View other reviews for this product:
moosers
Published on 04/09/10 at 21:11
The Drawmer 1960 is a stereo vacuum tube based preamplifier and compressor. It is made up of analog components and aims to blend the sound of old and new. Each of the two channels has both XLR mic and line inputs as well as a single XLR output for each as well. It then has 1/4" connections for audio patch and side chain inserts. IT also has a 1/4" input in the front under the auxiliary input section. It is in rackable form and will take up two spaces in total.
UTILIZATION
The configuration of the Drawmer 1960 has a good amount going on, as there is a lot of control over your sound with this. However, nothing is too out of the ordinary, so if you're familiar with preamps and compressors you will definitely feel at ease here. Each channel has a few different sections to work with for your preamp, the compressor, and your auxiliary input. The aux input section contains parameters for bass, treble, and gain, as well as switches to switch on the EQ, a normal/bright setting, and for choosing either a high or low impedance for the input. There are then two knobs for gain under the microphone section, and parameters for source, threshold, attack, release, and gain under the compression header. Each channel also has it's own meter with options for viewing either gain reduction or output level. A manual isn't necessary I don't think, but I haven't seen one so I can't comment on it's make up.
SOUND QUALITY
The sound of the Drawmer 1960 is absolutely top notch. I've used it primarily on lead vocals, but also used the compressor on snare drum and the mic preamps electric and acoustic guitar. In general the 1960 is versatile, so I believe it would be able to adapt to just about any application that you wanted to use with it. This is the benefit of having so many features and options, as it allows you to shape your sound to be suitable for all sorts of situations. The sound of the Drawmer 1960 in general can be described as creamy, warm, and quite vibrant. I'm a big fan of both the preamps and the compressors, as they both have a similar sort of quality to them. It is generally hard to describe the sound of something in words, so if you're really interested I'd highly recommend checking it out for yourself.
OVERALL OPINION
The Drawmer 1960 is a stellar choice for a high end stereo microphone preamplifier and compressor. It has pretty much everything that you'd look for in such an item, and getting two channels for the price is a really great thing. Honestly, I could see something like the Drawmer 1960 being this much money for a single channel. While still most likely out of the price range for your average home studio owner, this would be the perfect investment for a home studio owner looking to take their recordings to another level as this is definitely a professional piece of gear worth knowing about.
UTILIZATION
The configuration of the Drawmer 1960 has a good amount going on, as there is a lot of control over your sound with this. However, nothing is too out of the ordinary, so if you're familiar with preamps and compressors you will definitely feel at ease here. Each channel has a few different sections to work with for your preamp, the compressor, and your auxiliary input. The aux input section contains parameters for bass, treble, and gain, as well as switches to switch on the EQ, a normal/bright setting, and for choosing either a high or low impedance for the input. There are then two knobs for gain under the microphone section, and parameters for source, threshold, attack, release, and gain under the compression header. Each channel also has it's own meter with options for viewing either gain reduction or output level. A manual isn't necessary I don't think, but I haven't seen one so I can't comment on it's make up.
SOUND QUALITY
The sound of the Drawmer 1960 is absolutely top notch. I've used it primarily on lead vocals, but also used the compressor on snare drum and the mic preamps electric and acoustic guitar. In general the 1960 is versatile, so I believe it would be able to adapt to just about any application that you wanted to use with it. This is the benefit of having so many features and options, as it allows you to shape your sound to be suitable for all sorts of situations. The sound of the Drawmer 1960 in general can be described as creamy, warm, and quite vibrant. I'm a big fan of both the preamps and the compressors, as they both have a similar sort of quality to them. It is generally hard to describe the sound of something in words, so if you're really interested I'd highly recommend checking it out for yourself.
OVERALL OPINION
The Drawmer 1960 is a stellar choice for a high end stereo microphone preamplifier and compressor. It has pretty much everything that you'd look for in such an item, and getting two channels for the price is a really great thing. Honestly, I could see something like the Drawmer 1960 being this much money for a single channel. While still most likely out of the price range for your average home studio owner, this would be the perfect investment for a home studio owner looking to take their recordings to another level as this is definitely a professional piece of gear worth knowing about.