By George Petersen
YORKSHIRE, England — Ivor Drawmer, the founder of British pro audio manufacturer Drawmer Electronics Ltd., passed away this week. He was 80. Launched in 1982, the “Drawmer” name has been synonymous with quality professional signal processing gear in recording studio, broadcast, live sound reinforcement, touring and installation environments, worldwide.
THE EARLY DAYS
Drawmer was born and raised on the small Channel Island of Guernsey between England and France, yet even in his youth, he was a talented musician, who had a passion for designing audio circuits and the idea of becoming a manufacturer went way back for him. “The whole thing started in 1981,” said Drawmer. “I had been playing keyboards with bands in Yorkshire, but that wasn’t going so well and also I wasn’t getting any younger. With the encouragement of friends, I built a small batch of stereo delay lines, which I called the Multitracker, and that was the start of Drawmer.”
A year later, Drawmer Electronics was officially founded, with the 1982 introduction of the DS201 Dual Noise Gate, which revolutionized gating as the world’s first “frequency conscious” noise gate. The 201 transformed the gate from what had previously been a simple “on/off” device to a powerful creative tool playing a significant role in modern music production. “It was the kind of unit that people discovered uses for and it immediately enabled engineers to do the things they’d always dreamed of with minimum fuss,” Drawmer explained. The dual-channel DS201 remains in production today, a testament to Drawmer’s genius.
In 1984, Drawmer released the original 1960 Mic Preamp / Vacuum Tube Compressor / D.I. box, which combined two high-performance mic preamps, two “soft knee” tube compressors and an instrument preamp with EQ. The 1960 was (and continues to be) popular in use as an analog front-end, with its eight active tube stages providing two high-quality signal paths with a distinctive sound for “money channel” inputs on DAWs and live digital consoles. And with the escalating retro movement, the 1960 also remains in production 39 years later.
Ivor Drawmer was always open to new ideas and concepts, and once rose to the challenge of outspoken US producer/engineer “Fletcher” of Mercenary Audio fame to build a special version of the famed Drawmer 1960 (used by Eric Clapton, Madonna, Sheryl Crow, Stevie Wonder, Bryan Adams and thousands of artists around the world). So Fletcher and Drawmer joined forces and the 1969 Vacuum Tube Compressor Pre-Amplifier was born. Based on Drawmer’s original 1960 Mic Pre-Amp/Tube Compressor (itself inspired by the classic Fairchild 670), the Fltcher-modded 1969 offered a host of new features, and a completely new sound!
Among the 1969’s enhancements was a change to using high-end Burr-Brown op amps for a silkier sound, and a phase reverse switch available in Instrument, Mic and Line modes to increase versatility. The 1969 also employed a true Stereo Link capacity where in that mode, Channel One’s Threshold, Attack and Release controls would control both channels.
THE HITS CONTINUE
During 1989, Drawmer developed a new proprietary gating circuitry, which was called “Programme Adaptive.” This intelligent auto-circuitry was capable of analyzing the dynamic content of the incoming signal and constantly optimizing the attack, hold, ratio and release parameters, thereby creating a much smoother gating action than previously available.
The first products to incorporate Drawmer’s “Programme Adaptive” circuitry were the DL241 Auto Compressor released in 1990 and the DS404 Quad Noise Gate released in 1991. Also developed in 1989 was a new limiter circuitry, which performed “Zero Overshoot,” “Zero Response Time” transparent limiting. This was also included in the DL241 Auto Compressor and later into the DL441 Quad Auto Compressor Limiter.
In 1992 Drawmer took the innovative step of incorporating his newly developed “Dynamics Spectral Enhancement” circuitry into a high quality compressor/limiter which enabled the user to dynamically boost any high frequency energy lost during the full band compression process. The resulting product, the DL251 Spectral Compressor was enthusiastically received by pro engineers.
With the new series of compressors becoming established among pro users, Drawmer decided to expand its range of tube products and in 1994, released the 1961 Vacuum Tube Equaliser. An interesting 1961 design feature was the inclusion of a variable input level control on each of the two channels. This design approach lets users control the amount of “warmth” by deciding how hard to drive the tubes giving a sound as “clean” as the best discrete solid-state designs or as hot as the “hottest” vintage tube models.
In contrast to Drawmer’s “high end” products. the MX30 Gated/Comp/Limiter and MX40 Punch Gate were launched as low-cost, entry level dynamics processors bringing Drawmer’s professional processing into a wider M.I. marketplace. The MX range continues today with the MX60-Pro Front End One.
Over the years, Drawmer’s designs were also translated into digital plug-in form, with Softube’s Drawmer 1973 Multi-Band Compressor and Drawmer S73 Intelligent Master Processor as popular choices among DAW users.
However, even in this “digital age,” Drawmer analog outboard processors remain steady sellers. In fact, earlier in 2023, the company launched its model 1977 Channel Strip. Designed to add vintage characteristics and analog musicality to analog signal chains, the two-channel 1977 provides the clarity of ultra-clean preamplifiers, the precision of the three-band parametric equalizers, the silkiness of soft knee compression and the ability to dial in as much warmth as you desire via its three types of variable harmonic saturation.
DEPARTED BUT NOT FORGOTTEN
In 2007, Ivor Drawmer had been awarded the coveted award for Lifetime Technical Achievement to the Audio Industry by the APRS (Association of Professional Recording Studios) — an organization that is essentially the U.K. equivalent of SPARS (the Society of Professional Audio Recording Studios) in the states. Ken Giles, Drawmer’s longtime friend and former Drawmer sales principal, said “Ivor’s designs have not only played a significant role in the way that signal processing has evolved, but have also shaped the product ranges of our competitors. His past achievements with analog circuitry and his presence at the leading edge of 24-bit/96k digital processing illustrates his versatility and make him a unique technical figure within our industry. There is no doubt that Drawmer’s sound tools have not only been ahead of their time but have also stood the test of time. After all, the DS201 remains the standard noise gate of the industry.”
USA Drawmer importer Brad Lunde of the Las Vegas-based TransAudio Group added that he was “sad to say goodbye to Ivor, as he was a perfect example of the classic inventor/owner operator that defined so much of pro audio from its beginnings. He never gave up on developing new product and building it all in England when everyone else moved offshore. He was the one who put TransAudio Group in business back in 1997, and here we are, still working with Drawmer after 26 years. I am sure that Ivor wanted Drawmer Electronics to continue and we will do our best to carry in his legacy.”
Clearly, the passing of Ivor Drawmer will be felt throughout the pro audio industry, however this amazing audio innovator leaves behind a rich legacy — in the products he designed, the company he created and the many friends he made along the way. He will be greatly missed by all. Rest well, old friend.
At press time, no plans for a memorial service had been announced.
