Chandler Limited Introduces REDD.47 Tube Preamp – Latest Addition to Abbey Road Studios Series
There’s the music that came out of Abbey Road, and then there’s the gear. The former is available to all the world, while the latter has been a pleasure reserved for the select few.
Happily, one of the famed studio’s most desirable pieces of equipment has just gotten a little more accessible, thanks to the addition of Chandler Limited’s new REDD.47 microphone preamp to their Abbey Road Studios line.
The Chandler Limited REDD.47 brings a precious part of Abbey Road to your studio.
The REDD.47 packs a fascinating story, regarded as a “holy grail” unit that was integral to the sound of Beatles records recorded at Abbey Road Studios from 1964-1968. It’s punchy, it’s aggressive, it distorts amazingly (try to picture “Revolution” without it), and an updated version of the REDD.47 is about to be out in the open.
Availability is slated for Q1 of 2015, no price yet specified. But you know you want it. We know you know you want it. So without further ado, feast upon a flotilla of details direct from Chandler Limited:
The origins of the REDD.47 began at Abbey Road Studios’ technical division, the ‘Record Engineering Development Department’, in 1958. The REDD.47 line amplifier was designed as the replacement for Telefunken’s V72S. The latter was a specially modified version of the Telefunken V72 valve amplifier, used in the early EMI REDD mixing consoles at Abbey Road Studios.
The REDD.47 tube amplifier was introduced as the plug-in all-purpose line amplifier component for EMI’s next generation REDD.51 mixing console, first built in 1959. However, Abbey Road’s Studio Two, home to the majority of The Beatles’ recording sessions, only received its REDD.51 mixing console in 1964. The REDD.47 left its unmistakable sonic character on every Beatles record from 1964 to 1968.
Chandler Limited’s re-imagination of the REDD.47 realizes the punchy, aggressive sound of the original pre-amplifier, while adding new features required for the rigors of today’s recording studio environment. One of the features of Chandler Limited’s REDD.47 design is increased gain, allowing a range of tonal options from pristine clean sound to classic rich, saturated tone with up to 2% harmonic distortion before clipping. The Chandler Limited REDD.47 pre-amp easily reproduces the distortions heard on The Beatles’ ‘Revolution.’
The introduction of the REDD.47 tube pre-amplifier is a milestone for the Shell Rock, Iowa pro-audio manufacturer and Chandler’s heralded Abbey Road Studios product line. Chandler Limited founder and chief designer, Wade Goeke, says, “Obviously this is a big step for Chandler Limited. The REDD.47 is possibly the most famous mic pre of all time and we all wanted it to be special in sound, function, and appearance. From using the original documentation, to remolding the jumbo old style knobs, to reviving the Rumble Filter, every part of this design has been special . . . and if you’re wondering . . . yes, it distorts in that special way just like on the old songs!”
Abbey Road Studios’ Head of Audio Products, Mirek Stiles, adds, “Abbey Road Studios is proud to see the legendary REDD.47 microphone pre-amp brought back to life as a hardware unit. The distinctively warm and sometimes aggressive sound the REDD.47 is known for has made a huge impact on some of the most important historical recordings of all time. It’s very exciting to know the famous ‘edgy treble’ sound will now be available to engineers, producers and artists all over the world.”
Chandler Limited’s REDD.47 pre-amp has the ability to be used as a mic pre-amp, line amplifier, or serve as a D/I, and is sure to become a record production staple of recording studios worldwide.
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