99% of people who listen to music have most likely never heard his name, but you have heard the magic of his craft, and today we lost this legend of audio design and engineering The Great Rupert Neve at age 94.
Foo Fighter fans might remember hearing the name mentioned often during their documentary Sound City, as he was the genius behind the design of the mixing console that David recorded on with Nirvana and eventually purchased and brought to his home studio. A wise move.
The reason Robert Neve's name is held is such high regard is because of the incredible tools that he has created for us musicians. Without Rubert Neve the warm sound of Fleetwood Mac's drums would have never been pushed out of your speakers. The brilliance behind his preamp designs is so powerful, so sought after, that still to this day they are considered the best of the best. Those original designs that Frank Sinatra used.. are still considered the highest quality that you can get today. This is the very reason Dave chose to buy that old console, and the reason that music makers like myself save up for years to purchase his incredibly powerful equipment. Expensive.. YES! but so so very worth it. In fact, earlier today I was pricing his famous NEVE 1073 preamp for my home studio.
The designs of Rupert Neve will never be matched. His legacy will live on forever in the recordings that have flowed through his wisdom and into our ears. Often, these brilliant audio engineers are left out of the discussion on who is responsible for great music. They are the unsung heroes, only familiar to the studio geeks and professional engineers who hold his designs in such high regard. I promise you, you have heard music who's tone is a direct result of being passed through Rubert's equipment. The name Rubert Neve and term Audiophile go hand in hand. There is quality recording gear, and then there is Rubert Neve quality recording gear.. and brothers and sisters.. that makes all the difference.
Today, we lost another great source of the music we all know and love. His name is Rubert Neve, and you would do well to remember it.
Now, I'm going to go back to figuring out how I can afford the $4,000 I need for one of his ADDA devices and the 1073 preamp.
Written by Patrick Capone