If you ask engineers who were active back in the analog days, they’ll tell you there are certain pieces of gear that belong in any audio “Hall of Fame.” If ever a console belonged in that esteemed hall, the Neve 8068 is it. Introduced in 1976, the 8068 was the first of Neve’s in-line monitor consoles featuring a 31102 Mic Pre and 3-Band EQ in each of its modules. The 8068 at New York City’s Power Station was responsible for many of the biggest records of the 70s and 80s, and it now resides at Bob Clearmountain’s studio at Apogee in Santa Monica. Apogee has wisely decided to model Bob’s console in a plugin, and has released Clearmountain’s 8068 so you can have the sound of this excellent console in your DAW.
It’s The EQ
Like the console that it emulates, Clearmountain’s 8068 plugin features the secret sauce of the 31102 module – it’s 3 band EQ. This may seem simple as compared to many modern EQs that have a lot more features, but it’s still pretty powerful, thanks to its well-thought out EQ selections.
The high frequency band is a shelf with frequency selections at Off, 10k, 12k, and 16kHz. The low frequency band is also shelving with frequency points at Off, 35, 60, 110, and 220Hz.
The mid band is a peaking EQ with frequency points at Off, 350, 700, 1.6k, 3.2k, 4.8k and 7.2kHz. There’s also a High-Q button that sharpens the frequency band if needed.
It’s The Mic Pre
Like on the 8068, there’s also an mic pre/line simulation to add saturation or keep the signal clean. That allows you to select anywhere from 10 to a whopping 80dB of gain, along with the resulting harmonic distortion. There are also Mic/Line switches to select the virtual input, and a Line level control.
On the right side there’s a Neve-looking fader, and right below is the output control with an Auto gain switch. Add to that input and output meters, EQ in/out switch, and a phase switch and it’s like having the real thing at your fingertips.
Clearmountain’s 8068 plugin is available for $99 with a 14 day free trial. It’s available for Mac and PC and compatible with all major DAWs and plugin formats.
You can find out more here, or watch the video below for a real-world comparison between the plugin and the real thing.
