 | |
| Industry | Professional audio design & engineering |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1961 |
Key people | Rupert Neve |
Neve Electronics was a manufacturer of music recording and broadcast mixing consoles and hardware. It was founded in 1961 by Rupert Neve, the man credited with creating the modern mixing console. [1]
Rupert Neve formed Neve Electronics in 1961. [2] The company specialised in producing professional audio equipment and mixing consoles. The products used high-quality components and utilized Class-A circuit designs. [2] In 1964 the company moved to Cambridgeshire. That year Neve Electronics built one of the first transistor-based mixing consoles for Philips Records Studios in London. [2] The company moved to a purpose-built factory in Melbourn, near Cambridge where in 1968 they designed the 2254 compressor limiter for ABC Weekend TV in the UK. [2] It was also in 1968 that Neve Electronics began to distribute their products in North America. [2] Vanguard Records, of New York City, was the first American recording studio to take possession of the Neve console in October, 1968.
In 1970, Rupert Neve designed the 1073 module for the new A88 mixing console; this console was designed for Wessex Studios. [2] During the seventies Neve Electronics produced a whole series of mixing consoles for both broadcast and recording studios. In 1973, the 8048 console was produced; this included the newer 1081 microphone/line preamplifier and equaliser. [2] In the same year Rupert Neve sold Neve Electronics to the Bonochord Group. He continued working alongside Neve Electronics until 1975 when he left altogether. [3]
In 1977, Neve Electronics began using digital technology with the introduction of their Necam system. Necam stood for Neve Computer Assisted Mixdown. The first Necam system was installed at Air Studios in London. [2] Necam also gained popularity in television post production facilities, including the BBC. Before the introduction of Necam, all fader mixing had to be done as live, a considerably skilled and stressful task for any dubbing mixer. Necam allowed for fader movements to be stored and recalled at a later point, allowing the dubbing mixer to build a mix in stages and focus on the creative and artistic elements of a mix, rather than on managing the technology. For those working in television post production, this was seen as a major breakthrough. [4] In 1979, the 8108 console was produced using both analog and digital technology. The console had assignable controls and memory mixing faders. [2]
In the 1980s, there were concerns about Neve Electronics' financial situation. This was partly due to their ambitious investment into research and development of projects such as the DSP console and the Necam system. [3] Another product that was included in the company's research and development programme was a digitally controlled routing system; very few of these were sold. [3] In 1985, Neve Electronics was acquired by the Siemens group; [2] then in 1992 the Siemens group combined Neve Electronics with another newly acquired company, Advanced Music Systems to form AMS Neve which continues to produce products under both the Neve and AMS Neve brands. [2]
The 1073 is a Class-A design microphone/line preamplifier with three equaliser bands. [7] The equaliser has a fixed 12kHz high frequency band and switchable low and mid range bands with cut and boost controls. [7] There is also a passive third-order (18 dB/octave) high pass filter. Two switches were also fitted on the module's front panel for equaliser bypass and phase polarity. [7] The 1073 module was designed to be part of the 80 series Neve console. It was never intended for use as a stand alone module. [7] It is now regarded as a "desert island" preamp by many recording engineers, and has been used on a countless number of hit records over the past 30 years from Rock, Rap, Hip-hop, to Classical. The sound is described as very big, fat, and colored. The factor contributing to the larger than life sound is greatly attributed to the design of the transformer which seems to add subharmonics to the signal. [8] The Equalizer section of the 1073 is regarded as very "musical" and practical and has become the favorite choice of many engineers for tracking and mixing.
The 33609 is a 19” rack mounted compressor limiter produced by Neve Electronics for broadcast and recording purposes. [9] The unit can be linked for stereo and multi-channel operation. The compressor processes the audio signal before the output amplifier, meaning the output level can be raised after compression of the signal. [9] The controls include compression attack and recovery times. There is also a bypass control to switch the effect in or out of the circuit. Other configurations were available at the time of the product's release. [9] The Neve 33609 compressor limiter was re-designed around 2009 by AMS Neve and labelled as the 33609JD stereo compressor. [10]
A mixing console or mixing desk is an electronic device for mixing audio signals, used in sound recording and reproduction and sound reinforcement systems. Inputs to the console include microphones, signals from electric or electronic instruments, or recorded sounds. Mixers may control analog or digital signals. The modified signals are summed to produce the combined output signals, which can then be broadcast, amplified through a sound reinforcement system or recorded.
Solid State Logic (SSL) is a British company based in Begbroke, Oxfordshire, England that designs and markets audio mixing consoles, signal processors, and other audio technologies for the post-production, video production, broadcast, sound reinforcement and music recording industries. SSL employs over 160 people worldwide and has regional offices in Los Angeles, Milan, New York City, Paris, and Tokyo, with additional support provided by an international network of distributors. Solid State Logic is part of the Audiotonix Group.
The Hit Factory is a recording studio in New York City owned and operated by Troy Germano. Since 1969, The Hit Factory recording studios have existed in six different locations in New York City as well as facilities in London and Miami. Today the studios are located at 676 Broadway in the Noho neighborhood of New York City.
AMS Neve Ltd is a privately owned audio engineering company who specialise in digital and analogue music consoles, outboard equipment and post production consoles. AMS Neve was the result of the amalgamation in 1992 of AMS with Neve Electronics.
George Y. Massenburg is a Grammy award-winning recording engineer and inventor. Working principally in Baltimore, Los Angeles, Nashville, and Macon, Georgia, Massenburg is widely known for submitting a paper to the Audio Engineering Society in 1972 regarding the parametric equalizer.
Automated Processes Inc. is an American company that designs, manufactures, and markets mixing consoles and signal processors, including modular signal processor units in the 500-series format standard that evolved from early API mixing consoles.
Onkio Haus Inc. is a company operating sound recording, mixing and mastering studios in Ginza, Tokyo, owned by Magazine House, Ltd and others. It also provides video editing and postproduction services for TV program and commercial film projects. The studio is renowned as one of the best professional recording studios in Japan, used for recording and mixing Japanese popular songs and jazz music.
Arthur Rupert Neve was a British-American electronics engineer and entrepreneur, who was a pioneering designer of professional audio recording equipment. He designed analog recording and audio mixing equipment that was sought after by professional musicians and recording technicians. Some of his customers were music groups The Beatles, Aerosmith and Nirvana, and recording studios Sound City Studios and Abbey Road Studios. Companies that he was associated with included Neve Electronics, Focusrite, AMS Neve, and Rupert Neve Designs.
Universal Audio is an American company that designs, imports, and markets audio signal processing hardware and effect pedals, audio interfaces, digital signal processing, virtual instrument, and digital audio workstation software and plug-ins.
Audio & Design (Recording) Ltd are an English based company who specialised in the development and production of professional audio processors, in the form of limiters, compressors, expanders & equalisers. The company were one of the first to introduce Field-effect transistors into a commercially available limiter amplifier in 1966. Audio & Design (Recording) equipment has been widely used by professional studios, music artists and the broadcasting industry throughout the world. Recently the company has installed and serviced the BBC World Service's multi Terabyte archive installation using Storage area network technology (SAN).
AMS were a manufacturer of professional studio equipment. The company later merged with Neve Electronics to form AMS Neve.
Musical outboard equipment or outboard gear is used to process or alter a sound signal separately from functionality provided within a mixing console or a digital audio workstation. Outboard effects units can be used either during a live performance or in the recording studio.
Music Center Incorporated (MCI) is the former name of a United States manufacturer of professional audio equipment that operated from 1955 until 1982 when it was acquired by the Sony Corporation. The company is credited with a number of world firsts: commercialising the 24-track multi-track recorder, the tape Auto Locator and in-line mixing console.
Audient is a British company based in Herriard, Hampshire, England that designs, manufactures, and markets mixing consoles, audio interfaces, microphone preamplifiers, monitor controllers and signal processors.
Philip Stephen Dudderidge is a British sound engineering entrepreneur. He is a notable figure in the professional audio industry, having worked as Led Zeppelin's concert sound mixer, and later co-founding Soundcraft Electronics Ltd before serving as Chairman of Focusrite Audio Engineering Ltd.
Focusrite PLC is an English music and audio products group based in High Wycombe, England. The Focusrite Group trades under eight brands: Focusrite, Focusrite Pro, Martin Audio, ADAM Audio, Novation, Ampify Music, Optimal Audio and Sequential. Focusrite designs and markets audio interfaces, microphone preamps, consoles, analogue equalizers (EQ) and channel strips, and digital audio processing hardware and software for professional and home studios.
The Neve 8048 is a mixing console designed by Neve Electronics, which features the 1081 mic preamp and equaliser, and the 2254 limiter/compressor. It has been used by artists such as Queen at Mountain Studios, 3 Doors Down, Alice in Chains, Cat Power, Death Cab for Cutie, Mother Love Bone, and Temple of the Dog.
Paul Wolff is an American electronics engineer and entrepreneur, who is a designer of professional audio recording equipment. He designs recording consoles including immersive and audio mixing equipment for professional recording. He has been associated with companies including Datatronix, API, Tonelux, and Fix Audio Designs. His customers include Jim Messina, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, and Startec Studios, among others.
Helios was a brand of mixing consoles custom-designed and built for use in recording studios. Produced from 1969 to 1979, Helios consoles were utilized by many key recording studios to produce numerous notable recordings and played a vital part in the history of British rock.
The 500-series format is a standardized format for a modular signal processor system consisting of a combination of 500-series modules installed within a 500-series chassis, with the chassis providing power and audio connections for the individual modules. Originally invented by Automated Processes, Inc. co-founder Saul Walker, today numerous companies manufacture 500-series format products.
