Designed in 1972, the Neve 1081 was originally conceived as a combined mic/line preamp and equalizer section for the Neve modular consoles.

A glance through the credits on today’s platinum-selling albums reveals that these vintage consoles are still widely used to great effect, confirming the 1081’s status as a truly classic component in a recording front-end or mixing environment. Neve is still hand-building 1081 modules in Burnley, UK much the same way as the original modules, using the original components, hand-wound transformers, and time-honed construction methods.

The 1081 provides remarkable sensitivity, fast and musical response to transients, plus inimitable Neve equalization featuring effective high- and low-pass filters designed to separate unwanted signal outside the passband. This gives users a flexible tool with which to shape new sounds and control any part of the audio spectrum. The curves and slopes have been carefully tailored to enable users to exercise maximum technical and artistic skill.

Over three decades of engineers have found the 1081 an indispensable tool for recording and mixing drums, bass and percussion. As with all Neve outboard gear, users are assured the highest quality signal acquisition, thanks to uncompromising Class AB circuitry, hand-wound Neve-designed transformers, and unrivalled attention to every last component and construction detail.
 
The Features
Legendary Neve microphone preamp and equalizer design (Class AB)
Exclusive Neve Marinair™ transformers used on input and output stages
5 switchable EQ bands
HP and LP selectable filters (18dB per octave)
Separate 48V phantom power supply
Solo button selects channel unbalanced output
Hand-built and wired precisely to original 1972 specifications
Both inputs transformer-balanced and earth free
Microphone input: gain +80db to +10dB in 5dB steps
Line input: gain +20dB to -10dB in 5dB steps
Output: maximum output >+26dBu into 600Ω; output impedance 75Ω @1kHz
Distortion: not more than 0.07% at +20dBu output
Freq response: ±0.5dB 20Hz to 20kHz, -3dB at 45kHz. EQ Out.
Output noise better than -80 dB at all line levels
 
The 1081 can be purchased as single or multiple units. Each 1081 module can be mounted in a custom rack. The available rack sizes are 3U (which accommodates 2 modules horizontally) or 7U (which accommodates 8 modules vertically).
 
All classic units are custom built to the same specifications as the original unit.