Chandler Limited TG1 Dual Limiter

The Chandler Limited TG1 is a recreation of the EMI TG12413 limiter, originally developed for custom EMI and Abbey Road Studios recording and mastering consoles in the late 1960s. These original units were never sold to the public and were only found in EMI-owned studios.

While the TG1 was initially designed to emulate the Fairchild 660 and 670, which were highly regarded by engineers like Geoff Emerick, it ultimately developed a unique sound of its own.

The TG1 became a key part of the EMI TG console, which was used on classic albums such as The Beatles’ Abbey Road and Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon, along with recordings by Paul McCartney and the Rolling Stones. A limiter was included on every channel of the TG desks, contributing to the signature sound of these sessions.

The Chandler Limited TG1 features an all-discrete circuit with transformer-balanced input and output. It uses a rare diode network for gain control, resulting in a warm and open tone. The unit produces smooth, musical compression with a slightly squashed character, while still retaining clarity and high-frequency detail. The sonic result is often compared to a Fairchild 670 used in its most extreme settings.

All Abbey Road Special Edition TG1 units now include a Harmonic Distortion function. This feature bypasses the compressor or limiter threshold but keeps the full circuit active, allowing the Chandler Limited TG1 to act as a harmonic distortion generator. It can deliver up to 2 percent total harmonic distortion, which is more than double the saturation produced by typical analogue tape.

The amount of distortion can be controlled by adjusting the input, while the output maintains level. Each channel has its own toggle switch on the front panel to engage this mode, offering creative options such as using distortion on one side and hard limiting on the other.

The Chandler Limited TG1 remains a powerful studio tool, blending rich vintage tone with precise dynamic shaping and the unmistakable sound of classic EMI recordings.