Apollo
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Neve 88RS Channel Strip Collection
Neve’s premiere analog console, at your fingertips.
- Sculpt your mix with Neve’s premium large-format analog console sound
- Get the clarity and openness of Neve’s famous 88RS transformer-based mic preamp
- Shape your signals with legendary Neve 88RS Formant Spectrum EQ and Dynamics sections
- Control Apollo interface mic preamp gain staging and impedance directly from the plug-in via Unison™ technology
- Create a modern Neve analog console in your DAW
Neve’s Premiere Analog Console, at your Fingertips
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Frequently Asked Questions
The Neve 88RS Channel Strip Collection is worth it if you want the sound of Neve's flagship large-format console in your recordings and mixes. It gives you the transformer-based mic preamp, Formant Spectrum four-band EQ, cut filters, and dynamics of the 88RS in a single plug-in, so you can shape a full channel from one window. Engineers reach for it on vocals, drums, and buses when they want Neve depth and clarity without a rack of hardware.
The Neve 88RS Channel Strip Collection is the only end-to-end circuit emulation of Neve's 88RS console channel, modeled from a "golden unit" hardware strip. Where many channel strips stack generic EQ and compression, the 88RS captures the specific input transformer, Formant Spectrum EQ interactions, dynamics behavior, and post-fader output amplifier of the original hardware. That full-path modeling is what gives it the depth and airiness the 88 Series is known for.
The Formant Spectrum EQ is the four-band equalizer built into the Neve 88RS, known for both broad, musical tonal strokes and precise surgical moves. It pairs with broad-range 12 dB high and low cut filters, so you can clean up a signal and add classic Neve color in the same pass. It works during tracking or mixdown and keeps the character of the original console EQ on any source.
The Neve 88RS Channel Strip Collection includes two plug-ins: the full UAD Neve 88RS and the UAD Neve 88RS Legacy. The full 88RS is the complete end-to-end circuit model, including the input transformer, Unison preamp, EQ, dynamics, and output amplifier. The 88RS Legacy is a clean, linear version for when you want the EQ and dynamics without the added circuit coloration.
The Neve 88RS Channel Strip Collection works well on its own if the 88RS console sound is the specific tone you are after. If you plan to use more Neve tools, Universal Audio also offers the Neve Complete Bundle, which packages the 88RS alongside other Neve preamp, EQ, and compressor emulations for less than buying each title separately. The right route depends on how much of the Neve catalog you expect to use.
The Neve 88RS is the full circuit model, capturing the non-linear behaviors of the input transformer, output amplifier, and Unison preamp for maximum analog character. The 88RS Legacy is a linear emulation of the EQ and dynamics, built for a very clean sound when circuit coloration is not wanted. Many engineers keep both on hand: the full 88RS when they want Neve weight and color, the Legacy when they want transparency.
The Neve 88RS dynamics section provides VCA-type limit/compress and gate/expand modules that shape level and transients with musical control. It can smooth a lead vocal transparently, add immediacy to a percussion bus, or gate a source cleanly. A sidechain EQ option also lets you set up frequency-dependent gain reduction for tasks like de-essing.
The Neve 88RS Channel Strip Collection requires Universal Audio hardware to run: an Apollo audio interface or a UAD Accelerator. The plug-ins process on the onboard UAD DSP rather than your computer's CPU, which keeps your processor free during a session. On an Apollo, that DSP also lets you monitor and record through the 88RS in realtime with near-zero latency.
The Neve 88RS Channel Strip Collection runs on both macOS and Windows. It loads as a plug-in in major recording software and works alongside UA's own LUNA Digital Audio Workstation. You will need qualifying Universal Audio hardware, and you can confirm current operating system and processor details on UA's system requirements page before installing.
Yes, the Neve 88RS Channel Strip Collection lets you track in realtime through the plug-in when you use it with an Apollo interface. UA's Unison technology sets the Apollo preamp's impedance, gain staging, and circuit behavior to match the 88RS hardware, so the input itself responds like the console. You hear and record the Neve sound as you play, with near-zero latency.
Yes, the Neve 88RS Channel Strip Collection is built for mixing as well as tracking. You can place it on individual channels or buses to add Neve tone, shape frequencies with the Formant Spectrum EQ, and control level with the dynamics section. It is a common choice for gluing drum buses, seating vocals in a mix, and adding weight to sources that need console character.
DSP-based UAD plug-ins remain a strong choice for anyone who wants realtime tracking with near-zero latency and steady performance. Because titles like the Neve 88RS Channel Strip Collection run on dedicated UAD DSP, they keep processing off your computer's CPU and let you monitor through the exact sound you are recording. For engineers who track through their plug-ins, that realtime workflow is the core reason the DSP platform still holds up.
Yes, the Neve 88RS Channel Strip Collection is a fully licensed and endorsed emulation of Neve's 88RS console channel. Universal Audio modeled it from an original 88RS large-format console, capturing the real circuit rather than approximating the sound. That licensing is why it carries the Neve name and the specific behavior of the hardware it models.
A Neve preamp adds the clarity, depth, and gentle harmonic weight that made the design a studio standard, and the Neve 88RS Channel Strip Collection puts that preamp sound in your session. The 88RS models the transformer-based mic and line preamp of the console, so signals gain the openness and body Neve is known for as they come in. With Unison on an Apollo, the preamp shapes the input in realtime, the same way the hardware does.
Yes, the Neve 88RS Channel Strip Collection is a popular choice for vocals, from lead vocals to voiceover work. Its transformer preamp adds warmth and authority, the Formant Spectrum EQ shapes tone with musical bands, and the dynamics section can smooth level and handle de-essing in one place. Because you can track through it with Unison, you can capture a finished-sounding vocal right at the source.