i found this this post very funny as in late 2023, i got rid of the 3 EQ i was used to mix with for a unique lindell 80 neve EQ.
I still keep the Maag EQ4 for mastering but still and if i had the money to afford a 88R + AL Schmitt's "rack of destruction" i would damm make the step for it !
but this will be for another life if they exist

Yeah, but Gen X also has the ignominious distinction of having embraced the Members Only Jacket.

Just sold my Neve today. I’m now again a nobody!

Lots of people wore Members Only jackets, not just Xers. My dad had one, and he was born in 1925.

I got curious and found this article on the history, which makes it sound like the brand took off in 1982 when they had a soap opera star doing commercials for the jacket. Apparently a lot of their sales were because women who watched General Hospital picked them for their men. I'd guess that was not mostly Xers.

https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/...ly-dressed-80s

They had some other weird advertising, including this 1988 anti-Fascist get-out-the-vote message:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXk5...nel=gotpaper09

I guess everything comes back around.

Doc is right. You're high.

Members Only was Boomers trying to be hip after all the hippy stuff faded.

Sheeeeeit.

I love you.

Oh, woe is he, the man who sold his soul,
His Neve now gone, and with it, his control.
Once hailed as great, now just a whisper, a sigh,
A ghost of greatness, fading, asking "Why?"

He traded his sound for a fleeting dollar,
Now all that’s left is a hollow holler.
Once on top, now a nameless face,
A nobody, lost in the endless race.

Yeah, lots of Boomers sportin' the Members Only. Probably the same ones who used to rock leisure suits.

But it was decidedly an 80s thing (like leg warmers). Its reach probably differed regionally.

I grew up in the East Bay/SF Area in the late 70s and early 80s, and in the early 80s it was worn by a helluva a lot of young people.

You are not wrong.

East bay is cool. My drummer was from Castro Valley. I was in Oakland during that earthquake when the freeway collapsed on itself. It was just a few blocks away from the little artist colony warehouse thing I was visiting (as a kid). I'll be in Oakland this weekend.

I was in my car on the street in front of the Rockridge neighborhood Safeway on the Oakland/Berkeley border trying frantically to get home to watch the World Series between my two favorite home teams, and felt minimal shaking. Had no idea of the impact, like the collapse of the Cypress Freeway in West Oakland that you mention.

I lived in a warehouse in East Oakland at that time after I graduated from CAL. Most of my friends were artists, many of them Deadheads and stoners.

Prices seem to be going up! Baffles the mind. Two mic pre's?

https://analogr.com/l/neve-31102-rac...8-9d9a64ba200a

That's actually an advantage of digital. Less of a moving target, by a lot. On tape, the Neve grime (and other kinds as well) would morph with each generation. Making records, maybe not a big deal. Making TV or movies or movie trailers, it might be 8 or 10 generations down by the time it reached Main St.

Making records, desirable. The first Fleetwood Mac record is quite lovely sounding. My kinda grime. ?

Many years ago I thought Neve was junk and purchased any old tat and sold it on years later for vast sums of cash.

Highly overrated is my take, but ask me to do a 70s style band album I will be reaching for some.

I kept half a Kelso for retirement funding and that still blows the boring pension plan out of the water by miles.

Seriously put your money in this old junk you will see returns in the high teens every year for ever.

Can't believe i didnt jump on those.
Dave Matthews Band played through them.

I keep telling that to my wife, that those racks of Volumaxes in the garage will be worth a fortune someday...
--scott

Some of the right gear does increase in value. Those members only jackets…not so much. $25 typical going rate on eBay for those wanting to reminisce the 80s.

KB

I am bored and you are boring. My vintage gear has all appreciated so much it is stupid. i probably made millions.

You know why? I mean, you wanna really, really know the actual and true reason why?

Because it sounds freakin awesome and has 3D mojo fairies flying in on jet turbines.

Sometimes I write things and delete them, and only a lucky few get to read them. Easter eggs. The Easter Bunny is creepy and Satanic, keep it away from my children.

Guilty.
I can only afford the plugins though.
Wish Neve would make their own

It's only a matter of time.

Is it? I'll admit to liking that they don't have any.

There's something to be said for sticking to one thing and doing that thing the best.

I enjoyed Nobu back in the day as a restaurant, even after it became a 'chain' restaurant. The experience across locations was surprisingly similar.
But my two experiences in Nobu hotels (Atlanta and Santorini) made it clear they are much better at serving food than delivering anything above Ramada Inn level hospitality.

they did make (sort of) a 'plugin' a long time ago - it wasn't exactly cheap though...
...and came with a large surface and a processing tower! ;-)

I only say that because it is more rare for a noted HW developer not to have plugins available.

Even small boutique companies with stellar analog reputations have plugins, e.g. Coil Audio, Louder Than Liftoff, et al. (granted, most are done by third party; nonetheless they gave the approval)

For RND, it's good branding not to have any ATM as it sets it apart, but for how long can they hold out? When will it be a boon (or even possibly a necessity) for the bottom line to get into it?

Interesting read.

https://blog.mixanalog.com/plugins-w...-sounds-better

For sure, rare. That's why I'm hoping they don't ever jump in.

I have to think that, at this point, current ownership has no interest. Because it's long 'past the time' to jump in, and the financial returns could have started long ago.
I applaud them for not employing third-party companies, that sort of irks me across industry.
I dig that Nevr does one thing, has an unassailable reputation for doing that one thing.
I'd guess that the financial incentive for Newe would have to be really persuasive to get them to jump in and start offering plugs that, in all likelihood, sound nowhere close - that might only stand to the tarnish their rep.

No doubt they’ll be pricey once they get there, but compared to hw it might just be worth it.
Would have to be one hell of a plugin though, as in outshining cheap ripoffs.

I mean, it's coming from "Mix Analog" who are in the business of selling analog mixing...

Reads like FUD from somebody selling analog, to me.

it will be just another plugin, but with a neve logo - their (not-so-new-anymore) bonsai interface was certainly a step in this direction.


___



btw: the 'plugin' i was talking about was called capricorn...

You are forcing me to talk about car engines again. As musicians and music producers, what is your favorite sounding V8? Nevermind, I know what you are gonna say.

Why you wanna talk about music gear all the time anyway?

I am the last Member.

I have only recorded two engines properly. The 6.4L 3rd gen 392 Hemi, and the supercharged 7.0L 426.

i got tired of reading so i skipped to the end, only to find his subjective conclusion was analog has imperfections, therefore, it’s better, or more pleasing, or whatever the usual crappola reasons given for “plugins aren’t there yet” … sigh.

“Imperfections” between what analog gear does vs plugins would have to be greater than the 10 to 15% distortion my speakers provide to be detectable - and no one would want that much “difference”.