AMS Neve 8801

OVERVIEW

The 8801 is a complete channel strip that combines all the most often-used recording tools: mic/line/instrument preamp, EQ, gating, and compression. While everything is logically laid out and labeled, a lot of controls are squeezed into a single rack space. It comes bundled with Neve Recall software, which lets you manually reset the controls to previously-saved settings.

Though this is a single-channel box, you can leave a mic, line, and DI instrument such as a guitar plugged in, and switch between input sources. The 8801 defaults to line on power-up — it’d be nice if it remembered where you left it last. The transformer-coupled mic preamp delivers all the sound behind Neve’s reputation: rich, warm, and full, yet very detailed in the high end. I didn’t notice any unpleasant frequency buildup when using the 8801 on multiple tracks, which is important because at this price, it may be the only high-end channel strip in your studio for some time.

The filters include both low- and highpass bands, and the lowpass covers a very wide range, which I used to tame hiss on a noisy synth bass part. The dynamics section is very flexible, and can handle compression, simple limiting, gating, and expansion duties. While the compressor release time is adjustable, you can press the knob to enable auto-release, which worked great for quickly setting up compression with minimal “pumping and breathing” artifacts. Oddly, there’s no attack knob; instead, you set the attack by pressing the ratio knob. This switches between “normal” (8ms) and “fast” (2ms) attack times. An internal jumper lets you change to a faster duo of 3ms and 0.5ms, but your choice is still two at a time. I tried both jumper positions, but if, like me, you generally prefer a bit of note attack to get recorded before the compressor does its thing, you’ll be happy with the stock attack times.

The four-band EQ section offers two sweepable midrange bands along with switchable “bell” or “shelf” EQ shapes for the high and low bands. The EQ and filter sound quality was first-rate: smooth and detailed with no harshness, even when boosting the heck out of it. I never ran into a situation requiring EQ that the 8801 couldn’t handle artfully.

Separate overload LEDs in each section of the 8801 made it easy to know if I was hitting any particular gain stage too hard. Also, the compressor’s gain reduction meter uses red LEDs, and the expander/gate uses green, which makes it easier to see what’s going on at a glance.

IN USE

I used the 8801 on a variety of tasks in my studio, starting with an indie rock band session where it served as a mic input for vocals, kick drum, and guitar amps through a ribbon mic. I also recorded bass guitar directly into the 8801’s high-impedance instrument input. The next project was singer Julie Day, accompanied by a small jazz ensemble — the 8801 went to work on drums, percussion, and vocals. I finished the month with an R&B gospel Christmas project, where I tracked practically everything through the 8801, including vocals with a Soundelux ELUX-251 mic on a singer with a lot of dynamic range and an unstoppable tapping foot. The unique hysteresis control came in very handy in helping to keep the gate from chattering while still minimizing the unwanted tapping, and definitely made the gate more forgiving.

The front panel inputs made patching in a bass or keyboard for direct recording hassle-free. The 8801 is also a real problem-solver for reducing hum and hiss, or for adding “sweetening” EQ and compression to previously-recorded tracks. For example, on one song the keyboard bass was anemic so I patched it from my Digidesign 003 audio interface into the 8801, engaged the lowpass filter to reduce the hiss and, using the compressor and EQ, gave that puppy some much needed raw beef before recording it back into Pro Tools. The client suddenly sat up and commented on how good it sounded. Quite frequently, I found myself using the 8801 to process audio I had recorded through other gear, and was almost always more satisfied with the results than with those I could obtain from most plug-ins. True, the process involves running the audio through extra converter stages, and if your audio software doesn’t have automatic latency compensation, you’ll have to nudge the re-recorded track back into sync with its neighbors, but the sonic improvement you’ll get from the 8801 is more than worth it. The optional digital output card would cut down on conversion stages, but it wasn’t available at press time. 

CONCLUSIONS

The 8801 is one of those all-too-rare boxes that makes things just sound better for having passed through it, even without processing, and it sounds good even when using extreme EQ and compressor settings. It’s easy to dial up a good sound fast, and almost impossible to dial up a bad one, even if you’re relatively new to recording. The Recall software was a breeze to integrate into my workflow, and encouraged me to use the 8801 more than I would have otherwise. While I can’t deny the sticker-shock factor for most musicians who work out of home studios, the price is really quite reasonable compared to a “front end” consisting of a mic preamp, four-band EQ, and compressor of anywhere near this quality level. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a single, no-compromise input channel. I’ve come to rely on it so much that I’ll be buying the review unit or one just like it.

CLAIM CHECK

AMS-Neve tells us, “The 8801 offers a full-featured ‘producer pack’ of premium recording tools in a single rackspace. This hand-built unit incorporates circuit design from the Neve 88R, regarded as one of the world’s best-sounding mixing consoles. As such, it includes a genuine Neve mic preamp with high- and lowpass filters available for all inputs, a full EQ section, compressor and gate controls, and most importantly, hand-made transformers for the mic input. With full digital recall ability on Mac or PC, plus an optional 192kHz analog-to-digital conversion card, the 8801 puts a genuine Neve recording and processing path within reach of any serious producer, engineer, or composer. There is nothing with the 8801’s level of sound quality, flexibility, and control anywhere close to its list price.”

JARGON JOCKEY

Hysteresis: The idea that the output of a system at a given moment depends not just on a snapshot of the input value, but on the context in which that value occurred, e.g. whether input was rising or falling. On the 8801, the hysteresis knob lets you set the point at which the gate closes at up to 25dB lower than the threshold at which it opens. This is great for avoiding premature chopping-off of, say, the reverb tail of a cymbal.

SPECS

Analog channel strip with mic/line/instrument preamp, EQ, and dynamics control.

PROS
World-class sound quality. Versatile internal signal routing with sidechaining. Unique hysteresis control. Recall software is accurate and easy to use. Parallel wiring for front and rear inputs makes patching easy. Can use Key Input function as a sidechain input.

CONS
Only two attack times. Accessing alternative attacks requires opening the unit to set a jumper.

$3,250; optional A/D converter card, $900
AMS Neve, www.ams-neve.com