James Richmond has an S6 in his studio, but he’d still like a console, here’s why he chose the 5088 as his second Fantasy Christmas Present, he’s already chosen a Minimoog!
My second choice as a fantasy Christmas present is the Rupert Neve Designs 5088 mixing console. Unlike the previous choice, the Minimoog Model D, which is attainable in the sense of just having to stump up the cash to buy it, this one is less so. I have neither the space nor the budget for such a beautiful beast. If these were not factors then this is the console I would buy.
Rupert Neve is probably the most well known name in music production, perhaps along with that of Bob Moog. Maybe it is partly because both of these visionaries named their companies after themselves? Of the ‘big 3’ console manufacturers, Neve, SSL and API I would think that many more people are aware of Rupert Neve than they are of Colin Sanders, Saul Walker or Lou Lindauer.
To appreciate the 5088, one must understand the legacy of Rupert Neve himself, a name synonymous with revolutionary audio engineering. Since the 1960s, Neve has been at the forefront of console design, with his equipment famously used by top recording studios and artists worldwide. The 5088 is the product of this rich history, representing a modern interpretation of classic analog values.
Unlike many modern consoles, it eschews integrated circuit chips for discrete, transformer-coupled designs. This choice reflects Neve's philosophy that prioritizes warmth, depth, and musicality in sound.
However, I’d been writing this twelve months ago my choice for a large format console wouldn’t have been the 5088. It wouldn’t have even been a console, it would have been the Avid S6. Unfortunately (or is that fortunately?) it cannot go on my Christmas list this year because we bought one for the studio a few months ago.
The S6 and the 5088 are almost diametrically opposed in terms of what they do and how they do it. The S6 is a Eucon controller, mostly for Pro Tools but some other DAW’s are supported to varying degrees. It doesn’t pass audio (hence controller, rather than console, but what it does is give tight integration with Pro Tools and a ‘console like experience’ with a high level of configurability and customisation.
I mention it because that is where the S6 and 5088 have something in common. The 5088, like the S6, isn’t a single product. You design your controller or console with the capabilities you need. They are both, essentially, custom designed for your specifiic requirements. They are both bucketed designs where you purchase the number of buckets/chassis that you need to fit the modules/channels that you need. I built the S6 alone in a few hours though, and can reconfigure it in minutes.
If I was designing a 5088 for myself I’d get 32 faders, with the master section centred between two 16 channel buckets. I’ve spent a bit of time with the RND Shelford channel strips as well as having some RND 500 series modules and I just love the sound of their products.
All the appropriate adjectives apply here- warm, gooey, punchy, round. The apex predator product line from a life dedicated to the pursuit of audio excellence, priced accordingly. I’d be looking at the somewhere around £120-150k for such a console, that also weighs somewhere in the order of 300kg, so it will have to remain a fantasy. Luckily I have my lovely RND outboard pieces to console me in my grief (pun very much intended). The S6 will just have to do, too.
There is an automation module is available for the 5088 but given it is priced roughly at the same as a new Eurorpean car I am not sure I could, even in fantasy terms, justify the cost of that, especially given it supports HUI, rather than EUCON. And this is the reality that we face as producers and engineers. The large format console is, for most, either an unattainable luxury item or one that doesn’t meet the needs of modern workflows. Or both.
For myself, instant recall is just too important. And whilst digital integration with analogue consoles has been possible for a number of years it isn’t as slick or as fast as a DAW workflow. The S6 helps me mix faster but when I need to quickly pull up a session and make a change I don’t need to do anything. I can, in most circumstances, do it on the go, on a laptop. If you make a large format analogue console central to your workflow then that won’t happen. And if you own it and don’t make it central to your workflow then… why have it?
Owning a Rupert Neve Designs 5088 is the dream of many audio engineers and producers. It's more than just a piece of equipment; it's a testament to one's dedication to the craft of music production. The 5088 is a bridge between the rich analogue past and the modern digital present, offering a tactile and immersive mixing experience. There is definitely a customer for this class of product, and I’d dearly love that it was me.