Drawmer 1976 Three Band Saturation & Width Processor

Inspired by the highly acclaimed saturation and width features of our DC2476 Digital Mastering Processor, the Drawmer 1976’s three bands of independent saturation are designed to add the pleasing imperfections so endemic in classic gear. Saturation is ideal for adding fullness to your music, transforming it from a cold, bleak landscape to a warm, bright vista.

Unlike conventional saturation products, the Drawmer 1976 also features three bands of stereo width control, bringing out depth and adding real presence to your mix. This is achieved with a single, comprehensive set of controls that provide genuine stereo operation.

Saturation in music production enriches the sound in your mix by adding a subtle form of distortion that introduces pleasant-sounding harmonics. This technique originated from the analogue days when audio recordings ran through various pieces of hardware, each adding its own character to the music. Today, in the digital age, these characteristics no longer occur naturally, resulting in an overly clean, sterile quality. While saturation plug-ins attempt to emulate these effects, the Drawmer 1976 allows you to add this character in a completely analogue, natural way. Whether your audio is digital or analogue, the Drawmer 1976 will add presence, warmth, and life to any source, including drums, vocals, and synths.

The Drawmer 1976’s three bands of independent saturation enable feats that single-band saturation cannot accomplish. For example, it can bring out the bassline, adding presence and grit without disrupting the overall balance by distorting the top end. It can also enhance vocals without making the bottom sound muddy.

This processor excels at providing a ’70s analogue vibe with just a few knobs and minimal effort, adding the extra sparkle that only the ‘real thing’ can provide.

Effective Applications of Saturation

• Percussion Drums benefit greatly from saturation, which can glue the whole drum bus together, inject punch and excitement, add depth and life, and introduce pleasing harmonics. It also naturally compresses the sound, taming rogue transients and high-end harshness.
• Basslines Saturation can revitalise a flat and lifeless bassline, adding grit, dirtying the sound, and fattening it out. This applies to both bass guitar and sine-generated basslines, making them sound more natural and prominent in the mix.
• Synths Digital and clinical-sounding synths come to life with saturation, which makes them warmer, more natural, and closer to the analogue sound they emulate. It injects harmonics and grit, helping synths stand out more in the mix.
• Vocals Saturation is a secret to great-sounding vocals. It can make any vocal sound fuller, especially thin and dull voices, and warm and tame harsh sounding vocals by subtly softening sibilance. It is important to keep the harmonic distortion gentle to avoid ruining the vocals.
• Mix Digital recording often sounds too harsh and clean. Saturation adds harmonic distortion, injecting life and warmth into the mix, making digital recordings sound more like those from the analogue era. Passing audio through an analogue device like the Drawmer 1976 can elevate your mixes to the next level.

Without stereo widening, a mix might not fully engage the listener. The Drawmer 1976’s three bands enhance this extra dimension, transforming a flat wall of sound into a 3D immersive experience. Although your mix may already have a stereo element, the Drawmer 1976 makes it easy to control these elements, widening and mono-ising where necessary to achieve the desired effect. Independent width control for each band allows the high frequencies to be spread across a wider soundstage without affecting the low frequencies, providing easy and effective stereo enhancement.

Features

• Powerful 3 Band all Analogue Saturation for adding warmth to both your digital and analogue sounds.
• Designed to Inject character to your audio reminiscent of 1970’s era gear and remove the sanitized harshness that digital recordings suffer from.
• 3 band fully adjustable Stereo Width provides controllable depth and presence to you mix.
• Fully Variable Crossover controls between the bands allows you to tune in to signals for different amounts of independent saturation across the full frequency range.
• Genuine stereo operation with one set of controls for both channels.
• Can operate in Stereo and Mono.
• The Mono switch helps highlight problems within the stereo mix.
• Internal Low Hum Toroidal Linear Power Supply with Voltage Selector Switch.
• Classic Drawmer Build Quality with Rugged Steel Chassis and Alluminium Front Panel.
• Designed and manufactured by Drawmer in the UK.