Dave Grohl told NPR in 2013 that Neve’s mixing boards – which his band Nirvana used to record their 1991 break-through Nevermind – were considered “the Cadillacs of recording consoles”
In his decades as an audio engineer, the British-born Rupert Neve established one of the most revered careers in the history of the field.
Since his death from pneumonia in 2021, his company Rupert Neve Designs have partnered with Lego to produce downsized plastic replicas of his 5088 mixing desk, with each annual limited edition improving on the last.
Distinguished by its malleability and ease of workflow, the Neve 5088 was launched in 2007 to counter the ubiquitous DAWs and plug-ins that had, by then, usurped their tangible equivalents.
Electronic producer Deadmau5 has said that the 5088 is “top tier” and “will never go out of style”.
The mixing board is “the culmination of Rupert Neve’s vast analog circuitry knowledge” according to Rupert Neve Designs, “and the only console built today with the same dedication to sound quality found in his most legendary vintage designs.”
The first edition of The 5088 Custom LEGO Building Set sold out its 150 units in just a few hours upon its December 2021 release.
The second edition, which saw the addition of a penthouse section, tape machine, and upgraded nearfield monitors, was released late the following year and sold out in only 8 minutes.
The upcoming third edition of Lego’s 5088 maintains the increased channel count of the previous but presents its channels in a different configuration, splitting the console on either side of the computer keyboard and monitor atop the producer’s desk.
The third edition is also greater in scale than its precedents – a fact most noticeable in the height of its upgraded speakers – and comes with four different DAW screen stickers.
The total set comprises 433 original LEGO elements, including 60 custom-printed parts.
By the release of the 5088 in the late aughts, Neve’s reputation as an inventor and innovator had long been held in high regard.
His Neve 8028 console helped to define the sound of 1970s rock, and his highly influential Neve 1073 – a tool for shaping microphone gain – is regarded as one of the best preamplifiers of all time by audio engineers.
Dave Grohl told NPR in 2013 that Neve’s mixing boards – which his band Nirvana used to record their 1991 break-through Nevermind – were considered “the Cadillacs of recording consoles” when they entered studios in the ‘70s.
On December 13, Rupert Neve Designs announced that The 5088 Custom LEGO Building Set’s on-sale date has been postponed due to customs and shipping delays.
Like the second edition, 300 sets will be available. Follow Rupert Neve Designs’ Instagram page for updates on the release.
Just to throw in an extra dash of cool, check out the LEGO-brick Sennheiser MD 441-U, TR-808, TB-303, Turntable and
By Harrison Jones
