Drawmer 1973 Three Band Stereo FET Compressor - Manual (Page 8)

8 DRAWMER 1973 O
PERATOR’S M ANUAL
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Big: Off - On low band only
Big is located only on the low band and when on reduces the side-chain's sensitivity to low frequencies, with the
result that less gain reduction is applied, creating the effect that the bass is louder or 'bigger'. The 'BIG' mode
enables application in buss compression situations where you still want thick and warm tone yet complete dynamics
control.
Air: Off - On high band only
Air is located only on the high band and is used to re-introduce high frequencies, which can sometimes be lost
after heavy compression so that it sounds more intimate, detailed and transparent, but without making it sound
harsh or introducing any noticeably unnatural artifacts. Cymbals are more vibrant without becoming splashy, and
vocals sound more open but without becoming sibilant.
Status: Mute/On/Bypass all bands
A three postion Status switch is located in each of the bands that allows normal operation, bypass or muting of that
band. In the ON position all the controls of that particular band are in operation and compression takes place. In the
“BYPASS” position the signal for the low, mid, or high band is allowed to pass through to the summing stage without
being altered by the compressor stage (including gain).
In the “MUTE” position the signal for that particular band is
effectively turned off - any combination of mute is available, to hear only the signal of the low band mute the mid and
high bands etc.
Using a combination of mute and bypass switches for the various bands allows the operator to hear and monitor
only the frequencies that are required and so ‘tune in’ to the low, mid and high frequency settings using the cross-
over controls.
METERS
VU Meter:
Two backlit moving coil VU meters
monitor the level of the output signal.
Note: To see the input level on the VU
meters the Bypass switch should be
on.
Pad: Vu - +10dB
A two position switch adjusts the meters
to show either normal output level, (and
for those working at ‘hot’ output levels)
VU +10dB i.e. with the switch at VU
+10dB, when the VU meter reads 0dB
the actual level is +10dB.
Peak VU: Peak VU - VU
On smooth, gentle pieces of music the “VU” (average level) setting would be sufficient, however, on fast dynamic
signals the “Peak VU” setting provides more accurate readings.
OUTPUT
Mix: WET - DRY
A variable control that mixes a user defined amount of 'uncompressed' signal (dry) with the compressed signal
(wet) to create a 'parallel compression effect' without the need for external mixing devices. In this way the amount
of overall compression on the stereo signal is under complete control - set the three bands to provide heavy
compression but then reduce the overal effect by mixing in some of the dry signal using the mix control.
Gain: -12 - +12dB
The 1973 provides a single control to modify the stereo output level after summing, without having to adjust the three
band gain controls (and thus altering the mix). Adjust so that the output signal approaches the desired level only on
signal peaks.
Bypass: Off - On
A fully balanced hard-wire unit bypass connects the input directly to the output without alteration.
Note: To see the input level on the VU meters the Bypass switch should be on, as the meters display the level found
at the output.
Power: Off - On
Turns the 1973 on and off. This switch is hard wired and so when off the 1973 will draw no power
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