Neve 1073 LB VS Neve 88R LB Demo & Review 

Thank you so much!! :D

@@alecbrits such an emotional song that really had me in my feels..great music

Yes a lovely song. I think it really suited the 1073, it had a 70s feel to it. This was a time when the 1073 was the go to pre amp for those giant mixing desks. Giant Ashtray full of dog ends anyone!

I see beaches hearing this. ❤

Old pros know that what's going into the preamp is far more important than the preamp. Good mic amps just put some polish on good talent.

That is extremely kind! Thank you so much.

X2!

Thank you so much! :) the 88RLB’s are my choice between the two for sure. 👌🏽👌🏽

Thank you! :)

Thank you so much Warren! :)

Thank you so much! :)

Thank you so much for the very kind words! :)

😂👌🏽 that’s a good thing!

Thank you so much Jaume!

Thank you so much! They are wicked units! :D

Thank you so much!! I’ll be working on finishing some of the tunes later this year! :)

Thank you so much Gabriele! :D

Thank you so much Elliot. :)

Thanks so much Aaron! :)

Fully agree! Big fan of the 88rlb. :)

Thanks again! :) absolutely, that will be a fun one to shoot for sure.

Thank you so much! :)

Thanks Ethan! :)

Thank you so much! Had a great time writing that one! :)

Thank you so much!! :D

Thank you so much! :)

Thanks so much Stephen! You and me both!

Yah same, thanks a lot!

It’s a fantastic combo! :)

@@alecbrits I guess your demo really got me to spend some money - you should get some royalities from the manufacturers for your great advertisment ;-) Maybe I'll get the 88R LB too since it offers something different. I was thinking of the API 512c, but maybe I'll rather go with the 88R LB as alternative. For very clean stuff I already have an SSL 500 Six Cannel. It's great that Neumann re-launched the U-67. It's expensive, yes, but it's brand new and not used without a guarantee. And they exactly copied the original specs. This is very tempting.

Thank you so much! :D

Thank you so much! :) There are great options out there for sure!

Hey Sam! Do you feel that Bae has smoother upper mids than Ams 1073lb? I had Ams 1073 dpa with u87ai and i thought that sound was too strident and sharp in the high mids.

Hey Phillip, I think a lot of that comes from the U87ai rather than the 1073. :) but that’s not to say that the BAE might be a little darker.

I did use a U87ai with my 1073lb and found what you said to be true, hence why I prefer the BAE, but the U87 does have the mide range push. I now use a u47 clone from Nordic Audio with the BAE 73mpl, Ive gotten great results.

Indeed! I was in the process of really finding what I enjoyed about the mic :) and now there is a full U67 review up to check out too.

Thank you! :) I’m a little hesitant to go down the road of comparing units that are trying to do the same thing at the moment. I think the two companies both do great work, but I don’t want to start the whole “which 1073 is best” thing. It just gets nasty in the comments for no reason. There are so many different mic pre’s out there that I would love to try out first before doing shootouts between the same two designs. Hope this makes sense! :)

Thank you so much!! :D

Thank you so much Daniel! :)

Thank you so much!! :D

Thanks so much Mark!! :D they are great units. Been loving the Orca, what a great piece of kit. 👌🏽👌🏽

Thanks so much Sam! :)

Totally agree. :)

Thanks so much!

Thank you Ernesto! :) it’s a great piece for sure.

Thank you so much Mateo! I am indeed!

Hi Dean! :) thanks for commenting. I preferred the 88R on all sources, I found it had a little more of an open tonality that got me to the intended result quicker. Sometimes you want to have something that is a little softer, thicker and harmonically rich to soothe the upper mids of some more aggressive sources, and that’s where the 1073 comes in and really helps. I think hearing the full production is a healthy way of hearing the full effect of each circuit spread across a production, rather than isolated instances. But that’s just me! Hope this answers your questions Dean! :)

Thank you so much Roland. :)

They are such great units. And they compliment each other quite well in a production. :)

Sounds like a good plan to me Brandon! :) thanks for the super kind words.

Working on the video as we speak. :)

Thanks Doc! :)

Thanks again Dimitrios!

It’s all raw. :) the 88R is much more open.

Thanks so much! :)

Thanks Geoffrey! :) the biggest thing is having the flexibility of the EQ and the filters on the DPX, but sonically the two pre’s are pretty damn spot on!

Yeah! :) they make a good team.

Hey Michael! I would highly recommend the API 512V as a complimentary pre to the neves. :) they are right at the top of my “To Get” list.

Great piece of advice here! I’ll look into a high quality Y cable for future comparisons.

That makes sense! :)

I have not done a side by side comparison, but I would imagine they are very similar. :) I felt like I was using my 1073 when using the 1073LB. It has the vibe that I’m looking for in spades.

I think there are a lot of great options really. The 88RLB will not let you down. If you already have a good selection of mic pre’s then I would look into some different DI box options. REDDI, Radial, Motown, RND and Avalon (there are a lot more, but I can’t list them all here!). This way you can pair them with different pre’s from clean to dirty and really get the tone you are looking for per production.

Thanks a lot for your answer🙏. i actually use radial active and passive DI, and BSS DI. Looks good the REDDI, and I didn’t know about Motown DI ! Thank you , Looks really cool. Yes it’s a good idea to get more « dirty» ones ! Thanks again for everything and your videos ! Very nice sound and nice songs !

Hi Y Reyes! :) there is a pretty big difference between the two mics for sure. The 87 has a boost in the upper mids that sometimes makes the voice feel a little too forward or harsh. The 67 is a more forgiving or smoother sounding microphone. It’s a little more versatile because of that. :)

I feel the 88r pre’s have a more of an open tone, more forgiving on the top end. I really enjoy how tracks sound when they are stacked up, like BVS and drums. Big fan of the 88R.

Hey Lewis, thanks for the comment. I would potentially look into getting a pair of matched units to be able to process stereo stems. Running things through pre’s will help the effect, but perhaps not as much as eq/compression will.

@@alecbrits Thanks for the advice! i think that's a good call it's appreciated

Thank you so much Felipe! I’m sending them back sadly! But I’ll be looking into live streaming from around august. :)

@@alecbrits Many thanks Mr.Alec. I am thankfull learn preamps.Because Do not this informations.

Thanks so much! :)

Fuller agree with you there. :) I’ve not spent time with the 511’s. But I can imagine them to be more open. They don’t have Two transformers, but you can dial in the saturation to match what you want. Big fan of the RND stuff. :)

@@alecbrits I've got an 88 and a R8 on the way. Can't wait to start messing around with them.

All the instruments. During the full song demo. :) thank you!

Thanks Nicolas! :) really appreciate that.

The RND only has one transformer, more open tone with the open of dialling in how much saturation you want with the silk. The RND also has a great variable hpf. The 1073 LB is $300 dollars more. Two transformers. Not too sure why the prices are that far apart. :)

Thank you so much Phill! :) I don’t have a preference really. I have purchased the 67’s, but the next purchase will be a pair of 49’s. I am using the re-issue 67.

@@alecbrits :) Awesome! Thanks Alec!

@@alecbrits that’s basically my set up now, pair of FleA 49s and a custom U67. Really want to pair my U67 off.

Thanks for the comment! :) they are different beasts, the ascent also gives you the opportunity to EQ and tone shape on the same unit. I’d likely put the 88 closer to the ascent than the 73.

Would you say the 73, then 88, then ascent from darkest to brightest? I listened to your ascent video bs this one tough to say since they are not the same recording but it seems more open up top in general . Little more pointed on the high end, whereas these may be rounder. I like a warm rounded tone so idk maybe I’d prefer the neve. Though frankly I was lookin at the 517 . Have you ever tried the older Phoenix audio Pres? I saw those a big cheaper and idk if they are infact a lot noiser than the current ones, since noise reduction was apparently one of the benefits of the new ones

Thanks! :)

Thanks so much for the comment. I’m super curious about the Wes Audio Phoebe too!

Thanks for the insight. :)

Thank you so much! :) I would say they are similar in that they don’t get in the way. However the 88RLB the feels like it allows for more depth, slightly softer tone and an extended bottom end compared to the Audient. I’m a big fan of the tone of the 88RLB. :)

The 88RLB has continually variable pots.

@@alecbrits Thanks ✌🏻

Hey man! :) thanks for the comment, I’d likely just go for a compressor first then see if you need anymore saturation.

@@alecbrits Thanks for the reply brother.

It’s hard to give you an answer for both of these questions. If you are looking for a pre that is going to give you a lot of character and some tasteful distortion when pushed, then the 1073 is the way to go. If you would like to have a versatile pre with a lovely tone that’s well represented across a very wide palette of sources, then the 88RLB is the option out of these two. :)

@@alecbrits : Any idea if the 88RLB is closer to the Focusrite ISA One?

Seems really solid so far. Been working at 96kHz and have not had any issues. :)

Same or slightly better than Apollo X6 as the Master clock in my case so can’t go wrong.

Hey Jasper! :) thanks for the question. I would lean towards an API 550A. It’s aromatic always what’s needed. You can of course go for a similar styled unit too.

@@alecbrits You mean something like a Class A 3 band EQ?. I have been eyeing a bit on the Lindell Audio PEQ-501a and the sound skultptor EQP-501. Do you know or have heard of these 2 modules ?

@@jasperdany I have heard of both. :) go with your gut and try stuff out.

I think the 512C has more clarity. :)

API 512c and API 512v.. but I like the lows on the NEVE 88’s.. I might place some behind the 512v’s and tweak then both

Thanks so much!! :D

Thanks so much!! :D

This allowed me to use the splitter so that we could hear both pre’s at the same time.

@@alecbrits ah, makes sense :)

It does not mean you NEED two, if you are using two mics, then two pre’s will do the trick. You can compress in the DAW till you find what kind of compression works for you.

Thank you so much! :) I am indeed. Using these videos to motivate the creativity while reviewing some lovely equipment!!

I’m currently reviewing the R8. The video will be up soon, that way you can hear what you think and what the added workflows are in the R8. I hope you will enjoy it!

@@alecbrits Great, thanks for letting me know! I just subscribed. I only just recently got the Aphex USB 500 after a long research for a small lunchbox (not rack) with included converter since I love easy to use and portable stuff - and I found the Aphex. But unfortunately they discontinued this great device some years ago already. Then, by pure chance, I strumbled accross a dealer which still had a new one in stock, and I went for it. SOS has a very promising review of the box. Apart from the included AD-conveter and USB interface (which also allows you to insert the box in a DAW-session like a plugin) the box offers patch--switches on its back which lets you send audio from one module directly to the another one without using cables, which is fantastic imho. Like this you can set up a vocal-chain without using a single cable. It's everything I could dream of. I have no idea why Aphex discontinued this product. The converters seem good (they use the same ADC chip as used in the Apogee Ensemble), but if it's up to the Apogee (which also depends on the clock) I still have to find out. I do have an Apogee Rosetta, but it's another separate device, and I love to have all in one small package with direct connection to the computer via USB.

Sounds like a great box!

Hey Bobby, hearing the cumulative effect is a really powerful and fast way to hear the character of a mic pre. In the future there will be a way to access the stems and make your own choices.

Agreed! :) thanks so much.

I’m sure they will both be astoundingly good, but rather different for sure.

So. Dang. Solid. 👌🏽

Thanks for the insight Cam! :)

非常感谢你 ! Thank you very much! :)

I’ve not spent much time with the SSL mic pre’s so I can’t really shed any light on that sadly! :)

Hey Daniel! :) it’s a canon 5D MKiV.

Thanks!

Thanks for the feedback! :)

Hey Yaadiiboy, maybe check some Facebook groups or Reverb in your area. :)

Thanks Victor!

It’s unreal! :D absolutely love what it does. The 1073 has its place for sure, but wow, that 88R. 👌🏽👌🏽

Luckily, I've had an opportunity to work on both boards. I've always found going straight from the pre into the box is the best sound for guitars and bass. Very little e.q. just to pull extra stuff out, and usually a gate for the drums. Working on a handful of different consoles, imo the 88R is in a league of it's own, it's unfair in a way, because nothing else sounds like it.

It’s not, but there are so many great units that do this! :) by radial and ART.

Big fan of the Acoustica plugins! I’ll look into more plug-in reviews in the future. :)

@@alecbrits you really stand out as a most talented musician Alec !!!

@@lukecolledge5950 thank you so much!! :D will keep working on it.

Yeah!! :D

The make the Neve 1073 OPX with the ADAT card. :) it’s a bit of a beast.

Thank you!!

@@alecbrits And a great voice too! It's a pleasure to listen to in every aspect. It reminds me of the later David Gilmour stuff somehow. This recording has the same magic both regarding the overall sound and the song itself.

Thank you!! :)

Totally different issues for both. I have purchased the 67’s first, but saving for a pair of 49’s next. The 67’s are SO versatile. I’ll do a review video on them soon!

@@alecbrits I am building up my mic locker as well buts it’s so much prioritizing to be done. Do I get good tube mics or maybe classic ribbons? Should I put that on ice and finally get a stereo set of distressors or should I spend som ekstra money on new fancy plugins? Hahah, luckily I own pretty good outboard and mics already, but I want MOREE.

We will never stop buying pieces of gear. Just figure out what will save you time and boost your creativity. That should always be the primary objective. :)

@@norwegiansniper9713 one distressor and a quality tube mic.