The Drawmer 1961 brings classic tube tone into the modern studio. While vintage tube equalisers are loved for their warmth and musicality, many lack the precision and performance required in today's digital workflows. The 1961 overcomes these limitations with advanced low-noise circuitry and twelve active tube stages, delivering two channels of exceptional equalisation with unmistakable valve character.
Instead of conventional continuously variable controls, the 1961 employs rotary step switches for each frequency band. This vintage-inspired approach allows component values to be fully optimised across the entire audio spectrum, giving greater accuracy, improved stereo matching, and total repeatability when setting up.
The 1961 lets you shape the amount of warmth by adjusting how hard the tubes are driven - from clean, solid-state-style transparency to rich, vintage saturation. Linked with the Drawmer 1960, it forms a two-channel tube mixing system that excels as a mastering or post-production sweetening tool.
A variable input level control from -20dB to +20dB ensures compatibility with a wide range of sources and allows the tubes to be driven softly or pushed harder for added character. LED bar-graph meters provide clear, instant feedback of input levels.
Balanced XLR inputs and outputs are standard, with operating levels switchable between -10dBu and +4dBu. Insert points on 1/4" jacks allow direct connection to the side-chain or insert loop of a 1960, creating a powerful front-end package with gain control, EQ and compression available directly to mic or line signals.
At its core, the 1961 offers four bands of fully parametric EQ per channel, each with six overlapping frequency selections and its own dedicated tube stage. Each band provides up to ±18dB of cut or boost with adjustable bandwidth from 0.3 to 3 octaves. The ranges are:
A 12dB/octave high-pass filter (15Hz-500Hz) removes unwanted low-end or subsonic noise, while a matching low-pass filter (2.5kHz-56kHz) reduces excessive highs or RF interference. Together they offer fine control across the entire spectrum, from subtle tone-shaping to precision mastering.
Two additional tube stages in each channel's output section allow smooth, musical soft clipping when pushed harder, indicated by 'Soft' and 'O/L' LEDs. Switchable VU meters display either gain reduction or output level for accurate monitoring.
Each EQ band includes an individual bypass switch, alongside a master bypass for the entire channel. This allows instant A/B comparisons or the option to route audio through the tube output stages alone for added warmth without EQ. With its intuitive layout and musical response, the 1961 is as comfortable handling gentle tonal enhancement as it is bold creative EQ work.
