Burnley, UK (August 31, 2021)—Producer and songwriter Brian Alston thought he would never be able to own a Neve console, but now he has a small format 8424 in his private studio in northern Arizona.
“In a typical home studio environment, an 88R would be a bit much and a BCM10 would be a bit pricy, but the 8424 is a perfect balance between the two,” says Alston. “It has the same pedigree as the consoles in Abbey Road and Capital Studios, and it is very inspiring to know that most of my musical heroes made some of their greatest albums on Neve desks or with a heavy amount of Neve gear.”
Studio and Live Console Spotlight
Alston has been making and producing music since he was a teenager and uses his studio for his own projects and to record local bands. Alongside the 8424 console, he is also running a Neve 1073OPX Octal microphone/line/instrument preamplifier, both of which were supplied by Vintage King.
“Because of time restraints on my recording, I find the balance of analog and digital to be a huge blessing,” he says. “The 8424 is the centerpiece of my studio and I link it with a 1073 OPX, converter and a computer running a DAW…. I also have the OPX networked to the 8424 via Cat6 cable and can control it from the board, so it’s like having a big or vintage old school Neve desk in that regard. For someone who is pressed for time, it allows me to focus on the musician aspect more than the engineering aspect. I love both roles, but when the front end just works, I can quickly swap out a mic to change tone and continue focusing on the part I’m playing.”
With his console up and running, Alston is now working on an album project with Arizona trio Well Dressed Wolves.
