Drawmer 1970 Dual FET Stereo Compressor and Preamplifier

An All-in-One Studio Workhorse

Inspired by the first pro-audio tool box compressor, the 1970 from Drawmer is a 2 RU rack compressor and preamplifier with dual-mono or stereo operation and two ultraclean THAT Corporation microphone pres which provide up to +66 dB of transparent gain. With switchable mic impedance and phantom power on each preamp, you can easily match your processor to any type of microphone.

The onboard I/O is designed with versatility in mind and sports separate stereo pairs of XLR inputs for mic- and line-level signals, a pair of 1/4" stereo sidechain inputs, and a pro-quality, front panel 1/4" DI input that supports low and high EQ selection. The 1970 features typical compression controls such as threshold, ratio, attack, release (including programmed release), FET bypass, Big and Air modes for low- and high-frequency boosts respectively, and a variable wet/dry mix knob for internal parallel compression effects, just to name a few. The 1970 uses a user-selectable toroidal power supply for global compatibility and includes an AC power cord for getting to work right away.

The 1970 is packed with control functions for tackling any audio task. The mic preamps feature selectable mic impedance (200 ohms to 2.4 kilohms), +48V phantom power, selectable phase, and high-pass filters.

Each compression section features controls for threshold, ratio, attack, and release (with a program dependent button), as well as Big and Air mode selections for low- and high-frequency enhancement. The DI section sports selectable 2-band EQ along with gain boost and bright buttons, and the output section of the compressor features variable wet/dry mix, gain adjustment, and bypass selection for each channel. The unit also includes separate link buttons for linking the FETs during compression or linking the final output control to sum a stereo signal to mono.

The Mix control of each channel works in a similar way to that of the parallel compression technique but with the advantage of being one simple knob. It works by adding variable amounts of the uncompressed signal (dry) to that of the compressed signal (wet), effectively reducing the perceived amount of compression taking place. The most effective way of using the control is to set it at the 3 or 4 position, so that a good amount of compression is heard but a little more can still be added should it be required; then, set up the compressor as you would normally. Finally introduce the dry signal by rotating the knob clockwise until the perfect amount of compression is heard.

The 1970 features two backlit, analog VU meters with real moving coils. The meters sport a switchable +10 dB rescale mode for those working at extra hot output levels.

The mic stage of the 1970 has been designed to provide as clean a recording as possible. If you introduce distortion or warmth at the recording stage, it can't be removed, and the recording will be stuck with it, but by contrast, if you obtain a clean recording you can add warmth and distortion at a later time, via tubes, saturation, transformers, and more, in a way that gives you complete control over the effect.

The design of the 1970 takes this one step further�a fully balanced hardwired bypass, located in the output section, connects the input source (the mics and/or instruments) directly to the output XLR without passing through any of the compressor FET circuitry or the mix and gain controls at all, introducing as little distortion as possible and providing an ultraclean microphone signal

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