
Neve's classic 88RS console weighs around two tons and certainly doesn't fit into most project studios, including the one owned by internationally acclaimed drummer Ash Soan. But when Ash wanted to capture the sound of this iconic desk on his recordings, he found a simple solution in the shape of two Neve 88RLB mono mic preamps.
Ash, who has toured and recorded with some of the biggest names in the music industry, has installed the 88RLB units into a rack that already included four Neve 1073LB mic preamps, which he bought over 10 years ago.
My studio is mainly used for drum recording and I have a selection of UA interfaces, with Neve preamps for the main kit, he explains. I use 1073's for my kick, snare and hats but I wanted the 88RLB for my overheads. They fit perfectly together and work great, and I'm very happy with the results I'm achieving.
Currently a member of Trevor Horn's band The Producers (along with Steve Lipson and Lol Cr me), Ash's impressive 30-plus year career has resulted in 58 Top Ten albums, 29 No. 1 albums and 10 No.1 singles for artists such as Cher, Seal, Robbie Williams, Billy Idol, Adele, Enrique Iglesias, Dionne Warwick, Rumer, James Morrison, Cee Lo, Celine Dion and Ronan Keating.
A music graduate from Salford University and a former student at Tech Music School, Ash Soan got his first big break as a drummer in 1994 when he joined the band Del Amitri. He toured and recorded with Del Amitri until 1997, then subsequently played with Faithless and Squeeze. He also played at the 2012 Olympic Games opening ceremony with Mike Oldfield and was the house drummer on the television show The Voice for seven years. His film work is also extensive and incudes playing on the Terminator Genisys and Mission Impossible Fall Out soundtracks for composer Lorne Balfe and on the Kung Fu Panda 3 and The Lion King 2019 soundtracks for Hans Zimmer.
As someone who operates at the top of the recording profession, Ash has worked in many of the world's best recording studios and has often enjoyed the sound of high quality analogue Neve consoles such as the 88RS. It is this exposure to the best that inspired him to invest in Neve 88RLS units for his own studio.
I was at British Grove recently with Hans Zimmer and Stephen Lipson and I loved the Neve 88R console there, he explains. Installing 88RLB units is a very cost effective, convenient and accessible way of getting that sound into a small studio like mine.
Based in Norfolk, Ash's studio was originally set up as a practise space and somewhere to store his equipment, but while working on The Voice he began hosting sessions for clients such as Alicia Keys and Dua Lipa, so he decided it was time to focus more attention on the room.
I've since used the studio to record for Seal, Cher, James Morrison, Rod Stewart, Dua Lipa, Alicia Keys, Julian Lennon, Hans Zimmer, Sam Smith and Ed Sheehan, he says. It tends to be primarily pop and film sessions and I mainly use Pro Tools.
Ash's new Neve's 88RLB units are in the 500 Series format and use exactly the same technology as the preamps in an 88R console. However, they also come with useful extra features such as a sweepable high pass filter, intelligent phantom power control, a DI input and a REGenerate function that makes is easy to add analogue warmth to individual sources, or even entire mixes.
I just love the colour from the preamps on my drums, he says. I've had that sound many times in the past when I've recorded in large studios, but owning my own preamps is the perfect way to add that sound to the recordings I am making now.
-ends-
About AMS Neve
AMS Neve engineers have pioneered the greatest proportion of the ground-breaking techniques in the professional audio industry. Just a few examples of world firsts are moving fader automation, hard disk editing, digital console technology, digital audio for film, microprocessor-controlled effects units and standards such as MADI.
The most discerning artists, producers and facility owners regard AMS Neve products as No. 1 for desirability on their equipment list and have done so for the past fifty years.
Recognised by all the premier bodies in the various fields of music, TV and film, the products and their designers have been honoured by two Scientific and Engineering Academy Awards, an Emmy and a Grammy amongst many others.
All AMS Neve products are designed and built in-house at the company's Headquarters in Burnley, England. For more information please visit: http://www.ams-neve.com
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
05/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
05/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
05/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
05/05/2026
Digital Domain Welcomes Award-Nominated VFX Supervisor Jelmer Boskma
Brie Clayton May 4, 2026
0 Comments
Digital Domain, a global leader in visual eff...
04/05/2026
just:play pro 2026 and just:live pro 2026 are available to download!
More Details:At NAB 2026, ToolsOnAir showcased just:play pro 2026 and just:live pro 2026, ...
04/05/2026
just:in mac pro 2026 - The Next Level of Professional Recording on macOS
More Details:The headline innovation in just:in mac pro 2026 is the new Auto format si...
04/05/2026
Hardware is still an emphasis - Supershooter 11 is new, and REMI-based 65 is in ...
04/05/2026
Head of International Business Development Min Joo Kim explores the league's...
04/05/2026
Audio-Technica has announced that its ATND1061 ceiling array microphone and ATUC...
04/05/2026
Triple B Media has launched Bowling TV, a free ad-supported television (FAST) channel dedicated to bowling. The channel is available on Prime Video, LG Channels...
04/05/2026
PlayMetrics, a provider of operations management software for youth sports organizations, has announced the completion of its acquisition of substantially all t...
04/05/2026
IHSE GmbH has announced that Dr. Thomas Niessen has joined as CEO and Managing Director, effective May 1, 2026. He joins Frank Breitenfelder, who has served as ...
04/05/2026
PMY Group deployed its AI-powered crowd intelligence platform, Optic, at the For...
04/05/2026
Behind The Mic provides a roundup of recent news regarding on-air talent, includ...
04/05/2026
Last week, guests gathered in New York City for On Air, In Style: An Evening with Spotify-a night of conversation, culture, and connection celebrating the inter...
04/05/2026
New music & post-production features added
Avid's latest DAW update delivers an array of helpful features aimed at both music and post-production users,...
04/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/05/2026
Student Spotlight: Joshua Griffin The New Orleans native, who was named the 2026 student commencement speaker for Boston Conservatory at Berklee, talks about ...
04/05/2026
It's Andrew! stomps onto screens this June 4 May 2026
The ABC and Screen Australia are delighted to announce that brand new preschool series, It's Andr...
03/05/2026
Polysynth now features Mutable Instruments' macro oscillators
Melbourne Instruments have just released a free firmware update that brings the engine beh...
03/05/2026
Introducing the new Mistika Workflows Suite: transformative and cost-effective f...
03/05/2026
Introducing the new Mistake Workflows Suite: transformative and cost-effective f...
03/05/2026
Back to All News
Filming begins on the third and final season of Breathless
Entertainment
03 May 2026
GlobalSpain
Link copied to clipboard
Discover the vi...
02/05/2026
(L-R) Dustin Hoffman and Leo Woodall appear in Tuner by Daniel Roher, an official selection of the 2026 Sundance Film Festival. (Photo courtesy of Sundance In...
02/05/2026
Versatile re-amping tool announced
Warm Audio are best known for their recreations of sought-after vintage studio gear, but their latest release brings a ne...
02/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
02/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
02/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
02/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
02/05/2026
Scripps Research immunologist Dennis Burton elected to American Academy of Arts and Sciences A leader in broadly neutralizing antibodies, Burton has helped driv...
02/05/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
01/05/2026
Ratings Roundup is a rundown of recent rating news and is derived from press rel...
01/05/2026
BKB Bare Knuckle Boxing ( BKB ), today announced the appointment of Will Wright ...
01/05/2026
Lawo has been at the center of the industry's transition to IP and other next-generation technologies. At NAB 2026, its story was the Edge One AV stagebox, ...
01/05/2026
HBA Media, acting on behalf of NBC Sports and Churchill Downs Incorporated, has announced broadcast and streaming distribution for Kentucky Derby 152, taking pl...
01/05/2026
By Bailey Pennick
One of the most exciting things about the Sundance Film Festi...
01/05/2026
Florals for spring? Groundbreaking. But a playlist that tells you which The Devi...
01/05/2026
One of the world's biggest popstars is headed to El Cl sico. Later this mont...
01/05/2026
Limited-edition model celebrates 15th anniversary
Heritage Audio's range of monitor controllers has just gained a new member, the Baby RAM Black Edition...
01/05/2026
Dumble recreation now available as UAD plug-in
Along with their renowned processing plug-ins, Universal Audio have been steadily introducing emulations of c...
01/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/05/2026
To celebrate the opening of its new showroom and office, Lightware UK hosted a dedicated launch event at the new London location. The event welcomed partners, c...
01/05/2026
Choice without compromise
The broadcast industrys transformation is accelerating, and traditional broadcasters are having to fundamentally reinvent how they o...