Drawmer 1961 Vacuum Tube Equaliser - Manual (Page 9)

1961 OPERATORS’ MANUAL 7
O/L (LED): This Overload red LED illuminates when the tube output stage
is being driven into audible distortion. This may be used as a
creative effect and will not damage the 1961.
Soft (LED): This yellow LED illuminates when the tube output stage is being
driven into 'soft clipping'. This is the area that produces the
classic tube sound, and though a small amount of harmonic
distortion is being added, the result can often sound cleaner and
more detailed than before treatment. This is due to a psycho
acoustic phenomenon whereby the human hearing system
translates musically related, high frequency harmonics as
additional high frequency detail and low frequency, second-
harmonic distortion as an increase in bass projection. Again, this
effect can be fine-tuned by ear, using the Input level control to
set the precise amount of harmonic distortion.
Power: Power switch. A red status LED beneath the switch shows that
the unit is powered up.
OPERATION
The unit should be connected in-line with the signal to be processed either directly or
via suitable insert points. The 1961 may also be linked directly to the Side-Chain
access connector (or to the Audio Insert points) of a Drawmer 1960 tube compressor
via the stereo Audio insert jacks on the 1961 rear panel. This requires only a
standard (tip-wired-to-tip and ring-wired-to-ring) screened stereo jack lead.
For mono operation, each channel of the 1961 may be considered as completely
independent and set up accordingly. For use with stereo signals such as complete
mixes or submixes, both sets of channel controls should be set to the same position
unless there is a specific reason for not doing so.
Setting up is best approached, initially, by switching In one filter section at a time.
Setting the Cut/Boost control to maximum Boost, and then switching through the
available frequencies is the simplest way of identifying the area of the spectrum that
requires attention. Once this has been located, the Cut/Boost control may be set to
produce the required amount of Cut or Boost. The Octave control may then be
adjusted, by listening to the Input signal and rotating the control to the desired
setting: An extreme anticlockwise setting produces the narrowest filter characteristic
which is ideal for 'notching out' troublesome frequencies. However, when the
equaliser is being used in Boost mode, a low Octave setting may produce a honky or
peaky sound unless used in moderation. Medium to wide Octave settings, combined
with modest degrees of Boost, produce the most musical results when it is required
to emphasize a particular range of frequencies. Narrower Octave settings can be
used to emphasize specific instruments such as bass drums or hi-hats, but care must
be taken not to use so much Boost so as to create an unnatural sound - unless this
is the intention! If large amounts of Boost are applied using one or more equaliser
sections, there is a possibility that the signal will be amplified to a point where there
is a danger of clipping. If this occurs, monitor the output O/L and Soft LEDs, and
adjust the Input gain accordingly.