Drawmer MX60 Pro Front End One - Manual (Page 4)

INTRODUCTION
The MX60 is a high quality mic/line preamplifier with integral gate, de-esser,
compressor, parametric equaliser and peak limiter. It also features Drawmer's
proprietary multi-band tube-sound circuitry which provides independently
adjustable saturation in three separate audio bands. This may be used either to
create subtle warming or high frequency enhancing effects, or it may be applied
more strongly to create very obvious effects. The MX60 is suitable for both live
sound and studio applications. All buttons other than the de-esser Male/Female
switch have status LEDs.
The MX60 may be used in balanced systems at +4dBu operating levels using the
XLR or balanced TRS jack output connectors, or unbalanced at !10dBu using the
separate TS jack output. Inputs are provided for balanced low impedance
microphones with switchable 48V phantom power, balanced line at +4dBu on a
TRS jack or unbalanced line at !10dBu via an unbalanced TS jack. A further
Instrument input is provided on the front panel for use with sources that require
a high impedance input stage, for example, electric guitars and basses. Included
only in this section are 20dB and Bright switches. An insert point is provided
directly after the preamp section, followed by phase reverse and high pass filter
switches. A four-section LED meter registers the output level of the preamp
stage.
The human voice is structurally complex and has a wide dynamic range, which
is why the MX60 includes a high performance dynamics section comprising a
gate, a de-esser and a compressor section. The gate is designed to be easy to
set up and silences signals that drop below a minimum level set by the user. Fast
and slow release options are included to accommodate all types of material.
The high quality VCA compressor is based on that of the MX30 and reduces the
dynamic range of the signal by reducing the gain of loud signals that exceed a
threshold set by the user. Both the attack and release times are programme
adaptive leaving the user with only ratio, threshold and make-up gain to adjust.
Though simple to set up, the gate section is based on that of the Drawmer
DL241/MX30 and, like the compressor, it is programme adaptive so that the time
constants are automatically optimised for the material being processed.
Problems can arise when sibilant (S and T) sounds are over-emphasised by a
particular singer as they only occur on specific sounds, making it impossible to
address them effectively by using a fixed equaliser setting. In some situations,
the sibilant sounds may overload some part of the audio chain resulting in an
unpleasant distortion. The solution is to use a de-esser, but the Drawmer
approach to de-essing is rather more sophisticated than most and the de-esser
in the MX60 works on the same principle as that in the MX50 dedicated de-esser
where the de-esser automatically and continuously readjusts its own threshold
level.
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