound great on any source! The only thing you will want to consider purchasing is an XLR pad for hotter signals. These preamps are perfect for any studio!

Super clean without Mojo, with it the lows/highs (Thump/Cream) really shine through. Plenty of gain on tap for most applications. DI is an excellent feature.

My gripes are that the card itself isn't encased in a metal case, and that the knobs/switches are clearly where they saved some money (they don't feel BAD, but next to a GAP 575 Premier there is no comparison). Not enough to ding the score, but worth noting.

Absolutely recommend the Camden 500!

I read so many great reviews that I thought I understood what I was getting. I was surprised at this thing in practice.

The good: absolutely pristine. I mean, holy crap, this is almost reference grade clarity. Most of the time, people regard interface pre's as being clean to a point of being uninspiring. Compared to RME pre's in the latest UFX+, this thing has a whole new level of clean, which exposed in back-to-back testing the very mild mojo in the RME pres. It actually made me really appreciate those 4 preamps to a whole new level. There's a place for something this clean though: capturing specific detail in special instruments. For audio cataloging, such as capturing the sound of relics or voices exactly as you hear them (thinking beyond music applications), this is perfect.

The interesting: the mojo knob. Thump on really adds depth in a pleasing way. I almost don't ever want to turn it off. It added some special body to floor tom and bass that was addicting to use. Cream, on the other hand, isn't subtle, and is almost distracting used in a mix context. For both thump and cream, I found myself dialing it back to about 9 o'clock in practice. Cream could be used I think for adding grit to something like a blues tone or dirtying up line sources (worked well for a synth stab for example).

The not-so-good: the detent on the gain. I LOVE detents on primary gain when a trim or output stage is continuous for easy recall and being able to dial back on the gain as you approach clipping on the AD/DA converters. However, the sweet spot was always on either side of the detent which was just annoying. I also really wish there was more metering since there isn't an output stage. I'd easily ditch the DI jack on the front to get a variable HPF or just better metering, or a trim on the gain.

Conclusion: I'm 100% keeping this as I do use it frequently. It is inspiringly clean, mojo adds flavor, and at the price point, every studio needs at least 2.

There is a lot to like about this unit. I did tons of research and found that almost always, people were singing its praises. However, I want to note a couple of things that I think would make this product even better. First up would be some LED indicator lights. When I turn on my 500 series cab, I have no idea if this unit is functional. (There is no ON LED light, no 48V light, NO LED signal bar graph, no phase light, etc. There are only (2) LEDs period: one for signal present and one for clipping. And both are dark until unit has a signal. Compared to other 500 series preas, this unit looks rather "lifeless" most all the time.

On my particular unit, the Cream setting, part of the MOJO control, was distorted when the control knob was rotated over 50% and in my case, very unusable for me. The Thumb side added some very usable voice "character" and I was impressed. As others have said, this pre seems to be very clear (When no MOJO is added) but can add detailed character when needed via the MOJO setting.

Overall, I'm still very happy with my purchase and plan to buy another one soon. I did A-B comparison tests using this unit VS a Midas 502 V2, a Focusrite ISA428 and a Universal Audio LA-610 mic preamps. After the tests, I decided, for this price especially, I would definitely like to own another one or two units. It took far less "fiddle" time to find a great sound using this product.

Ok. So I have been around recording for 20+ years messing around on my own, even had a commercial studio operating pre Covid and I have tried every preamp known to mankind. This preamp squarely falls into the "clean and uncolored" category by their own marketing material and the placard that's is placed in the box with the Camden.

The other "clean" preamps I have owned and have some pretty extensive experience with are the Grace and Millennia brands. Grace always sounded glassy to me. I love the Millennia preamps.

The Camden manages to upstage them both. How they are doing this at this price point is straight up voodoo. Sound amazing with my solid state mics and my tube mics. Balanced across all frequencies, the clean setting is flat out amazing and punches WAY above where it should be punching.

The mojo settings are very cool. Thump for some extra low end and Cream for some extra high end. I will probably be leaving it mostly on the clean setting for vocals, which is what I primarily record.

DI sounds great. Did some Baritone guitar tracks direct and I am extremely pleased with the results.

Pretty blown away. Would be very happy with a large lunchbox full or nothing but these.

Supremely high end sound without the high-end price tag. I ordered one Camden 500 from Sweetwater and then turned around and bought another one. I'm debating getting rid of my API and Shadow Hills pre's to get more of these. I really want to fill a whole 500 series 8-up rack with just these preamps. They are honestly that good. I find myself wrinkling my nose at the other preamps in my studio. I don't normally make effusive statements about gear, but these sound incredible, and I mean, incredible on everything. Mojo filter is a game changer - being able make variable changes to the sound is incredibly useful, not to mention, inspiring. I get excited every time I plug a mic into these things. If you want to spend a ton on lesser gear, go ahead, but take it from someone who has heard and used a lot of gear. These are the real deal.

I got one, then immediately another - I've used them to track drums. In one instance I was short 1 pre and had to use this on the extra floor tom along side the RND 511's on rack 1 and floor 1. Wow. Nothing lacking at all amongst the 3 pres. I've been also using them extensively in tracking and mixing and the mojo is infinitely useful. Zero'd out with line level material run back through- they are invisible. For a modular, hybrid, systems where it's useful to have tools with many uses ... this earns its place straight away and rivals 500 dollar price point preamps.

Many other folks more technically savvy and skilled than I am have weighed in on this gem and there are some rave reviews out there which tell a better story than I can, but when I found that Sweetwater is now carrying the Cranborne line I couldn't resist adding my two cents. I have had a pair of these fabulous preamps in my rack for about a year and my Neve and UA preamps are pretty much gathering dust. Fabulous clean but not sterile sound with extremely low noise floor. I pair them with my Sphere L22 and the combination is unbeatable. Transparency coupled with ultra low noise, a very natural and warm sound. Between the Sphere's amazing mic combinations and the Mojo circuits in the Camden, you can dial in any coloration you want! I use the Camden preamps on pretty much everything I record from acoustic guitar to electric guitar, vocals, percussion, you name it.

The best part? The price! At $... the Camden is a screaming deal!

Don
ControlZStudio

The one sentence review of this preamp is that it is simply the best.

There are really two different ways to look at this preamp: how transparent it is and how much color can be applied.

This preamp is the most transparent amplifier I have ever used. Period. I am unaware of any preamp that can match the transparency of the Camden. This preamp has a virtually perfectly flat response. If you want to just boost the sound this preamp can do that at a mastering-level quality.

Now if you are looking for color, this preamp does that better than just about every other preamp on the market. This is due to the Mojo circuit. You can get that thick low end sound with the thump setting engaged. With the cream setting engaged, you can get a very true valve/tape-style saturation with a very nice compression-like effect. The best part of these settings is that they are created through the use of harmonics and filters. Because the coloration is done this way instead of with a simple eq, the coloration is very true to the sound source. This means you still get the benefits of the virtually non-existent phase shifting and low noise with the benefits of the classic coloration you can get from the Mojo circuit. This coloration is not just some cheap feature that was created by the marketing department. It is the real deal.

This preamp should be the singular industry standard. ...you can go from transparent to heavy coloration with the turn of a knob. Absolutely everyone should have racks of these preamps. This should be the first preamp you get. This should be the preamp on every channel you use. There is just no reason to get or use any other preamp.

I will be buying every product that Cranborne makes if they are anywhere near as good as this preamp. I can not speak highly enough of this product.

I've gone through more gear than Taylor Swift has gone through boyfriends and I'm here to tell you the Camden 500 is a stunning preamp that will be your soulmate for life. Clean but not sterile. It doesn't have that artificially hyped high end that some so-called "clean" preamps give you. It sounds natural and, quite honestly, expensive. This pre punches way, way above its price point. But the real magic happens when you turn on Mojo.

Cream and Thump give you such a wide range of tone and options. From transformer warmth and thickness to secondary harmonics that make your tracks seem to lean forward, it's pretty amazing what the Mojo circuit can dial up. You can be you. You can be creative. You can be wild. The Camden 500 allows you to be whomever you want to be. Don't let the affordable price point fool you. Once you get your hands on a Camden 500, you'll find it indispensable.