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Drawmer 1960 2-channel Tube Microphone Preamp & Compressor

Name: Drawmer 1960 2-channel Tube Microphone Preamp & Compressor
Brand: Drawmer
Rating: 5 (2 reviews)

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Item ID: 1960

Drawmer 1960 2-channel Tube Microphone Preamp & Compressor

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Drawmer 1960 2-channel Tube Microphone Preamp & Compressor

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World-class Warmth And Body!

Vacuum tubes possess a unique sound quality providing what is usually thought of as a "warmer, punchier" sound. The Drawmer 1960 is a two channel unit with each channel comprised of a natural sounding "soft knee" vacuum tube compressor and an extremely low noise microphone preamplifier with switchable 48 volt phantom power. Accepts both line and mic level signals. A great combination of the 60's and today.

Features:

2 Channel, 2 rack space vacuum tube compressor with mic/line/instrument preamp
Proprietary vacuum tube/FET based discrete VCA
Classic attack/release curvers used in vintage compressors
Auto ratio depending on signal attack slope (1:30 maximum)
VU switchable metering
Vacuum tube preamp accepts mic, line or front panel instrument
Hi-gain switch for high impedence instrument inputs (guitar)
Bright switch on instrument input
+4 operation

Resources

From the Manufacturer

1960 Cue Sheet

1960 User Manual

Studio Preamp Buying Guide

Warranty Info

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Tech Specs

Preamp Type: Tube
Number of Channels: 2
Phantom Power: Yes
Compressor: VCA
Other Processing: Aux. Input EQ
Frequency Response: 10Hz-22kHz
Analog Inputs: 2 x XLR (Mic), 2 x XLR (Line), 1 x 1/4" (Aux)
Analog Outputs: 2 x XLR
Other I/O: 2 x 1/4" (+4dBu Insert), 2 x 1/4" (-10dBu Insert), 2 x 1/4" (+4dBu Side Chain)
Rack Spaces: 2U
Height: 3.5"
Depth: 9.84"
Width: 19"
Weight: 13.23 lbs.
Manufacturer Part Number: 1960

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Reviews

5.0

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It is my go-to mic pre for recording Acoustic Guitar, Electric Piano, Organ and Violin. The warmth and clarity adds that special something to your recordings. I have also used it as an external plugin for Cubase to warm up a signal or smooth out the any harshness you have recorded. The compressor is really the best I have used. I have not had much success with vocals with this. Not sure why that is but vocals seem to need a different character. If you are looking for a two channel mic pre that can be used dual mono or stereo then this is it.

I have one of the older Drawmer 1960's. Believe it or not, I found it in the back closet of my church collecting dust. It was donated to them and they didn't need it so they told me to take it and it has become the first piece of boutique recording gear I have ever owned. I have a Tascam FW-1884 and was always happy with the sound of the preamps on it, so I never really broke out the Drawmer, and in fact I was somewhat skeptical of how much benefit I would get from it. Then, we had a recording session come up at my studio with a country guy who really wanted an intimate sounding record with a lot of acoustic instruments and I felt it was time to christen it. We set up for his vocal track with a Rodes NT-1A, SE Reflexion filter, ran the cable into channel one of the Drawmer compressor, and then into the FW-1884. Slow attack, release at 4. The 1960 is incredibly easy to use. Just bypass the compressor, set the input gain on the VU, switch the compressor on, and then adjust the threshold and output gain until the clouds in the sky part, the sun beams down on your face, and you hear an angel choir singing. What I mean by that is that depending on what you are recording, the 1960 definitely has a "sweet spot", and when you dial it in you will know it. My jaw hit the floor... it was fantastic. A definite improvement over my FW-1884 preamps and the record is definitely one of the most intimate and warm sounding projects I have ever engineered. The only other thing we ran through it was bass guitar direct through the aux input and it "sounds round." I can't wait to try it on a snare and a guitar amp. You will notice that it does not have a "ratio" knob like other compressors. That is because it is a soft knee compressor and as Drawmer puts it the "compression is progressive." You can squeeze the sound more using the threshold knob and it does a fantastic job keeping signal out of the red... but it does not color the sound in any negative way. The Drawmer is clean... but as I implied before, it definitely adds a certain "sparkle" and warmth. The only thing I wish was different is that the EQ could be adjusted on the Mic inputs also. The EQ's are only for the aux input, and it's intention was so that you could use the 1960 as a guitar amplifier. Like it said, it is great for recording bass direct. Needless to say, I am now completely sold on the concept of high-end, tube, outboard gear... and am shopping to add more of them to my studio, particularly anything by Drawmer. It really works, and the level of improvement it brings to your sound is worth every penny.