Rupert Neve (pictured), a key developer of modern mixing consoles, will deliver the keynote speech, “Where Audio Comes Alive,” at the 119th AES Convention at noon on Friday, October 7th at New York’s Javits Center. “Rupert Neve has led a remarkable life dedicated to perfecting the art of audio reproduction,” said AES executive director Roger Furness. “His career spans over 60 years and has influenced generations of audio designers. We are honored to have him present this year’s keynote address.”
Neve’s speech will focus on recording: “Interest in the satisfactory recording, storage and reproduction of sound has never been higher,” he says, posing the question, “Have we got it right?”
Neve began his life in audio in Argentina, mending radios to bring people news of World War II. Arriving in England at age 17, he converted a retired U.S. Army ambulance into a mobile studio, recording choirs, music festivals and public events on 78 RPM lacquer disks. These early steps led to his pioneering development of the modern recording console.
By 1964, Neve had developed high performance transistor equipment that replaced traditional valve designs. His first client for the new transistor equipment was Phillips Records Ltd. The success of these units led to orders from Phillips and other recording studios for mixing consoles. These attained a reputation for sonic clarity and excellent workmanship. Demand grew rapidly and, by 1973, the Neve team had grown to over 500 members worldwide. During this period Neve introduced “Moving Fader Automation,” or NECAM.
Rupert Neve was inducted into the Mix magazine Hall of Fame in 1989. He received the 1997 Technical Grammy Award, was honored as “Man of the Century,” by Studio Sound Magazine in 1999 and was selected by his peers as the Number 1 Audio Personality of the 20th Century.
Operating as ARN Consultants, Neve collaborated with a number of manufacturers to produce consoles, including the Amek 9098, the Focusrite Forte and Studio models. Currently based in Texas, Neve established Rupert Neve Designs in April 2005 and launched The Portico range of modular preamplifiers, equalizers, dynamics, image controllers and other new high performance products.
For more information, please go to the AES Website at www.aes.org.
