BAE vs AML Neve Clone Shootout
BAE 1023L FREQUENCIES
BAE takes more out of Neve’s 1084s book than its 1073, with selectable frequencies for the high shelf, and the same frequency selection as the 1084 in the high pass filter. You’d be hard-pressed to find a Neve with this many options in the mid-range band though.
• HF Shelf (±16dB gain): 10, 12, 16, 20 or 24kHz
• Mid-range Bell EQ (±18dB): 160Hz, 270Hz, 360Hz, 510Hz, 700Hz, 1.6kHz, 3.2kHz, 4.8kHz, 7.2kHz, 8.2kHz or 10kHz
• LF Shelf (±16dB): 35, 60, 110 or 220Hz
• High-pass Filter (18dB/oct slope): 45, 70, 160 or 360Hz
AML ez1073-500 FREQUENCIES
AML sticks strictly to the 1073 script with its frequency selection; it’s an exact replica.
• HF Shelf (±16dB gain): 12kHz
• Mid-range Bell EQ (±18dB): 360Hz, 700Hz, 1.6kHz, 3.2kHz,
4.8kHz or 7.2kHz
• LF Shelf (±16dB): 35, 60, 110 or 220Hz
• High-pass Filter (18dB/oct slope): 50, 80, 160 and 300Hz.
I don’t know about everyone else, but I’m getting a little tired of the extremely tall pedestal that Neve’s vintage recording equipment sits upon these days. I’m not sure whether it’s the online frothing of nerdy engineers and producers, the dewy-eyed look the Neve name elicits from young up-and-comers, or the increasingly obscene asking prices of genuine vintage items offered up on Ebay and . In any case I can’t help feeling like the whole Neve thing is way overblown… and yet every time I track through Neve preamps, mix on a Neve console or run something through a Neve compressor sound again: the sound of countless great records and doubtless many more great records to come. It’s gluey, thick, musical, undeniably satisfying, even culturally significant, and nothing else out there quite does the same trick. There’s no fighting it! Indeed BAE and AML are two companies (American and British respectively) that wouldn’t dream of putting up any resistance and are delighted to go with the flow and give the people what they want: accurate yet modernised Neve recreations at more attainable prices in everybody’s snack pack favourite, the 500 series format.
