Not only does this portable box grant you access to the famous 88R console’s channel compressor anywhere you go, but it’s also blessed with several clever features.
When it comes to compression, Neve are probably best known for diode‑bridge designs such as the 2254. That was released in 1969, and variants of it remain popular today. It was Dave Blackmer of dbx fame who famously developed the use of voltage‑controlled amplifiers (VCAs) as the gain‑reduction element in compressors in the early 1970s, but Neve were fairly early adopters of this technology. The first product of theirs to employ VCAs was probably the 8108 console, released in the late 1970s, which used custom ICs by Newmarket Transistors in an optional VCA fader system. By the early/mid‑1980s, Neve were working on in‑channel compressor designs based on dbx’s 2151 VCA chips, which would first appear in commercial products such as the 5104 console. They went on to use the modern descendant of that Blackmer VCA chip, THAT Corporation’s THAT2181, in the 88R console, which was introduced in 2001.
It’s the 2181 that takes care of gain reduction in the company’s new standalone compressor, the dual‑channel 88C. Like the company’s consoles, the 88C is made in Neve’s factory in Burnley, Lancashire (England), where they go to incredible lengths to get the quality of construction right. For example, Neve scan all the solder joints to highlight any potential defects — they’d like, just as much as you would, for you never to have to return the product to them for repair!
Because the various knobs double up as push switches, there’s more control at your fingertips than it might first appear.
Overview
The 88C might look simple at a glance, but there’s some clever stuff going on behind the scenes, and because the various knobs double up as push switches, there’s also more control at your fingertips than it might first appear.
For most, it will be the form factor that really catches the eye: the various knobs and switches protrude from the front and back of a case that measures 182mm wide, 183mm deep and 76mm high, and is encased in a hard‑wearing leatherette finish, just like the company’s 88M audio interface, which we reviewed in SOS September 2022. At 1.32kg (a shade under 3lbs), it’s not unduly heavy, but it’s still sufficiently weighty that its rubber feet kept it firmly in place on my desktop during my review tests, even with a total of seven cables attached to the rear.
In terms of the sound and technical performance of the circuitry, it’s of mixing/mastering quality, so while it obviously isn’t designed to sit in a conventional studio rack, it should be well at home in any studio. But the format makes it more versatile, to allow you access to high‑quality analogue compression in pretty much any situation. I could see freelance engineers taking it with them to different studios, and it could also serve well in a home studio for music or dialogue, while the robust construction means it could be taken on the road, on stage or on location.
Unusually for a professional‑level standalone processor, the 88C is powered using a USB‑C cable. There’s no data or digital audio connection, but this means power can come from a USB3‑equipped computer (arguably, the biggest advantage of USB3 for audio gear is not its greater bandwidth compared with USB2, but rather that it makes more current available to power attached devices) or from a phone‑style USB adaptor that can supply 900mA or more. A suitable USB‑C to USB‑C cable is supplied. An adaptor isn’t, but given their ubiquity, that’s for the best in my view — none of us need more USB adaptors clogging up our studio storage or heading to landfill!
The provided cable fitted securely in its socket, but there’s no provision for securing it in place. You could fashion something yourself with, for example, a stick‑on cable‑tie base, but it might have been nice to have something built in. There is, however, a K‑lock socket so you can secure the 88C to a desk. Next to the USB socket is an on/off rocker switch, and with this in the on position and the compressor connected to a suitable power source, ‘boot up’ takes just a couple of seconds.
Also on the rear panel are six TRS jack sockets: a pair each for the main audio input and output, and the other catering for external side‑chain inputs that make it possible to key compression independently for each channel. This all sits on a single rear panel, with venting above the socketry, that’s held in place by four screws.
Unusually, the 88C is powered over USB3. Meanwhile, the balanced audio inputs and outputs are on quarter‑inch TRS jacks, as are the key inputs.
Features & Control
The front panel is divided visually into three sections. The controls and metering for channel one are in the left zone, with an identical set for channel two in the middle, immediately to their right, and a single channel‑link button between them. The meters indicate the input level (four LEDs, ranging from signal present to +20dBu) and gain reduction. For the latter there are seven LEDs, ranging from ‑0.5dB to ‑50dB, and with the top four LEDs accounting for the first 5dB, to give you greater resolution where you’ll most likely need it. As for the controls, each channel has four push‑turn knobs, whose primary functions are to set the threshold level, the amount of make‑up gain, the compression ratio and the release time. There’s no variable attack control other than a F.Atk button, but the way this compressor handles the attack time is pretty interesting and very effective. More on that arrangement later.
As befits a compressor that’s intended to serve in a variety of different use scenarios, most of the knobs have a generous control range. The threshold knob runs from +18 to ‑30 dBu, with zero being around the 11 o’clock position. The ratio pot ranges from 1:1 (no compression) to, effectively, limiting, and with 8:1 at the three o’clock position it’s easy to be reasonably precise when matching or recalling settings. The release pot can be set anywhere from 0.03 to 3 seconds, while make‑up gain runs from 0 to +30 dB.
But what of the attack, I hear you ask? Neve have adopted the same clever Adaptive Attack approach that they use in the 88RS console’s channel compressor, whereby the attack time changes depending on how far the signal exceeds the threshold. In simpler terms, the 88C distinguishes between louder transients that will likely benefit from a faster attack, and the ‘body’ of a sound, for which a slower attack tends to avoid unwanted side effects. It’s not just cleverness for its own sake: it’s very effective in practice, and a big part of what makes the 88C suitable for compressing complex programme material, such as on the stereo drum or mix bus. In subjective terms, assuming you get the other settings right, it makes the compressor sound smooth, natural and effortless. In the default setting the attack times are 1.5ms for signals 4dB or more above the threshold, and 5ms for those that exceed the threshold by less. But press the button to engage Fast Attack mode (the F.Atk LED illuminates blue), and the compressor will react to any signals over 4dB above the threshold with a faster 0.1ms attack.
The release knob also has a secondary function: pushing it engages an Auto Release mode. Auto release features are fairly common on compressors, of course. If you want to understand how they work, our Technical Editor, Hugh Robjohns, did a cracking job of explaining them back in SOS September 2014 (https://sosm.ag/compressor-auto-release), but it’s conceptually similar to the Adaptive Attack, in that the release time is programme‑dependent. The 88C’s Auto Release mode is different from many, though. Usually, there are only two ‘bands’, whereas this design has three, and this again serves to make it suitably smooth‑sounding on a wide range of different material. In addition, there’s an always‑on, behind‑the‑scenes feature that prevents the familiar (and almost always undesirable!) ‘breathing’ effect that occurs after a sudden level drop to, in this case, 30dB or more below the threshold. Again, it’s clever stuff that contributes to this compressor’s overall smooth and elegant behaviour, and helps to make it easy to set up.
Inside, the circuitry comprises mostly surface‑mount devices sitting on a PCB — it’s all manufactured and quality assured to exacting standards in Neve’s factory in Burnley, UK.
I said above that the panel was divided into three sections, but thus far I’ve only accounted for two! The third, farthest to the right and above the Neve logo, hosts a pair of seven‑LED output level meters, one for each channel. These indicate ‘signal present’ at ‑30dBu and thereafter levels up to +20dBu. So you have a total of three meters per channel on this device, which I reckon is pretty impressive given the amount of front‑panel real estate that the designers had to play with.
Two final nice touches are the bypass and channel‑linking facilities. To indicate the (hard) bypass status for each channel, Neve have chosen not to crowd the front panel with yet more LEDs, but have put the output meter LEDs to good use: normally colourful, each column of LEDs turns white to show that its channel is bypassed, whilst still displaying the signal level.
As for the linking, the user experience is pretty much that you hit the Link button to link the channels. Whichever channel’s control signal is higher will trigger gain reduction on both, as you’d expect. But unlike with many linked analogue compressors, both sets of channel controls can be used. For example, whichever threshold or ratio knob is set more assertively will take precedence.
The make‑up gain knob also has a push function, activating a 12dB/octave high‑pass filter in the side‑chain. With one push for 80Hz, another for 125Hz and another for 300Hz, each indicated by the LED turning a different colour, there’s good scope here to refine the compressor’s sensitivity to energy in the low end and the very low mids. And on the subject of side‑chains, pushing a threshold knob activates that channel’s key input. With the channels linked and both key inputs active, you can choose which key input triggers compression by setting the threshold positions, as in normal stereo use. With no jack plugged into an active key input, that channel’s threshold control has no effect.
The specifications are detailed in the manual. There’s little point repeating them here but they read well, with low noise, distortion and crosstalk between channels, and ample headroom.
In Use
The first thing to say about the experience of using the 88C is that I enjoyed the look and feel of it ‘in the flesh’ more than I’d imagined I would. It’s a novel form factor and one that I admit I’d been slightly uncertain about before laying hands and eyes on it — but it really does exude a sense of quality and robustness that inspires confidence.
The sound and action of this compressor is also everything Neve say it should be: easy to dial in, and smooth and natural on pretty much any source.
The sound and action of this compressor is also everything Neve say it should be: easy to dial in, and smooth and natural on pretty much any source. The adaptive attack times make it a joy to use on vocals and bass guitar, as well as the more complex stereo signals I mentioned above, but it also manages to avoid mangling more ‘delicate’ sounds such as solo piano or fingerpicked acoustic guitar. It’s clean and quiet enough to use on dialogue, and in that context (and working with sung vocals) I really enjoyed feeding the output of one channel into the other, using one as a compressor and the other as a limiter. Between that, the Fast Attack mode and the side‑chain high‑pass filter, I felt that I had more than enough scope to control and shape sounds.
Are there down sides? I suppose not everyone likes dual‑purpose controls, but the push‑turn knobs here are pretty intuitive, and make for efficient use of the front‑panel real estate. If you press the wrong thing, an LED or meter colour will make that obvious visually, and it’s a simple matter to return to the previous state. The only other thing to say is that while this is an incredibly versatile compressor, it’s perhaps not the first one I’d turn to for colourful character and pumping effects. You can make it misbehave if you try, but as I see it, that’s the opposite of the 88C’s raison d’être, and there are better tools for that.
The bottom line is that this is an impressive, versatile compressor that should hold wide appeal, and at just a shade over £500under $600 per channel, it’s not disgracefully priced either!
Alternatives
There’s an abundance of two‑channel VCA compressors out there now, but with most other than the dbx models being based at least loosely on SSL’s stereo bus compressor designs, Neve’s 88C stands out as being a bit different from the crowd.
Pros
- Rugged, portable and very versatile.
- Sounds great.
- Efficient and effective control.
- Clever adaptive attack and auto release.
- Stereo linking and side‑chain inputs.
Cons
- No means of physically securing the power cable.
Summary
This clever dual‑channel VCA compressor has so many potential applications, in the studio, on location and even on stage. A supremely versatile design, it can even be powered from your USB3 laptop — you really could use it anywhere!
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