Huge Features, Tiny Price Tag

Stanton has really gone all out with this one. The C.314 packs everything you could ever possibly need into a compact, user-friendly unit. Full MP3 functionality, touch sensitive jog wheel for vinyl emulation and scratching, an advanced cueing and looping section with integrated sampler, 7 high quality DSP effects, key correction, and the list goes on… Oh, and did I mention the price tag? It’s compact too!

MP3 style browsing

There are now a handful of CD players on the market that read MP3 discs, but none of them with such ease and comfort. Since MP3 files use less disc space than standard audio files, more fit on a single disc. A standard 700MP CD-R can fit in excess of 150 songs. The C.314 is the first CD player that enables you to scroll through the files without selecting each one along the way. Imagine having to skip through the entire disc to play song 147. Now you can simply scroll through the list by turning an encoder, and look for the song on the C.314’s blue graphical LCD display. Push on the encoder to select the desired song and voila, it starts playing instantly. As if that wasn’t enough, the unit also reads folders. So if you are one of those people who like keeping things neatly organized, this is the tool for you.

Just like vinyl

As a needle maker, Stanton came into the scratching CD player game a bit later than others. The company now has a few years experience under its belt, and it shows on this unit. The weight and resistance of the wheel has been greatly improved since earlier models. So have the vinyl emulation algorithms, which now sound and feel much closer to real analog vinyl. This is where software and hardware really come together, and you can tell Stanton has been hard at work. In addition, Stanton introduced a feature called Touch Rewind. Basically, playback returns to the cue point every time the top of the wheel is touched to create a very cool beat juggling effect. The LCD screen has a virtual record which shows the position of the sample while scratching much like putting tape on an analog record.

Cueing, Looping, and Sampling

At the forefront of the user interface are four memory/trigger pads. These pads are used to store and recall cue points and loops. This is what really sets the C.314 apart from all other players (other than it’s little brother, the C.313). Once saved to the pads, cue points and loops can be played back as samples – with adjustable pitch and level for each sample - and even sequenced via the on-board sampler sequencer. They can even be stored in the unit’s internal memory and recalled anytime the disc is inserted. The unit can store cue points and loops for up to 500 discs.

Effects Galore

The C.314 has 7 built-in effects: Auto-filter, manual filter, echo, pan, transform, flanger, and phaser. All effects are controllable via the outer jog wheel. This came in really handy to create sweeps using the manual filter, and bringing the echo up and down using the out wheel while scratching using the top touch sensitive surface. Up to three effects can be used simultaneously. The six time driven effects are synced to the beat via the on-board BPM counter.

Bottom Line

I just can’t think of another CD player in this price range that packs all these features, all while remaining user friendly and easy to use. From the MP3 disc browsing, to the vinyl emulation, to the advanced cueing, looping, and sampling, this is a beast of a machine that is fun to use both live and in the studio. Hats off to Stanton for a job well done.