Exactly what makes the Chandler Germanium so good?

[Reag1502]

I ask because I may get one, to go along with my API A2D mic pre. Here are my questions though. Does the Germ sound cool, because it adds more distortion to your guitar sound? Also does it add more bottom end than a API mic pre. I ask because if I am already liking the sound thats coming out of my amps, shouldn't I have something like the API which is a little cleaner sounding instead of the Germ which adds things on top of your sound? What I am saying is, that I am happy with my guitar tones, and don't really need anything to help it sound better, or add more color. What should I do, get it or move on?

[3rd world order]

organic depth

[Reag1502]

Originally Posted by 3rd world order

organic depth

Not exactly the answer I was looking for, but what ever

[fastlane]

I've ordered 2 of them pretty much in blind fate from the review they get here. I really can't wait to get them and see what all the hype is about.

[Bump Music]

There is a lot of info on GS about this. Do a search. Good luck. They sound awesome.

[RoundBadge]

The only way you'll really know if there gonna work for your purposes is to demo one..everybody hears differently.
My version of "warm/smooth" may be your version of "dark/dull",etc
Vintage King will ship anywhere in the states and let you demo stuff

I record mostly rock and the Germs are great for rock guitars[especially leads]..,bass,keys,drums and sometimes vocals..and yes they are colorful and they can add loads of bottom with the "thick" button..
so if pristine clean[Hardy,etc ] is what your after, don't bother..
for me pristine and clean is just fukking.. boooorrring..
so yeah, the Germs suit my needs very well for the rock.
Wade just makes great gear.

[MrVelvet]

Yeah, there are so many different versions of warmth that no one will be able to tell you if it's something you like within your mixes... Try for yourself

[Reag1502]

Originally Posted by RoundBadge

The only way you'll really know if there gonna work for your purposes is to demo one..everybody hears differently.
My version of "warm/smooth" may be your version of "dark/dull",etc
Vintage King will ship anywhere in the states and let you demo stuff

I record mostly rock and the Germs are great for rock guitars[especially leads]..,bass,keys,drums and sometimes vocals..and yes they are colorful and they can add loads of bottom with the "thick" button..
so if pristine clean[Hardy,etc ] is what your after, don't bother..
for me pristine and clean is just fukking.. boooorrring..
so yeah, the Germs suit my needs very well for the rock.
Wade just makes great gear.

Trust me, pristine clean is far from what I want. If that was the case I would go out and buy a Avalon or something. I am just wondering if my API A2D can cover basically all the same tones as the Germ that's all. As cool as the Germ is I'm sure I don't want to get 2 of the same thing. As long as my mic pre is warm, fat, and adds a nice color I will be happy.

[zarembo]

Originally Posted by Reag1502

I am just wondering if my API A2D can cover basically all the same tones as the Germ that's all.

no, it can't.

[kungfugeek]

I have an A2D as well as a pair of Germs, a Pacifica, a V78, a pair of 7602's, and a Brick. They all sound very different to me. I can tell you for sure that the Germ can do things the A2D can not and vice versa. The Germ can get very big sounding depending on its settings, the A2D on the other hand has a more forward sound, although with the pad in and the 2:1 button in, you can make the A2D a little less forward and more big, just not Germ big. As a side note, I find that I use my Pacifica's more than both of them :)

Micah

[3rd world order]

Originally Posted by Reag1502

Not exactly the answer I was looking for, but what ever

there's is some kind of magical thing germanium circuits do to sound... its a depth thing for sure... its a motion and movement thing for sure... it turns 2D into 3D then smooths out the top end... then thickens... and if you want low end pop in that thick switch and you'll get bottom down to china.

its the closest sound to tape IMO and is better in some ways...

[tonymite]

THE HYPE, fashion maybe ?? saying Germanium kinda sounds like you're a cool knt?? Germaniums instability ? dried up prune ??

[macr0w]

Originally Posted by tonymite

THE HYPE, fashion maybe ?? saying Germanium kinda sounds like you're a cool knt?? Germaniums instability ? dried up prune ??

[Lek]

Originally Posted by 3rd world order

there's is some kind of magical thing germanium circuits do to sound... its a depth thing for sure... its a motion and movement thing for sure... it turns 2D into 3D then smooths out the top end... then thickens... and if you want low end pop in that thick switch and you'll get bottom down to china.

its the closest sound to tape IMO and is better in some ways...

Actually I thought your first answer was spot on (even though the original poster said that wasn't the answer he was looking for). I just shot it out with my cranesong spider pre's, and it is just a touch more organic and has a bit more depth

I don't feel it sounds close to tape at all. I record direct to my ampex atr102 sometimes and to me it still sounds completely different than digitial. The germ recorded to digital sounds great, more organic, but still obviously...digital

BTW, to the original poster, I got rid of my api 3124 and regret it now! I go back to some of my recordings and find it has a warmth I miss, you may not need the germ (though I will shoot them out soon!)

[Reag1502]

I am sold of the Germ. I'm a guitar player, and that's the most important thing to me over all, then the vocals. As long as I can use both for many different applications, than I think it will be worth getting. My only concern was that the Germ would be sitting around doing nothing except when I played solos. Its an expensive thing to get just to play leads in my opinion.

[FredrikCarno]

got two of them...

I've been using them for guitar cabs nearly everyday I got them. I think there great

.. but remember different situations different pres


regards
Fredrik Carno
www.fredrikcarno.com

[AlbatrossAudio]

My studio just got one, but being an intern, I haven't had the chance to fully play with it. From what I remember the sound has something to do with low levels of distortion. I might be wrong.

[Mark Warren]

Have had the chance to spend some time with my Germanium now and another characteristic it has is that 'compresses' slightly. Not necessarily in the same way using a compressor would, but in the sense that you can lean into the gain and get a little more apparant loudness and cool harmonic stuff going on without clipping your meters at your input. Not sure if this is the 'driving' of the transistor or what. Whereas with many other pres when you turn up the gain (especially on one knob pres) you can get into the red alot quicker. The Germanium offers alot of cool tonal options with the spinning of its knobs, and there's definitely no other preamp that sound like it. Great job Chandler!!!

[OHA]

Originally Posted by Reag1502

Exactly what makes the Chandler Germanium so good?

Is it so good?

[3rd world order]

Originally Posted by Lek

I don't feel it sounds close to tape at all. I record direct to my ampex atr102 sometimes and to me it still sounds completely different than digitial. The germ recorded to digital sounds great, more organic, but still obviously...digital

I say tape because it's one of the few things in the audio world gives you "something for nothing" so to speak... if i'm given lifeless digital stuff the first thing i run to is the germ and tape... with those 2 i have a chance to still make it sound like a record... so that's what i mean by "sounds like tape". it doesnt really sound like tape but it does a lot of tape like things... it's certainly a lot more "tape like" than any of those plug-ins... you'll never get depth from those.

[Raygun]

I just recently upgraded my home studio and my Mic pre's of choice were the Germanium and a 2-610 Universal Audio. Both sound great but I tend to use the Germanium a bit more.. The 2-610 adds a tone I'd call "fudgy" while the Germ is like a really heavy red wine with some chocolate core to it.. if that makes any sense whatsoever.. :)
It is very "warm", very "fat". That said, you can absolutely use it on pretty much anything, not just lead guitars! Now, I don't know if this is true or not - I'm not an engineer with life long experience and skill - but I feel that if I want roundness and depth, while also keeping the high end open with a kind of "rounded crisp".. then the Germ will fix just that. I've recorded some of the best accoustic guitar sounds I've heard with it, some really nice viola and also vocals. But when I want a more defined mid, like a violin, the 2-610 has worked better.

I think it sounds like you need to get your hands on one and try it out. Your description of what you are looking for - fat, depth, warm, coloured, round etc, is exactly what this thing does. Plus, I think it's a CREATIVE pre amp and how common is that??

Now, I've made it this year's mission to save up for another one and also to get a pair of Germanium tone controls..

[alcohol]

I'm wondering if someone could suggest a monitoring solution for the Germanium.

Currently I'm putting the Germanium output through a patchbay and then splitting that signal to a A/D convertor and to my console so I can monitor without any latency. Is there a better solution?

[Igotsoul4u]

Originally Posted by Raygun

The 2-610 adds a tone I'd call "fudgy" .. if that makes any sense whatsoever.. :)
..

Ha. Makes perfect sense. I totally agree that the 2-610 has a fudgy sound to it!!!! The second I read your description I immediatly thought " ya know, it does sound fudgy!!!"

[desol]

Stop wasting your time with that pre or this pre or the other pre or what this color is of that color is.... (bangs head against the wall)

Get more API's... They're 'pretty good' right?

Move on......microphones and rooms are much more important...IMO...and so is the PERFORMANCE of the artist.

Just my two bits...

D.

[Pellen]

Originally Posted by Raygun

I just recently upgraded my home studio and my Mic pre's of choice were the Germanium and a 2-610 Universal Audio. Both sound great but I tend to use the Germanium a bit more.. The 2-610 adds a tone I'd call "fudgy" while the Germ is like a really heavy red wine with some chocolate core to it.. if that makes any sense whatsoever.. :)
It is very "warm", very "fat". That said, you can absolutely use it on pretty much anything, not just lead guitars! Now, I don't know if this is true or not - I'm not an engineer with life long experience and skill - but I feel that if I want roundness and depth, while also keeping the high end open with a kind of "rounded crisp".. then the Germ will fix just that. I've recorded some of the best accoustic guitar sounds I've heard with it, some really nice viola and also vocals. But when I want a more defined mid, like a violin, the 2-610 has worked better.

I think it sounds like you need to get your hands on one and try it out. Your description of what you are looking for - fat, depth, warm, coloured, round etc, is exactly what this thing does. Plus, I think it's a CREATIVE pre amp and how common is that??

Now, I've made it this year's mission to save up for another one and also to get a pair of Germanium tone controls..

...for the acoustic guitars you did. I´m just about to see if it could be interesting to have one in the system.

Thanks. pelle.nylen@glocalnet.net

[84K]

See post #6 by Roundbadge. Spot On.

[Raygun]

Originally Posted by Pellen

...for the acoustic guitars you did. I´m just about to see if it could be interesting to have one in the system.

Thanks. pelle.nylen@glocalnet.net

Hej Pelle! :)

This was a rather late discovery, I found this old thread when searching for something else.. Anyway - I must say that I have no idea what the setting was exactly. But usually I find what I want when I go above 6, 7 on drive and then drive the feedback to about 9, 10 'o clock. Nothing super innovative there.. But I noticed I wrote that I'd recorded "some of the best guitar sounds I've heard" and to put it a little more humble - I've got the best sounds I'VE recorded with it! And that makes the whole thing so much more fun and inspiring and that makes you want to work more and get better and in that sense I think great gear is sometimes more important and creative than one first might think.

BTW. I still have a big smile on my face when I play back stuff I've recorded with the Germ. It really is that good, it's the best piece of gear I own.

[chrisrulesmore]

I understand the comparison to tape...

If I were to compare/contrast the shades of color between the Germanium and my Great River ME-1NV, I would say the Germ has a way of softening up a sound whereas the GR results in a harder, grittier sound. Both color, but two very different shades.

FWIW, the Germanium wins out on just about every source for me.

-Chris