I’m writing this review on a hot night in Montserrat, where the first ever mixing desk to be installed was the Neve, designed by Rupert Neve and Geoff Emerick and custom-built for Air Studios. Sadly, the studio is now inaccessible as it’s in the exclusion zone, but the Montserratians have very fond memories of its days as one of the pre-eminent international recording facilities.
  
I remember being amazed by the sonic quality and vintage smoothness of the original 1970’s 2254, years ago when mixing Zero Cipher’s Diary Of A Sadist. It was one of those experiences all we audio junkies go through from time to time when we find ourselves thinking, “Wow, I’d really love to have one of those in my rack.” So, when the guys at Neve asked me to review the 2254 Re-issue, I jumped at the opportunity.

New-Born Vintage
The day before we flew to Montserrat, Jules Dickens from Abstract Source came over to have his latest track mixed and I put the 2254/R through its paces.
One of the coolest and newest features of the outboard range is Total Recall. The installation procedure for the Total Recall Software was extremely straightforward.

Before even getting into mixing, I wanted to acquaint myself with the software side of the unit. The 2254/R connects to your computer via a USB connection and the Total Recall software package stores and recalls any settings you want. You can store the settings for up to 16 units. All the soft switches will recall at the press of a button and all the rotary encoders are recalled manually, referring to the on-screen graphical representation. And while on the subject of the graphics, they’ve been well-thought through and look fantastic.

The 2254/R’s comprehensive programme meter section is operated by a drive circuit with rapid attack and slow decay times, corresponding to the typical PPM characteristics. There’s a green LED to the top right-hand side of the meter that will light at a threshold of about -10dBu. This LED turns red when the programme reaches a level of +25dBu, indicating imminent clipping. The meter can be set to display either the input signal level (in), output signal level (out) or the amount of gain reduction (control) by adjusting the adjacent meter knob.

Next to the meter section is the power button, whose Neve N logo lights up bright red. The ‘in’ switch will be yellow once the 2254/R is put into the chain, regardless of the limiter or the compressor being active. If the unit is in by-pass the input is sent straight to the output.

The compressor section features a ratio knob, ranging from 1.5:1 to 6:1.
The 2254/R compression characteristic is smooth and the actual ratio value is reached within the first five to ten dB above the threshold. Following the ratio are the threshold, gain make-up and recovery knobs. Finally, there is the limiter section with its limit level, limit recovery, fast attack switch and fast attack time controls.

The Neve 2254/R in action
As the Abstract Source material is mainly electronically generated, I tend to mix it as much out of the box as possible. Listening to the pre-production of the song, we decided the kick and the vocals would benefit the most from being processed by the 2254/R.

The unit brought the kick drum to life instantaneously. Apart from providing an overall level of control, it also brought out a lovely tonal quality and made it a lot snappier. Equally, the vocals got bouncier and much rounder.

The Neve 2254/R is a versatile machine, capable of dealing with a wide range of source material. Even if you haven’t come across the original, this unit is going to blow your mind. It’s a solid piece of gear that can handle everything you throw at it. The 2254/R sounds amazing. Even when it is not compressing or limiting and is just inserted in the chain, it will add that delightful Neve sound we all know and love.

Volcano ate my homework
We’ve had ash falls and power cuts. I’ve learned all sorts of new words, like pyroclastic flow and partial dome collapse and lapilli. I’ve swept enough ash to make a new mountain, gazed in awe at the glowing dome at midnight on a clear night and seen an explosion send clouds of super-heated gas, ash and debris thousands of feet into the sky. The flow almost reached Air Studios this time. It’s good to know that Neve is still making world-beating analog gear, embracing the digital era, thirty years on.
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