Drawmer Tourbuss for Digidesign Venue User Manual

2

Terms and Conditions

COPYRIGHT

This manual is copyrighted © 2005 by Drawmer Electronics, Ltd.
With all rights reserved. Under copyright laws, this manual may
not be duplicated in whole or in part without the written consent
of Drawmer.

ONE YEAR LIMITED WARRANTY

Drawmer Electronics Ltd., warrants the Drawmer TourBuss Plug­In for the Digidesign Venue console to conform substantially to
the specifications of this manual for a period of one year from the
original date of purchase when used in accordance with the
specifications detailed in this manual. In the case of a valid
warranty claim, your sole and exclusive remedy and Drawmer’s
entire liability under any theory of liability will be to, at Drawmer’s
discretion, repair or replace the product without charge, or, if not
possible, to refund the purchase price to you. This warranty is not
transferable, it applies only to the original purchaser of the prod­uct. For warranty service please call Digidesign, Inc. on

650.731.6300. Ship the defective product, with transportation
and insurance charges prepaid, to Digidesign, a division of Avid
Technology, Inc. 2001 Junipero Serra Blvd, Daly City, CA 94014­3886, USA. Write the RA number in large letters in a visible and
prominent position on the shipping box. Enclose your name,
address, telephone number, copy of the original sales invoice
and a detailed description of the problem. Drawmer will not
accept responsibility for loss or damage during transit.
This warranty is void if the product has been damaged by misuse,
modification, copying or reverse engineering.

License Agreement

This warranty is in lieu of all warranties, whether oral or written,
expressed, implied or statutory. Drawmer makes no other
warranty either express or implied, including, without
limitation, any implied warranties of merchantability, fitness
for a particular purpose, or non-infringement. Purchaser’s sole
and exclusive remedy under this warranty shall be repair or
replacement as specified herein.
In no event will Drawmer Electronics Ltd. be liable for any
direct, indirect, special, incidental or consequential damages
resulting from any defect in the product, including lost profits,
damage to property, and, to the extent permitted by law , damage
for personal injury, even if Drawmer has been advised of the
possibility of such damages.

Certain countries and states do not allow the exclusion of implied
warranties or limitations on how long an implied warranty may
last, so the above limitations may not apply to you. This warranty
gives you specific legal rights. You may have rights that vary in
each state, and country.

REGISTERED USER CUSTOMER SUPPORT

Digidesign will provide telephone support to registered users for
a period of one (1) year from the date of original purchase. For
customer support please call the nearest Digidesign dealer.
Digidesign’s customer support team have extensive knowledge
of this Plug-In, they should be your first line of approach. They
have expert knowledge if the problem is interrelated with the
console, or Venue software itself. For specific questions on the
functioning of Dynamics processing, additional support can be
obtained by e-mailing Drawmer. Drawmer cannot answer questions
regarding Pro Tools / Venue software, the Venue console or
peripherals.

DRAWMER ELECTRONICS Ltd - End User License Agreement

NOTICE TO END USERS:

CAREFULLY READ THE FOLLOWING LEGAL AGREEMENT
PRIOR TO USING THE SOFTWARE PROVIDED WITH THE
AGREEMENT. USE OF THE SOFTWARE CONSTITUTES YOUR
ACCEPTANCE OF THESE TERMS. IF YOU DO NOT AGREE TO
THE TERMS OF THE AGREEMENT, PROMPTLY RETURN THE
SOFTWARE, THE ACCOMPANYING ITEMS, ALL WRITTEN
MATERIALS AND CONTAINERS, TO THE LOCATION WHERE
YOU OBTAINED THEM FOR A REFUND.

1. License Grant. Drawmer Electronics Ltd grants to you (either
as an individual or entity) a personal, non-transferable, and
non-exclusive right to use the copy of the object code version of
the Software provided with this license. You agree you will not
copy the materials accompanying the Software.

2. Copyright. You acknowledge that no title to the intellectual
property in the Software is transferred to you. You further
acknowledge that title and full ownership rights to the Software
will remain the exclusive property of DRAWMER or its suppliers,
and you will not acquire any rights to the Software except as
expressly set forth above. You agree that any copies of the
Software will contain the same proprietary notices which appear
on and in the Software.

3. Reverse Engineering. You agree that you will not attempt,
and if you are a corporation, you will use your best efforts to
prevent your employees and contractors from attempting to reverse
compile, modify, translate, disassemble or otherwise modify the
Software in whole or in part.

4. Limited Warranty. DRAWMER warrants that the Software will
perform substantially in accordance with the accompanying
documentation and that the documentation and the cd-rom are
free from any physical defects for a period of ninety (90) days
from the date of purchase (“Limited Warranty”).

5. Customer Remedies. DRAWMER’s entire liability and your
sole and exclusive remedy shall be, at DRAWMER’s option, either
to (a) correct the error, (b) help you to work around or avoid the
error or, (c) authorise a refund, so long as the Software,
documentation, accompanying hardware and cd’s are returned
to DRAWMER with a copy of your receipts. This Limited Warranty
is void if failure of the Software has resulted from accident, abuse,
or misapplication. Any replacement Software will be warranted
for the remainder of the original warranty period.

6. No Other Warranties. DRAWMER does not warrant that the
drawmer software is error free. DRAWMER disclaim all other
warranties, either express or implied, including but not limited to
implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular
purpose, and non infringement of third party rights with respect to
the software, the accompanying documentation or disks. Some
jurisdictions do not allow the exclusion of implied warranties or
incidental or consequential damages, so the above limitations
or exclusions may not apply to you. This warranty gives you
specific legal rights and you may also have other rights which
vary in different jurisdictions.

7. Terms. This Agreement is effective until terminated. You may
terminate this Agreement at any time by destroying the Software
together with any copies in any form. DRAWMER may terminate
this Agreement if you fail to comply with any term or condition
herein.

8. Severability: In the event of invalidity of any provision of this
Agreement, the parties agree that such invalidity shall not affect
the validity of the remaining portions of this Agreement.

9. No Liability for Consequential Damages. In no event shall
DRAWMER be liable to you for any consequential, special,
incidental or indirect damages of any kind arising out of the use
of the drawmer software, even if Drawmer has been advised of
the possibility of such damages. In no event will DRAWMER’s
liability or any claim, whether in contract, tort or any theory of
liability, exceed the license fee paid by you.
10a. Export. You agree that you will not export or re-export the
Software without the appropriate United States, UK or foreign
government licenses.
10b. Re-Exporting. Re-exporting of the Software may be
controlled by UK and/or US government regulations. Appropriate
Licenses must be obtained by the Purchaser where such controls
apply.

11. Governing Law. This Agreement will be governed by the
laws of the State of California as they are applied to agreements
between California residents entered into and to be performed
entirely within California. The United Nations Convention on
Contracts for the International Sale of Goods is specifically
disclaimed.

12. Entire Agreement. This is the entire Agreement between you
and DRAWMER which supersedes any prior agreement, whether
written or oral, relating to the subject matter of this Agreement.

US GOVERNMENT RESTRICTED RIGHTS

If this product is acquired under the terms of a: DOD contract :
Use, duplication or disclosure by the Government is subject to
restrictions as set forth in subparagraph (c)(1)(ii) of 252.227_19(a)
through (d) and restrictions set forth in the accompanying end
user agreement. Unpublished-rights reserved under the copyright
laws of the United States.

Should you have any questions concerning this Agreement, or if you

desire to contact DRAWMER for any reason, please write:
Drawmer Electronics Ltd, Coleman Street, Parkgate, Rotherham,

or contact Digidesign at:
Digidesign, a division of Avid Technology, Inc.
2001 Junipero Serra Blvd, Daly City, CA 94014-3886, USA

or find support at : www.digidesign.com/aboutus/contact/

Drawmer is a registered trademark of Drawmer Electronics Ltd.

This manual C Drawmer Electronics Ltd 2005. All rights reserved.

South Yorkshire, England, S62 6EL.

Contents

3

License agreement

Introduction

About
About the Drawmer TourBuss Plug-in
Panel Overview

DRAWMERDRAWMER

DRAWMER

DRAWMERDRAWMER

Using the Drawmer TourBuss

Key Filters

Key Filter Control Description

Expander

Expander Control Description
Expander Operation
Quick Start

Noise Gate

Noise Gate Control Description
Quick Start
Noise Gate Operation

2

4
4
4

5
5

6
6
7
7

8
8
9

9

Compressor

Compressor Control Description
Compressor Setup and Operation

Limiter

Limiter Control Description
Limiter Operation

Bracketing Filter

Bracketing Filter Control Description
Quick Start
Bracketing Filter Operation

Contact Details

Contact Details

10
10
11

12
12
12

13
13
13
13

14

TOURBUSS

operator’s manual

4

Introduction

Introduction

About

Drawmer TourBuss Plug-in for Digidesign V enue

T ourBuss - Frequency Conscious Gating, Expansion, Filtering, Compression and Limiting.

DrawmerDrawmer

Drawmer

DrawmerDrawmer

The name Drawmer is synonymous with professional signal processing in recording studio, broadcast
and live sound reinforcement environments. The company which is based in Yorkshire, England was
founded by Ivor Drawmer whose passion was designing audio circuits.

Products that have been developed by Drawmer include the revolutionary DS201, the world’s first ‘frequency
conscious’ noise gate, as well as the 1960 Mic Pre-Amp/V acuum Tube Compressor , the DL241 Auto
Compressor and more recently the highly rated Masterflow DC2476 Digital Mastering Processor, the
1968 V acuum Tube Compressor and the M-Clock master clock generator .

In 1999 the influential contribution of Ivor Drawmer to pro-audio design over the last 20 years was recognised
by the APRS (Association of Professional Recording Studios) by presenting him with a coveted Award
for Lifetime T echnical Achievement to the Audio Industry .

Acknowledged as master of the analogue dynamics processor, Drawmer now brings its expertise in
noise gates, expanders and compressor/limiters to the Digidesign Venue console. Benefiting from the
Drawmer pedigree as the market leader in dynamic signal processing, the T ourBuss Plug-In retains the
layout and sound of Drawmer’s renowned hardware units.

Existing users will instinctively feel at home with the T ourBuss Plug-In, while those new to the Drawmer
range will find it intuitive and powerful. Drawmer have created the software plug-ins to be worthy of our
classic lineage: the highly-acclaimed Drawmer DS201 and DL241, with the live engineer in mind. Providing
optional configurations, the TourBuss suite is designed for the audio professional who requires the
highest levels of performance and maximum versatility in software-based dynamics control.

Panel Overview

The Drawmer T ourBuss suite consists of four effects - a Noise Gate, Expander , Compressor/Limiter
and Bracketing Filter. Each accessible as individual, stand alone ef fects and able to patch into the
Venue insert points or sends anywhere along the audio signal chain and in any order . All ef fects have
a similar layout and feel, and have been designed to be as instantly recognisable as possible, so the
live engineer should feel completely at home when using them.
The easiest way to navigate the T ourbus is to imagine it in five sections:

1 2

3

4 5

1

The T ourBuss title area.
Here the description of the plugin is found.

2

The Meters area.
VU meters ranging from 0 to -60dB, selectable
between input and output.

The main control area.

3

The interface has been designed to feel as
similar to a Drawmer hardware product as
possible, using similar LED style metering,
toggle switches, rotary control knobs and
layout making it totally intuitive.

Information button.

4

Button toggles to show the product
information, version and relevant contacts.

5

Rotary control style.
Some users like to use a rotary knob as if it
were real, altering parameters in a rotary
action, others are more used to a vertical
control - this button toggles between the two.
In addition the middle mouse wheel can be
used to nudge the knob values up and down

in a more controlled manner.

Using the Drawmer TourBuss

Using the Drawmer TourBuss

Key Filters

Key is the term used to denote a signal that can trigger (open) a

Gate/Expander. The filters only af fect the way T ourBuss responds to
the incoming programme material - they do not have any direct effect
on the output signal unless key listen is selected.

The Drawmer T ourBuss Plug-In gives extra flexibility by allowing the
Key to be a separate channel in the Venue mixer , and the provision of
variable Low-Pass and High-Pass Filters allows ‘without compromise’
frequency selective gating/expansion. The plug-in can be switched
for either Internal or External Key source and the KEY LISTEN facility
enables monitoring of the filter setting.

Key Filters Control Description

5

Key Ext/Int

In the Int position, this switch causes the gate
to respond to the dynamics of the signal present
at the main signal input socket. In the Ext
position the gate/expander responds to the signal
dynamics of another, independent signal.

Using External Keys

An external audio source may be used to control the
Gate action, making it possible to Gate one channel’s
sound according to the dynamics of another
independent signal. For example, gating a bass guitar
from a kick drum, or where a brass section can be
keyed from the most experienced player; producing
a tighter, more aligned sound.

Assigning an External Key

Using an example of tightening a bass guitar track
from a kick drum:

Access a T ourBuss Gate / Expander on the bass
track, and open the plug-in.
Select the Key Source using the button in the

•

Venue plug-in frame (top centre).

L.F. 31.2Hz to 8kHz

works by attenuating frequencies below the cut­off frequency selected.

H.F. 125Hz to 22.6kHz

attenuates frequencies above the selected cut­off value.
In other words, when both filters are set, it is the
range between the two settings that is allowed
to pass and is the source used to trigger the
gate/expander. The optimum use of these
controls is to momentarily operate the channel
in Key Listen, and tune-into the loudest part of
the trigger source sound.

Meter

A meter above the key filter controls provides a
visual representation of the LF and HF controls,
showing the full key filter range from 31.2Hz to

22.6kHz.
As the LF and HF knobs move so do the
corresponding pointers on the meter. Note that
as one filter gets within one octave of the other it
also pushes that control.

On the Gate/Expander Plug-In use the toggle

•

switch (in the Key area) to select the External
trigger as the source.
Set the Key Filter LF and HF bands so that the

•

filter allows the desired frequencies of the kick
drum signal to pass through to the Threshold.
You might wish to audition the filter settings

•

using the Key Listen toggle.
Finally, adjust the Threshold to a level so that

•

kick drum signal adequately triggers the Gate
on every kick pulse.

TOURBUSS

operator’s manual

Key Listen

In normal operation, the filter only affects the
way the TourBuss plug-in responds (opens) to
the incoming programme material - it does not
have any direct effect on the output signal, but
when Key listen is enabled, the effect of the
key filter on the programme material is heard at
the output. Normally this is used to monitor the
effect of the filter to assist in tuning into the
specific key source sound(s). The audio signal
is not routed through gate/expander.