Anyone had or have both of these. Care to share some views of hiw they compare and contrast?

So… if you already had a few Portico II channels an some others channel strips (Shelford, Tegeler, Hendy)…. Would you

A) Get more P2Cs
B) Mix things up and get some Chandler

Getting another pair of both not an option this month. So have to choose. Usual tracking duties, Vocals, Synths, Guitars and Drums. But usually inly one instrument at a time. Not live bands. So it is more about the tonal variation, character and creative options they offer than practicalities.

Answers on a postcard and no stupid questions like ‘why do you need more?’ Please.

Many thanks in advance.

Bump

Don't know the Chandler, but it must be very good if they had the balls to name it "cassette".

I haven't tried the Microphone Cassette, but I do have a Portico II Channel, a pair of TG2s, and a Curvebender (as well as some of the Chandler Tube Gear.

I'd say, if you don't need a higher channel count, it would be nice to have the Chandler feel. The TG series stuff is very good on guitar in particular, imo, but it's also cool on all sources I've tried it on.

The Portico II is, however, one of my most often used pieces of equipment because it just has a lot of handy features, like the De-Esser, HPF, DI, Line In, Parallel Comp, etc. It's maybe not my favorite EQ, ever, but it's also no slouch.

The Chandler stuff is is definitely more about a "vibe" and would expand the range of sounds you can get.

Of course, if you are tracking drums, maybe the increased track count of Portico II would be handy as well.

…..

Thanks shoepedals and deleted for your comments.

Yes hopefully someone who has both can chime on the relative merits.

But really a more channels vs different vibe question i suppose.

….

This is the mango vs pineapple situation.
I don't own the portico II, but I owned a Shelford 5052 (pre-Shelford channel 5088 module), which shares the same preamp with the Portico II, but it has an inductor EQ.
I currently own a TG Cassette. Both are great, but the Portico II preamp is cleaner. The TG Cassette can go from brilliant and cleanish sounding to nasty. To give you an example, I pushed the TG-Cassette really hard through ribbon mics and RND 542s for a stripped down song I recorded for the Flying Vees (The Devil Knows My Name). I used it on almost every thing. I believe I used a Neve 1073 on one of the backing vocals. The music video (with my recording) is available on YouTube (not the live version). Additionally, the song is on Spotify and Apple Music. The results were a dark and dish-watery track. I don't think I will record something that dirty again (it goes against my better judgement). I was serving the groups' request, but it will give you an idea of how colored you can make the TG Cassette. It was responsible for most of the grit and darkness.

To sum up my opinion, both are great. I believe the TG Cassette is awesome, and I am sure the Portico II is incredible (especially with its compressor). You can't lose with either.

@ mattcollen thanks for sharing your insights and the reference track! Great work btw. Really enjoyed the vibe on that track. Took me right back to ‘Bon Temps’ and memories of one of my wife’s favourite tv shows!

To clarify I already have

Three Portico II channels
Two shelford channels.

So i think based on the above inputs - if I need a total of 7 channels to record drums then am I better off with 2 more clean channels (aka Portico II) or two more vibe channels?

Would the chandler units be able to integrate cleanly if so set, but offer a different enough vibe to the shelford to justify mixing and matching or not. I’m going to ignore the benefits of used vs new gear.

Keep any advice coming. Very gratefully received.

Thank you!

Yes, the TG Cassette can be quite clean if desired.

Bear in mind getting a Portico II channel now is quite hard, unless you know of a couple for sale already. Discontinued (only due to CA compliance not due to any flaws nor because people didn't want it), and they are going up in price on the used market now (though still a touch below original retail price). I imagine cost isn't an issue given how many you already own.

My vote is for more Portico II's though, I have one and wish I had more (or had bought more why they were freely available). I didn't like the shelford anywhere near as much, it wasn't as flexible and didn't sound as good on as many sources. I also prefer the compressor in the Portico II channel.

So, if you can find one/two for sale, used, then definitely Portico II but act fast as they are now a modern classic and will just keep rising in price on the used market.

What is CA compliance?

California's environmental regulations I believe.

I was also told EU compliance missed too. And reengineering would not have been cost effective as they did not sell many 1000s of them.

I read this too.

Oh I see.

Just done a deal on another pair of Portico II Channels. So the Chandlers will have to wait another few pay days.

Thanks everyone for the comments.

Definitely the right choice.