Pls help price this Neve 8038

[mpr3]

Someone I know is willing to sell me his Neve 8038. He said, "I know what I want for it, but make me an offer." The console was shipped to Hawaii in 1978 from Cambridge, is in excellent condition and was recently recapped and serviced.

Can anyone help me figure out what this thing is approximately worth right now?

Neve 8038 with 1081 4-band EQ/mic pre's and GML moving-fader automation
• Macintosh upgrade on the GML automation
• modified to provide 48 automated inputs on faders in mix (24 Mic/EQ+24
line)
• mic pre's, EQ's and aux/busse modules all re-capped; power supplies
rebuilt

includes:
24- 1081's
36- 1272's
4- 1271's
4- 2254e compressors
24- 1985/1 aux modules, 16 busse, 8 aux sends
4 aux return modules (assignable to any busse)
1/4" patch bay plus 4 extra rows
Brainstorm talkback
extensive Neve documentation
3 spare GML faders cards, 3 spare GML switch cards
numerous spare GML fader parts (originally a 72-input system)
GML time node SMPTE interface (for GML Mac upgrade operation)
GML cards recently serviced by GML
extensive GML documentation and software disks
Macintosh 7200 computer for GML

Here's a pic.

TIA for any help.

[thethrillfactor]

If you part it out piece by piece you are looking at $150K.

So you would probably start somewhere in that area.

[zimv20]

Originally posted by mpr3
"I know what I want for it, but make me an offer."

damn! you really gonna do it?

[mpr3]

Originally posted by zimv20
damn! you really gonna do it?

I will make him an offer for sure, but whether or not he'll laugh in my face is in question.

I was currently in the process of getting funds together for Paul Wolff's 'little' API when someone else snatched it up today. A few hours later out of the blue, I get this Neve offer from a local buddy.

thethrillfactor reveals the Neve to be more than twice the cost of the API. I may have to let this one go as well... unless I am appointed its care taker for the next 20 years.

The last project mixed on the Neve was the Lilo and Stitch soundtrack, hence the little figurines on the bridge.

[zimv20]

yeah, the "little" api did look pretty nice. either of those consoles is more maintenance than i'd want to take on, though.

are you set on something w/ automation?

[mpr3]

I know what you're getting at.

I have a problem writing fader moves with a mouse, and for the work I mostly do (live band tracking with an indie mixing style) I'd be better off sitting in front of an analog console all day long than a Pro Tools controller, so automation is somewhat important.

How would you work it all out?

[zimv20]

i haven't worked it all out. a console w/ automation seems like the only way to go about it, from a no-compromises point of view.

if someone built a standalone automation system, groups of 8 fader packs that could be programmed from any computer and triggered to start its program via midi (i don't even want to think of the clocking issues right now), that could sit in between a DAW and something like geoff tanner's gtm mixer, or the d2b, and actually pass audio.

probably be damn expensive once it sounds good, has touch faders, etc.

short of that, i guess i'll have to keep doing what i'm doing -- putting compressors on h/w inserts in the DAW and automating the volume curves there.

[mpr3]

Originally posted by zimv20
if someone built a standalone automation system, groups of 8 fader packs that could be programmed from any computer and triggered to start its program via midi

I guess you could then also save all your analog fader automation as a midi track inside the DAW project. A gear designer could use existing faders like the latest Uptowns in conjunction with a custom designed brain that converted the raw Uptown fader data into midi sysex, and vise-versa.

But what are the advantages of using analog faders (VCAs) vs DAW controllers?

[zimv20]

Originally posted by mpr3
Yes, then you could save all your analog fader automation as a midi track inside the DAW project.

does midi have the granularity to handle that?

But what are the advantages of using analog faders (VCAs) vs DAW controllers?

i'm not interested in vca's over daw automation per se, i just want volume automation post-compression, w/o having to redigitize the compressed signal. but i suspect this is your motivation, too.

[mpr3]

Originally posted by zimv20
does midi have the granularity to handle that?

Good question. Probably not considering the Tascam US-2400, 25 fader DAW controller, relies upon 2 midi connections (each with 16 channels of data) via USB in order to properly represent what would translate into 10 bit fader resolution across 25 faders.

i'm not interested in vca's over daw automation per se, i just want volume automation post-compression, w/o having to redigitize the compressed signal. but i suspect this is your motivation, too.

Yep, I use hardware inserts in PT and it eats up precious ($$$) AD DA channels while mixing, especially considering I need at least 16 DA converter channels for analog summation alone. Screw that, let's keep Pro Tools as a tape machine / editor and let analog do what it does best.

[Geoff_T]

Hi

Not that it makes a darn bit of difference but I don't think it's an 8038.

An 8038 has stereo panning on the channels and monitors, using 1948 channel routing units.

That console is an 8048 because it has 1985/1 routing units that have quad (L-R + F-R) panning. Generally /1 means that it had "USA speak" silk screening.

Foldback replaced with Cue
Echo replaced with Rev.

If the Rev has a control panel that includes a Slapback function (reving the rev) the console was one of several custom consoles made for RCA records.

As another poster put, the consoles (sadly) are worth more in pieces than as a whole. It's worth at least $150,000 in pieces and hopefully as a whole.

[zimv20]

Originally posted by mpr3
I use hardware inserts in PT and it eats up precious ($$$) AD DA channels while mixing, especially considering I need at least 16 DA converter channels for analog summation alone. Screw that, let's keep Pro Tools as a tape machine / editor and let analog do what it does best.

how badly do your DAW volume curves mess up your compression, if you've tried this path:
DAW -> d/a -> compressor -> summing

[mpr3]

A fader placed before a compressor can be considered an input gain control / threshold adjuster for the compressor itself. So if the purpose of a fader is to control an instrument's volume, then it must dive right into the mix bus (or through an EQ then the mix).

If the fader has no automation then it doesn't matter where it is. I usually leave the drum sub bus fader alone and have its DA outputs hit an 1178 before the Folcrom, saving me the two channels of AD and DA conversion that would be used up as a PT insert.

About this Neve console situation. I have a few months to negotiate this out with him before he puts it up for sale somewhere online. In the meantime I am considering many other options that will replace my old DMX-R100 which is being sold to a local remote crew. I'm going to AES and plan on making up my mind shortly after.

So if you have 50k to invest and would like to join me in a Neve room partnership, come on ova, the water is warm!

[zimv20]

Originally posted by mpr3
A fader placed before a compressor can be considered an input gain control / threshold adjuster for the compressor itself. So if the point of a fader is to control an instruments volume, then it must dive right into the mix bus (or through an EQ then the mix).

right, but all these OTB solutions are forcing exactly that, unless we want to tie up a pair of converter channels. a valuable resource.

i'm about at the point of saying "f*** it", getting a gtm822, or an api 8200a, or a tonelux system (etc), and doing manual rides on any channel w/ h/w compression.

So if you have 50k to invest and would like to join me in a Neve room partnership, come on ova, the water is warm!

ah, wish i could.

[natpub]

As I recall, Thrill was selling some unusual make of console with moving fader automation, but I can't remember what it was called. Somewhere in my memory banks, I have a mental note that he was selling it but then didn't sell it.....?


Thrill?

[thethrillfactor]

Originally posted by natpub
As I recall, Thrill was selling some unusual make of console with moving fader automation, but I can't remember what it was called. Somewhere in my memory banks, I have a mental note that he was selling it but then didn't sell it.....?


Thrill?

Natpub,

It is a Tactile Technologies M4000.


You can read about it here.


http://www.slaughterhousestudio.com/...4000/index.php

[jazzius II]

Originally posted by zimv20
i haven't worked it all out. a console w/ automation seems like the only way to go about it, from a no-compromises point of view.

if someone built a standalone automation system, groups of 8 fader packs that could be programmed from any computer and triggered to start its program via midi (i don't even want to think of the clocking issues right now), that could sit in between a DAW and something like geoff tanner's gtm mixer, or the d2b, and actually pass audio.

probably be damn expensive once it sounds good, has touch faders, etc.

There's a thread about this here:

[zimv20]

Originally posted by jazzius II
There's a thread about this here:

thank you.

so you had the same idea some time ago. what did you do about it?

[jazzius II]

Originally posted by zimv20
thank you.

so you had the same idea some time ago. what did you do about it?

Absolutely nothing!

But i know a guy who was thinking about buying a second hand Neve, but i've now talked him into something more like what was discussed in that thread......there's only one hitch: Flying Faders II still isn't released, even though it was announced years ago.....i dunno if it's been shelved or not.