As Perlmutter notes, with a typical tape session it’s necessary to get a mix together before continuing a tracking session. But when he first brought a current tape session into the new 5088, he reports, “The first thing I noticed was that I could throw the faders up and hear everything right away; I didn’t even have to spend time getting the mix together. The amount of murk that disappeared with the 5088 was remarkable. Everybody noticed it immediately.”

There was already a classic Neve 8048 console in a tracking room at the former Loho Studios on Manhattan’s Lower East Side when Blue Man Group relocated their rehearsal and production facilities there. Perlmutter subsequently discovered that he could buy a new Rupert Neve-designed console for only about twice the cost of refurbishing the old 8048. Initially planning to rack-mount the modules from the 8048 for use with the new console, he and Jeff DelBello, of New Jersey-based dB Sound Design, soon discovered that the modules were almost exactly the same width as a 5088 channel. “We came up with the idea of putting it all together into one console, one standalone item that could one day be moved if necessary,” says DelBello.

DelBello delivered the modules and frame parts from the 8048 and an old Neve film console that had been in storage to Sterling Modular in Boyertown, PA. “They assembled the frame again for us,” he reports, “but there were some challenges. Neve never made buckets larger than 12 modules wide. The weight of the modules would cause bowing or sagging in the center of the bucket. Sterling was able to reinforce the chassis to allow 16-channel buckets to be built and keep the modules centered over the 5088 input channels.” DelBello wired the 1064 and 1081 modules into the 5088 frame, along with a number of custom panels and a DK-Technologies MSD series surround sound meter display in the 5088’s center section.

According to Jim Maher at Sterling Modular, “Because the 1081 modules were larger than the 5088 penthouse, we designed an entirely new penthouse with additional dividers and structure. At the same time we built in the DK meters and provided space for additional controls. We then added a matching 19-inch-wide patchbay and fabricated custom mahogany side trims to finish it off.”

The first project for the new 5088 was a 5.1 mix of a Blue Man Group piece promoting Panasonic 3-D televisions. Perlmutter had previously performed 5.1 mixes on Blue Man Group’s SSL console, but notes, “The way that we were able to set up the busses and the auxes on the 5088 was just as easy to do without having to make any modifications.” Perlmutter reports that the 5088 console will now get a good workout on a busy summer schedule of music production, audio and video post production, and sound design for Blue Man Group shows in Japan and aboard Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Epic, as well as for its U.S. National Tour launching Fall 2010.

About Sterling Modular Systems: For most of the past two decades, Sterling Modular Systems has been designing high quality ‘Audio Furniture’ that combines physical functionality with sonic functionality. Each piece is designed to be as acoustically transparent as possible while retaining the studio-functionality that engineers require in the Audio Recording, Mastering, Broadcast and Post-production industries. In-house craftsman personally control and oversee every operation, whether its top of the line custom furnishings or more affordable ‘pre-designed’ racks and consoles. The company’s business is based on customer satisfaction and a reputation for ‘old-world’ quality. For more information call (610) 369-5802 or visit http://www.sterlingmodular.com

About Rupert Neve Designs: Founded by Rupert and Evelyn Neve, Rupert Neve Designs is built on passion, experience and a desire to create products embodying the highest musical quality. In continuing his legacy as a pioneer in audio circuit design, Mr. Rupert Neve is currently focusing his talents on creating innovative solutions to the issues facing the modern recording engineer. For further information on Rupert Neve Designs please visit www.rupertneve.com

About Blue Man Group: Blue Man Group is best known for its widely popular theatrical shows and concerts that combine music, comedy and multimedia theatrics to produce a totally unique form of entertainment. The blissful party atmosphere created at the live events has become the trademark of a Blue Man Group experience. Currently, Blue Man Group theatrical shows can be seen in New York, Boston, Chicago, Las Vegas, Orlando, Tokyo, Berlin, on tour throughout Europe, and on board the new Norwegian Epic by Norwegian Cruise Line – the Official Cruise Line of Blue Man Group. This fall, a touring production of the theatrical show will begin its journey around the U.S. As the company grows, it remains true to its vision of providing exciting experiences in a variety of media, appealing to a broad range of age groups and cultural backgrounds. Learn more at www.blueman.com.

Mulzer, who has been recording for about three years, reveals that he had previously been working entirely within the digital domain, with outboard analog summing. “But I wanted to step up, so I decided to go for it and get the best out there,” he says, adding, “This board is just amazing.”

The complement of Portico modules fitted in the 5088 console includes nine 5012 Duo Mic Preamps, four 5015 Mic Pre/Compressors, four 5043 dual-channel Compressor/Limiters, and nine 5033 5-Band EQs. “I hope to fill it up some day,” he says, noting that, until then, the onboard Portico processing is complemented by additional outboard rack units. “I do my surgical EQ, taking care of problems, through plug-ins. But any kind of tone, any kind of warmth, anything that really matters, I get through my Porticos and a few outboard things.”

“When Brett first contacted me about putting a new console into his studio, we talked extensively about his needs and how the console would integrate with the rest of his equipment and his workflow,” relates Sweetwater sales engineer Bob Furlong. “It quickly became clear that the best choice for him was the Rupert Neve Designs 5088. The combination of ergonomics and features, along with incredible sound quality, made the 5088 the obvious mixer for his room.”

The installation of the 5088 is just the latest phase in the development of Mulzer’s music recording studio. “I switched over to [Avid] Pro Tools|HD3 through Apogee converters coming in and out of the board,” he reports. “I’ve never had a Rupert Neve Designs preamp of my own, but once I used these — man, they are unbelievable! I won’t be using anything but those, and a few of the other things that I have.”

Side Alley Recording features a 21 ft. x 20 ft. control room and a live room measuring 36 ft. x 33 ft., with a small isolation booth for vocals and a second, larger iso booth that is typically used for acoustic instruments, such as guitar, as well as vocal groups. Haverstick Designs, an acoustical consulting company based in central Indiana, tuned the control room. The facility was built out less than a year ago, according to Mulzer, “with the idea that I was going to be getting this larger desk. I do everything myself so I wanted everything close by. I wanted it very flexible, so I have everything within reach.”

The studio is located in Tell City, which is situated on the north bank of the Ohio River in southern Indiana. “The majority of the work I do is small projects for area customers and clients. Occasionally I’ll have a full-length album come in,” says Mulzer. “Since I typically work by myself I usually produce the sessions and also run all the equipment. The 5088’s routing and versatility makes my engineering job a little easier, allowing me to focus on getting a good performance, which is ultimately what I’m after in a session. Knowing the sonics are exactly what I’m looking for, and seeing the VU meters move around, gives me peace of mind that I will have a great tone when I am mixing the final product.”

Side Alley Recording clients span a variety of musical genres, he reports. “But it seems like the trend is going toward singer-songwriters these days. Right now I have two or three singer-songwriter projects going, some rock projects, a Christian hip-hop project; a little bit of everything.”

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For further information about Side Alley Recording please visit: www.sidealleyrecording.com

About Rupert Neve Designs: Founded by Rupert and Evelyn Neve, Rupert Neve Designs is built on passion, experience and a desire to create products embodying the highest musical quality. In continuing his legacy as a pioneer in audio circuit design, Mr. Rupert Neve is currently focusing his talents on creating innovative solutions to the issues facing the modern recording engineer. For further information on Rupert Neve Designs please visit: www.rupertneve.com

Company Contact: Rupert Neve Designs, 11 Flite Acres Road, Wimberly, TX 78676. Tel: (512) 847-3013 Fax: (512) 847-8869 E-mail: info@rupertneve.com

Dinletir and his team of composers produce epic music with massive string, brass and percussion sounds. “We’re producing long, full tracks that have what the trailer industry is looking for, but in different styles, be they orchestral, rock orchestral, hybrid, or whatever,” elaborates Dinletir. “We also do sound design.”

The 5088 was installed to allow Dinletir to see his projects through to a satisfactory conclusion. “I’ve always tried to get somebody else to mix our music and never was happy,” he explains. “Not that they’re not great people, but I’m very specific about what I’m looking for. A lot of the tracks that we do have close to 196 tracks in Pro Tools, so I realized I couldn’t do it all in the box – once you run something into a buss in Pro Tools you lose headroom.”

The Rupert Neve-designed console not only provides Dinletir with the control that he needs but it also speeds up the mixing process, which is critical when he typically must mix up to five tracks a day, he says. “Mixes come together faster. A capable person with Pro Tools and a summing mixer might be able to give you a great mix, but I guarantee that it will take five or six times the amount of time. I can do a mix that used to take a whole day in two or three hours it’s just like the console glues it together. When you output from the Pro Tools channel directly into the console it sounds better and it comes together faster. I’m thrilled!”

Dinletir had previously tried using various outboard summing solutions but was dissatisfied with the results. He called pro audio dealer Vintage King and asked head of west coast sales, Jeff Ehrenberg, who has a 5088 installed at his Infrasonics Sound studios, for suggestions. “Jeff was extremely helpful with the process of getting the 5088 console and the Portico modules. Having the console himself, it was very easy to get into all the details with him. That’s the most important thing, I think, that somebody has the gear, uses it, and can vouch for it.”

Attempting to replicate an outboard equalizer working in the box requires multiple plug-ins, observes Dinletir. “I would literally have to open three or four plug-ins just to get the body and the thickness. It never sounds as creamy. Whereas you can open up one EQ on the 5088 and there it is.”

Despite the large number of Pro Tools tracks and console channels, noise is never an issue, he continues. “I can put the console faders at zero and the noise floor is amazing – I don’t have to worry about muting anything. I have 32 channels and I really wish I had 32 more, just so I could split out the choir and brass and the strings and the percussion and all the MIDI.”

He concludes, “Today’s world is so digital, and this thing fits perfectly into it. I would never have thought that I would have a hardware box that I can’t do recall on. But if you want a mixer that you can just throw anything at, this is it.”

Founded by Rupert and Evelyn Neve, Rupert Neve Designs, LLC is built on passion, experience and a desire to create products embodying the highest musical quality. In continuing his legacy as a pioneer in audio circuit design, Mr. Rupert Neve is currently focusing his talents on creating innovative solutions to the issues facing the modern recording engineer.

“I wanted to do something that would allow me to have a real sonic signature and a certain kind of ease of use,” explains Zappa. “I did not enjoy the issues that came along with the digital console, so we said, let’s simplify. We definitely have an easier way to do the majority of what we’re going to do now. We still need to use an old school patchbay, but I’m cool with that.”

The new Rupert Neve-designed and built analog console is paired with a digital audio workstation in what is becoming an increasingly common hybrid workflow that offers the best of both worlds. “For a lot of the work that we’re doing we’re using the computer for what it’s best for, in terms of automation and plug-ins and whatnot, then summing it through Class A, nice sounding analog gear for better headroom and that other sonic signature,” comments Zappa.

The 5088 console’s master section houses additional Rupert Neve Designs Portico signal processing modules. “We have the stereo compressor, ‘True Tape’ tape saturation, two mono five-band EQs, and the stereo field editor. It’s a whole analog mastering suite,” he says.

On the face of it, the new compact console might offer fewer bells and whistles than the previous desk, he says, “But the majority of what you do have recall on is on your computer. And I might have sessions that have 48 tracks or more but there are still enough summing capabilities to get what we need out of the 5088 in this configuration. Plus, it’s modular, so we can always add more if we find that we’re doing massive sessions.”

In truth, the limits of an analog console help focus the mind, he says: “To a certain degree this makes you want to work in a certain way and make better decisions while you’re working, and have less to deal with.” It’s certainly a simpler setup than a digital system: “The funny thing is, you look at this console and the manual that comes with it – I think it’s probably 30 pages at best. There are plug-in manuals with triple that!”

The Zappa Plays Zappa world tour has also featured a Rupert Neve Designs Portico 5042 “True Tape” module in Zappa’s streamlined guitar rig, introduced in 2009. The rig, which radically reduces the weight and therefore shipping costs of his previous setup, comprises two Fractal Audio Axe-Fx units, he says: “But because it’s a digital box I wanted to give it an analog footprint, so the last thing it mults out to is the Rupert Neve tape emulation box.”

Founded by Rupert and Evelyn Neve, Rupert Neve Designs is built on passion, experience and a desire to create products embodying the highest musical quality. In continuing his legacy as a pioneer in audio circuit design, Mr. Rupert Neve is currently focusing his talents on creating innovative solutions to the issues facing the modern recording engineer.

For further information on Rupert Neve Designs please visit www.rupertneve.com

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Media Contacts: Steve Harvey Media Medium Tel: (818) 909-9790 E-mail: mediamedium@yahoo.com

Rupert Neve Designs, 11 Flite Acres Road, Wimberly, TX 78676. Tel: (512) 847-3013 Fax: (512) 847-8869 E-mail: info@rupertneve.com

Built with value in mind ($1195 US list price), the 5017 is designed to provide industry leading sonic performance with a versatile feature set capable of functioning in many different capacities. Indispensable for both recording and live performance, the 5017 assures that classic sound is always within reach. An engineer could use his or her 5017 as an inexpensive means to add new high-end analogue mic amplification, instrument amplification, vari-phase adjustment and compression to their studio while also taking advantage of the 5017’s portability to enhance their live performances or location recording.

The Portico 5017’s microphone and instrument amplifiers provide the sweet, musical response expected from a Rupert Neve design. With ultra low distortion, exceptional bandwidth and the flexibility of Silk, the 5017’s amplifiers can faithfully reproduce and even enhance every detail captured by a microphone or instrument.

Based around a new LDR (light dependent resistor) design, the 5017’s opto-coupler compressor has been simplified to a single threshold control with auto make-up gain. By default the compressor is set to a fixed 2:1 ratio with an internal jumper to change between standard and fast time constants. To set the compressor, simply dial the threshold control down until the desired amount of compression is achieved. A built-in LED indicates when the compressor is active.

Used as a two-channel device, a vocalist and a guitar player, for example, can take the foremost studio quality of the 5017 wherever they go, using the 5017 for a vocal mic pre and compressor as well as a separate DI for the guitar. To achieve this, the blend control should be selected as fully DI (blend off), and an internal jumper can be selected to apply the compressor to the mic pre signal. When engaged, Silk mode would affect both vocal and guitar tracks; the HPF control would affect only the mic path.

Used as a single-channel device for instruments, the 5017 can be used to phase align, combine and compress direct and amplified signals. To achieve this, use the DI for the instrument’s direct signal and the mic preamp for the speaker cabinet signal. The blend control is used for mixing direct and amplified signals to achieve the desired tonal blend between the two sources, and Vari-phase is used to minimize or attenuate phase cancellation between the two signals. To compress the blended signal, the internal compressor jumper must be set to the blend path (this is the default setting). This technique could also be used to create a single, mixed output of a guitar and vocal.

Founded by Rupert and Evelyn Neve, Rupert Neve Designs is built on passion, experience and a desire to create products embodying the highest musical quality. In continuing his legacy as a pioneer in audio circuit design, Mr. Rupert Neve is currently focusing his talents on creating innovative solutions to the issues facing the modern recording engineer.

For further information on Rupert Neve Designs please visit www.rupertneve.com

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Media Contacts: Steve Harvey Media Medium Tel: (818) 909-9790 E-mail: mediamedium@yahoo.com

Rupert Neve Designs, 11 Flite Acres Road, Wimberly, TX 78676. Tel: (512) 847-3013 Fax: (512) 847-8869 E-mail: info@rupertneve.com

According to studio owner Steve Rosenthal, a multi-Grammy-winning engineer and producer who established the studio in Manhattan’s Soho neighborhood in 1988, the Rupert Neve Designs 5088 console in the Blue Room is intended to impart analog character to DAW projects. “It’s really a pretty simple concept,” he explains. “The idea is to offer a low-cost alternative for my clients who are forced sometimes to mix in the box.” The audio restoration equipment formerly housed in the Blue Room has been moved down the hall to the Red Room, he adds.

Purchased through Vintage King Audio, Magic Shop’s new 5088, offers 32 inputs with 16 faders and is additionally configured with a variety of Portico modules positioned in the console’s penthouse section. They include eight 5032 Mic Pre/EQs, eight 5033 Five-Band EQs, a pair of 5043 dual-channel Compressor/Limiters, a 5014 Stereo Field Editor and a 5042 “True Tape” emulation module. “It’s a nice collection of EQs, mic pres and compressors for people to try out,” comments Rosenthal.

He continues, “The other thing that I’d like it to be used for–and hope that it will be used for–is for re-stemming mixes. What happens a lot of times now is that bands come in and spend time and money upstairs in the main Neve room mixing their record. Then, subsequently, there are fixes that either the artist or the record company is interested in doing. This gives them an opportunity to take the stems and run them back through the 5088, through the Class A signal path and the great compressors that are in it. It gives them a chance to re-stem their mixes without having to do the mixes in the box.”

As Rosenthal relates, he and his engineers have already had an opportunity to work on the 5088 console and are very pleased with the results. “We’ve been using it to mix some vintage jazz recordings and it has just been sounding fabulous. I’m happy with it, and Warren Russell-Smith, who’s the main engineer in the Blue Room, is really delighted with it. We’ve been getting really great results,” he says.

Rosenthal has a relationship with Mr. Rupert Neve going back a couple of decades, he shares. “He’s been amazingly helpful over the years. The console upstairs is actually two Neves that came from the BBC. He helped me put them together, and he helped get the Flying Faders installed in the console upstairs. He’s been a really great friend of the studio for many years.”

Studio A has hosted notable sessions from Sonic Youth, The Hold Steady and Interpol, while the Blue Room, prior to its re-purposing, hosted restoration work for releases by Alan Lomax, The Rolling Stones, Sam Cooke and Woody Guthrie. Most recently, offers Rosenthal, “I mixed five unreleased tracks for the Rolling Stones’ ‘Get Your Ya Yas Out’ fortieth anniversary boxed set in Studio A, and in the last month or so we did a couple of iTunes exclusives, one with Diane Birch and one with the band Shinedown, also in Studio A.”

Owned exclusively by Rupert and Evelyn Neve, Rupert Neve Designs Inc. was founded on passion, experience and a desire to build products embodying the highest musical quality. In continuing his legacy as a pioneer in audio circuit design, Mr. Rupert Neve is currently focusing his talents on creating innovative solutions to the issues facing the modern recording engineer.

Although it started as a personal project studio, Tenda da Raposa quickly began to attract independent musicians, producers and singers due to its unique atmosphere, gear and design. After 10 years of non-stop operations, having recorded the biggest names in the independent music scene in Brazil, and after over 300 CDs, it was time for a major upgrade — an analog console.

For musician, producer and owner of Tenda da Raposa, Carlos Fuchs, the 5088 is a great step forward: “Being a fan of Rupert Neve’s gear for so long, it was an easy decision to go with the 5088. Even without listening to the desk — none were available in Brazil — it was a no-risk operation, and results have gone beyond our expectations.”

As the studio centerpiece at Tenda da Raposa, the high voltage and fully discrete 5088 provides for mic amplification, monitoring, channel processing and, most importantly, a summing buss with over 10 dB more headroom than any console ever designed by Mr. Rupert Neve. With transformers on every input and output, the 5088 provides for complete galvanic isolation, and the sweet musical performance that helps mixes come together like never before.

“It has been a real joy to work with the 5088,” says Fuchs. “I feel I can achieve great results much quicker that with my previous system. Incredible headroom, pristine sound, solid feel. Clients love it, I love it. What else could I want? We are proud to be the first 5088 studio in Brazil!”

Owned exclusively by Rupert and Evelyn Neve, Rupert Neve Designs Inc. was founded on passion, experience and a desire to build products embodying the highest musical quality. In continuing his legacy as a pioneer in audio circuit design, Mr. Rupert Neve is currently focusing his talents on creating innovative solutions to the issues facing the modern recording engineer.

That signal path can be heard to great effect on the latest album by Jenny Owen Youngs, “Transmitter Failure,” which was released in May, as well as the new hit album, “Everybody,” from rising star Ingrid Michaelson. Romer was involved as arranger, co-writer, performer, recording engineer and producer on the projects with Young and Michaelson, with whom he regularly works.

This latest iteration of Mr. Neve’s mic preamp compares favorably to the renowned audio equipment designer’s classic gear, according to Romer. “I booked out a studio for a vocal session I was doing,” he relates. “Our signal path was a [Neumann] U 67 into a [Neve] 1073 into an Apogee converter. We didn’t get all the vocal takes we needed, so we went to my place and we used the MA-200 into the 5012. At the time I was using the Digidesign 002 converters. The vocals sounded more pleasing than the 67 and the 1073. It was just more hi-fi sounding. There wasn’t quite as much low-mid, but on the songs where we did end up using the 67 and 1073, I ended up getting rid of a lot of those low mids to get the vocal fit into the mix anyway.”

Romer is also a fan of the 5012’s Silk function, which introduces pleasing harmonic distortion to the signal. “I keep Silk on pretty much consistently,” he shares. “Once in a while I’ll notice it coloring the vocal a little too much, especially if I’m using tube stuff, but that’s very rare. Most of the artists I work with want an older warmer vintage sound. I don’t do much super pristine, in-your-face pop music, I do mostly more acoustic stuff. So most of the people I work with want that more colored sound.”

“I’ve been using the 5012 for a good year and a half now,” continues Romer, who also goes by the moniker Drawing Number One Productions. “I’ve been using a Mojave Audio MA-200 or Royer Labs R-121 mic on most things. If I’m doing percussion electric guitar, toms or similar percussion, I’ll also use a 57 or an RE-20 or a D-112. I go from that into the 5012, and then straight into Pro Tools.”

Romer’s engineering and production work has been heard on television of “Greys’ Anatomy,” “Weeds,” “Veronica Mars,” “Firehouse,” on advertisements for Old Navy and HBO, at the Sundance Film Festival, and radio stations all over the world. Having previously favored synthesizers, he says, “Something slipped in my brain. Suddenly I didn’t want to use synths any more, I only wanted to use horns and strings and marimbas and percussion. I wanted to start using organic sounds.”

Many of those sounds are recorded at his two-story home facility, which includes a substantial live recording area in the basement. “The heating ducts have a pretty long reverb, a good one and a half seconds or so,” he comments. “If you put a room mic near them you get a gorgeous reverb. With percussion, what I’ve been doing is using one channel of the 5012 on a close mic and the other channel on a room mic and just slamming the room mic, keeping the close mic pretty natural.”

But in the end what truly matters is not the equipment, he says. “The most important thing is how good your source sounds, how good your instrument sounds. If you don’t have that then nothing — not your mic, your preamp, or your compressor matters — matters.”

Owned exclusively by Rupert and Evelyn Neve, Rupert Neve Designs Inc. was founded on passion, experience and a desire to build products embodying the highest musical quality. In continuing his legacy as a pioneer in audio circuit design, Mr. Rupert Neve is currently focusing his talents on creating innovative analogue solutions to the issues facing the modern recording engineer.

For further information on Rupert Neve Designs please visit www.rupertneve.com

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Media Contacts: Steve Harvey Media Medium Tel: (818) 909-9790 E-mail: mediamedium@yahoo.com

Rupert Neve Designs, 11 Flite Acres Road, Wimberly, TX 78676. Tel: (512) 847-3013 Fax: (512) 847-8869 E-mail: info@rupertneve.com

The Portico II is a self-powered 2U channel module comprised of a fully- featured mic preamplifier, 4-band EQ, compressor-limiter, “texture” control and level metering, The Portico II includes a bevy of new features including: Variable Silk / Silk+ Texture control, a fully tunable “de-esser”, multiple VCA filtering and detection options, a transient-optimized swept HPF and parallel compression blending. With its simple yet powerful topologies and extensive feature set, every element of the Portico II: Channel is geared towards providing unprecedented sonic integrity and creative capabilities.

Company owner and legendary designer Mr. Rupert Neve sees Portico II as a major advance in signal processing performance, “Our primary goal with the Portico II Channel was to combine the finest possible sound quality with a set of tools that both inspire creativity and expand the available tonal palette. With discrete, high voltage single-sided op-amps similar to those in the now famous 5088 mixer, together with groundbreaking features like texture control, I believe the Portico II Channel Module can adapt to suite the personality of any song, instrument or engineer.”

One of the key developments in the Portico II is the new Texture section. Building on the “Silk” mode found in the Portico Series mic pre-amplifiers, Texture is designed to adjust the actual amount of harmonic music content from the source material, in effect, providing countless tonal options in one device. The texture section features distinct modes, controlled by a potentiometer from barely audible to dramatic!.

Like the original Portico, Silk mode works by reducing negative feedback on the output transformer and adjusting the frequency response to more closely resemble Mr. Rupert Neve’s vintage designs. “Silk +” mode pushes this technique still further, achieving a more harmonically rich sound.

A further array of tools are used to craft dynamic response. The Portico II’s compressor section is exceptionally flexible. Like the Portico 5043, the compressor a choice of Forward – Feed / Return – Feed modes, either providing a transparent modern response, or a smoother more musical vintage response. Along with FF/FB modes, there are also 1:1 to 40:1 ratio controls and threshold from -30dBu to +20dBu, together with Attack from 20 to 75ms (.1 ms in “fast” mode), Release from 100ms to 2.5s, and Make up gain from 0 to 20dB with a Stereo Link.

The Portico II compressor however incorporates a number of new ways to tame or enhance dynamics. “HPF to SC” inserts the High Pass Filter into the side chain to deal with intense low frequencies that may skew the response of the VCA with certain songs and instruments. The “Fast” switch alters the compressor’s attack to react to transients with a roughly .1ms response time. When “fast” is disengaged, the compressor responds to the RMS signal in conjunction with the attack and release settings. “Blend” works by creating a parallel mix between the compressed and dry signals. By mixing the compressed and dry signals, it is possible to increase the volume of quieter elements in the source material (for instance, delicate snare brushing on a track with much louder hits), while maintaining a natural dynamic feel for the louder elements. To further control the side chain, there is also an insert “send” and “return” that may be paired with an external EQ or other filters for additional manipulation. The “return” may also be used as a “Key” input for ducking one signal under another. (for instance, a voice-over keying the compressor to duck a background music track). By connecting the “link” jack on the back of the Portico II to another Portico II link jack and engaging the Link buttons, the compressor section may be used for stereo material.

The EQ topologies in the 4-Band Equalizer of the Portico II combine the best-loved sound of several classic designs, but are also capable of extremely fine surgical adjustments as well as dramatic boosts or cuts. By default, the EQ section follows the mic preamplifier and HPF, and precedes the compressor, but this sequence may be reversed by engaging the Post Comp switch.

The Low Shelf has an independent engage switch, Classic Peak/ Accelerated Shelf selection, with +/- 12dB level adjustment, and selectable turnover frequencies of 35, 60, 100, and 220 Hz. The Fully Parametric LMF and HMF bands have a joint engage switch, providing +/- 12dB level adjustment, continuously variable “Q” from 0.7 to 5 and continuously variable frequency ranges from 70 to 1.4KHz and 700Hz to 14KHz. In addition to its standard capabilities, the HMF band can also be used to precisely tune a new De-Esser circuit.

The De-Esser can be varied from off to full effect, and uses the Frequency, and “Q” controls to tame harsh sibilance in vocals and instruments with an independent high-mid limiter. Even when the De-Esser is on, the EQ level may still be used. The High Frequency shelf has independent engage switch, Classic Peak/ Accelerated Shelf selection, +/- 12dB level adjustment, and selectable turnover frequencies of 4.7, 6.8, 12, and 25kHz. When two Portico II Channels are used side by side, the EQ section can also excel at stereo material.

Input signals may be derived from any of three sources; Microphone, Line or DI. The Microphone input has a 10K Ohms non-reactive input resistance that handles a full 26dBu signal without the need for a pad. A primary Gain control provides 66dB of gain in 6dB increments for easy recall with a +/- 6dB Trim for fine adjustment. A transient-optimized HPF continuously covering the range from 20-250Hz is included. In addition the usual 48V Phantom Power switch, Phase Inversion, Signal Present indicator and a Mute switch are included. The pre-amp is a TLA non-reactive design that precludes the loading of microphones with limited driving capability and which maintains a 2 dB noise figure over a wide range.

Inserting a �” plug into the DI input, selects a 3MegOhm Discrete FET DI circuit that includes the transformer-coupled pristine topography that optimizes both the microphone and DI inputs, allowing low impedance microphones and high impedance sources like electric guitars and basses to deliver their optimum performance. Primary Gain and Trim controls are fully operational. A �” “Thru” jack on the front panel that duplicates the unaffected source signal allows the use of an external amplifier if required. A “Line” switch selects the independent Line XLR non-reactive input circuit that includes the HPF and Level trim controls.

Owned by Rupert and Evelyn Neve, Rupert Neve Designs Inc. was founded on passion, experience and a desire to build products embodying the highest musical quality. In continuing his legacy as a pioneer in audio circuit design, Mr. Rupert Neve is currently focusing his talents on creating further innovative designs to the benefit of the modern recording engineer.

Years after many thought the analogue console was in its final days, the forward-thinking 5088 has become an instant classic with its revolutionary 90 Volt, discrete, class-A circuit topology and modular design. With no worries about future software incompatibilities, planned obsolescence and a proven service track record, the 5088 represents a studio centerpiece that will remain current for decades.

“After redefining people expectations so many times over the past 4 decades, its astounding that Rupert has been able to raise the bar yet again.”� Said Rupert Neve Design’s Josh Thomas. “The level of support and interest in the 5088 has surpassed our wildest imagination”.

Originally conceived as a way to give engineers the most pristine mix buss available while bringing together their digital and analogue equipment without forcing the purchase of mic pre’s, eq’s and compressors on every channel, the 5088’s modular approach to console layout insures that installed 5088’s will be able to adapt as the music business changes and remain a fixture on the studio landscape for years to come.

Owned by Rupert and Evelyn Neve, Rupert Neve Designs Inc. was founded on passion, experience and a desire to build products embodying the highest musical quality. In continuing his legacy as a pioneer in audio circuit design, Mr. Rupert Neve is currently focusing his talents on creating innovative analogue solutions to the issues facing the modern recording engineer.