There is little doubt among engineers and producers that vacuum tubes possess a unique quality, offering a warmer, more alive sound. By combining eight active tube stages with the low noise and reliability of solid-state electronics, the Drawmer 1960 provides the ultimate direct interface between the sound source and the recording medium.
The Drawmer 1960 is a two-channel unit, with each channel comprised of a natural-sounding soft knee vacuum tube compressor and an extremely low-noise microphone pre-amplifier with switchable 48V phantom power. A further auxiliary instrument pre-amp with EQ is also provided. This powerful combination - the classic valve circuit with unsurpassed tonality, paired with a low-noise balanced microphone input offering up to 60dB of gain - allows engineers worldwide to exploit the full potential of high-performance condenser microphones. For example, it is ideal for direct-to-digital stereo recording of live classical music without the need for a mixing console.
Because the compressor is a soft knee design, it requires relatively few controls. Strictly speaking, a soft knee circuit does not have a rigidly defined threshold, but for familiarity the term 'Threshold' has been retained to describe the amount of compression. The Threshold control is continuously variable between infinity and -24dB: signals below the threshold remain essentially unprocessed, while those exceeding it are subjected to progressively greater amounts of gain reduction.
Attack and release times are switchable rather than continuously variable, in line with classic all-valve predecessors. Attack offers a choice of slow, medium and fast, while release provides six settings. Positions one to four are fixed times, while positions five and six are programme-dependent modes, ideally suited to complex material such as stereo mixes and vocals. Interestingly, the choice of release setting also modifies the attack response, widening the range of options more than first appears.
As compression is a form of controlled gain reduction, a stage of make-up amplification follows the compressor, offering up to +20dB of gain. The VU meters can be switched to show either gain reduction or output level, and the two channels may be used independently or linked for stereo operation.
Side chain access points allow external equalisers to be patched in, enabling the compressor to function as a de-esser. As with other Drawmer units, the bypass switch offers three modes: Normal, Bypass, and Side Chain Listen - so if additional side chain processing is patched in, its effect can be monitored directly.
In addition to the balanced microphone and line inputs on the rear, an auxiliary input on the front panel provides direct access for guitars or electronic instruments. Equalisation is included, along with sufficient gain to overload the tube pre-amp for sustain effects. The Aux input effectively combines the functions of a D.I. box and equaliser with the compressor, allowing instruments to be simultaneously processed and routed to a mixing console or directly to the recorder.
