Softube & Chandler Limited®: Recipe To Rock

 

Take two companies known for perfectionism, add in some beers, and bake for a decade. Softube and Chandler Limited® invite you to take a look at what we've been cooking up

 

You can’t rush perfection. If any sentiment captures the spirit of our relationship with Chandler Limited®, that’s it. We've always been fans of Chandler founder Wade Goeke’s work. In 2008, while hanging out at trade shows and drinking after-hours beers, we started talking about what we could do together. For both Softube and Chandler, it was important to make the right product at the right time. In 2016, that product was finally brought to the table.

To replicate the unique flavor of Goeke's designs, the process can’t be rushed. His designs are distinct, so a distinct approach is required. It’s a challenge, but it's also what makes it so damn fun. When emulating Chandler’s hardware, we follow the recipe, but we go off-page too. It's not pure math that brings us to a finished product—it’s passion: a pinch of something special you can't quite put your finger on, but it makes the dish.

If you haven’t yet tried the tasty Softube + Chandler Limited® morsels on offer, we invite you to see why you should.

 

 

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"In hardware terms, the Zener Limiter and Curve Bender represent our flagship pieces, a formidable duo for those fortunate enough to have experienced their historic character and tone in the same chain... for years, both have been widely accepted by the industry and used on countless award-winning productions; Softube’s combination of both into a single plug-in, with expanded features is nothing short of spectacular."

Wade Goeke
Founder and Chief Designer, Chandler Limited®

 

 

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"The Curve Bender and Zener Limiter are my go to drum parallel devices for drums in all my mixes. They are both here in one plug-in. The perfect combo for piano sounds. From lo-fi to hi-fi and open, it’s easy to achieve in this all in one plug-in. A great combination for backing vocals as well."

Joe Chiccarelli
Mixer/Engineer/Producer
(Beck, U2, The Strokes, Elton John)

 

 

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"I finally can marry these two plugins into one instance on my master bus. Just going through the Zener adds a nice warmth and the smoothness of the Curve Bender helps get me that fat low end and sparkly top end."

Clint Gibbs
Mixer/Engineer
(Dr. Luke, Prescription Songs, Kim Petras, Doja Cat, Allie X, Azealia Banks)

 

Zener-Bender

 

The native plug-in version of the Zener-Bender, apart from combining the heritage, color, and character of the Zener Limiter and the Curve Bender in one impactful channel strip, is special for its plug-in-only features. Digital audio and software flexibility allow us to offer External Sidechain input, Mid/Side Processing, and Channel Linking. Clean up your low end in the center of your soundstage while gently calming your cymbals out wide. Bring a vocal to the front, even at the mastering stage, without damaging the tracks supporting it. You’re in charge of just about everything.

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Zener Limiter

 

From Abbey Road Studios and its iconic EMI TG limiters to Chandler Limited’s Wade Goeke and the now-classic Zener Limiter hardware, the Softube + Chandler Limited® Zener Limiter plug-in comes from good stock. A methodical emulation of its predecessor, the Zener Limiter plug-in brings home the heirloom goods of the original Zener Limiter with some extras in the bag. It’s the strikingly fast and punchy limiter you know and revere, served up with an extra dollop of functionality.

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Curve Bender

 

The original Softube + Chandler Limited® collaboration just had to be Curve Bender. Based on the legendary British console EQ circuits used for some of the most epic records of all time, Curve Bender’s got chops. It serves up huge, yet controlled, power and exceptional sound quality—thanks to component-level modeling of the original germanium and inductor circuits. Available for the first time in native format, Chandler Limited’s Curve Bender is the nonpareil of analog mastering grade equalizers.

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Zener-Bender For Console 1

 

Our hybrid hardware/software mixing system, Console 1, also benefits from the wonderfully unique vintage sound of the Zener-Bender, with its own bespoke version of the channel strip included with the native version, or available on its own. Console 1 is a highly intuitive hardware control system for our fantastic-sounding software mixing tools – especially complete channel strips – and with every new strip we release, the flexibility and freedom grow. The Zener-Bender in particular opens up new sonic ground to Console 1 users, with its classic yet wonderfully modern tonal quality.

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Modeling the Germanium Compressor

Germanium Compressor

 

A lot of love went into the development of the Chandler Limited® Germanium Compressor. Together with Chandler, we labored over the details to ensure the same excellent sound quality and inspiring vibe as the original. Engineered with an ear for music above mathematics, Germanium feels like an instrument and is a trusty companion for producers, recording engineers, and creative musicians alike. The Germanium is much more than gain reduction—it’s the secret sauce that adds a tang to everything it touches.

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