Drawmer 1968 Mercenary Edition

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FutureMusic
REVIEWS DRAWMER 1968 MERCENARY EDITION
I fi nd it hard to see a wider base for a
back-end processor, considering so
many people are working entirely in
Pro Tools for the convenience of
recall. That said, for the well-oiled, it
would marry up well to a pair of
high-end mic amps and make a
sublime recording path. One for the
lottery win, then.
FM
but thoroughly controlled result on
the two different singers I tested it
with. The operation is so smooth you
don’t hear it working, and the valve
warmth and upfrontness easily get
the close intimacy we all love to hear.
To sum up…
Much has changed since the original
1960: I liked its DI section but not
much else. Thankfully the 1968 is
light years better than the 1960 and
on a level with all the great names of
the past and present. Its smooth,
transparent operation and warm
open sound launch it into the top
fl ight. Not only is it a fi ne mix
compressor, with the Big setting
living up to its name, but with its fast
attack time it’s also great for vocals
and acoustic instruments.
It’s certain to fi nd appeal in
major studios but – as good as it is –
immediacy that it brought to the
picture – almost the sonic equivalent
of expensive widescreen. I think I
was lucky with settings because
simple changes to any of the three
main parameters had a severe
impact and not necessarily for the
better, especially, and not
surprisingly, the Threshold.
Switching out Big had a profound
affect on the size of the sound,
completely justifying its moniker. It
provides a very even and upfront
high- and mid-range that’s utterly
unaffected by the bass end, so you
don’t get the vocal modulation that
can be so off-putting.
As a drum bus compressor it
was equally useful, particularly for a
general tightening and warming of
the whole kit – though I didn’t fi nd it
so good as some others for the more
brutal drum compression I like. Also,
for some, the switchable attack
settings might not be fi ne enough for
precision drum compression.
One of the hardest instruments
to compress well is an acoustic
guitar and I know few compressors
that can cut it; you invariably get an
ugly attack envelope and high-end
modulation. The 1968 is just great
for it, however. The fast attack times
and the Big setting ease the pain of
all those side-effects and can make
even a cheap acoustic sound classy.
For vocals, the 1968 is up there
with the best, giving a transparent
VERDICT DRAWMER 1968
BUILD QUALITY
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VALUE FOR MONEY
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EASE OF USE
❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚
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VERSATILITY
❚❚❚❚❚❚❚
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QUALITY OF RESULTS
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2 4 6 8 10
A quality, high-end compressor
that’s up there with the best –
with a price that refl ects this.
ALTERNATIVES
There’s little out there that can
be directly compared to the
1968 in terms of quality and
price but here are a couple of
other dual-channel valve
compressors to show the price
(and quality) variation:
TUBE-TECH CL2A
£2999
A major piece of gear – for a
major price.
www.tube-tech.com
TLA 5021
£470
A lot easier on the pocket, but
you get what you pay for.
www.tlaudio.co.uk
WITH ITS FAST ATTACK TIME
IT’S GREAT FOR VOCALS AND
ACOUSTIC INSTRUMENTS
Drawmer versus Mercenary Audio
The story begins back in 1983 when Drawmer introduced the 1960 Tube Compressor/
Mic preamp/DI, a dual-channel unit that was way ahead of its time. It not only initiated
the valve ‘big and warm’ revival but was also essentially the fi rst ‘voice channel’, albeit
with a very limited EQ, allowing a super-short recording chain between microphone and
tape. It also had an instrument DI section with a great sounding Drive feature, which was
perfect for quick and easy electric guitar tones.
In 2000 Drawmer teamed up with Mercenary Audio, a US company led by producer/
engineer Fletcher after he “had a lot to say” about the 1960. They came out with the
1969, which looks much the same as the 1960 on the outside but with many changes to
the internal workings. Rumour has it that Mercenary have no fi nancial interest in the
product, purely the desire for perfection. Admirable, but what’s with the name then?
Now, fi ve years later, Drawmer have bowed to public demand and launched this
stripped down version, the 1968. We’ll ignore the old joke about 69 and 68.
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