Specialising in jazz, acoustic and singer-songwriter recordings, US engineer/musician Michael Cohen has taken of the first eight-channel Rupert Neve Designs 5088 analogue mixing console.
Installed by veteran studio outfitter Sonic Circus, the desk forms the centrepiece of Cohen’s Sarasota (Florida) recording studio. It is customised with two stereo inputs, six mono inputs, two stereo groups, a master section and ten 5051 inductor EQ/compressor modules, and represents Cohen’s rejection of the performance of DAWs and other analogue mixers.
‘It’s easily the best sounding desk I’ve heard,’ he says. ‘It can deliver the character of classic desks, especially with the inductor EQs, but it still has a very modern sound. It also has practically no noise, and the level of detail is astonishing.’
In Cohen’s first recordings with the 5088, the 5051 modules have provided both versatility and tone: ‘I’ve been finding that I don’t need to use my outboard gear anymore, as the EQ and compressors on the 5051s are really outstanding,’ he says. ‘Using a Neumann M49on my alto saxophone, I’ve been adding a touch of EQ at 200Hz and 400Hz with the HPF set to 60Hz and a little bit of high shelf at 16kHz. The EQ really focuses the sound of the sax, and adds a sense of life and dimension to the mix. To add a little dynamic control, I have the compressor set to feed-forward mode with a 2:1 ratio, and gain reduction peaking from about 1dB to 3dB. The compressor sounds incredibly natural, and my saxophone has never sounded better.’
The 5051 module combines a classic style three-band EQ based on Rupert Neve’s vintage designs, with the power and flexibility of the Portico Series compressor. With a fully class-A signal path, dual line inputs and high performance transformers, the 5051 offes tonal and dynamic control to each channel of a 5088 system.
In Cohen’s studio, the 5088 is the centerpiece for two tracking rooms featuring Avid Pro Tools, a Euphonix controller, two Bricasti reverbs, select outboard equipment and ATC 25a monitors. It signals a focus on sonic purity instead of high-track-count production: ‘Everything I’ve been doing was instantly improved by the 5088. It’s been a complete delight so far, and I’m only just starting to realise what it can do,’ says Cohen.
The eight-channel 5088 is a new frame option built around the high-voltage, class-A and discrete topologies of the 5088. The frame features eight mono or stereo input modules, two stereo group/aux master/FX return modules, and a standard 5088 master section. A penthouse frame can also be added to fit up to 16 half-rack RND modules, or an optional 4U-high rack adaptor.
More: www.rupertneve.com
