Recording - October 2014 - 53

respectable and easily able to handle most
low-powered ribbon and dynamic mics.
The other significant change from the TG2
is that the TG2-500 does not have an instrument input. There is no DI button; it has been
replaced by a Mic/Line switch that changes
the input from mic level to line level. This lets
you use the TG2-500 as an inline mixdown
device for adding analog grit and weight to
your tracks. All of the other controls-impedance, phantom power and phase-remain
the same.
The TG sound
The Chandler TG Series mic preamp, in its
various configurations, has accomplished the
rare feat of becoming a modern classic, with
a similar popularity and reverence as the API
212/512 and the Neve 1073. It has, in
many instances, become synonymous with
the sound of modern rock guitar, especially
when coupled with a dynamic mic like a
Shure SM57, Audix i5, or Sennheiser
MD421, or with a modern ribbon mic like
the Royer R-121.
Listen to the album Abbey Road, and the
signature of the TG desk is instantly apparent. Over the years, it has been described
as punchy with a solid bottom end, loads
of gain, and nice forward top and mid
presence. While I would agree with all of
the above, I find the most accurate description is found on page 112 of the book

Recording The Beatles, where authors
Kevin Ryan and Brian Kehew describe the
sound of the TG-12345 as "smooth and
polished." I would easily ascribe that to the
Chandler TG Series as well.
In use
I must come clean and let you know that
I have been using a pair of TG2 units for
close to nine years now; the TG2 is a large
part of the sound of my studio. While I have
a number of other preamps in ones and
twos, I have eight channels of Millennia
Media HV-3 for when my clients want
straight wire with gain, and four channels
of TG2 for when they want classic vibe.
As such, I know the sound of this unit
well, and here is where I will step up on my
soapbox. I typically see the TG2 shortchanged on the Internet, and occasionally
in print, as being good for only electric guitars, or maybe kick or snare. This is complete hogwash!
Part of the TG2's tonal magic is that it can
be as clean as you want or as gritty as you
need. With its built-in impedance switching,
changing the unit to 300 ohm gives your
sound a very visceral mid-forward 3D
punch.
I have used the TG2 on everything from
delicate folk to traditional jazz, ambient
electronica and of course rock, prog, and
metal. It excels on everything from vocals to

acoustic guitar, percussion, violin, mandolin and more-and it's singled out on
electric guitar and drums for a reason!
And this is where I tell you that the new
TG2-500 is sonically imperceptible from
the TG2 when they are completely
matched in level and gain structure. That
was a tricky thing to set up; I did find that
when I matched the controls as closely as
possible, the two units were about 2-3 dB
off from one another, and the Fine Gain
knob is a tad touchy. Not an exciting conclusion, until you realize that "sonically
imperceptible" means you're getting that
sound for the cost of a 500 module...
Conclusion
A stereo TG2 retails for just under
$2200, plus a $225 power supply. If you
already own or are planning on going the
500 Series route, the new TG2-500 is
only $955 street, and you can get a single channel if that is all you need.
The only way I can conclude this review
is to reiterate that for me, for the classic
sound I crave in my studio, the TG Series
microphone preamps may just be my personal favorite microphone preamps of all
time. Get yourself some of this.
Price: $955
More from: Chandler Limited,
www.chandlerlimited.com

http://www.chandlerlimited.com http://www.cras.edu http://www.cras.edu http://www.audiorecordingschool.com/consumer.html

Recording - October 2014

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recording - October 2014