Rupert Neve Designs Shelford Channel Microphone Preamp, Inductor EQ & Diode Bridge Compressor Reviews

The King of all preamp. The Shelford has changed the way I record.

The Shelford Channel is the basically Rupert Neve's "Lifetime Achievement Award", oddly enough, we get the prize. It is a mastering grade unit and one just isn't enough for the bus, not an opinion, but stated on the RN website, and I agree.

No need for pros or cons, the -6Db output goes straight into a Bricasti M7 and out to the converter, and the other outputs go straight to the converter as well, resulting in 4 channels of audio perfection to be mixed accordingly. If they verb doesn't fix the final mix, you don't have to use it.

Follow it all up with a Neve MBP and you can mix your blue/red silk together. That's the ticket.

There's a lot of gimmicks and gadgets popping up that you can spend your money on, but it's better to wait and get what you really want and then you will be satisfied. Otherwise, it's like a splinter in your mind. Must....have....Shelford.

Picked up two Shelford Channel three weeks ago and I see the magic of quality outboard gear now.

What incredibly versatile channel strips good grief. Everything about the Shelford Channel shines in ways that can only be experienced to understand just how good it is. I compared them to a vintage pair of BAE 1073's and the Shelford channels were better in most ways which surprised everyone in the studio. You can nail that sweet vintage Neve sound or dial in the most pristine transients and 3D immersion you have ever heard. Rupert hit a home run with this one.

Absolutely love this channel strip. Built like a tank, every knob feels awesome, but most importantly it sounds amazing. I use it for vocals, acoustic guitars and the DI for bass. I run it into a Burl Bomber ADC. I was a little worried throwing down this much, but it's worth every penny.

Rupert Neve had to be a genius right? I have been to so many studios in my life, but connecting this to my TLM 103, made me almost cry because of how amazing it sounded. I instantly fell in love with the sound. This thing will make you think about it when you are not in your studio and will make you want to constantly record. It's quite addictive. This mic pre is full of pure magic. I am thinking about getting a second job, just to buy a second one! I would like one in every room including my kitchen. That's how amazing this thing sounds. Make sure to only buy this if your interface is capable of bypassing its internal pres. This mic pre sounds so rich, thick, and sounds like liquid velvet. If you like a rich, clean, thick, fat, but slightly colorful vocals, do yourself a favor, and get one. You will never ever regret it. My review sounds so good, that some people might even think I work for the company. Haha....

What a great addition to my studio! I loved the first one I bought so much that I bought a second. Fantastic for pre & post production. The preamp and DI section has up-leveled the quality of the vocals and guitars that I am recording. The EQ and compressor does an awesome job at dialing in the sound you are looking to achieve. The "Silk" feature is the cherry on top! Dialing in the additional harmonics in the low or high end gives an added subtle dimension to your sound that brings warmth and depth. I am also using both in post production. I have been running tracks that I have recorded out through the Shelford Neve, and back into my DAW. Fantastic to be able to add a whole new dimension of sound and presence to these tracks. Something I have not been able to achieve in the box. Thank you Rupert an team!

For a few years I've been using a BAE 1084 on my vocal. Was getting a great sound out of it & thought most people use a 1073 so I might as well do the same (1084 is close enough)

I have 3 Shelfords. One was for electric guitar and bass, which it sounds amazing on - and the other two were meant to be a stereo pair to run stems or whole songs through after the fact. For some reason I guess I never thought to try this instead of the BAE on my vocal chain..... but I did today & I was very surprised!


It sounds amazing! And after doing A-B tests I laughed because I realized all of the frequencies that I usually fight when mixing my vocal & the things I didn't like much about the raw tone, were characteristics of the 1084. On my voice in particular the mids were too pushed, and the sibilance too, not the real bright airy type, more around 4-8k lol.


On the Shelford I didn't get any of that, it was just a flattering natural & warm sound. Silky highs, tight lows, and natural mids. The transient response was better & clearer it seems too, especially noticeable when using the same setup to record an acoustic guitar.


Basically having the Shelford in my chain now brings me one step closer to having it record the way I want the final to sound.

EQ I set subtle but you can really dial it in nice, lots of options - the compressor is great, I use it with a super low blend just for some extra color, as another compressor in my chain does the heavier lifting - and the silk is great!

All this makes for some really great sonic possibilities. Would highly recommend this to anybody!

I love studio gear and I hate writing reviews, but I immediately need to tell everyone I can that this Neve Channel strip is the biscuits. It adds a nuance of harmonic distortion without the handle of post-production meddling. This sounds great and you will not regret its buttery-ness. Like butter, I put that sh!t on everything.

I know a few others have said this, but once I got this thing dialed in (and it didn't take long), I knew I had found the one piece of gear that could do everything I needed. It's a masterpiece. Sounds incredible, beautiful to look at, easy to operate, and POWERFUL. I'm using this with a Neumann U87 AI and currently running into my Apollo Twin X Quad (although I'm about to buy an x6 so I can bypass the Apollo press). Regardless of that, It still sounds seriously amazing. The one thing I was unsure of before making this purchase was the compressor. Let me just say that this thing is so smooth and quiet. I'm very impressed with it. I've also been bypassing the compressor and running it through my Distressor which is a whole other thing of beauty. The Shelford is not complicated to operate which makes it really fun to use! All those plugins I bought from Universal audio are basically useless ;) There's just no comparison. Absolutely zero buyer's remorse. I'm an independent musician/singer/songwriter with a small home studio, and this has been great investment for me. Lastly, RND customer service is the best. I had a very minor question, called them at their shop in Texas, and they were super friendly and helpful. It's my first purchase from Rupert Neve Designs and I will definitely be going back!

I was skeptical about these items because of the price, but when I was able to engineer a couple of tracks with them I realized I couldn't do my job without them. I've had 1073s in the past and always liked em. They were one trick ponies and did the job. You kinda forgot about them after a while, and I went exploring for other things. I loved the clarity I could get out of the Great River MP-2NV, but I couldn't get that sauce. With the Neve 1073s I could get the sauce but couldn't really contour it in the way I wanted. With the Shelfords, I get an amazing sound, and all the clarity I need, and if I need sauce I've got the silk.

What I like about these units is that they are incredibly versatile.

DI Channel: fantastic for running sterile track instruments through to get a nice color and bring the performance to life. The EQ is subtle and is really spirited to accentuate color. The Bridge Diode compressor is fantastic on a Drum Bus. Not as aggressive as a Distressor, but that's OK! It brings such beautiful musicality to well performed vocals, and it's fantastic on even Death Metal vocals. I print almost every track through these units.

For Guitars, again clarity. There are no peaks and valleys with my clean guitar tracks. For clean guitars, just a touch of compression really evens out the sound and gives me such colossal character. High gain guitars, especially tube amps, get that 3 dimensional sound which is just fantastic.

Compression via Stereo Link:
I've got two stereo compressors with these units, and it's so useful when mixing stereo plugin instruments, drum bus etc. I wish there was more flexibility in the compression timing and ratio, however, I am able to BLEND the compression so can really create some unique sounds very quickly.

EQ:
I've got an HPF that cuts up to 250hz. The EQ isn't super gnarly. It's really focused on color and tone. The first thing I used it on was a kick drum mic'd with an Audix D6. I was able to quickly dial in the perfect balance of thump and click and then print the track. If you like the sound it gives, then the EQ gives you more of it. I had to work hard to make it sound less than great. I definitely have my dialed in settings for kit pieces, guitars and vocals…and it's mostly set it and forget it 90% of the time.

I could rant on and on about these units, but they are fantastic units that make everything I track sound mix ready with very minimal post-processing.

The Rupert Neve Designs Shelford Channel strip is the best Channel Strip I have used thus far. You get a DI, an EQ, a Comp (with parallel processing), Silk Texture (Switchable Blue/Red) and a VU all in 1U Rackmount form! All in all with lots of High Voltage Rails for headroom. A must! I will create my own version of the 5088 Console with 16x RND 542 Tape Emulators followed by 16 Shelford Channel Strips :D
Stellar Product!

Wow... I am floored by this thing. I just can not believe it really. Where has this been my entire life? Chickadee alone has been transformed into a whole new instrument through the DI. Amazing. I wish the thing didn't cost so much. It has already kept me up a couple nights thinking about that, but the sound is there. The sound is RIGHT there. It exceeds my expectations wildly and I haven't even installed it or recorded with it yet. I'm just running it through monitors learning it. I am blown away by what a difference this one single thing has made to the quality of sound here and we haven't even started. It is hard to explain but whatever you are into think of the thing you wish you could try, then imagine trying it and having it be a hundred times better than you even guessed it might be. You are getting close to how tickled I am about this if you can do that. I am guessing all the sales engineers at Sweetwater are wonderful, but my guy Mike Arango walked me right through what to me is a huge investment in quality. If it wasn't what I was looking for he would have told me. You just don't find that kind of service anywhere anymore. Just buy it and figure the rest out later. You will. This thing is that good. :)

The Shelford Channel is so good that this is my second review. My first review came only after having the Shelford for about a month or two. I got it back in July 2020 and now this is April 2021, which means I have more to say.

This was my first piece of Hardware Gear, my first external preamp. I use this with my SM7B for voiceovers, Gospel, R&B, Hip-Hop & Spoken Word. This thing has changed my workflow so much. Before this, I was using UAD plugins to track and mix with. As much as I liked the Unison Preamps, something was missing. My vocals still sounded digital and not smooth and warm. After hearing about the Shelford and researching it for about five months, I purchased it. Being this was my first piece of Hardware, it took me a while to learn it.

Everyone raves about the preamp and eq on the Shelford, which are amazing. I want to talk about the compressor. Disclaimer. I haven't used other hardware compressors. For the longest, I've been using the UAD compressors plugins such as the 1176 and LA2A. I was getting good results but when I learned how to use this compressor, the game changed. I know a lot of people rave about the Hardware LA2A and the CL1B, which I've never used but I'll put this compressor up against those any day. Last night I spent about an hour messing with the compressor and dialing in settings for a Hip-Hop vocal and was blown away. The vocal was so smooth, warm, and sat perfectly in the mix.

For vocals, track with it using light compression and then mix with it to add more compression to the vocal chain. I wish I could own five of these to use on my background vocals. I can't go back to using software compressors for my main vocals. The only other thing I would add for the vocal chain is a hardware Pulteq style eq.

Cons: I have a few cons about the Shelford.

1. I wish the power button/switch was on the front.
2. I wish it had more eq bands, which is why I suggested adding a Pulteq style eq to pair with the Shelford.

My workflow is this for Vocals. I track with the Shelford, light compression.
Vocal Chain: Fabfilter Pro Q2 (Subtractive EQ) > Compression with the Shelford (-5/-6 DB gain reduction) >
Additive EQ with the Shelford (1db bump at 7500k - Bell curve) and (3db bump at 8K - High Shelf) > Red or Silk button engaged depending on the vocal > RX7 De-Esser > Limiter - UAD Manley Voxbox (Plugin)

Everything it claims to be is true!

It only took a few hours for me to realize the degree to which this blows everything else I have out of the water. I had been tracking through a WA73-EQ > WA76 setup and also printing tracks out through that chain and other hardware for mixing. For "clones," that still isn't cheap... This Shelford channel is well worth the $ difference, and of course, its capabilities go well beyond that makeshift channel strip of mine with the adjustable harmonic distortion, sweepable HPF, dual outputs, high-quality DI, highpass for compressor sidechain, etc.

I love a lot of my UAD and Waves plugins too.

But seriously, this thing is at a different level. Will it work for everything? Maybe not. But the revisions they've made to the diode bridge compressor have made it a lot faster and a lot more flexible, even for things like drums. I had a lead vocal spread out across 5 tracks and printed all of them through the Shelford channel with the same settings and my mix took about ten steps towards being radio ready and honestly was easier than constantly copying and pasting plug-in inserts.

And, because it counts for something, it looks absolutely gorgeous in my rack.

If you're on the fence about this piece, go for it. If you're a hobbyist with a limited budget like me and need to sell an older piece of gear to afford it, don't sweat it too much because once you have the Shelford you'll probably find your old gear inferior anyway!

This is the best channel strip in the world!!!!!!! There are a lot of great channel strips in the Audio world. But this is king!!!!! Stop Buying just to upgrade a few months or years later. If you want that Pristine sound just save up and buy this. Is it a lot of Money for one channel? Yes but so is spending Thousands of dollars Trying to get the sound that's in your head. Do your self a favor and buy this bad boy. It's worth Every penny of the investment.

This thing is addictive. It has slowed down my workflow since I have to run everything through it. Now I desperately need a 32ch 5088 console with 32 diode bridge comps. I'm thinking about selling a kidney or selling my house and live under the console.
I wish I didn't knew what i now know. You can't unhear it once you did. I feel permanent guilt since I have to decide which mics won't go through it: " oh, sounds so good on the kick, but even better on the snare and it's perfect on the tom yet incredible on the mono room mic and the hi-hat has never felt that good...". Cruel decisions all day long and they keep you awake at night.
My advice is to stick with your interface's preamp. That way, you will have something to blame for not having a Grammy.
Honestly, I didn't had time to be impressed with the sound for the first couple of hours I used it because all I could think of was "oh, this is how it's done".
Buy it, you will regret it and still be glad you did.

As a side note. If you think great gear will make your life easier, well, it won't. It will only bring those mistakes right up your face so you won't have any other choice but to take care of 'em.

Tons of Headroom!!!!! It's all about mic pairing!!!! Good preamps sound good with almost any decent mic. But when you pair them with the right mic that's when the magic happens. I paired this with my Chandler Limited tg mic. Oh my stars lol What a combination!!!! I will say this. The Shelford Channel does modern and big very well. If you are looking for that old school 1073 sound. You might want to go with a bae. Especially if you have a u47 style mic. That's another magical pair. I kept my bae as well

There's a reason they're always sold out....

Big thanks to Erik Bothwell for helping me place a special order direct from Rupert Neve!

Thank you for this last amazing channel strip... and for blessing us with your countless audio accomplishments over the years

These ended my search for a quick and good front end. The DI is great, pre is 3D, eq is deeper than it feels at first listen, and the comp adds weight and depth. Everything belongs together. I've bought a lot of gear over the past few years, stuff I love. But if I were to only keep one thing it'd be this (and maybe my converters).

They don't always match perfectly I've learned, but they're fairly tight in general and a pair has worked well for me.

Big shoutout to my sweetwater rep Drew for the good advice as per usual.

I've been recording and mixing with the UAD Apollo Twin since 2014 and to the honest, the unison preamps weren't doing it for me anymore. As I began to grow in my craft, I needed something more professional sounding for my vocal recordings.

While talking to some people in a Facebook audio group, one of them mentioned the Neve Shelford Channel and how good it was. I immediately went to Youtube and researched the Neve Shelford Channel. I was instantly blown away and immediately knew that I needed it for my Home Recording Studio. It was a toss-up between the Neve Shelford Channel and the Manley Voxbox hardware unit. I kept going between the two until I talked to my Sweetwater Rep Nick.

Five months later, I pulled the trigger and got the Neve Shelford Channel over the Manley Voxbox. This was my first piece of outboard gear. Some engineers told me that I was crazy for paying $... for the Neve Shelford Channel but they were wrong.

This thing is AMAZING in every way. This single piece of gear has enhanced my vocal recordings in ways I never imagined. I use this to record all of my VOCALS, whether it's Spoken Word, Gospel, Hip-Hop, Voiceovers, Podcasts, and R&B. Once the vocals are tracked, I use the Neve Shelford Channel to mix the lead vocals and plugins to mix the background vocals. I've yet to use it on bass and drum tracks.

This thing makes my SM7B sound glorious. Every section on the Shelford is a beast. You get the best mic preamp, the 1064 Eq in the low band, 1073 in the mid band, and a new Eq in the 8k and up range. The compressor is so smooth, the only compressor I use on lead vocals. Last but least, the Red & Blue silk section. The VU METER is the best one I've seen to date.

Far as I know, my studio is the only one in Lexington, KY that has a Neve Shelford Channel. I truly feel like I'm apart of the Elite Squad having the Shelford in my home recording studio. Aye…....If you can get one, do it. You won't regret it.

I bought my first Shelford Channel years ago, and today I added the second to my studio. Simply put, this piece of gear is the best preamp, compressor, and EQ on the market. For starters, it's got an instant "expensive" character to it. I don't mean to come off as egotistical, but I get that comment a lot on my work. "This sounds expensive" is what I often hear, and I think about that comment a lot. I owe the majority of that impression to the Shelford Channel.

As I've traveled and worked in larger studios, I've slowly developed my taste. Ironically, the merger of Rupert's greatest hits, wrapped into this one unit, and just that.

Whether you're tracking vocals, drums, or guitar it will shine. With the addition of the second unit, I now have the pair strapped across my Mix B buss with the SSL Sigma. I'm astonished by how wonderful these units are across a mix. The low end EQ beats all my previous ITB processing, and the high end is perfect for brining our detail. I believe this is where the Silk feature shines as well. I've noticed a big increase in the drums, and bass being sent to Mix B with silk engaged. The entire mix just feels pro.

I know they are costly units, but I believe these to be forever pieces. I hope when I'm dead and gone they are collectors items much like some of Ruperts other vintage products. Don't think about it, buy one and it'll change your work for the better.

This is the best channel strip I've ever used. Sounds phenomenal on Vocals and Bass.

After years of being recording with preamps plugins in unision UAD and been a few months doing research to find the best preamp channel strip not digital but analogue and I decided to buy the Rupert Neve Design Shelford Channel Strip and I don't regret one bit. The difference is from 20 to 100 if your serious about recording on a new level DO YOURSELF A FAVOR AND BUY IT! Thanks to my sales engineer that helped me to find the right one for my needs I got the one I was expecting, thanks Jeancarlos Claudio-Reyes and Sweetwater.

Just epic sound. This thing is ridiculously versatile, but even if I just randomly tweak things, the sound is still there. It's a really really cool piece of gear. Definitely a magic secret weapon. Combine this with actual recording talent+skill and you get gorgeous, professional sound, bar none. Excellent for processing every source I ever threw at it, mic and line alike. You might already expect this is pretty perfect for vocals and guitars (it is) but it's also super duper for synths and weird sources! Can't say enough good things. It's spendy, of course, but relative to some boxes that cost even more, this one holds its own. Worth the cost.

This single piece of gear has enhanced my sound in ways I never imagined. The only issue I have is wish I had two! Saving up to get another Shelford Channel so I can run stereo signals through these channel strips. This is the best of the best.

I wanted to buy once and have no regrets. I succeeded. Vocals and bass are phenomenal through this. The diode-bridge comp is perfect for tracking. The price tag is justified by the great versatility and sound.

The person that commented on the meters use ur ear and not gainstage the SHelford push it to its limits it might just surprise you ..I have not much to say other the SHelford is the king of the hill you need that much of other gear if you know what you"re doing these are all you would need ........THe power button would be nice in front of the other that I use this with an APollo x16 into my NEve 5060 and the rest his MYstory

I purchased a stereo pair for my home studio. I was able to get a sequential serial # pair thanks to Phil my Sweet Water Engineer! That was very important to me and was a personal request. These two channels have changed my entire music production and performance trajectory. There are no words that give this unit justice. Its pure gold.

Just received 2 of these today and my impression after my first take was WOW OMG!! Just blown away really... Made my TLM 103 sound like one of the super expensive vintages. You just got to try on for yourself to hear the WOW factor! Some shades of color to play with.

I bought a pair of these about 5 month ago. As excited as I was to get them, I waited a good while, and put any reviews off to the side as I gathered impressions. Well, I've done a good bit of vocal and direct guitar tracking, and it's terrific for both of those tasks. The way the input gain is structured, you can dial in a very clean sound, with a modern sort of edge, or you can bring up a good bit of grit and a classic Neve retro tone. There are input and output transformers, giving you a good deal of control over the tone of the recorded signal. The EQ section is outstanding. It gives you excellent tone shaping, and can easily be used in post processing. The compressor is also truly excellent. The silk circuit is a final cherry on top of this apex device. It has a red circuit, and a blue circuit, each with a different emphasis. As pricey as this is, it has to be terrific to earn the praise I lay on it. It is one of those devices that offer you a rock solid signal that doesn't leave you unsatisfied. If anything it's just the opposite. You find very little post recording work needs to be done to ready the signal, or balance it in the mix. It's a fantastic channel strip and one I cannot live without. Now that I have two, I wonder why I waited to long to get them!

The Shelford Channel is the single (well, double - I bought two) most transformative gear purchase I have ever made. I"ve owned various fancy pre"s, EQ"s, compressors, and 500 series piece - and this tops them all in terms of sweet spots, sound, quality, fidelity, punch, transparency, color - you name it. The improvement of anything you patch in is goosebumps inducing. I use it on a wide variety of sources (DI-bass, summing from DAW, large diaphragm condenser microphones, synths, etc.). The Shelford Channel has 4 devices built into one (pre-amp, EQ, compression, silk circuit). Each of these is best in class, and together - they combine to become one very powerful signal chain.

PREAMP/DI
The pre-amp/DI section has an incredible noise floor. I"m able to drive it pretty heavily without getting much noise or unwanted distortion. If using the pre/DI for DI purposes (with the rest of the channel disengaged) you immediately notice a clarity on your signal source. It brings the whole signal forward before any further processing. Class A at its finest.

EQ
The EQ section is heavenly. I use mostly it to boost the lows and the mids, and also for sound design with synths. The low band EQ allows me to quickly dial in girth and/or punch without hassle, without extra unwanted wooliness. The midband EQ brings whatever I want slightly forward without getting harsh. It"s perfect for bringing out the crunch on a guitar, the crack of an acoustic snare drum, the knock on a sampled/synthetic snare, or the brass on a synth. It"s absolutely beautiful. I don"t use the high band so much, but when I do it adds just enough air and crispness without any extra hiss or shrill.

COMPRESSOR
The compression section (modeled after a 2254) is where all of this truly comes together. My typical workflow on the Shelford is to boost the pre amp, boost further with EQ, and tame it all with the compressor. While other reviews talk about the wonderful vintage coloring of this EQ, I"m mostly blown away by its versatility and transparency. I really don"t like using words like this, but the best adjective I can think of creamy. It smooths out my sources without actually sounding like a compressor. This quiet operation of the compressor is what allows me to boost all the previous functions to the point of insanity to get all that Neve goodness into my signal. The link to the high-pass filter for side chaining is amazing! I didn't think much of it until I started it using it. It allows you to not have the compressor trigger with lower frequencies. It sounds lovely on acoustic guitars and drums. The meter is also incredibly handy here, responding tightly and accurately. The meter can be switched to view gain reduction or total output. I frequently change between the two given how aggressively I use my Shelfords.

SILK
My go-to setting for silk is 100%. It adds subtle yet wonderful harmonics. Red for added harmonics to higher frequencies, blue for lower. I only use the blue on bass guitar, otherwise I keep the red engaged at all times. The silk adds that extra ingredient that takes it to a whole another level with little effort. What a wonderful piece this is!

TWO
Another aspect of the Shelford Channel that blew me away is the consistency of multiple units. I"ve owned other high end pieces that provided stereo links, and even with sequential serial numbers, they didn"t quite behave as a pair without significant effort. Not so on the Shelford Channels. I have two and when linked, these beasts work in tandem beautifully. The stepped/notched controls are a big help, and incredibly accurate. It's easy and fast to get two of these in identical settings. As an added step, I recommend calling Sweetwater and asking to get sequential serial numbers. Mike from Sweetwater made this happen for me, and my two Shelfords behave identically.

FINAL THOUGHTS
I still have some amazing vintage and tube pieces in my studio, but the Shelfords have been my go-to"s for 14 months now. The other gear in my rack is starting get jealous. The hardest thing to deal with is keeping myself from getting another 2. A lot of my other studio pre"s/eq"s/comps have their distinct sound. The Shelfords definitely have their distinct Neve sound, but also offer a wide range of possibilities (transparent vs lots of harmonic coloring, etc). You may get a bit of a sticker shock when you first see the price tag, but once you start to account all that you"re getting in a very assuming 1U space, you will see the value stack up. You"re getting one of the best Pre"s, one of the best EQ"s, one of the best compressors, and one of the best harmonics generator in one package.

CONS
I forced myself to create this cons section. There are some things that some may see as a drawback, but it didn't keep me from still giving it 5 stars. Some have complained that there is no master output control. I personally don't mind this, as it forces me to gain stage the preamplifier properly, as well as to engage that beautiful compressor to tame loud/boomy signals. Another thing worth mentioning is that the Shelford Channel gets really hot. Be sure to leave extra space in your rack for this. This is inherent to Class A electronics, so its nothing to get mad about, but be aware that if you don't have proper ventilation on the top and rear - you will shorten the life of your Shelford Channel. The VU meter is beautiful and incredibly useful. I wish it were bigger. I also wish there was a way to sum multiple Shelfords together into a master bus, to essentially create a Shelford Channel console. I would totally love to have 8 of these to create my own 8 channel Shelford Console!

I"m madly in love with this piece. I"m surprised at how few videos or reviews there are of this. Perhaps folks don"t want too many people to know about it as it can be considered the ultimate secret weapon in an audio arsenal.

I'm not sure I'll do this piece of gear justice with a review, but all I can say is that it's all you'll ever need.

I've had a "tracking rack" that has been a revolving door of tryouts of preamps, & channel strips. After getting the Shelford Channel that rack has now been emptied. I've not found a single source that this channel strip can't handle, furthermore, I haven't found a channel strip better than this.

I love it on bass guitar, & vocal overdubs. Don't forget that the DI is spectacular.

Long story short, you won't be disappointed by this one.

I have owned a single Shelford for a few weeks and really liked it's tracking performance.
Incredibly discreet PRE/DI excellent EQ section and the COMP is perfect. Now toss the SILK texture in and Wow!! You really can't go wrong with Neve and the Shelford channel gives you so many options and that classic Neve sound for a fraction of what it would cost to own a big console. I liked it so much I had to get a second one!

I recently picked up the Neve 5060 for summing and wanted to add a second Shelford into the chain for stereo buss mixing. Tracking in with two Shelford's and then mixing back out of the box anaolg on a stereo buss with the Shelford's is amazing.

It's like owning a 5088 Shelford Console for less than 10k!

Thank you RND and Sweetwater for making this affordable and accessible to everyone!

This channel strip sounds so sweet, it brought tears to my eyes. I imagine a pair of them would make just about any recording setup world-class... doesn't get much better than this.

I'm attending music/recording school and was fortunate enough to be able to invest in these as a front-end to my setup.

More than a preamp, I wanted a channel strip, with EQ and compression. Something that would stand the test of time: versatile, from clean to colored, but not flat and lifeless. A strip that would allow me to capture some of the 1073 vibe for rap/rnb/pop vocals, provide heavy coloration on bass, guitar, or synths; and also allow for super-clean recordings for these times where I only want to be hinting at warmth.

After using professional recording studios with APIs, Neve, and SSL boards, as well as Avalon, vintage 1073's, Millenia, and other preamps at school, I settled on Neve, with API being a close second. My needs were going to be very heavily centered on vocals, so I wanted something that would shine for this first and foremost. I love the API pres on drums and keys, but where the API feels like a "workhorse" pre--something thats's always pleasant and a great choice--I felt the Neve carried a vibe that instantly spelled "love." Much like a tiny, barely noticeable amount of bandpassed mono plate reverb imperceptibly "glues" a vocal.

Unfortunately, few in-depth reviews exist of the Shelford Channel, as it's fairly new, so I took the plunge half-blindly; something that's generally ill-advised for an item of this price. Well, it turned out I liked it so much, I ended up getting a second one for stereo recording shortly thereafter. :)

The Shelford is a fantastic strip. Always warm, clean and modern, but packing a ton of color if pushed through the EQ, compressor, and Silk controls. No, this isn't a 1073 pre (though the EQ is modeled after the 1073 and 1084), and that's the beauty of it--it's what a 1073 would sound like if it was invented in the 21st century.

It shined on everything I put through it, from vocals, to keys, to drum overheads re-amping. The features on the front panel also make it extremely versatile: parallel compression, EQ pre/post dynamics, HF to sidechain, sidechain input/output, and switchable stereo linking.

There are maybe only two things I would have liked: 1) A dedicated pre out, and maybe EQ out; and 2) dedicated attack/release controls for the compressor (the 5052 module has them, but the channel only has a 5-position "timing" setting). This said, I only say "one and a half" because the timing knob hasn't been bothersome in practice; it's just that I would have liked the ability to sweep the settings. The lack of a pre out is more bothersome--for vocals, I would like to be able to record both signals. With a stereo pair, however, this can be remedied by daisy-chaining them. It also looks like the sidechain output *may* be used for that purpose, however the diagram is different than the 5052, and there is obviously no output transformer there. I haven't tried.

Aesthetic-wise, the unit feels super-sturdy and professional. Knobs are detented, which is great to match a stereo pair. Buttons and controls are satisfyingly firm and clicky. Controls are a little close together in the compressor section if you have big hands; and in particular, the timing knob can be a little tough to turn--though with five settings, this won't happen much. The metal-blue color spells vintage right away. Clients immediately relate to it like it will have an expensive sound (and it'd better!). I wouldn't be surprised the looks helps it keep its value over time. But frankly, after using it for a couple of months, I can't imagine getting rid of it.

All in all, this is a great front-end, with many features, and a great addition to any studio. It has a vibe of its own, and shines next to APIs, VHD SSLs, 1073, and other high-end pres.

Thank you Mr. Neve, for another classic, timeless hit. Come visit us at school!

The Shelford Channel is everything I thought it would be. Wll built, sonically superior, and pricey. It is an investment in musicality and I am pleased that this product is available. Mr Neve has improved sonics for multi generations and this gear is a greatest hits of his efforts,

Since the mid to late 90's I've been building digital audio workstations as well as engineering and producing my own material as well as a few others for film/TV and the European music market. Since the beginning I've constantly felt like I was chasing the dragon, trying to find the tones that were achieved on the records that I had been a part of in Los Angeles and abroad in the early days. It seemed impossible on a musicians budget. Low grade converters, low CPU power, and quality signal chains that were out of reach. After years of search and thousands of dollars buying individual comps, pre's and eq's, I'm thrilled to say that the Shelford channel lives up to my expectations and more!
Now I can plug in, adjust the amount of mojo I want, depending on the material, and start tracking. This thing is almost idiot proof.
Yes it is expensive. However, when you look at the price of Pre's, EQ's and Compressors that are remotely close to this quality, then it is one hell of a bargain!
My only complaint now is that I need MORE of these!!! Thanks to Philip @ S.W. for the help & the deal!

Do yourself a favor and really read through what this thing can do. It's now both my main vocal channel strip and hardwired in and out of my rig to run anything through it during a mix (eq,comp,saturation/drive/texture).

I'm about to buy a second one and link the stereo comp feature, then it becomes a mastering tool.

Two of these plus a BAQ EQ and you have the perfect songwriter rig.

Buying two of them will complete your top professional personal studio. Thank you, mr. Rupert Neve!

The title really says it all, but let me put in into context. I have been working my way up the skill set ladder for nearly 20 years now, and in that time I have used everything from stock Presonus interface pres to more mid-level pres to a Vintech X73i. I have never been able to find that perfect pre that not only gives me a recording that naturally sits well in the mix without any further processing, but also has a great transparent compressor that keeps signals in check while tracking without being heard. Let me tell you that this is no longer a problem with this unit. I have literally found the only pre I will ever need to track literally anything I want to throw at it. The compressor is smooth and indaudible, whether you are trying to smash something to bits, or just take a little off the top. The compressor alone is worth the price of the unit in my opinion, as I have never found one that works so perfectly for tracking. Beyond that, the EQ is subtle enough that you really have to try to screw up to get it to damage a track; any experienced engineer will have this EQ singing right into your DAW. The immense amount of headroom coupled with the variety of options for getting into and out of this thing make it an absolute steal at this price, but then they went and threw in Silk! Don't get me started on all of the magic that can bring to a track when used correctly! All of this before we even discuss the DI. I really don't think I will ever track bass guitar through anything else ever again, unless it is to get some grit. It sounds so smooth and natural, and you can compress to your heart's delight right on the way in, so if you have a bass player who plays with a pick you can take out those pick hits right up front and have this perfectly sculpted bass sound right out of the box. If you haven't guessed by now, I kind of like this unit. So much in fact, that I now own two of them. I know it's a lot of money for most folks, but do yourself a favor--Sell the four or five lower-end pres you now own, as well as anything else you can let go, and find a way to pick this unit up. I promise that once you experience all this unit can do for yourself, you will never let it go.

This product oozes high-end coolness, just to look at it. The sounds you want to make will surely always flow better through the Shelford Channel. It has so much versatility and depth, I would not recommend it for beginners. But it's drool-worthy for pros.

The front panel is actually very straight-forward to understand and use. But, it is so powerful in so many aspects of sound shaping that novices will get stuck in it. Sound engineers, producers and artists that have experience with great vintage gear will appreciate the feature set and the routing flexibility.

The Shelford Channel starts with a mic pre with a huge transformer that can be driven hard if you want that sound of a classic Neve console pre. It has lots of gain with a high-pass filter right behind it.
Or, you can use the Direct In for instruments or guitars. You can use the DI for reamping if you like, at the same time!

Then comes either the EQ, which is so powerful you could blow your ears up with the possibilities, or the very transparent compressor that can be driven quite hard with pleasant results. Both are very full featured and flexible.

Then comes a huge output transformer that can be pushed to create high frequency harmonics or low frequencies. This feature is called Silk.

The I/O is very full featured as well, allowing for two different outputs, one at line level and one -6db down. This allows you to overdrive the Shelford or any aspect of it, but not overdrive your interface's inputs. The outputs are dead silent. The unit creates no noise at all.

Any one of the elements of the Shelford Channel could be boxed and sold separately for a fortune, so the price is really quite reasonable. The versatility, superb quality, and value make this a really great tool for sound shaping.

I love it.

Great preamp with tons of tone and color. The ability to due parallel compression while recording is also very helpful. Highly recommend this preamp.

Yes, it looks great and oozes with the mastery of electronic craftsmanship.

Yes, it sounds amazing. I am really appreciative of clean units and this is one of the cleanest and most pristine I've heard. If you push the unit it only gets better and it starts showing some of the character that most people look for. Even then it stays tight and never feels over cooked.

No, it's not cheap.

The Shelford is a beautiful sounding pre with a smooth compressor and sweet (but limited) EQ.

Design flaws:

1) Placing the on/off switch in the back of the unit IS a hassle. I heard about this before purchasing but didn`t think it would be an issue. Having to reach around gear is just annoying.

2) The EQ would have been more useful if it was a 4-band.

3) The VU meter is too small.

4) The input and output knobs are slightly larger than the EQ knobs which is much appreciated for my hands. I wish this unit came in a 2-rack space. That would have given RND more room to add that missing EQ band, double the size of the VU meter, add the on/off switch to the front.

Even with those design flaws, I will most likely get a 2nd one. It does sound great.

I've had mine for a few months. I think the preamp is absolutely solid can be driven to get a great tone with bass etc. Two upper/lower bands with only one mid band is too minimal. The high shelf is fixed at either 8k or 16k (most people over 30 can't even hear 16k). If I need to cut some aggressiveness in the mids, having the limited high boost doesn't give me much to work with. Having said that the EQ it does have sounds great.

I do like the compression although as some as noted, timing selections are fixed, but It does really well with most material. Silk is cool but I'd rather have another mid EQ.

On top of that the price is very high. So all things considered I give it a 3.5. If money is no consideration and one doesn't feel limited by either the EQ or Compressor then it's a 5 as it stands on great tone alone.

This thing is okay...and that's it.

I bought a stereo pair of these a few years back and have used them regularly.

The preamp is the strongest point and it sounds good but not life changing. I've tried it with lots of good mics. There are plenty of other good sounding pres out there.

The EQ is fine. It does what you'd expect but there isn't anything magical about it.

The compressor is the weakest point. The fixed timing can be pretty limiting. And I just haven't found many circumstances where I feel the comp works well. I definitely do not like it on vocals and that's often one of the primary reasons you buy a channel strip (for vox). Seems to do all the wrong things.

During mixing, I get much better results from plugins when compared to using this as a processor.

I sold my pair of Shelfords and now primarily use a stereo Neve 1073DPX along with a stereo pair of Distressors and am much happier with the results that I get and the flexibility that I now have.