All user reviews for the Drawmer TS-1 Tubestation

The Drawmer TS-1 Tubestation is a stereo compressor and mono microphone preamplifier in a single size rack mountable unit. It's got sections of connections for the mic preamp, which has an XLR input and 1/4" outputs for the preamp and an insert, and then has two XLR line inputs and two XLR outputs for the compressor. The compressor also has a 1/4" side chain output. It also has a digital section with S/PDIF and exit clock connections.

UTILIZATION

I didn't find that using the Drawmer TS-1 Tubestation was too difficult, and there is definitely a lot of control available over your sound. The front end consists of parameters for gain, a high pass filter, and high frequency contour. The compressor has parameters for compress, attack, and release and there are then general parameters for tube drive, gain trim, and analog output level. I haven't needed to look at a manual for the TS-1, nor had access to one.

SOUND QUALITY

The overall sound of the Drawmer TS-1 Tubestation definitely has a lot of fullness to it. I'm definitely a bigger fan of the way the preamp sounds, but the compressor is clean and pretty impressive sounding as well. It's a little bit strange that there is only a mono channel of a preamp and that the compressor is stereo, but I guess it's better than having only a mono unit in general. I've used the TS-1 with a few different applications, including vocals, electric guitar and acoustic guitar. I liked it best for vocals as I found that the versatility of the unit extended best for this application, but it sounded great for all of the applications I used it for.

OVERALL OPINION

The Drawmer TS-1 Tubestation is essentially a single channel of the TS-2 Tubestation, with both of them being great units for home studio owners and professionals alike. My only complaint with the TS-1 would be that it doesn't have the extra mic preamp like the TS-2, but I guess that is why they have two different units. If you're looking for a nice outboard preamp and compressor for your home studio to give it that extra kick and warmth, the TS-1 is definitely a worth looking into.