CHANDLER LIMITED Germanium Compressor

Product overview

The CHANDLER LIMITED Germanium Compressor is a mono FET compressor built around the all class A germanium amplifier of the Germanium series, transformer balanced in and out, with a wet / dry mix, six Comp Curve settings, Clean and Dirty compression and a sidechain filter.

The Germanium Compressor starts with the same all class A amplifier found in the other Germanium units and is transformer balanced in and out. The compression circuit uses an FET gain reduction element, with the flexibility of the whole Germanium series. Many of its parameters were set by studio use and listening rather than by test gear, so the result is a musical compressor ready for tracking, mixing and mastering. It is hand wired and assembled in the USA with a 100 % discrete transistor circuit and specially wound transformers.

Key features

• All class A germanium amplifier, transformer balanced in and out with custom wound transformers
• FET gain reduction with Input, Ratio, Attack and Release controls set by ear
• Comp Curve: the knee is set by resistance, germanium, silicon or zener diode combinations
• Wet / dry Mix for parallel compression inside one unit
• Clean Comp / Dirty Comp switch for low or rich harmonic distortion
• Sidechain filter: Out, 30, 60, 90, 150 and 300 Hz
• Germanium Drive output gain in 3 dB steps and Feedback control for tone
• Link switch for stereo or surround use of several units
• Hardwire bypass and VU-style gain metering on the front panel
• Hand wired and assembled in the USA; powered by the CHANDLER LIMITED PSU-1

Comp Curve: six characters of knee

The Comp Curve control selects the knee of the compressor with different diode combinations. Resistance is the most neutral and gentle setting; GERM Soft uses a single germanium diode for a slightly sharper knee; GERM Medium adds a second diode type for more colour; SILICON Medium and SILICON Hard sharpen the knee further with silicon diodes; ZENER Hard uses a single zener diode for the sharpest knee of all. The resistance and germanium settings are very gentle, the silicon and zener settings grab harder.

Wet / dry mix for parallel compression

The Mix control blends the compressed signal with the unprocessed signal coming into the unit, much like a submix or parallel compression set-up, but within one box. It keeps the tight, punchy compressed sound without dampening the attack and intensity of the original. CHANDLER LIMITED suggests the hard silicon and zener curves with a faster attack for intense sub-mix sounds, and moderate curves with medium attack for more subtle blending.

Clean or Dirty, Gain and Feedback

In Dirty Comp the compressor keeps most of its harmonic character, exclusively 2nd and 3rd harmonics, with THD from 2 to 5 %; in Clean Comp compression distortion stays between 0.2 and 0.5 %. The Germanium Drive (gain) switch sets the output level in 3 dB steps, and the Feedback control sets how much of the amplifier output is fed back to its input: less feedback gives a more pristine, clearer tone with more high frequencies, more feedback adds THD, gain, a small bass rise and a small high-end roll-off. Available gain runs from -30 dB to +25 dB.

Sidechain, attack and release

The sidechain filter tailors how much low frequency energy reaches the compressor detector: very useful on bass-heavy instruments such as kick drum and bass guitar, and on dense mixes and subgroups. Attack and Release run from fast to slow and were set by listening to a wide range of material; medium attack settings suit general use.

In the box

• Germanium Compressor

CHANDLER LIMITED Germanium Compressor: frequently asked questions

Is the Germanium Compressor mono or stereo?

It is a mono unit. The Link switch links the control voltage of two or more units for stereo or surround work; Input, Attack and Release are then still set by hand on each unit.

Does it need a power supply?

Yes. All Germanium units run on the CHANDLER LIMITED PSU-1 power supply, purchased separately; its internal switch sets 120 V or 220 V operation.

What are the inputs and outputs?

XLR input and output, pin 2 hot, transformer balanced with custom wound transformers.

How long should it warm up?

CHANDLER LIMITED recommends at least 25 minutes of warm-up for peak performance.

Where can I buy the CHANDLER LIMITED Germanium Compressor in India?

The CHANDLER LIMITED Germanium Compressor is available from Shivansh Electronics, Kolkata, West Bengal, India, with delivery across India.

Workflow 1: Tracking vocals with colour

Recording a vocal through the compressor on the way in.

Connections

Setup

1. Let the unit warm up for at least 25 minutes.
2. Start with a gentle Comp Curve such as Resistance or GERM Soft.
3. Set Input and Ratio by ear, with a medium attack.
4. Set the output level with the Gain switch and Feedback.

Tip: Use the Bypass switch to check unity gain between the compressed and the dry sound.

Workflow 2: Parallel drum compression in one box

Mixing drums with punch while keeping the attack.

Connections

Setup

1. Choose a SILICON Hard or ZENER Hard curve.
2. Use a faster attack and plenty of compression.
3. Turn Mix from wet towards dry until the transients return.
4. Switch Dirty Comp in for more harmonic edge.

Tip: Mix lets you keep the tight compressed sound without dampening the attack of the original.

Workflow 3: Bass and kick control

Keeping low-end instruments even without pumping.

Connections

Setup

1. Set Sidechain to 60, 90 or 150 Hz.
2. Set Ratio and Attack for the groove.
3. Check the tone with Feedback.
4. Compare with Bypass.

Tip: The sidechain filter stops the low strings or the kick from making the compressor clamp down too hard.

Workflow 4: Stereo bus compression

Gentle glue on a stereo mix.

Connections

Setup

1. Throw the Link switch on both units.
2. Choose Resistance or GERM Soft for gentle action.
3. Set Input, Attack and Release identically by hand on both units.
4. Use Clean Comp for low distortion.

Tip: With Link on, the switches are easy to reproduce from unit to unit.

Workflow 5: Two compressors in series

Strong control with natural tone.

Connections

Setup

1. Set the first unit with the Mix slightly dry.
2. Let the second unit compress the remaining unprocessed sound.
3. Adjust the tone with Gain and Feedback on each.
4. Compare each stage with Bypass.

Tip: CHANDLER LIMITED suggests this series set-up for interesting control of tone and dynamics.

Workflow 6: Acoustic guitar and mastering-style polish

Smoothing acoustics or adding gentle density.

Connections

Setup

1. Pick GERM Soft or GERM Medium.
2. Use a medium attack and moderate ratio.
3. Add a little Dirty Comp for character.
4. Set Feedback lower for a clearer top end.

Tip: Feedback at zero gives more high-frequency information and a cleaner tone.