You have heard his work without knowing it. He was one of the top designers of Recording Studio mixing boards and audio processing equipment.
From Sound on Sound:
Rupert Neve 1926-2021
We are very sad to report the death of Rupert Neve, perhaps the most important and influential designer in recording-studio history. Mr. Neve passed away at the age of 94 in his adoptive home of Wimberley, Texas, but his name will be forever associated with the British company he founded in 1961. He was quick to see the potential of solid-state electronics, designing his first all-transistor console in the mid-’60s, and would go on to create seminal designs such as the 1073 and 1084 preamp/EQ modules. Neve consoles became first choice for recording studios and broadcasters all around the world, and by the time he and wife Evelyn sold Neve Electronics in 1975, the company employed over 500 people.
Rupert Neve remained active as a consultant and equipment developer, and in the 1980s he founded Focusrite to bring his latest designs to market. The Focusrite consoles were among the most advanced analogue mixers ever made, but their unrivalled quality came at a cost, and in the end only eight were made. Modules from those consoles are now highly sought-after, and Neve's designs for both his original company and Focusrite are still in production today.
Neve was then instrumental in the success of Amek Systems, where his console designs offered unprecedented quality for the cost, and also worked with Taylor Guitars before designing a line of premium microphones for sE Electronics in 2011. He and Evelyn moved to Texas in 1994 and in 2005 he established Rupert Neve Designs, where he continued to develop innovative products and pass on his 70-plus years of accumulated experience.
Rupert Neve is survived by Evelyn and their five children, nine grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
A true legend. His worlk lives on long after he is gone.
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