Billy Lunn, singer, guitarist, songwriter and producer of the rock band The Subways, has made Neve outboard gear the cornerstone of his new studio. His motivation? Having experienced the tremendous success of these units during the band's second album, All or Nothing.
Released in 2008, All or Nothing was produced by Butch Vig and recorded on a Neve 88R console at Conway Studios in Los Angeles.
"In my opinion, it's the best-sounding album we've ever made. I've never been able to top how everything sounds with that console. And I can't forget when Butch told me that the exact mic and preamp combination we used was the same one Kurt Cobain used during the sessions for Nirvana's Nevermind."
Recently, The Subways rediscovered All or Nothing for a Twitter listening party hosted by Tim Burgess, during which they listened closely to the album and sat down for a while to talk about it. To prepare for this event, Billy got in touch with Butch and his engineer Billy Bush to take stock of what they needed and recall some details. That's when they remembered using a selection of Neve 1073 mic preamps. According to Billy, these units are incredible, as are the Neve 1073LB and 88RLB 500-series modules he has recently used on several projects (for example, on the band's fifth album, which they'll release at the end of this year).
"Thanks to these modules we've been able to do the work of the last few years. However, last year with the pandemic, we had to face several expenses and we were forced to sell all our recording gear. But it wasn't a final goodbye, because I knew that sooner or later I'd come back to Neve."
This dream has become reality in the new space at Farm Factory, a rehearsal and education studio in Welwyn Garden City. Billy, who has also been working as a producer for other artists for a while, has his own control room for mixing, leaving the main studio to visiting artists.
As part of his investment in new audio gear, Billy has acquired a Neve 1073SPX mic preamp, a Neve 8803 dual/stereo EQ unit and an 8801 channel strip
"For me, the most important thing is the gain the preamp gives you. The 1073SPX can get the most out of any sound source, from any kind of instrument or voice. Having inputs on the front panel is also very useful, especially if I want to do a quick mix. Whether I'm working with mic, line or DI, I can plug straight into the front panel, raise or lower the gain and start recording. It's also worth pointing out how cost-effective the 1073SPX is when you stop to think about its incredible quality (not to mention how beautiful it is!)."
The Subways are currently touring the UK, and will continue around the country until the end of the year before heading to Europe and the United States in 2022. In addition, as a producer, Billy is also working with a DIY punk band called The Meffs, remixing songs for them for Alcopop! Records, as well as writing and making demos for other artists.
Bill is already thinking about expanding his studio with all the gear the band had to sell during the pandemic, forced by the economic crisis. What he'd like most is to fill his racks with Neve gear. Who knows whether his next purchases will be the 1073 and 1084 Classic units, or a 33609 N Stereo compressor?
