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TG1 Abbey Road/EMI Series Limiter/Compressor
by Rob Tavaglione, 7.15.2008
Audio Media – Sept 2008
This recreation of the classic and rare EMI TG12413 is a sturdily
built, incredibly flexible limiter/compressor with unique "rack appeal."
Ironically, our modern digital production environment has made most things
retro and analog very desirable again. This trend can be easily recognized
in the line of classically inspired products from American manufacturer
Chandler Limited.
Case in point is the TG1, a limiter/compressor emulating the EMI TG12413
Limiter that was so abundantly used at Abbey Road Studios, built into EMI
consoles and heard on countless records by the Beatles, the Rolling Stones,
Pink Floyd, and others. The original TG12413 was actually made to replicate
the sound of the Fairchild 660/670, with its ability to warmly color the
sound and it's propensity for "pumping." It's a worthy heritage and these
are lofty goals, indeed; does the Chandler TG1 really claim such hallowed
ground?
Features
According to Chandler, the stereo/dual mono TG1 "has been
remade from the original design information and circuit board drawings as
provided by Abbey Road and EMI to ensure extreme authenticity!" This
EMI/Abbey Road Series product is built right with a solid steel, industrial
chassis and nothing but top-notch components both inside and out. This
includes all discrete circuitry, transformers on both input and output and
a diode network for gain reduction; such diode networks create a smooth,
pleasing distortion (i.e., many older Valley People products). This design
was selected to emulate the prevalent Fairchild 660s and 670s of the day
with transparency at conservative levels and a certain "squishy" quality at
more extreme settings.
The TG1's look is classic with a pair of unique, kidney-shaped VU meters for
gain reduction and colorful "chicken head" knobs on a 2U chassis. The rear
panel sports nothing but a pair of XLRs for I/O and an XLR4 jack to connect
the TG1's PSU-1 power supply. Each PSU-1 can power two Chandler units
(convenient should you get hooked and buy a second unit). The front panel
contains the two meters, a power switch, a stereo or dual-mono selector,
two THD/Limiter switches, two bypass switches, two input knobs, two stepped
output knobs and two six-position release knobs.
The TG1 also offers a unique feature beyond its gain reduction "raison
d'etre" — a mode called THD. In this mode, signals run through all the TG1's
circuitry except the threshold of the compressor/limiter, imparting anything
from a subtle hi-fi sheen (à la the transformers) to a maximum of two percent
distortion (reportedly double that of analog tape) by driving the input hard.
In Use
With a hopping schedule and no time to waste, I had to jump right in with
the TG1 on a critical tracking date, applying it to my stereo drum
overheads (using a Sennheiser MKH 8040 pair, ORTF configuration, and
Earthworks 1024 mic preamps with thick Monster cables) directly to my
multitrack. This gorgeous signal path picked up ridiculous amounts of
drum detail and realism, but the TG1 proved to be the "color" of the rig.
I was hoping for just a little grit and saturation, so I hit the front end
hard, selected the limiter and got about 9 dB of gain reduction. However,
the release was pumping too much so I slowed it, but the slowest release
setting reduced some of the color and excitement factor. I backed off on
the input a touch and settled on a release of 4; that got me some pleasant
aggressiveness without audible pumping.
I also tried a number of parallel processing tasks with the TG1 using the
subgroup inserts of my Soundcraft Ghost mixer with mostly great results. A
stereo subgroup of drums was subtly enhanced with the TG1 set for THD —
bypassing the working parts, but gaining a little extra presence that
could be helpful. Set on compression, the TG1 could simply do no wrong no
matter how I set it up; whether hitting it hard with a slower release for
rock ‘n' roll aggression or lightly tapping the front end and allowing a
faster release, this is simply a dream compressor for drums and vocals.
Set up as a limiter, I had much less pleasing results, too much of that
trademark pumping was easily achieved; you'd have to watch input and
release to get usable limiter settings. Don't get me wrong, I found a
wealth of sounds here, too, but I'm just pointing out that care is
required.
Bass guitar and synths are massaged by the TG1 in ways that are so good
they're almost sexual. I tried every setting the TG1 can do with bass
guitar, and I found merit with nearly all of them. Whether compressing
or limiting — dirtily with fast releases or cleanly with slower ones —
this box screams "bass guitar!" This much flexibility in dynamic and
tonal shaping is a mixer's delight; just be prepared to tweak around
for a while as you'll probably enjoy the myriad of combinations she
can grant the curious.
The TG1 can do some very nice guitar things in this parallel manner as
well. I found myself using it gently as a compressor with moderate
release as a nice glue that held my guitars together without tearing at
their delicate balance. Already distorted guitars will prefer compressor
settings over limiter ones, but either way the TG1 never got muddy like
some compressors do on guitar tracks.
Inserted on your mix, the keyword for the TG1 is caution. Although subtler
settings are easily achieved, be careful to avoid hitting the front end too
hard or allowing too quick a release. If you are looking for some bite or
edge, just watch the relationship between input and release times; their
interactive nature will allow success to the patient.
Conclusion
There's no doubt about it: the TG1 is the real deal and is flexible enough
to accomplish most of all dynamic control tasks. Fact is, every studio
needs one, but the list price will be a barrier for many users. The TG1 may
be expensive, but it sounds expensive — much like the aforementioned
Fairchild 660/670, but at a fraction of the price — whether lending your
mixes subtle sheen, some aggressive rock ‘n' roll grit or pumping your
overheads in a way that would make Ringo long for the throne again. In the
age of digital production, it's nice to have such a "retro" piece that's
not virtual, not looking at obsolescence, and permanently desirable.
-Rob Tavaglione
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