Drawmer MX-40 Punch Gate

Name: Drawmer MX-40
Brand: Drawmer

Four channels of frequency-conscious gating in a single rack space. The budget Drawmer that did one job very well.

Overview

Drawmer built the MX-40 to put the engineering of its bigger gates within reach of a project studio. According to EQ (the review by Mike Sokol, published around 1998), Drawmer got there by eliminating and combining some of the controls found on its more expensive two-channel gates. The result was a four-channel gate with the Drawmer sound at a price over $400 less than the company's own 404 gate. So the MX-40 is a deliberate exercise in subtraction, and every buyer had to decide whether the subtractions cost anything that mattered.

The core of the design is the sweepable trigger-frequency control, which EQ describes as essentially a mid-pass filter that lets the engineer select the center frequency of the sound they want to gate. That is what separates a frequency-conscious gate from a dumb level-triggered one, and it makes the MX-40 useful on a drum kit rather than merely functional. The Key Listen switch lets you monitor the filtered trigger signal in headphones while you sweep, so you can tune in on the snare and ignore the kick without guessing. EQ called this classic Drawmer ergonomics and noted it was really easy to set up on the fly. Cue the channel, hit Key Listen, and sweep until the target sound is loudest.

Drawmer's proprietary trigger stabilization circuit is the same asymmetrical-threshold approach that EQ notes is one of the secrets behind the world-class 201 gate. It is here too, and it makes gate chatter effectively impossible. Threshold and release are standard variables. A two-position switch selects between 20 dB and 90 dB of range - 20 dB acts as a dip in level, 90 dB as a full gate. EQ's reviewer wished that control were variable rather than a two-step switch, since setting the range just below audibility is one of the keys to natural-sounding gating without audible holes. That is a fair criticism, and it is one thing that separates the MX-40 from its costlier siblings.

Then there is Peak Punch, the MX-40's signature circuit, which accelerates the leading edge of the drum signal and heightens dynamics. Sound On Sound (1998, p.51) put it plainly: if you have never heard Peak Punch but regularly find yourself trying to massage attack out of flabby kicks and snares, this is something to look at - it immediately makes things apparently more lively and aggressive. The same review's Trevor Curwen, writing for The Mix, found that on recorded drums the MX-40 successfully separated kicks, snares and toms from the surrounding clutter, and that Peak Punch worked well on adding hard front-end punch to bass drums. EQ was more measured. The feature makes the gate snap open a little quicker and gives more attack on percussive signals, but since it is only on or off, there is no tweaking it for best sound. Most of the time it works fine, and the reviewer simply preferred knobs to presets.

Connectivity is professional-grade despite the budget positioning. EQ notes XLR balanced channel inputs and outputs plus a 1/4-inch key input, with the caveat that 1/4-inch TRS studios will need adapter cables. External Key, Filter In/Out, Attenuation Range and Bypass round out the front-panel controls, just three operational switches in total. It is a gate meant to be applied to a drum quickly and easily, not a Swiss Army processor.

The period press agreed: the MX-40 does one job well and does not pretend otherwise. EQ's reviewer found the overall sound non-invasive and the presets good compromises for most situations. He concluded that the MX-40 probably would not make it into the processing rack of an A-rig on tour the way its big brothers have, but for companies and studios with budget considerations it would do a good job and not break the bank. Sound On Sound (1998, p.51) was blunter about value: four channels of quality gating in a 1U rack space for less than £400 has to be a bargain. US pricing floated around the $499 - $599 mark depending on the source and the year. EQ listed a suggested retail of $499, while a Mix (1998, p.4) MX-series advert showed the MX40 Punch Gate at $599 alongside the MX30 at $449.

The MX-40 is a hard gate, not a downward expander. EQ is explicit that it was designed with percussion in mind and excels wherever the action of a hard gate is required. That makes it a natural fit for close-miked drums, and a less natural fit for delicate material where a gentler expansion curve would be wanted.