Neve: The History of the World’s Greatest Sound

We are delighted that Neve has joined
Sweetwater’s stable of thoroughbred pro audio manufacturers, so we thought it
fitting to take a look at the company’s fascinating history as one of the
world’s preeminent signal-processing designers and console builders. It all
started with a young Rupert Neve who, growing up during World War II,
capitalized on the public’s thirst for news by building and repairing radios —
a hot commodity in the pre-television era. At age 17, Rupert served in
England’s Royal Corps of Signals and subsequently converted a former ambulance
into a mobile public address and recording van, which provided PA services to
Winston Churchill and Princess Elizabeth.

Rupert Neve Hones His Skill Set

In the 1950s, Rupert worked for a
manufacturer of transformers and loudspeakers, honing design skills that would
later come to fruition as he became famous for his custom transformer designs.
His first foray into manufacturing came with a line of hi-fi speakers and
amplifiers and a stereo tape recorder. These early experiences gave young
Rupert some of the production and marketing experiences he would draw on for
his next venture: the Rupert Neve Company.

Rupert Neve started designing audio
equipment in the tube era; but he made his mark with solid-state consoles that
would define the Golden Age of Analog. At the dawn of the 1960s, a nascent pop
music scene was incubating — and would soon explode. The epicenter was London.
Two recording studios, Recorded Sound Ltd. and Phillips Records Ltd., were
among the first to recognize the need for innovative sound-processing and
mixing techniques to accommodate this new music. The Rupert Neve Company’s first important contract was with Recorded
Sound for two tube consoles — a recording
desk for the control room and a mobile broadcast board.

From Tubes to Transistors

Meanwhile,
transistors were starting to replace tubes in the recording industry, and
Rupert Neve was in on the ground floor of the new technology. Neve’s first
client for his new solid-state equipment was Phillips Records, which, in 1964,
commissioned him to design equalizers that would enable engineers to change the
balance of previously recorded 2-track material — a valuable capability in this
pre-multitrack era. Rupert’s EQs found immediate success, and soon Phillips and
other studios were putting in orders for custom mixing consoles.

The Multitrack Revolution

Multitrack tape recorder
technology advanced rapidly during the late 1960s and early ’70s, with each
track-count increase placing greater demands on a studio’s signal-processing
and routing capabilities. Roughly three years after the Beatles recorded Sgt.
Pepper, bouncing between two modified 1-inch 4-track machines (1-inch
8-track had already been in use for some time in the US), 2-inch 16-track made
its debut, followed soon thereafter by 2-inch 24-track machines. One could say
that Rupert Neve was in the right place at the right time — with the right
skill set.

Neve BCM10/2 Mk2 10-channel Analog Mixing Console

From Little Shelford to a New Factory

In 1969, the Rupert Neve Company, which had been operating out of Rupert’s
home, the old Rectory in Little Shelford, moved into a proper factory. The
business was growing rapidly and, over the next several years, would establish
several sales offices in North America with representatives dispatched across
the globe. With iconic channel amplifiers such as the venerable 1073 installed
in the first of what would evolve into the renowned 80-series Neve consoles
(such as the one made for London’s Wessex
Sound Studios), the stage was set for industry domination.

The Classic 1073

The 1073 channel amplifier, with its
acclaimed mic/line preamp and 3-band EQ, remains a hot commodity in one form or
another to this day. Neve manufactures several versions — from the popular 500
Series format to a drop-in module for vintage Neve consoles. According to
Rupert Neve, the secret to the 1073’s coveted sound was its use of
transformers. “What we did with the
transformers,” he recollects, “was to build them out like filters to the
maximum that we could squeeze out in terms of high-frequency response and then
make sure they rolled off smoothly — with no peaking or things of that sort.”

Neve 1073N Mono Microphone Preamp & EQ

Mil-Spec Build Quality

Neve consoles
not only sounded great and satisfied all the signal-processing and routing
requirements of the era, but they were also bulletproof. Post-WWII pro audio
gear was, for the most part, directly descended from the military
communications equipment that was used during the war; and, as such, it was
handwired with discrete components and featured weapons-grade build quality
that could, ideally, withstand a bombing attack. This is, no doubt, why so many
prized vintage Neve consoles are still in use a half century on.

80-series Industry Domination

Neve’s 80-series
consoles dominated the high-end recording studio scene of the 1970s with iconic
boards like the 1073-equipped 8028 (a 1973 build of which was reverentially
featured in the Dave Grohl documentary Sound City and currently resides
in Grohl’s personal studio) and the 8048, introduced in 1974 fitted with 1081
channel amplifiers with 4-band EQ. Company ownership had changed in 1973 when
Rupert sold the Neve Companies, but research and development at Neve continued
unabated. To smooth the transition, Rupert stayed on until 1975, when he left
and entered into a 10-year noncompete agreement. The first in-line-monitor
Neves, the 8058 and 8068, were launched in 1976; and the majestic 8078, the
last of the handwired “production” 80-series desks, made its debut in 1978. Late-’70s
Neves were available factory-equipped with NECAM (Neve Computer Assisted
Mixdown system), Neve’s first foray into computer-assisted mixing technology
and the world’s first successful moving-fader automation system.

Neve 8424 24-channel Analog Mixing Console

The Famous AIR Studios Montserrat
A4792

The vintage Neve
console that now resides in AIR Studios Lyndhurst Hall in London is one of
three designed exclusively for AIR Studios. Built in 1977 for George Martin’s
new recording facility on the Caribbean island of Montserrat, the first of this
trio of custom consoles — bearing the serial number A4792 — incorporated
considerable design input from the legendary Beatles producer, engineer Geoff
Emerick, and Rupert Neve, who had left Neve over two years prior and was, at
the time, involved in several new ventures. The Police, who recorded their Ghost
in the Machine album at AIR Montserrat, immortalized (abused) the studio’s
Neve in the official video for their hit “Every Little Thing She Does Is
Magic.”

The first Neve
desk built around dual 15-volt rails running TDA1034 op-amps, the A4792 was
effectively a customized “8078 on steroids” that improved on the factory-spec
board in fundamental ways. Its bespoke transformers differed from the stock
Neve issue by virtue of their toroidally wound construction. The 31106 channel
amplifiers were similar to the 8078’s 31105 modules but included different
frequencies chosen by Martin as optimal for the comprehensive 4-band EQ and
highpass/lowpass filters. Also unique to the Montserrat A4792 were its 34427 mic
preamps that were designed to reside in the tracking room and be remotely
controlled from the console.

This boutique
design — burrowed deep within the core of Neve’s design engineering team —
resulted in a console with true audiophile credentials, including a frequency
response of +/-1dB from 40Hz to 100kHz and +26dBu headroom with a typical THD
of 0.003% in any one channel. With a noise floor of -80dBu, this yielded a
dynamic range of 106dB. Neve 80-series consoles had become prized for their
wide, linear bandwidth and rich, punchy, full-bodied sound with formidable
lows, assertive midrange presence, and sweet, airy highs. The 8058, 8068, and
8078 were the best-sounding production Neves to date, but the A4792 took
performance to a whole new level. Today, after hit-making stints at AIR
Montserrat and A&M Studios Hollywood, perhaps the most celebrated console
of all time is enshrined at Subterranean Studios in Toronto, Canada. Many an
audio professional is gratified to know that this revered board is still in
daily use!

Modern Design Takes Hold

Building on the
AIR Montserrat A4792, Neve launched into the 1980s with the 8108, which, in
retrospect, could be seen as a bridge between the handwired 80-series consoles
of the ’70s and the V Series, which was introduced in 1985. At the dawn of the
’80s, Neve was transitioning to modern technology and construction methods,
including the use of integrated circuits (which had greatly improved in
quality) to replace discrete components. The V1 was followed by the V3 in 1987,
the VR (with Recall software to store and recall settings) in 1988, and the
post-production-focused VRP in 1989. 1991’s VR Legend was a super-tweaked
version of the VR optimized with oxygen-free cabling and other sonic performance
enhancements.

The Neve VX and VXS

In 1992, Neve
was merged with AMS (Advanced Music Systems) to form AMS Neve. Known for their
innovations in digital reverb and delay lines, multitrack hard disc recorders,
and digital consoles, AMS brought valuable expertise in digital control systems
to Neve’s modern console-design development teams. Built on the successful VR
topology, the Neve VX and VXS consoles, introduced in 1997, included
across-the-board sonic improvements and a number of operational refinements
such as improved metering, surround-sound capabilities, film-scoring features,
and the Encore moving-fader automation system with its meter-bridge color TFT
display.

A New Standard for a New Millennium

In 2001, Neve
released the 88R, a crowning achievement considered by many to be the ultimate
analog recording console. The 88RS, optimized for film scoring, soon followed
and, in 2004, was joined by the 88RS SP2, which incorporated the SP2 scoring
panel, designed in collaboration with top scoring mixers. Boasting an
impressive 132 buses, the 88RS SP2 established a new industry standard for
world-class recording facilities and scoring stages such as Abbey Road Studios
in London and the Barbra Streisand Scoring Stage at Sony Studios in Culver
City, California.

Neve 88RLB 500-series Microphone Preamp

The Absolute Sound for Your Studio

Neve has long offered their Classic line of console modules based on the vintage 1073, 1084, and 1081 channel amplifiers. In recent years, these have been joined by a range of rackmount units and 500 Series modules that includes mic preamps, EQs, compressors, channel strips, a summing mixer, and more — all inspired by the legendary Neve circuitry that defined the sound of modern recorded music. From signal processing to custom consoles, Sweetwater is proud to carry a broad selection of Neve products. Whether you’re a composer, artist, producer, engineer, or manager of a music-recording or post-production facility, we have the Neve gear you need to deliver world-class product. Give your Sales Engineer a call at (800) 222-4700 for friendly, expert advice on how you can equip your studio with Neve for the absolute best in sound.

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