Waves Audio introduces Abbey Road TG Mastering Chain
Posted on: Friday 19th of October 2018
Developed together with Abbey Road Studios, the TG Mastering Chain plugin is a modular mastering chain plug-in modeled after the EMI TG12410 Transfer Console used in Abbey Road’s mastering suites. The TG12410 has been used on albums like Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon, Nirvana’s In Utero, Radiohead’s OK Computer and Ed Sheeran’s + .
Just like the original console, the TG Mastering Chain plug-in consists of the following modules:
TG12411 Input Module
TG12412 Tone Module (EQ)
TG12413 Compressor/Limiter Module
TG12414 Filter Module
TG12416 V.A.L (Spread) Module (stereo component only) incorporated into the Output Module.
The compressor/limiter module offers two flavors – ‘Original’ ( aggressive and “dirty” just like the ‘70s and exactly as modelled) and ‘Modern’ ( an original Waves and Abbey Road design based on the TG topology) – and is coupled with 48 dB/Oct linear-phase sidechain filters.
Alongside the TG Mastering Chain is the Meter Bridge component (separate plugin), offering a new approach to metering. Open one Meter Bridge component on any channel and get access (via drop-down) to all Abbey Road TG Mastering Chain instances in the session. Get a clear reading of VU, PPM, Phase and Peak at a glance, and stay focused on the music.
Regular $199 ON SALE now for $39
Mirek StiIes, Abbey Road Studio’s Head of Audio Products (and Resolution contributor), notes, “I remember seeing the various TG Mastering modules used frequently in the studios and they still are to this day, most recently for mixing Brockhampton’s Iridescence album which debuted at #1 on the Billboard top 200. I wasn’t so familiar with the mastering rooms’ workflow, but from spending time with the engineers it was important to learn that the TG modules are used on almost every project; the only exception being the compressor, which can be a little too harsh for some stereo masters. With this in mind, the Waves and Abbey Road teams went about tweaking the original TG topology. Low level information is more prominent and the VCA curve and attack release circuits were modified to create something more suitable for today’s mastering requirements. The end result was signed off by Abbey Road’s mastering engineers and we are all very proud of this plugin. It’s an extremely versatile and beautiful sounding tool for both mixing and mastering.”
