I know that you can't go wrong by putting anything through a Neve anything. Besides, you don't have to erase the track that you've already recorded.

Having other Neve stuff of a vintage nature of my own, it has a certain warmth and ratty sound at the same time. The gross amount of transformers give it a certain warm fuzzy mush. The electronics have a sweet sheen in the high frequencies with a robustness in the low-end accentuated by the transformers. It does give you THAT sound. But beware! Neve stuff is terribly addictive! It's like Wasabi! You don't want to become an addict do you? It could ruin you for life. You won't want to record with anything else. Well made API?

Since you come from my neck of the woods, I'd love to invite you out to my studio near Point of Rocks Maryland, where I have a terrible Neve habit. I have a 36 input, 1974 old discrete vintage Neve audio console. It's the real deal. I need my fix, to keep it going reliably.

There will be an All-day rock-and-roll party on Saturday the first, where my Stratavarious Mobile production center is parked. Check out http://www.Unfortunatesons.com for further information for the Labor Day Club Boyd's Party.

Nope. I'm not doing the sound. I'm doing video. With 4 cameras and jib/crane, computers and recordable DVD's. I'll mix the 24 track down prior to video editing.

See you at the party!
Ms. Remy Ann David

hi remyrad, thank you for the reply and the invitation. i might stop by the party on saturday. i think i will make the portico pre my first pro unit. it sounds like i can't go wrong owning it.

Remy, did you really read his post?
Why would anyone run a recorded track back through a preamp again??
I could understand pluging the tracks through a Neve console through the line inputs, but a Portico has no line inputs!!!

Also Ruperts modern stuff does not sound like his old consoles!!

According to their website, the 5012's mic input "serves as a very high quality line input with an impedance of 10K ohms" WHEN THE PHANTOM POWER IS SWITCHED OFF. I guess it's not a great candidate for ribbons?
Sure, this "ain't your daddy's Neve", but it might impart some interesting color to the track. It looks like there's a good deal of iron in that thang...

moonbaby, you are 100% correct! here is what the spec sheet states: When the Phantom voltage is disabled, this input serves as a very high quality Line Input.

Yes I did read the post through TVPostSound. But I was actually getting a kick out of it. I haven't really done that myself except on rare occasions on purpose. But that's only because I have an old Neve and not some other piece of stuff. Actually, with the way my remote truck is configured, I sometimes get line outputs fed up my microphone inputs. WooW! Thankfully, the old Neve has this continuously variable rotary switch that switches gain settings and pads. It's never been a problem and sounds great. Sure, because my microphone inputs are on the patch bays, I've had the opportunity to re-patch to the line input. It really doesn't make much of a difference, with the 3115 preamp/EQ. It's all the same transformers and Op-Amps (well mostly). Perhaps the modern Siemens Neve's are different? I've really not Kept up with those nor am I an expert with the 80 series (you'd think I would be). Brain cells are failing and I can't visualize all of the schematics anymore. But I have been known, to just feed stuff through the Neve, just for the color. Its subtle but it's a Neve.

Too bad Rupert doesn't make new stuff to sound like his old stuff. Or does he? I really haven't listened to any of his new stuff and I didn't at the AES show either. I just can't believe he would put tape recorder electronics including little heads inside of a box and call it an emulator? Why not just include the entire transport also with a roll of tape?? Go figure? Besides, he was never known to make tape recorders was he? Unlike George Neumann, that made microphones, disk lathes, recording consoles and rechargeable batteries.

Guilty of mic "re-preamping" just because I'm too lazy to change a patch.
Ms. Remy Ann David

It really doesn't make much of a difference, with the 3115 preamp/EQ. It's all the same transformers and Op-Amps (well mostly). Perhaps the modern Siemens Neve's are different?

True, on old Neves the preamp is basically a modified line input, as mic pres were originally post mods with Rupert!!!

Right. Just like the 1272 microphone preamp that isn't.

For those that don't know this, the 1272 " microphone preamp" like the 3415 " microphone preamp" were summing amplifiers and line drivers. Not microphone preamps. My old 3115's (a.k.a. 33115 in a later different colored version and IC chips) are very much like the highly sought after 1073's. Those had a pure class A output. Where the 3115's have the class A/B outputs, are slightly skinnier and run much cooler. But these old utilitarian electronics and transformers still make us all feel warm and fuzzy inside. That's why we still like them.

Getting fuzzy outside
Ms. Remy Ann David