AudioMedia - February 2009 - (Page 28)

For the mythical ‘desert island gig’, the Germanium’s extreme flexibility makes it ROB TAVAGLIONE’s great choice in compression. often talk about compressors as ‘paintbrushes’ because of the way they impart a particular character on our tracks. As engineers, we purchase a variety of them, each for their individual traits and colourations, never expecting any one processor to function ideally across the board. I now stand corrected. The Chandler Germanium Compressor has taken my own world of compressor assignments and methods, and turned them inside out. This many features and this much versatility has made me rethink what I expect out of dynamics controllers. I bypass switch, a clean/dirty compression switch, a continuously variable input control that ranges from one to , a sidechain control, a ratio control (again, one to ), a compression curve selector, a wet/dry mix control, controls for attack and release times, a stereo link switch, the germanium output drive control and, finally, a feedback control. Most notable is the Germanium’s choice of compression curves, which include six modes (achieved through a network of resistors, germanium diodes, and CHANDLER LIMITED GERMANIUM FET Compressor THE REVIEWER R o b Tav a g l i o n e ow n s a n d operates Catalyst Recording in Charlotte, NC. The , . Germanium – named after a lustrous metalloid chemical element in the carbon group – is eye-catching with its yellow ‘chicken head’ knobs and kidney-shaped VU against a dark blue chassis. It's an FET-based compressor with two XLRs for I/O (with transformers at input and output) and an outboard power supply that can power two Germaniums (two compressors strapped together for stereo operation or another model in the Germanium line). Germanium’s numerous controls include a hardwire Not A Carbon Copy silicon diodes): R soft, Germanium soft and medium, Silicon medium and hard, and Zener hard. R soft is very neutral gain reduction, whereas the other modes offer the pleasantly warm, round, and distorted sounds that such transistor/diode materials are known for. Germanium, the element, in particular is often used for great guitar distortions, but is expensive and difficult to work with – noisiness being one its problems. The side chain control is also notable for its ability to HPF the control signal (without an external EQ) to prevent bass-induced pumping when used on final 28 AUDIO MEDIA FEBRUARY 2009 http://www.merging.com

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AudioMedia - February 2009 Contents Recording News Post News Broadcast News GEO Focus: USA What's Up UK NAMM Review For the Record Project Profile: Hallelujah HHB CDR882 KORG MR-20005 Chandler Germanium Brauner Phanthera Final Cut: Lesbian Vampire Killers SE Electronics RNR1 The Royal Opera House Fairlight XYNERGI Limiting Loudness Product Sampler: Studio Consoles Video Guide AMSR News Stone Temple Pilots Fly Again Rode M2 Yamaha IM8 Series

AudioMedia - February 2009

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