Big sound, small footprint — the Neve 1073LB travels with Jack Cochrane from studio to stage.
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For Jack Cochrane, lead singer and songwriter of The Snuts, capturing a song in its rawest form is the very heart of music-making. Whether on tour, in a cabin in the Scottish Highlands, or working from his self-built home studio, Jack is committed to chasing that fleeting spark – the moment when an idea is fresh, unfiltered and full of energy. Supporting that process is a vocal chain he relies on completely: the Shure SM7B microphone, paired with the unmistakable sonic character of the Neve 1073LB.
The Snuts have emerged as one of Scotland’s most exciting modern indie bands. Since their early days gigging in local pubs and bowling clubs, they’ve gone on to chart-topping success, selling out major UK venues, landing a No.1 album in the UK with their 2021 debut W.L., and earning a reputation for their gritty, heartfelt songwriting and stadium-sized hooks. Their music blends anthemic indie rock with sharp lyricism, delivered through Jack’s distinctive vocals – a sound that’s been carefully crafted through both experience and instinct.
Now several albums into their career, Jack has carved out a workflow that allows him to stay close to the source of his creativity. “I’ve built this space at home where I can write and record straight away,” he explains. “I don’t want to be wiring stuff up when I’m feeling something. If I write something I love, I want it to be usable. That’s the whole point. The magic’s not going to hit again in two months. It’s got to happen now.”
At the centre of his setup are two 1073LB preamps, one dedicated to vocals, the other to acoustic guitar. “I’m obsessed with momentum,” Jack says.
“That’s everything. If I have to mess around getting levels or cabling stuff up, I lose the momentum. But if I can hit record and it sounds the way it’s supposed to. That’s how the real stuff gets made.”
Jack’s approach is rooted in his practical, hands-on background. “I was a joiner, the drummer was a mechanic, the bassist was a roofer, and our guitarist was a stonemason,” he recalls. “We worked five days a week and rehearsed seven nights a week.” That tradesman mindset never left – he’s always asking how things work and how to improve his sound using the tools available.
Jack Cochrane and his 1073LB’s
His connection to the 1073 goes back to those early days.
“I remember working with Inflo, he’s a producer I really respect and he brought this 1073 into the studio, just a tabletop unit. He was using it in this really creative way, pushing it hard on guitars and bass, and getting all this saturated tone I’d never heard before. That was the first bit of gear I saw where I thought: that does something I can’t do.”
From that moment, the Neve sound became a core part of his recording philosophy. Whether tracking vocals, acoustic guitars, or vintage instruments, the 1073LB has remained a constant – delivering warmth, clarity and in Jack’s words, “personality.” It’s this quality that’s helped shape not just The Snuts’ sound, but also Jack’s process as a writer and producer.
“My vocal chain hasn’t changed in years,” he says.
“It’s an SM7B straight into the 1073LB. I’ve tried expensive mics, but they don’t suit my voice. This setup just works. I know exactly how it’ll sound; bright but controlled, full of character.”
The same is true for his acoustic guitar recordings, which he describes as one of the most challenging parts of the process. “I’ve been battling acoustics my whole life,” he laughs. “Live, in the studio – I always want it to sound like you’re sitting across from me. With the 1073LB, I just turn it on and play. It gets me where I need to be.” He now pairs it with a Neumann TLM 103 for a simple yet effective acoustic chain. “I don’t want to be running it through everything. I want it to feel natural.”
That instinctive, ready-to-go approach is critical – especially given Jack’s writing style. Whether sketching ideas on the road or recording hotel room demos with full vocals and instrumentation, he needs gear that can move as fast as his ideas. “Every hotel room I go into, the setup comes out: speakers, mics…everything,” he says. “We recorded most of our last record on the road – Japan, Australia, America, all over.”
“The 1073LBs just go in the bag, and I can set up anywhere.”
Even his old, worn-out gear gets a new lease of life thanks to the 1073LB. “I’ve got this horrible ‘60s Japanese bass. Through most stuff, it sounds awful. But through the Neve, it suddenly has all this character. It brings it to the surface.”
Simplicity and sound quality go hand-in-hand and Jack credits early major-label sessions for reinforcing that lesson. “When we got signed, they flew us out to L.A., and it was the first time we’d ever even been in a proper studio. We worked with amazing producers and saw how records get made. We were sponges. But even then, I realised it wasn’t about flashy gear, it was about understanding how to get what you want, fast.”
Jack has also added a Neve 88M to his set-up
That mindset continues to shape his independent work. Now releasing music under their own label through The Orchard, The Snuts have complete creative control and Jack has more freedom than ever to work the way he wants. “It’s still the same records, same quality, same success – just more control,” he says. “And a big part of that is having the right tools in my own space.”
That control extends to his writing partnerships too. “My role is the spark, the concept. I want to get the song to a place where other people can then bring what they do. So, I need a vocal chain that works without me spending hours on the laptop. I want people to hear the idea at its best, right from the start.”
For Jack, the 1073LB doesn’t just work – it gets out of the way. “I’m not a gearhead,” he admits. “I just want to write and capture the song.”
“But I’ve never done a vocal take that wasn’t on a 1073. That chain, SM7B into the Neve, it’s on everything.”
He’s also not afraid to push it. “I like being able to drive it, get that transformer saturation. Whether it’s vocals or bass or guitar, I love the colour you get when you push it hard.”
Jack doesn’t talk about the 1073LB in technical terms. For him, it’s all about what the sound represents. “To me, it’s personality,” he says. “That’s what I’m trying to get into the music – where you’re from, what you’re saying, the history behind the song. The 1073 helps that come through. That’s why it’s still in every setup I use.”
Learn more about the 1073LB by visiting the product page here.
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