Drawmer 1973 Three Band Stereo FET Compressor

3 Band, Precise & Natural

The award-winning Drawmer 1973 is a multi-band compressor with the versatility, control, and ability to shape sound that no full-band compressor could ever provide, all at an affordable price.

Expanding on the renowned range of Drawmer dynamics processors, the 1973 is an affordable Three Band Stereo FET Compressor that every engineer will appreciate. The culmination of 30 years of development and experience, the 1973 combines the functionality and control of the world-class Drawmer S3 with the familiarity and quality of the illustrious 1960 and 1968, providing three bands of transparent, intuitive compression for the price of a conventional single full-band compressor.

How Does the 1973 Differ from a Full-Band Compressor?

The 1973 comprises a set of crossover filters that split the audio signal into three frequency bands. Each split signal then passes through its own compressor and is independently adjusted before being recombined. The final wet/dry mix and levels can be adjusted as well. The advantage is that compression on one band does not affect the others, providing much more precise control over the audio signal.

Why Use a Three-Band Compressor?

The 1973 can achieve amazing results that a single-band compressor cannot. For instance, it can prevent an acoustic guitar, cello, or double bass from sounding boomy on low notes without thinning out the highs. It can also alter the timbre of vocal tracks that sound too shrill, adding weight and depth to the lows, controlling raspiness in the mids, and adding sizzle and definition to the highs. In mastering situations, having independent control over each band can bring out individual instruments, add air, or make the bottom end of a mix sound huge, all while avoiding pumping or breathing artifacts and increasing headroom.

Intuitive Layout

Multiband compressors can often be intimidating and difficult to use due to a large number of controls and poor layout. With the 1973, simplicity and familiarity were priorities in the design, resulting in an intuitive interface while still providing complete control over the audio. The front panel consists of three near-identical compressor bands, flowing left to right, with variable crossover frequency knobs separating them. To the right are the large, illuminated VU meters, with output controls beneath them.

Mix Control – Precisely Control the Amount of Compression Applied!

The 1973 features a Mix Control that acts like a parallel compression effect, blending the wet (compressed) and dry (original) signals for precise control over the amount of compression applied. This feature helps to avoid over-compressing a mix and retains the natural dynamics of the audio, or it can be used to add more compression by simply increasing the wet signal. It provides effortless control with just the turn of a knob.

Award Winning

The Drawmer 1973 has received multiple awards since its introduction, including the prestigious Resolution Award 2014 in the Dynamics category and the KEYS musik und computer Award 2015 for Best Studio Tool.

Features

• Standard intuitive controls such as Threshold, Gain, Switched Attack & Release, with Gain Reduction metering on each band.
• Fast reacting soft knee FET design with excellent left/right tracking across the full range of compression.
• Variable wet/dry mix plus output gain knobs, providing a parallel compression function without the need for external mixing devices.
• Variable band split filters at a 6dB per octave slope, with switchable mute and bypass on each band for easy tuning.
• Big and Air modes to preserve very deep lows and enhance sparkling highs.
• Two analogue VU meters with switchable +10dB meter rescale modes and a switchable peak mode to display fast transients.
• Dedicated gain reduction meters on each band.
• Internal low hum toroidal linear power supply with voltage selector switch.
• Classic Drawmer build quality with rugged steel chassis and aluminum front panel.