Trade Regrets: Rupert Neve

On February 13, NAMM‘s Dan Del Fiorentino sent the following:

One of the true audio engineer pioneers, Rupert Neve, passed away yesterday. He was 94 years old.

Rupert’s long and historic career in audio provided recording engineers with innovative products for more than 70 years. His mixing consoles, with their unique designs and groundbreaking technology, have become mainstays of the recording industry. His name is hallowed among recording engineers worldwide. From a keen interest in audio and electronics as a child growing up in Argentina, he started a small radio assembly and distributorship there during World War II while still in school, constantly pursuing better sound quality. Moving then to the British Royal Corps of Signals and on to establish a sound production company in the UK, he continued to innovate. By the 1960s he was asked to build a mixer, which led to the development of the first recording console using transistors. Since that time and until his passing, Rupert never stopped providing creative and problem-solving products. Speaking with him at a NAMM Show, he shared with me “I enjoy what I do and surround myself with great people. Tomorrow we will again try something new.”