| Author |
Topic: Rupert Neve 1926-2021 |
Duane Reese
|
Posted 19 Mar 2021 9:23 pm |
|
This is more than an month behind, but I see that there are no posts about it, so I'll go ahead...
You might not know the name unless you've spent a lot of time in the studio, but he was a pioneer of high-end audio, and had a major impact on recorded music as we know it today. Many of our favorite records were done through his massive consoles. I went to one of his seminars back in the late '90s, and he talked a lot about his history with audio, the development of his products, different types of op amps, and emerging digital audio. A couple of things that still stick out in my mind from that talk: crossover distortion with class-AB amplifiers, high-order harmonics and the need for sample rates at least as high as 192kHz, and of course, the arrogant scoffing and trash talking from some engineers that had been sent down to the seminar from [a major audio conglomerate I won't name]... Let them go ahead and keep designing junk! This man had forgotten more than all of them will ever know.
You can read his bio here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rupert_Neve He was really a founding father of audio. |
|
|
 |
Ian Rae
From:
Redditch, England
|
Posted 20 Mar 2021 12:10 am
|
|
What I remember from my recording days is that the Neve consoles didn't just sound incredible, they also looked extremely elegant. This is important when you're staring at something for hours on end!
He was already a legend quite early on in his career. CBS Studios in London had a Neve desk back in the early 70s, and the BBC was a big customer.
In the 80s I dubbed a lot of TV drama on a Neve with motorised faders. Personally I preferred the invisible kind of automation, but the Neve kept the directors entertained and made them feel that something was happening!
_________________
Make sleeping dogs tell the truth!
Homebuilt keyless U12 7x5, Excel keyless U12 8x8, Williams keyless U12 7x8, Telonics rack and 15" cabs |
|
|
|
Duane Reese
|
Posted 20 Mar 2021 9:14 am
|
|
Indeed, Ian. And of course, there are a few other really good boards like that with motorized faders, discrete architecture, etc. that look and sound amazing, but Rupert Neve kind of started it all. He may not be a household name, but he changed the world in his own way.
I also understand that he was really a class act, too. |
|
|
|
Franklin
|
Posted 21 Mar 2021 5:53 am
|
|
The Neve microphone preamp is the industry standard. All engineers bring several with them to use on the PSG and other instruments needing a warm touch.
Talk about leaving a mark on music. Sad feelings even though I never met him..I know many who have and they all said he was as nice as he was great. Regrets to his family!
Paul |
|
|
|
Mark Wayne
From:
Wisconsin, USA
|
Posted 21 Mar 2021 6:30 pm
|
|
We use the “Portico ll†Mastering Buss Processor here at the studio very often (a Neve product) Rupert is right up there with Neumann and the rest in my opinion. Very warm, transparent compression when applied to the steel.
_________________
Mark Wayne Krutke
****markwayne.biz**** |
|
|
|
Duane Reese
|
Posted 21 Mar 2021 6:53 pm
|
|
I used to have a Rupert Neve-designed Amek 9098 pre/Eq that was phenomenal. I wish I had kept it but I needed the money at the time. It did an amazing job, and was very transparent.
That's one thing I've been told about Neve stuff—it's the best of the transparent equipment. Reportedly, the use of the Jensen 990 op amp has a lot to do with that transparency. API is another of my favorites, but it has a different philosophy, one of coloration (but in a good way). That op amp, the 2520, is reportedly class-AB, all-discrete.
Here's another important thing that Rupert Neve told the audience at that seminar... He said that you have to go back and reacclimate yourself with the standard—that is, don't just listen to everything through your favorite console, your favorite monitors, etc. but go to the local symphony hall and listen to an orchestra. Tune your ear to what it is you're trying to reproduce, so that you can get a sense of the target you're trying to hit. |
|
|
|
robert kramer
From:
Nashville TN
|
|
|
|
Duane Reese
|
Posted 23 Mar 2021 6:12 pm
|
|
 |
|
|
|
Bob Womack
From:
Virginia, USA
|
Posted 24 Mar 2021 5:51 am
|
|
I started my career on a Neve 8024 and a pair of 8058s. I considered the 8058s to be the most elegant-looking consoles ever. This is one of the 8058s I spent hours on:
I met Ruert Neve at the Audio Engineering Society in New York in 1984. He was a nice gentleman.
Bob
_________________
"It is said, 'Go not to the elves for counsel for they will say both no and yes.' "
Frodo Baggins to Gildor Inglorion, The Fellowship of the Ring
THE MUSICIAN'S ROOM (My Little Website) |
|
|
|
Duane Reese
|
Posted 24 Mar 2021 9:19 am
|
|
| I was lucky to have one song mixed on an 80-series Neve. And it sounded great! |
|
|
|
George Redmon
From:
Muskegon & Detroit Michigan.
|
Posted 9 Apr 2021 9:30 am
|
|
Rupert's consoles were just incredible. I still have the bobblehead i got from their booth at NAMM several years ago. First thing the big time guys would ask a recording engineer was......
"Got Neve?" |
|
|
|
