AMS Neve
Introduction
During my stint in the professional music industry, every time I stepped into an iconic recording studio or had the opportunity to work with a legendary recording studio engineer, you would find both gear and or consoles being used that were made by AMS Neve. The engineers that I had the opportunity to work with would carry AMS Neve gear in their racks to use either while tracking or mixing a project. Each of the recording studio facilities would have AMS Neve preamps, equalizers, compressors and reverb units in their equipment racks. A few of the recording facilities had legendary consoles that were made by AMS Neve. I never worked on a single project in which equipment from AMS Neve was not put to use on a wide variety of source materials.
Which products from AMS Neve that were used by the great engineers and recording studio facilities of the past would be a great fit for the educational space?
While each unit of gear and every console from AMS Neve is a marvel of technology, among the most commonly used units of gear from AMS Neve by the engineers that I had the opportunity to work with were the following: the Neve 1073® microphone preamp and equalization unit, the Neve 2264 compressor/limiter and the AMS RMX-16 digital reverb unit. Each of these units of gear are still made by the amazing engineers at AMS Neve and now come in the convenient 500-series format— making each of them a perfect choice for an educational institution. AMS Neve also has developed an amazing console which combines the best of both their classical analog and cutting-edge digital technologies— the Neve Genesys Black, which is also an excellent choice for an educational institution.
Image: Neve 1073LB
Image courtesy-- AMS Neve
The Neve 1073LB
The Neve 1073 is perhaps one of the greatest microphone preamp and equalization units ever made. It truly does sound great on any source. If an engineer could choose just one preamp and equalization unit to start the process of creating a studio rack of equipment, the Neve 1073 would be an excellent choice. It is also incredibly easy to use. The 1073 is also incredibly durable. In fact, vintage units from the early 1970s can still be found recording the greatest hits in today’s popular music in fine recording studios around the world. The 1073LB (LB stands for lunch box) is a 500-series unit which is one-half of the original 1073 module unit, in that it houses the legendary microphone preamp section. This legendary preamp has been heard on countless classic hit songs and albums. The Neve 1073LB will require the use of a compatible 500-series chassis unit.
The Neve 1073LBEQ
The Neve 1073LBEQ (LBEQ stands for lunch box equalizer) is the other half of the original 1073 module unit— the classical three-band equalizer. This legendary three-band equalizer has been heard on countless hit songs and albums in the history of popular music. It is also incredibly easy to use and durable, too. Both the preamp and equalization modules would sound great on any source. Just like the 1073LB microphone preamp, the 1073LBEQ is a 500-series module and will require the use of a compatible 500-series chassis unit.
Image: Neve 1073LBEQ
Image courtesy-- AMS Neve
Image: AMS RMX16
Image courtesy-- AMS Neve
The AMS RMX16
The AMS RMX16 is also a true legend. It was one of the very first true digital reverb units to ever be created and its phenomenal sound can be heard on countless hit songs. In fact, just some of the settings from this unit are legendary themselves, such as NONLIN (which stands for non-linear) which was pivotal to creating the gigantic drum sounds that could be heard on so many of the great hit songs and albums from the pop and rock music of the 1980s and early 1990s. It should be noted that this reverb unit had settings which sounded great on just about any source and was a rack-mount unit that could be found in fine recording studio facilities around the world. Just recently, in 2020, AMS Neve relaunched this legendary digital reverb unit, as a magnificent 3-space, 500-series module unit. Please, keep in mind that since the new AMS RMX16 is a 500-series module, it will require the use of a compatible 500-series chassis unit.
Image: Neve 2264ALB
Image courtesy-- AMS Neve
The Neve 2264ALB
Once a major component of one of the most iconic recording studio consoles in the history of popular music recording, the Neve 8068, the Neve 2264A is one of the greatest compressor/limiter modules ever designed for the purpose of recording great music. Like every magnificent product from AMS Neve, the 2264A was incredibly easy to use and sounded great when applied to any source material. The new 2264ALB (LB stands for lunch box) is a 500-series format version of this classic compressor/limiter developed by the engineering team at AMS Neve. Keep in mind that since the new 2264ALB is a 500-series module, it will require the use of a compatible 500-series chassis unit.
The Neve Genesys Black
While AMS Neve has primarily been known for its iconic large-format analog consoles, the new Neve Genesys Black is the perfect console for those who are looking for a desk that features classical analog technologies and seamless integration with a digital audio workstation. It would be the perfect console for an educational facility to use to be able to teach the beauty of classical Neve analog technologies, such as the use of the 1073 preamp and 1084 equalization modules for example and at the same time, have the fluid use of your digital audio workstation software program and its associated AMS Neve plugins at your fingertips— all in one place. It is also a modular console, which means that it can be expanded to fit the needs of your educational program as it expands into the future.
Image: Neve Genesys Black
Image courtesy-- AMS Neve
Why should an educational institution invest in products from AMS-Neve?
As the name implies, two legendary companies were fused in 1990 to create a company which makes some of the finest professional audio products in the world. The Neve company began operating in 1961 and since that time has created some of the greatest units of gear and consoles to ever be utilized in the world of professional music production. The AMS company, or Advanced Music Systems, was established in 1976 and since that time has created products that have become staples of fine recording studios around the world. Today, AMS Neve products are made with tremendous pride, well-engineered and hand-crafted by some of the greatest engineering minds in the world at the company headquarters and factory in Burnley, England. AMS Neve products are easy to use, durable and an investment that will be with you for as long as you will have an educational program to teach the art of music recording. Plus, their service, technical support and support for the educational community are easily among the very best in the world.
If you would like more information about AMS Neve and the legendary products that were discussed in this article, please use the following links which are listed below.
The following link will take you to the AMS Neve Limited corporate website where you can learn more about this legendary company and also, find an authorized dealer for their fabulous products in your area.
Special Note: Each of the images in this article appear through the courtesy and generosity of the wonderful people at AMS Neve. The 1073® is a registered trademark of AMS Neve Limited.
Special Thanks— At The Recording Session Vault Educational Website Project, we would like to take a moment to express our thanks and appreciation to Elly Littler at AMS Neve for her time and assistance with this article.