What Do YOU Think? Opportunity or Fraud? 🎬 RELATED VIDEOS: ➡ Neve 88m VS UA Apollo Twin: th-cam.com/video/U2PSmxWqJns/w-d-xo.html ➡ UA Bock 187 Mic Review: th-cam.com/video/MMVM0wBW4oo/w-d-xo.html ➡ JZ BT202 Mics Review: th-cam.com/video/NI0NsGAODMg/w-d-xo.html
What I am impressed with is how much stunning gear choices there are these days - almost bewildering. I don't know why people whine about pricing. I mean, this stuff is powerful and capabile. Thanks for the commentary Ed!
The Neve also works perfectly without the need for any additional drivers or stuffing around. This means its a long term investment vs something that you might have troubles with as operating systems and hardware change
I can't see any monitoring problem with the 88M, except there's just one analog output dedicated for that. . The 88M sounds perfect to me, 6 months using it, I prefer it over the Twin I had before
Thanks for this video man, I met you at Gearfest too. I currently have the EVO8 for my iPad Pro, but I’ve been keeping an eye on this Neve 88M or the Black Lion Audio new bus powered interface. This video gives confidence in 88M.
How does the direct monitoring work? This is the only thing keeping me from ordering the 88m. For instance, if my direct monitored signal of my vocal isn't loud enough, does the 88m allow you to adjust the balance someway? Or do I have to turn everything else down within the DAW until the balance is right?
@@shannonadkinsmusic5767 Actually I sold my Neve a long time ago. Looking back I think it was a dumb investment... It's bus powered (and I have a great home studio with no need for portability). It's missing inputs and outputs for sends. WEAK hp amp. Yea the pre's are nice BUT, preamps are not the most important thing that you would want in an audio interface. I sold my Neve and bought a Merging Anubis instead! Fits my needs better and sounds better in every aspect (also costs more).
Thanks for the update. The Neve sounds better. Maybe the UA Apollo has lots of digital effects available for monitoring but what really matters is the sound quality. The Neve is made in England, not China like the UA Apollo.
Sound quality for the end result, yes. But direct monitoring compared to the level balancing and processing options (EQ/Compression/Reverb, etc) on the Apollo are leagues apart in terms of user enjoyment and performance improvement.
I've had an 8801 for a few years now, along with SSL, UA, Drawmer and a few other nice pres/channel strips and the 88 pre is by far my own favourite pre. Currently thinking about getting one of these to use purely as another two pres as it works standalone too. Another thing seriously worth keeping in mind is The Neve isn't software dependant like an Apollo, so it'll be A LOOOOONG time before it's obsolete. As someone else pointed out, these are made in Burnley in England, been lucky enough to do the factory tour and watch some amazing things being made there! 😍
I still think you can’t go wrong with an RME baby face bro. Best on the market for clarity, transparency, quality and price. I think most people wants the latest and the best gear that comes out but doesn’t focus on creativity and mastering the gear they already.
Ed thanks for another very informative video about 88M! For me it was the quality, simplicity and (hopefully) reliability, what sold me the 88M. I really enjoy not to think too much when recording quick ideas in as good quality as I can and everywhere. And I'm perfectly ok with features the unit have. I would say I am target customer🙂Amateur musician, two channels are enough and the headphone amp with BD 1990's works IMO really well. Regarding the price, well it's a Neve 🙂
Hey Ed - very interesting video! I actually own an Apollo Twin X and am considering the 88M to add extra coloured (!) inputs to my setup. Something I would also like to use this for is sort of re-amping digital sounds from my DAW and adding some saturation using the preamps. I tried the UAD 88RS plugin to check the "color" and really enjoy the sort of colorful clipped sound it gave my electronic drums. But I'm wondering how far you can actually drive the signal without clipping the A/D-stage? Obviously I only want the analog saturation and no digital clipping... Any idea?
Thanks, hopefully it was insightful. Well, here’s another fundamental flaw with the 88m - no output trim/pad means your saturation options are limited and your saturation levels are largely dictated by your input gain structure. It is possible to very fine tune for saturation and there’s loads of head room but a trim/pad would be ideal!
Alright alright I guess this is technically the cheapest way to get some 88R preamps! I was wrong about my 88RLB statements last time haha. I will say that when I purchased everything, I spent about $1,700 total for my pair of 88RLB's including the rack and cables, not $2,500. One of my 88's are a demo model from SW (back when brand new it was $745), and I got a 2 channel single rack Fredenstein Bento 2 Chassis which at the time was $249 new. Guess I lucked out getting this setup before inflation really kicked in! Being bus powered from an iPad is a really legit feature! Cannot ignore that for the traveling producers! Thanks for the video!
@@EdThorne Looking at what both offer outside of being a mic preamp, I felt the 88RLB offers more features and versatility than the 1073LB's for $300 less. 1073 was listed as having a mic/line input, but the 88 has mic/line/DI input. I wasn't a fan of phantom power for the 1073 being on the trim knob. I would hate to accidentally press that while using a passive ribbon. Highpass filter was a must have for me, gound lift for the DI is cool if I ever needed it, and the Reg button allowing me to choose if I want the transformer inserted on line and DI signals is a great feature to have. Also since the sound isn't as colored as a 1073, I like it better as an option for mixbus duties without drastically changing the sound of my mix.
That logic holds as long as the preamps are identical in sound and build to the standalone versions I guess the next logical step is to set up a shootout between the 88M preamps and the standalones. Probably best to use a third-party interface to keep things kosher.
Do you think this would be a good upgrade coming from a zen go? I want to buy the neve but wouldn’t the level of harmonics be different in my vocal recordings everytime I turned the mic gain up and down?
@@EdThorne if today you are to get a 2 channel interface with ADAT with the highest quality Preamps and converters for mixing and mastering what will your choice be.
I think you misunderstood about better monitoring, the sound of the monitoring is much better. I had apollo and I have the 88m now and not comparison about sound, may be the uad have more options, great, but in terms of sound, neve make my speakers sound better
I run the interface into PC where it mixes into a goxlr virtual out. Don't need to use the headphone out or monitoring mix of the interface. I only care about the preamp quality, self noise and gain.
Big studios are not using these to record music, little home studios might be.... after all its said and done, we'll upload music to spotify which will chop the quality down enough to where it would make sense to record with a 200 bucks piece of gear. Just my opinion.
Apollo is definitely not any where near 200 Sure if your destination is only instagram reels then yes neither of these are worth it. Best to use the microphone on our phones and record to a WhatsApp message and share to all the streaming services from there...
The preamps sound great, but wow the price tag of $1200 is a bit steep for what you get. Great idea regarding the 500 series option if you already at least have the chassis and possibly can grab a pair of pres on the used market, then you may come out slightly better. It is unfortunate they headphone amp is less to be desired especially at that price point. The Apollo does have better monitoring, but not the ADAT both ways. They both have their strengths and weaknesses on this one.
@@EdThorne I agree with you. The question is: Would it be possible to connect the Neve 88M via ADAT to the ADAT input of an Apollo Twin to accomplish the same purpose? That way you could bypass the AD stage of the Twin and use the excellent preamps on the Neve as your front end.
🤔🧐. Ehmm.. The 500 series 88's i have, is almost a completely different implementation, more dynamic with more gain range, the sound is more detailed and round. IMO It sould not be compared to this interface at all because it feels (to me) like a misleading marketing tactic
I'm away to content ID this for obvious copying of my trademark Steve from SSL accent. NOT COOL!! My lawyer will be in touch in due course........ Regards
But, the universal audio interface features the 1073 and 88R pre-amp models which accurately model the impedance, THD+N, IMD and other circuitry components. So the UA is a no brainer. But if you're a purist who ignores the fact that the UA can get you the same if not a better sound, then maybe the neve interface is best for you.
The features that are interesting on the Neve are the transformers, inserts before the DAW, plug and play which wont leave you abandoned by software upgrades, and the DAC is mastering grade. The UA hardware compressors and mic pres sound better than the plug emulations. Seems the harmonics are missing in the low end and not as sweet up top in the plugs. Otherwise good emulations.
That little over priced Neve 2i2 is not going to give me anything that my focusrite scarlett and my fairly decent mixing skills don't already give me...
What Do YOU Think? Opportunity or Fraud?
🎬 RELATED VIDEOS:
➡ Neve 88m VS UA Apollo Twin: th-cam.com/video/U2PSmxWqJns/w-d-xo.html
➡ UA Bock 187 Mic Review: th-cam.com/video/MMVM0wBW4oo/w-d-xo.html
➡ JZ BT202 Mics Review: th-cam.com/video/NI0NsGAODMg/w-d-xo.html
What I am impressed with is how much stunning gear choices there are these days - almost bewildering. I don't know why people whine about pricing. I mean, this stuff is powerful and capabile. Thanks for the commentary Ed!
We are absolutely spoilt for choice and quality these days. I genuinely think this interface is a great way to access genuine Neve preamps.
The Neve also works perfectly without the need for any additional drivers or stuffing around. This means its a long term investment vs something that you might have troubles with as operating systems and hardware change
Great video man. Now how are the converters if you use the neve 88m as interface and have the 5211 as the standalone preamp?
It's good
I can't see any monitoring problem with the 88M, except there's just one analog output dedicated for that. . The 88M sounds perfect to me, 6 months using it, I prefer it over the Twin I had before
Thanks for this video man, I met you at Gearfest too. I currently have the EVO8 for my iPad Pro, but I’ve been keeping an eye on this Neve 88M or the Black Lion Audio new bus powered interface. This video gives confidence in 88M.
The 88m is delightful, I just wished they factored in a mains power option to help improve the headphone amplifier.
@@EdThorne yh I agree. The mains power would make it a bit more premium.
I actually have the Neve 88m, for my needs it's great and everything I need in a box, the pre amps are what sold me on this unit.
It’s worth buying just to get good value for money on Neve pres.
@@EdThorne yes but it also has great converters and mostly I like the simplicity. It’s simple and built really well.
How does the direct monitoring work? This is the only thing keeping me from ordering the 88m. For instance, if my direct monitored signal of my vocal isn't loud enough, does the 88m allow you to adjust the balance someway? Or do I have to turn everything else down within the DAW until the balance is right?
@@shannonadkinsmusic5767 Actually I sold my Neve a long time ago.
Looking back I think it was a dumb investment...
It's bus powered (and I have a great home studio with no need for portability).
It's missing inputs and outputs for sends.
WEAK hp amp.
Yea the pre's are nice BUT, preamps are not the most important thing that you would want in an audio interface.
I sold my Neve and bought a Merging Anubis instead! Fits my needs better and sounds better in every aspect (also costs more).
I feel like the folks that criticize the neve are just mad they can’t afford it 🤷♂️
Nice performance Wilf Raby!
It’s wonderful.
Beautiful song! Very nice performance and recording and mixing!!
Thank you 😊
Thanks for the update. The Neve sounds better. Maybe the UA Apollo has lots of digital effects available for monitoring but what really matters is the sound quality. The Neve is made in England, not China like the UA Apollo.
Sound quality for the end result, yes. But direct monitoring compared to the level balancing and processing options (EQ/Compression/Reverb, etc) on the Apollo are leagues apart in terms of user enjoyment and performance improvement.
I've had an 8801 for a few years now, along with SSL, UA, Drawmer and a few other nice pres/channel strips and the 88 pre is by far my own favourite pre.
Currently thinking about getting one of these to use purely as another two pres as it works standalone too.
Another thing seriously worth keeping in mind is The Neve isn't software dependant like an Apollo, so it'll be A LOOOOONG time before it's obsolete.
As someone else pointed out, these are made in Burnley in England, been lucky enough to do the factory tour and watch some amazing things being made there! 😍
I still think you can’t go wrong with an RME baby face bro. Best on the market for clarity, transparency, quality and price. I think most people wants the latest and the best gear that comes out but doesn’t focus on creativity and mastering the gear they already.
No doubt.
Love RME, sold my Babyface FS to upgrade to the new UFX iii
Wonderful performance. I really appreciated it.
What a great songwriter! Tears, really. Beautiful lyrics melody and performance. Oh the Neve sounds great too.
100%! Thanks for commenting.
The Wilf Raby song at the end was really great!
He’s a talented young man!
@@EdThorne He certainly is. You did a great job as well.
Ed thanks for another very informative video about 88M! For me it was the quality, simplicity and (hopefully) reliability, what sold me the 88M. I really enjoy not to think too much when recording quick ideas in as good quality as I can and everywhere. And I'm perfectly ok with features the unit have. I would say I am target customer🙂Amateur musician, two channels are enough and the headphone amp with BD 1990's works IMO really well. Regarding the price, well it's a Neve 🙂
Yeh, simplicity aids the creative process for sure. And the sound is spot on.
What a lovely song. Thank you.
It is isn’t it 🙂
Great low end in those JZ mics on acoustic. Very smooth but strong.
Yeh, they’re lovely mics!
The irony of the Neve booth having a rack mount Apollo in their rig! 😂
Yep… at every show. Lol
Agree. A great yet simple Interface. Love it.
Glad you like it!
Hey Ed - very interesting video! I actually own an Apollo Twin X and am considering the 88M to add extra coloured (!) inputs to my setup. Something I would also like to use this for is sort of re-amping digital sounds from my DAW and adding some saturation using the preamps. I tried the UAD 88RS plugin to check the "color" and really enjoy the sort of colorful clipped sound it gave my electronic drums. But I'm wondering how far you can actually drive the signal without clipping the A/D-stage? Obviously I only want the analog saturation and no digital clipping... Any idea?
Thanks, hopefully it was insightful. Well, here’s another fundamental flaw with the 88m - no output trim/pad means your saturation options are limited and your saturation levels are largely dictated by your input gain structure. It is possible to very fine tune for saturation and there’s loads of head room but a trim/pad would be ideal!
Alright alright I guess this is technically the cheapest way to get some 88R preamps! I was wrong about my 88RLB statements last time haha. I will say that when I purchased everything, I spent about $1,700 total for my pair of 88RLB's including the rack and cables, not $2,500. One of my 88's are a demo model from SW (back when brand new it was $745), and I got a 2 channel single rack Fredenstein Bento 2 Chassis which at the time was $249 new. Guess I lucked out getting this setup before inflation really kicked in!
Being bus powered from an iPad is a really legit feature! Cannot ignore that for the traveling producers! Thanks for the video!
What made you choose the 88Rlbs over 1073s? Yeh I was factoring in a 6-10 slot lunchbox into my calculations.
@@EdThorne Looking at what both offer outside of being a mic preamp, I felt the 88RLB offers more features and versatility than the 1073LB's for $300 less. 1073 was listed as having a mic/line input, but the 88 has mic/line/DI input. I wasn't a fan of phantom power for the 1073 being on the trim knob. I would hate to accidentally press that while using a passive ribbon. Highpass filter was a must have for me, gound lift for the DI is cool if I ever needed it, and the Reg button allowing me to choose if I want the transformer inserted on line and DI signals is a great feature to have. Also since the sound isn't as colored as a 1073, I like it better as an option for mixbus duties without drastically changing the sound of my mix.
That logic holds as long as the preamps are identical in sound and build to the standalone versions
I guess the next logical step is to set up a shootout between the 88M preamps and the standalones.
Probably best to use a third-party interface to keep things kosher.
Fair shout. I’ll see what I can do.
@@EdThorne do it!
Do you think this would be a good upgrade coming from a zen go? I want to buy the neve but wouldn’t the level of harmonics be different in my vocal recordings everytime I turned the mic gain up and down?
What do you think about the converters in this vis a vis the Audient ID24
It’s marginally better on the Neve. Ever so slightly clearer low mids and extended top end clarity.
@@EdThorne if today you are to get a 2 channel interface with ADAT with the highest quality Preamps and converters for mixing and mastering what will your choice be.
@samueloluyinkaojomu6548 This, the Neve 88M.
I’m still not sure how to top the id22. Song sounded great
Yeh, the iD24 is pretty bang on! And thanks 🙂
I think you misunderstood about better monitoring, the sound of the monitoring is much better. I had apollo and I have the 88m now and not comparison about sound, may be the uad have more options, great, but in terms of sound, neve make my speakers sound better
I am of course referring to Console Monitoring for headphone mixes. The Neve just has the edge regarding speaker outputs, yeh, due to the conversion.
LOVE this song...
gorgeous song!
What a great song ❤ and great singer
100%! Thanks for commenting.
Where can we get Wil Fraby's song ? Spotify ? thanks
@MurnerJoel I’m not sure it has been released officially yet. His socials are in the description
Each channel needs a trim so you can drive the signal and get saturation. On the Neve
100%
I actually would pair this unit with a 500 launchbox with an eq and a comp to unlock it's full potential.
Ya for sure the compressor so you don't kill your converters trying to get saturation that you already paid for.@@Epsh_10
I run the interface into PC where it mixes into a goxlr virtual out. Don't need to use the headphone out or monitoring mix of the interface.
I only care about the preamp quality, self noise and gain.
Big studios are not using these to record music, little home studios might be.... after all its said and done, we'll upload music to spotify which will chop the quality down enough to where it would make sense to record with a 200 bucks piece of gear. Just my opinion.
Apollo is definitely not any where near 200 Sure if your destination is only instagram reels then yes neither of these are worth it. Best to use the microphone on our phones and record to a WhatsApp message and share to all the streaming services from there...
The preamps sound great, but wow the price tag of $1200 is a bit steep for what you get. Great idea regarding the 500 series option if you already at least have the chassis and possibly can grab a pair of pres on the used market, then you may come out slightly better. It is unfortunate they headphone amp is less to be desired especially at that price point. The Apollo does have better monitoring, but not the ADAT both ways. They both have their strengths and weaknesses on this one.
Very much so. I liked my idea of Neve Pres into Apollo for the best of both worlds.
@@EdThorne I agree. That would is a great idea too. I will never argue against having more gear Lololol
@@EdThorne I agree with you. The question is: Would it be possible to connect the Neve 88M via ADAT to the ADAT input of an Apollo Twin to accomplish the same purpose? That way you could bypass the AD stage of the Twin and use the excellent preamps on the Neve as your front end.
🤔🧐. Ehmm.. The 500 series 88's i have, is almost a completely different implementation, more dynamic with more gain range, the sound is more detailed and round. IMO It sould not be compared to this interface at all because it feels (to me) like a misleading marketing tactic
I'm away to content ID this for obvious copying of my trademark Steve from SSL accent. NOT COOL!!
My lawyer will be in touch in due course........
Regards
HAHA!! You declined the voice over job offer so I had to improvise🤣
But, the universal audio interface features the 1073 and 88R pre-amp models which accurately model the impedance, THD+N, IMD and other circuitry components. So the UA is a no brainer. But if you're a purist who ignores the fact that the UA can get you the same if not a better sound, then maybe the neve interface is best for you.
The features that are interesting on the Neve are the transformers, inserts before the DAW, plug and play which wont leave you abandoned by software upgrades, and the DAC is mastering grade. The UA hardware compressors and mic pres sound better than the plug emulations. Seems the harmonics are missing in the low end and not as sweet up top in the plugs. Otherwise good emulations.
As i said before this is nothing compared to audient and black lion revolution 2x2 theres nothing that this can do what the ones mention cant do
These are the thing that pisses me off where is the fucking EQ or if you should buy an external EQ you have to buy a power system to plug it in booooo
That little over priced Neve 2i2 is not going to give me anything that my focusrite scarlett and my fairly decent mixing skills don't already give me...