The story begins in 1958. EMI London, as Abbey Road Studios was then known, had a staff of innovative recording and technical engineers and racks of the best gear available at the time; much of it either heavily modified — or designed from scratch — by EMI technicians. The Beatles, of course, were the most famous beneficiaries of EMI's technical prowess. Their early records were recorded on EMI REDD .37 valve consoles built by EMI Central Research Laboratories in the late 1950s, while the updated REDD .51 handled their mid-'60s output — including Sgt. Pepper.
The introduction of 8-track recording and the increasing sonic experimentation of a new generation of artists demanded new technology; thus, a new EMI-designed desk made its debut in 1968. With 24 mic inputs, eight buses, four echo sends, two cue sends, and — for the first time ever — a compressor/limiter (in addition to EQ) on every channel, the TG12345 console was substantially larger and more capable than the REDD desks, and driven by transistors rather than tubes, its sound was dramatically richer and more highly detailed. The "TG" prefix was a nod to EMI's corporate predecessor, "The Gramophone" company. The TG12345 was put to the test in Studio Two the following year on the Beatles' Abbey Road album.
The groundbreaking sound quality of the solid-state EMI TG12345 recording and mastering consoles left its mark on legendary albums by the rock royalty of the era. Four generations of the TG12345 served Abbey Road clients (the studio had changed its name in honor of the Beatles album) through the 1970s, recording countless hit records and film scores before being retired from service in 1983.
Chandler Limited TG Microphone Features: