Engineers and producers agree that vacuum tubes bring a uniquely musical warmth and depth to sound. By combining eight active tube stages with the low noise and reliability of solid-state circuitry, the Drawmer 1960 offers the perfect bridge between classic analogue tone and modern recording precision.
Each channel features a natural-sounding soft-knee tube compressor and a low-noise microphone preamplifier with switchable 48V phantom power. A front-panel auxiliary instrument preamp with EQ provides direct access for guitars or keyboards. Together, they deliver the unmistakable character of valve circuitry with up to 60dB of clean, balanced gain — ideal for everything from detailed vocal recording to direct-to-digital capture of live performances.
The soft-knee design ensures musical, transparent control with minimal user intervention. Threshold is continuously variable from infinity to -24dB, with signals below the threshold remaining unprocessed while those above it receive progressively greater gain reduction.
Attack and release are switch-selectable, echoing classic all-valve compressors. Attack offers slow, medium and fast settings; Release offers six options, including two programme-dependent modes ideal for vocals, stereo mixes and complex material. The release setting also subtly shapes the attack behaviour, expanding the sonic palette beyond what first appears.
The Drawmer 1960 is really revolutionary to my sound. I've got three now, and if I could really afford it I'd have a whole rack of them!
A make-up gain stage provides up to +20dB of boost after compression, with switchable VU metering for output level or gain reduction. Channels can be used independently or linked for stereo operation.
Side-chain access points allow external EQ insertion for de-essing or frequency-dependent compression. As with all Drawmer dynamics units, the Bypass switch offers three modes — Normal, Bypass and Side Chain Listen — so the effect of external processing can be monitored directly.
Alongside the balanced mic and line inputs, a front-panel DI input allows direct connection of instruments. With onboard EQ and ample gain to drive the tube stage into musical saturation, it functions as a DI box, equaliser and compressor in one — perfect for adding sustain and warmth to guitars, basses or synths while routing directly to a console or recorder.
