Versatile, High-performance 500 Series Opto Compressor
Since the late 1950s, optical-based leveling amplifiers have been cherished for their smooth, natural, and highly musical dynamics control. Now, the Drawmer OC-1 brings definitive optical compression to the popular 500 Series format. But that’s only the beginning of what this impressive module offers. The OC-1 includes Drawmer’s proprietary Big and Air modes to infuse low frequencies with richness and warmth and impart a vibrant sparkle to the high end. Drawmer’s famous gain-dependent Crush saturation circuit is also onboard to enhance any source with musically pleasing harmonics. PGM mode reduces pumping and other undesirable artifacts of heavy compression, while an Output Gain control provides optimal gain staging. Stereo Linking, comprehensive GR/Input/Output VU metering, and hard-wire Bypass complete the feature set. Designed and manufactured in England, the Drawmer OC-1 serves up the classic, warm, and unobtrusive analog optical compression every studio needs, while packing an incredible amount of truly useful functionality into a 500 Series module.
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Big and Air circuits
The OC-1 features Drawmer’s Big and Air circuits. The former reduces the sidechain’s low-frequency sensitivity, resulting in less gain reduction being applied to those frequencies and a fatter, overall bigger sound. The Air switch reintroduces high frequencies that can be lost as a result of heavy compression, giving your sound more intimacy, transparency, and detail, without inducing harshness or unnatural artifacts. Cymbals are more vibrant without becoming splashy, and vocals sound more open without being sibilant. Used together, these proprietary circuits produce a larger-than-life sound with massive punch, weight, and shimmer.
Feel the Crush
The OC-1’s Crush circuit infuses signals with euphonic even-order harmonic saturation and classic analog warmth that beefs up any source material with vintage-flavored character. Specifically, it fattens the bass, thickens the midbass, adds presence to the mids, and imparts shimmer and sheen to the top end. It thickens electric guitars, adds punch to percussion, increases the attack of acoustic pianos, and brings out raspiness in vocals. And the harder you drive the OC-1, the more Crush you get, so Drawmer thoughtfully included a convenient Output Gain control you can use to achieve optimal gain staging in your signal chain.
Program-dependent release
Yet another of the Drawmer OC-1’s innovative features is PGM mode, which, when engaged, triggers a second, slower release time that is proportional to the percentage of the program material above the threshold at any given time. Having the release times vary in a program-dependent fashion (similar to a vari-mu design) and automatically adapting to the dynamics of the incoming signal yields the overall effect of smoothing out compression action, ameliorating the undesirable artifacts of heavy compression, such as excessive pumping, to provide more natural-sounding dynamics control.
Drawmer: a legacy of pro audio innovation
Designed and crafted in the UK, Drawmer gear is sought after for its no-compromise design, build quality, and performance. When you listen to your favorite music, you’re likely hearing signal processing from Drawmer. In 1982, the company introduced its first product, the Model DS201 — the world’s first frequency-dependent noise gate — which transformed the humble gate into a powerful creative tool that would go on to play an important role in today’s music production. Two years later, Drawmer launched the 1960, a 2-channel tube preamp/DI/compressor that delivered the sonic character of coveted vintage units, along with the speed and comprehensive controls modern engineers require. Since then, Drawmer has innovated with advanced technologies that address the challenge of maintaining analog warmth and musicality in the age of DAW-based production. Today, Drawmer products are used by top artists, engineers, and producers worldwide. Sweetwater is proud to present this distinguished lineup of high-performance signal-processing equipment.
Drawmer OC-1 Features:
- Versatile, high-performance 500 Series opto compressor
- Warm, smooth, unobtrusive dynamics control
- Big and Air modes
- Crush circuit
- PGM mode
- Output Gain control
- Stereo Linking
- GR/Input/Output VU metering
- Designed and manufactured in the UK
