At the AES Show in Nashville, AMS Neve unveiled Elements, billed as its first range of software-controlled analogue processors. The idea is simple: keep a fully analogue signal path, but make every setting recallable from the computer. The Burnley manufacturer is answering a frustration familiar to anyone working on analogue gear, the impossibility of dialling back an exact setting from one session to the next.
Three processors, console-grade circuits
The range has three units, each handling eight channels. The 88R EQ carries the four-band equaliser from the large-format 88R studio console (the 88RS in its recall version). The 88R DYN brings that console’s dynamics section: compressor, limiter, gate and VCA-detected expander. The 1084 EQ draws on the three-band inductor equaliser from the 8028 console, a very different colour, more rooted in the 1970s.
| Processor | Function | Circuit origin |
|---|---|---|
| 88R EQ | Four-band equaliser | 88R console |
| 88R DYN | Compressor, limiter, gate, expander (VCA) | 88R console |
| 1084 EQ | Three-band inductor equaliser | 8028 console |
A plugin, an app, the same analogue sound
Two ways to control these boxes. The Element Control Plugin sits in the DAW and drives the processors from the workstation; its settings are saved with the project and recall on open. The Neve Elements App offers the same graphical control for working without a DAW, straight from a computer or tablet. Either way the sound stays analogue: the software commands the circuits, it does not model them.
The 8424E console, the range’s workhorse
Elements can run on its own in a rack, or power the new 8424E. This 24-channel console keeps the 8424 concept (an analogue path, a compact studio format) and adds full recall: every setting is stored and found again. AMS Neve says existing 8424 consoles can be upgraded to talk to Elements, which protects studios that already invested. To see how a studio console is laid out around these sections, read our guide to building a vocal chain.
Recalling analogue, the real point
Recall on analogue is nothing new: SSL has offered it for years with its Total Recall consoles, and motorised 500-series units exist. Neve’s take is more modular: you buy eight channels of EQ or dynamics, drive them like a plugin, and keep the grain of its in-house circuits. For a studio that wants Neve in the path without giving up the comfort of an all-digital workflow, the proposition holds up. It joins a wider move by analogue brands adding a control layer over their hardware.
Price and availability
AMS Neve did not announce pricing for the Elements processors at launch. The 8424E console is expected at dealers for November 2026, with Elements units sold separately. Full details are on the AMS Neve site.
My take
Making a fully analogue path recallable fixes the real sore point of hardware in the studio. Neve arrives late here, but with its own 88R and 1084 circuits rather than yet another emulation. Splitting it into eight-channel slices is smart: start small, expand as the budget allows. The open question is price, still unknown, which will decide whether Elements aims at large rooms or reaches ambitious home studios. The intent is right.
