Looking for Neve Pre clones, in need of education.

[Ryan Silva]

I have Fast and Punchy (APIx4)

I have and slow smooth (UA 2-610)

I have clean and transparent. (Grace m101)

I am completely retarded about Neve preamps, and there subsequent clones, but I think it?s time to add that color to my lineup.

Looking for a dual channel w/ no eq.

BAE?

Vintech?

Great River?

The real thing?

Where do designs like 1073, 1272, 1089, 33114 get used most often for you guys? Kick, Vocals, Guitars?

Excuse my ignorance.

Thanks

[Nick Sevilla]

Hi Ryan,

I love the 1073's or any other Neve 3 band mic preamp / EQ for recording. It keeps things simple, with less options for recording.

If you can afford it, buy the real thing.

Otherwise, I highly recommend the Brent Averill stuff. I have used his stuff alongside real 1976 Neve equipment, and you really cannot tell the difference.

His stuff is actual clones, with all the parts identical to the originals.

Cheers

[Recycled_Brains]

You get the newest issue of TO yet?

There's an article about this EXACT topic, featuring comparisons of all those you listed.

The concensus was the the BAE are the way to go, if budget allows. That'd most likely be where I'd start.

I got to use the GR on a session not long ago, and thought that, based on functionality alone, they were amazing. Sounded pretty damn good too (K + SN).

[JWL]

I wonder how the 7th circle audio kits compare to the above....

[joel hamilton]

I just had a BAE 1023 in the studio and I was using it while mixing all week.
That thing is bananas. Totally great. Keep in mind that I have 33 channels of 31114 in my console, and a racked pair of Neve 31102's (along with the other stuff), and the 1023 was the clear winner as a part of a main vocal chain for this entire record.
The BAE/Averill stuff is totally "real" like the way the SHEP/Neve modules are "real." They are not just boxes with whatever components in them and Neve shaped knobs claiming to be something snazzy "for less."
They are the real deal. I have worked on consoles with B.A. 1073's loaded into the FIRST couple of channels in the console and then orginal 1073's in the rest of the console and nobody ever mentioned it. They are really interchangeable like that, as much as any vintage module is interchangeable with any other. I have some 31114's in my console that I favor for bass and low frequency sources more than others, even though they are all within 100 serial numbers of each other as a console and all running through the same support circuitry. That amount of variation is roughly the same as the variation between the BAE stuff and an original neve module.

The 1023 adds an Avedis E27-esque eq section which is (roughly) the best of the 1073/1081 (amplifiers notwithstanding) points with a few more added. I was actually LOVING the 20k shelf on the main vocals for this Parkington Sisters record I was mixing. Female voices, 5 part harmonies sometimes, and getting the lead voc to hang out front just enough, but still gel with the harmonies? The 20k helped me achieve that subtle a "sit" in the mix, along with a few compressors and the eq at the console.

The other types of "clones" that have popped up dont ever seem to inspire me. They work just fine, but they are just not exciting like the real deal or the BAE's.
Blieve me I have tried. If there was something that rocked like a 1073, but i didnt have to cry if it got smashed when I checked it on a plane, I would own a rack of 8 by now. I just cant seem to find it, including the vintech stuff. Again, its okay, but it isnt that fun. I dont care really about comparing stuff to originals, but the vintech 1073-esque stuff just inst that great sounding to me. it works, but why bother? Just put the money for a vintech in a box marked "BAE1023" and keep saving for another couple months. In the grand scheme of things, 5 more months of waiting will result in many years of kick ass recording with awesome stuff.

[joel hamilton]

I wonder how the 7th circle audio kits compare to the above....

The 7th circle N72 thingy is just a 1272 type pre with no EQ. It sounds cool, like I said above, but nothing really amazing like the BAE or Neve type stuff that has some EQ that lets you point the source in an aesthetic direction that can really be effective.
Clearly its up to you to decide the direction, but you really can take something okay, and make it great in very little time with something like the 1023.

[Ryan Silva]

Wow! Thanks Joel, you really knew what I was asking, very helpful indeed.

I gave up on buying a STA-LEVEL, and decided on a couple of pre's instead, so STOP posting pictures of your vintage STA-LEVEL's Joel!!!

Saw those photos posted during the Parkington Sisters sessions, and almost sold my soul to 'Retro' that very day.

Thanks Again

[Ryan Silva]

http://www.vintageking.com/Neve-1073-DP ... gory=40081

This looks perfect.

[joel hamilton]

http://www.vintageking.com/Neve-1073-DP ... gory=40081

This looks perfect.

You dont get the EQ, though.
I tried one of those, and to be honest, it didnt really kick my ass when I compared it to the Brent Averill 1272's that we have at Studio G (tony owns it). They sounded very much the same on a bunch of sources, and so I would rather just get a pair of 1272's if I was going the no-eq route.

Maybe Allen Farmelo can chime in on this... I will email him about this thread. He is the one that just did the BAE review for this issue of TapeOp, and he is a pal...

[Ryan Silva]

http://www.vintageking.com/Neve-1073-DP ... gory=40081

This looks perfect.

You dont get the EQ, though.
I tried one of those, and to be honest, it didnt really kick my ass when I compared it to the Brent Averill 1272's that we have at Studio G (tony owns it). They sounded very much the same on a bunch of sources, and so I would rather just get a pair of 1272's if I was going the no-eq route.

Maybe Allen Farmelo can chime in on this... I will email him about this thread. He is the one that just did the BAE review for this issue of TapeOp, and he is a pal...

Thanks again Joel, the http://www.vintageking.com/BAE-1073 is pushing my budget into single channel land, but I do really need another vocal-pre option.

Question: Do you find yourself using the EQ much during tracking? I can see myself using the HPF, and maybe the LPF during tracking, but it will be my best EQ, so I may want it use it during mixdown. Do you ever use the strip during mixdown?

Thanks

[mrc]

I bought 4 of these boards. A few others have too http://www.prodigy-pro.com/diy/index.php?topic=22828.0

[Allen Farmelo]

Well, I'd tell you all to just go read my article in Tape Op this month, but there are more variables in this discussion than I got into in that article. For the record, I was reviewing Neve-a-likes, not clones, and they all had to be under $1500.00. So, seems like what we're talking about here is in the pricier clone category, which is where the tasty stuff really lies.

As Joel said, the BAE stuff is killer, and the 1023 is in a class of its own. It's a freaking amazing preamp and the eq section is just phenomenal. That air band at 20 and 24 kHz is just unlike anything you'll find in other Neve clones, but you still get all the Neve-style vibe you could ask for. If you can afford a 1023, get it. If you can get a pair you'll be in stereo heaven. The Sheps are clones, too, and hard to distinguish from originals if you're using them or studying the insides. You'll need a 10 series powered rack, though, and they ain't cheap.

From there, you really have to look at the Vintechs. Unlike Joel, I've found myself coming back to Vintech after having done that shoot out as a really killer option for the $$. As Joel said, they're not quite as fun (and some people have pooped all over the brand name in chat rooms). But compare the Vintech X73 clone at $1800/channel to the the BAE 1073 clone at over $2800/channel and Shep clones that have to be mounted in that rather pricey 10 series rack and the Vintech X73 starts to make sense. Lots of folks can't distinguish them from the originals. IMHO the Vintechs are the sleeper Neve Clone.

Definitely try to keep in mind the difference between a clone and a Neve-styled preamp. I hope the intro to my shootout makes that clear enough and hopefully it helps you see under the hood on some of this stuff more clearly.

Cheers,
Allen F.

And Joel - thanks for hipping me to this thread!

[trodden]

The difference between the BAE 1023 and BAE 1073 are different EQ points then?

[Ryan Silva]

Well one thing is for sure if I pick up a 1023, I feel comfortable raising my rate.

[MisterMark]

I'm gonna have to +1 on the dual Brent Averill 1272. Great buy for the money!