Dual-channel Parametric Equaliser

Signal Processors > EQ

Published July 2024

With a compressor‑saturator stage for each of its four bands, could Drawmer’s new EQ become your latest Crush?

Last month I took a look at Drawmer’s 1977 channel strip, and enjoyed it immensely: a supremely versatile design, it incorporates a clean mic preamp, a three band EQ section, a FET compressor and variable saturation, so it offers pretty much everything one might usually look for in a channel strip. But sometimes you need a little more control than you can realistically pack into a channel strip, and an extra channel can come in handy too. Which is why Drawmer’s 1970s range also incorporates several rackmount processors that share the 1977’s sound but can be used to do that bit more. The latest to join the line‑up, which already featured a variety of preamps, EQs and FET compressors, as well as a width and saturation processor, is the new 1971 EQ, which is reviewed here.

Features

Designed and handmade by Drawmer in the United Kingdom, the 1971 is not your average EQ. I mean, it can be used that way, but this really is a unique design. At heart, it’s a dual‑channel four‑band parametric EQ that Drawmer describe as taking its “inspiration from 1970s‑era analogue gear”. Each channel has an identical set of controls that you can use for two mono signals or one stereo one, and you can even patch one channel into the other if you need greater control over a mono signal. In addition to the four parametric bands, there are one high‑ and one low‑pass filter, both with a generously wide frequency range (from 10‑240 Hz and 4‑31 kHz, respectively) and, like the other bands, these have their own engage/bypass switch (a hardwired bypass), making A/B comparison easy. Helpfully, there’s also a ±15dB gain stage on the left, to allow you to adjust the signal level before it hits the equalisation, and there’s a similar control on the right to adjust the output level, and these each have a horizontal, five‑LED, post‑gain level meter.

...the 1971 is not your average EQ. I mean, it can be used that way, but this really is a unique design.

But the headline feature that really makes this EQ stand out from the crowd (I don’t remember seeing it in any other equaliser, even Drawmer’s own 1974 stereo parametric EQ), is the Crush facility. This is a combination of a fixed time‑constant compressor and saturator that can be switched in/out individually for each of the four parametric bands on each channel. This processor has an auto make‑up gain, and it’s responsive to the amount of gain in each band, becoming somewhat interactive when Crush is engaged on multiple bands on the same channel. Drawmer tell us that “it’ll fatten your bass, enhance the presence of your mids, and bring out the shimmer in the top end”. The few weeks I spent putting this EQ through its paces confirmed that their description is accurate! In practice, I often found myself wanting to use this feature more subtly and selectively, usually choosing to enhance just one band, though I’m sure many others will enjoy squeezing every last drop of attitude out of it!

Two pairs of XLRs cater for the balanced analogue line‑level I/O.

The outer two EQ bands (ignoring the high‑/low‑pass filters) are shelving types with Q controls similar to those on the 1977 channel strip. As with all knobs on this device, those here are detented pots that make it easy to match and recall settings, while offering more options than on most switched selectors. The channels seem well matched too. The low band’s frequency control ranges from 35‑700 Hz and, as with all other bands, there’s ±12dB of gain available. Unlike the two bands in the middle, there’s no Octave knob to set the bandwidth. Instead the low band has two buttons, combinations of which (indicated using two yellow LEDs) set the steepness of the slope: 6, 9 and 12 dB/octave options are joined by a fourth setting, which turns the shelving band into a peak filter, which can be incredibly useful when used alongside the high‑pass filter. The upper band, meanwhile, has a single button to toggle between 6 and 12 dB/octave; the latter, as on the 1977, not just being steeper, but also giving you a handy little dip before a boost.

The two bands in between, labelled Low Mid and High Mid, are the same except that they have an Octave knob to set the bandwidth. As almost always on Drawmer devices, there’s a generous range, with the Q going from a very narrow 3.3 out to a much gentler 0.33, which means it’s pretty useful for taming ugly resonances as well as more general tone‑shaping duties. There’s also a helpful overload LED next to the high shelf band (there’s one for each channel) which tells you if you are clipping and need to dial down the EQ or input gain.

Generally, across the front panel, the labelling is in Drawmer’s usual no‑nonsense, easy‑to‑read white on black. Around the back, you’ll find two pairs of XLR connectors for the balanced line‑level I/O, and an IEC mains inlet for the internal, low‑hum linear power supply (which can be configured by the user for 110 or 230 Volt mains). You’ll find more specifications on Drawmer’s website and in the manual, but suffice it to say that despite the 1970s inspiration, modern components and methods are used and the result is a low‑noise, low‑crosstalk design with a near‑as‑damn‑it flat frequency response when you’re not boosting/cutting.

Crush Hour

So that’s the ‘conventional’ side of this EQ, and you should be able to see that it’s a very versatile device in that regard, with wide‑ranging bandwidth controls, more than enough gain/attenuation for most applications, and wide frequency ranges with some useful overlap. The presence of two separate channels means you can process two different sources simultaneously, work on stereo signals such as a drum or mix bus — it’s definitely of a quality that I’d be happy using it in those applications — or perform detailed work on a single mono source, perhaps even using one channel for nixing nasties and the other for tone‑shaping. For stereo work, there’s no link function, so you do need to turn two controls every time, but that’s easy enough given the detented knobs.

The Crush compressor and saturation processor, which is switchable for each parametric band on each channel individually, seriously increases both the versatility and mojo of this clever EQ.

Then there’s Crush, which really is a feature that’s worth writing home about. Yes, it’s a compressor and a saturator, and we’ve all used those. But here, it’s somehow different, because it interacts with the EQ and being accessible right alongside it, it puts more options for coaxing the desired tone out of a recording to hand. It’s somewhat like having an EQ and an exciter in the same control panel. Do you want to boost the high end? OK, try dialling it in with EQ. Not quite cutting it? OK, hit the Crush button and see what happens. Generally, you’ll find that it tends to ‘fill out’ the band, making it... well, fatter or more shimmery, just as Drawmer say. You might find that you need to dial your EQ gain back a bit to compensate, as you often don’t need to have a huge EQ boost to get the best result from Crush, and it can sometimes take a while to decide on precisely the best settings. But I can’t state just how useful and addictive Crush can be.

Crush acted as a sort of ‘magic’ button that filled things out and enabled me to emphasise a certain character, which I could then fine‑tune using the EQ.

Sticking with the top end, I found that this processor could really help to lift up all those engaging breathy details that can make a vocal sound close and intimate. On the right material, it could do that for a vocal in a relatively spacious stereo mix too, without too much collateral damage. And if you have a stereo mix or drum mix that’s a bit lacklustre at the top end, it could inject a little more life there too. It was a similar story for the other bands: Crush acted as a sort of ‘magic’ button that filled things out and enabled me to emphasise a certain character, which I could not access with EQ alone, and I could then fine‑tune it using the EQ band’s gain control. I didn’t always want Crush on, of course, but it’s definitely a seductive effect, and while I’ve used plenty of exciters and saturators, this seems different from tools I’ve used before (and not least because it’s to hand when EQ’ing).

Verdict

I’d certainly recommend that you give the 1971 a try if you have the chance. Even used as a conventional EQ, this thing is well specified and easy to tune in: clear labels, lots of control of the gain, bandwidth and frequency, easy recall, low noise, and in general a lovely, clean sound that means it works well on most instruments. Having the filters alongside the other four bands is really handy, of course. And then there’s that special per‑band Crush facility, which can be used subtly or with a heavy hand, as you prefer. I have to say that there really is nothing not to like here — the best I could come up with is the lack of a front‑panel power button! — and I’m extremely reluctant to send this unit back...