Musician Andy Raven takes the 88M out of the studio and into one of England’s most iconic landscapes.
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In our latest video, we headed to the English Lake District with musician Andy Raven, his 1970s Fylde guitar and the Neve 88M.
Raven is a musician rooted in the North West of England, with a deep attachment to the region. For this session, the goal was simple: capture acoustic guitar in the open air, with all the atmosphere and imperfection that entails. The 88M, Neve’s portable two-channel interface, featuring two preamps from the iconic 88RS console, was the tool for the job. As Andy explains, “One of the things that I like about the 88M is that you can put it in your bag and record wherever you want. And it sounds great.”
The session didn’t go entirely to plan, but that was part of the fun. Ribbon microphones were set up first, but the Lake District wind had other ideas. “We quickly moved to the 57, which sounded great, and a DI, both into the 88M, which was powered by a laptop,” Andy said.
The SM57 and a Headway pickup DI’d straight into the 88M gave the session exactly the character and precision it needed. The 88M’s premium monitoring meant Andy could hear every detail of his performance in real time, shaping the session as it unfolded.
What struck Andy wasn’t just the portability of the unit, but the consistency of the sound. He has worked with full Neve console setups before, and the 88M holds its own.
I’ve done some work at Air Studios on large-format Neve consoles. It’s nice to have that same Neve quality, that big, open, airy sound, just in your backpack.
Bus-powered and compact, it removes the logistical friction that can drain the life out of a location session before it starts.
There was something else that gave the day a particular resonance. Andy’s Fylde Orsino guitar was made in Kirkham in the 1970s, just a short distance from where AMS Neve manufactures its equipment today. As Andy reflects, “It feels good to be using two bits of equipment that were made in the same part of the world.”
For a musician with strong ties to the North West, it was a detail that mattered.
Recording outside, Andy is clear-eyed about the trade-offs. “One of the things you’ve got to contend with when you’re outside is unwanted noise,” he says. “The upside is that you get this kind of conversation with the natural world, or whatever soundscape you’re in. And that’s the really special thing about recording outside.” The 88M doesn’t fight that reality. It lets you lean into it.
The Lake District session is a reminder that great recorded sound doesn’t begin and end in a treated room. With the right tools, it can happen anywhere.
Learn more about the Neve 88M on the product page.
