DMT Rentals has added to its inventory of state-of-the-artconverters, recorders and outboards with the recent purchase of twovintage AMS Neve Model 1081 Channel Amplifiers, which are combinationmic preamplifiers and EQ modules.
Pictured: DMT Rentals president Bruce Botnick with the new AMS NeveModel 1081 Channel Amplifier and vintage tube Telefunken Elam251microphone, which he likes to use a combo for recording and scoringsessions.
“The Model 1081 was first produced in 1972,” said DMT president DougBotnick. “The same circuit provided the mic/line amp and EQ sections inmuch-revered Neve consoles such as the 8048.” AMS Neve has resumedproduction of the 1081 module, using original components andconstruction methods.
“Our new units are supplied as a stand-alone module,” said JayceMurphy, DMT’s general manager, “containing two individual 1081s mountedhorizontally in a 3U rackmounting chassis. Located on the rear panelare XLRs for the transformer-balanced I/Os, a 25-way D-type connectorfor solo, spare switch contacts and unbalanced outputs, plus an IECpower connector.”
“We purchased the 1081 modules because they quite simply have anextraordinary sound,” Botnick said. “Some clients use them on drums orguitars, some use the EQ across a main mix bus, and others want themfor their overall room mics or string mics. For sure, I’ll be usingthem on my own recording projects whenever they’re available. I lovethe fact that the 1081s are virtually identical in every way to theoriginals, including the transformers, but are brand-new without thedirty switches and bad caps you find in a lot of vintage units. The1081s are fantastic with ribbon mics too, because they can be switchedto a 300-ohm input; impedance matching changes the character of vintageribbons.”
The 1081 channel amplifiers were used most recently by scoring mixerSimon Rhodes during recording dates for the new movie Radio,with composer James Horner.
For more, visit AMS Neve online at www.ams-neve.com. Visit DMT Rentals at www.dmtrentals.com.
