Console 80 by Monomono
Vintage Analog CHANNEL STRIP SUITE FOR ABLETON LIVE Console 80 brings six modelled devices from four distinct Neve circuits of the late 1960s and early 1970s into your Live session. Each device is modelled part by part from factory drawings, including the transistors, transformers and coils of the original signal path. Build the desk your session needs, with every channel carrying its own component tolerances so no two tracks are quite identical. • Six devices: Pre 873, EQ 873, Pre 881, EQ 881, Diode Comp 854 and Bus 872, covering channel strips, compression and bus amplification • Class A and Class AB preamps: Pre 873 models the class A design; Pre 881 uses a push-pull class AB output, so you can hear the difference for yourself • Serial number system: every channel draws components within factory tolerances from a unique six-digit serial, giving a stereo pair that is never a clone • Modular desk building: mix modules across eras and circuits to recreate documented configurations such as the BCM10, 8014, 8048 and 8038, or design your own
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Overview
Six Neve-modelled devices for Live sessions
Console 80 is the result of years of studying actual circuits, separating the mythology from the measurable reality of what makes these desks sound the way they do. Six devices cover four distinct circuits from Neve consoles of the late 1960s and early 1970s, each modelled part by part from factory drawings so the transformers, transistors and coils of the original signal path are all present and accounted for.
Build the desk your session needs. Choose your channels, your equalisers, where the compressor sits and which tracks share a group. Every channel carries its own component tolerances drawn from a six-digit serial number, which means no two tracks process identically, and a stereo pair gains a little width and life without becoming a clone of itself.
- Six devices across four distinct circuits: Pre 873, EQ 873, Pre 881, EQ 881, Diode Comp 854 and Bus 872
- Pre 873 models the class A single-ended output of the Neve 1073 circuit, introducing even-order harmonic content and a more saturated character
- Pre 881 models the class AB push-pull output of the 1081 circuit, with a higher saturation edge and cleaner output alongside subtle crossover harmonics
- EQ 873 provides three bands and a low-cut filter, every frequency on a switch, modelled on the 1073 equaliser with a fixed 12 kHz shelf, six presence points from 350 Hz to 7.2 kHz and four bass shelves
- Diode Comp 854 models the 2254 compressor with its diode-bridge gain-reduction circuit, including per-channel differences in the gain-reduction curve driven by the serial number system
- Bus 872 models the 1272 line amplifier used to lift mixed channels back to level
- Serial number system draws every component, including transformers, output-stage bias, inductors, resistors, capacitors, rectifier diodes and timing capacitors, within factory tolerances for each channel, so no two instances sum identically
- Consecutive serial numbers produce a closely matched stereo pair suitable for mastering-level work; widely spaced numbers spread across the full tolerance range, widening the stereo field
- Modular desk-building approach lets you recreate documented configurations including the BCM10, 8014, 8048 and 8038, or combine modules across eras and circuits to build your own
- Max for Live Audio Effect .amxd device
- User manual (PDF)
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Console 80
Pre 881
Pre 881 models the push-pull class AB output stage of the 1081 circuit. The paired output transistors raise the saturation threshold for a cleaner sound at normal levels, though crossover distortion introduces higher-order harmonics at the extremes.
Console 80
EQ 881
EQ 881 models the equaliser section of the Neve 1081 circuit, with four bands and a low-cut filter. Frequency selections are switch-based, and every component draws from factory tolerances via the device serial number.
Console 80
Pre 873
Pre 873 models the class A preamp circuit from the Neve 1073. A single transistor handles both halves of the audio waveform, introducing even-order harmonic content and a more saturated character than the push-pull design used in Pre 881.
Console 80
EQ 873
EQ 873 models the equaliser section of the Neve 1073 circuit, split from the preamp as a separate device. It offers three bands and a low-cut filter, with every frequency position switch-selectable and curves broad enough to shape a whole region.
Console 80
Diode Comp 854
Diode Comp 854 models the Neve 2254 compressor, built around a diode bridge circuit. Component tolerances, including rectifier diodes and timing capacitors, are drawn from the device's serial number, so each instance has its own character.
Console 80
Bus 872
Bus 872 models the Neve 1272 line amplifier, used to bring group outputs back to level. It is the bus amplification module in the suite, built part by part from the original circuit drawings.
Important Information
INSTALLATION
Our Products are generally provided as Zip file downloads which in all cases will need to be extracted and saved to your hard drive prior to installation. Details on the different file type provided and what to do with them are below.
.alp Files – These are Ableton Live Packs and will either install directly into the Packs Section of the browser of Ableton Live or ask you to save them to your hard drive. For packs that install to the library, when you double click on them you will see a pop up window asking you to confirm that installation is ok as the files are described as “Legacy”. This is fine and you are ok to proceed, the packs are created using the format for an earlier version of Live and so remain compatible with the current version.
.amxd files – These are individual MaxforLive Devices and can be stored anywhere on your hard drive. We’d advise creating a folder for them and then adding that folder as a location within the Places section of Lives Browser.
LICENSE
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is Console 80?
Console 80 is a Max for Live audio device suite for Ableton Live comprising six devices modelled on Neve consoles of the late 1960s and early 1970s. The six devices are Pre 873, EQ 873, Pre 881, EQ 881, Diode Comp 854 and Bus 872, covering channel-strip preamps, equalisers, a diode-bridge compressor and a bus line amplifier.
What Neve circuits does Console 80 model?
Console 80 covers four distinct circuits. Pre 873 and EQ 873 are modelled on the 1073, using a class A single-ended output. Pre 881 and EQ 881 are modelled on the 1081, which was the first Neve channel module to use a class AB push-pull output. Diode Comp 854 is modelled on the 2254 compressor, and Bus 872 is modelled on the 1272 line amplifier.
What does the serial number system do?
Each device carries a six-digit serial number per channel. That number acts as a build sheet, drawing every component, including transformers, output-stage bias settings, inductors, resistors, capacitors, rectifier diodes and timing capacitors, within its factory tolerance. Consecutive numbers come from the same batch and produce a closely matched stereo pair. Numbers far apart draw from different batches, introducing wider differences in processing and a broader stereo stage.
What is the difference between the class A and class AB preamp models?
Pre 873 uses a class A single-ended design where one transistor handles both halves of the waveform. This treats the two halves unequally, introducing even-order harmonic content and a more saturated character. Pre 881 uses a class AB push-pull pair, one transistor for each half of the signal. The saturation threshold is higher and the output is generally cleaner, though the design is prone to some crossover distortion at the handover point.
Can I recreate specific historic desk configurations?
Yes. The manual documents four example configurations: the BCM10 (ten 1073 channels into two groups), the 8014 (sixteen 1073 channels into four groups with compressors on the groups), the 8048 (thirty-two 1081 channels into sixteen groups) and the 8038 (1081 channels with the compressor on the channel insert). You can set these up as shown or use them as a starting point and mix modules freely across eras and circuits.
What are the system requirements for Console 80?
Console 80 requires Ableton Live 11 or 12 Suite with Max for Live. It runs on both Mac and Windows.
Does it run on Push 3 Standalone?
Yes it does. The devices are native to Live, quite conservative on the CPU and provide same reliable output on Push 3 Standalone as on the desktop.
In Depth
What Console 80 Is
Console 80 is a suite of six Max for Live audio devices modelled on Neve channel strips of the late 1960s and early 1970s. It includes two preamps, two equalisers, a compressor, and a bus amplifier, each built from the circuit drawings of its source hardware: transistors, transformers, and coils modelled part by part. The aim is to let you build a desk of the period inside your Live session, to your own specification.
Where It Comes From
Rupert Neve’s company moved into a new factory near Cambridge in 1969, and that year produced its first all-silicon channel module. The recipe was a transformer input, class A amplifier boards running from a 24-volt rail, and a transformer output. From 1970 the 1073 arrived, becoming one of the most sought-after preamp and EQ designs in recording history. The 1081 followed, with four bands and, for the first time in the range, a class AB output stage. The 2254 compressor used a diode bridge design, and the 1272 line amplifier brought group outputs back to level. Console 80 models those specific circuits.
Building Your Desk
The hardware desks were modular and built to order: the number of channels, the choice of equaliser, the position of compressors, and the group configuration were all specified by the customer. Console 80 works the same way. Place the devices across your Live session the way a desk would be wired, because each device is one module in a frame. Four example configurations are documented in the manual, including a BCM10 with ten 1073 channels into two groups, an 8014 with sixteen channels and 2254 compressors on the groups, and a 32-channel 8048. None of these is a limit. Mix devices from different circuits, different eras, and your own instruments, and build the desk your session actually needs.
Class A and Class AB
Pre 873 models the class A preamp circuit. In a single-ended class A design, one transistor handles both halves of the audio waveform and treats them unequally, which introduces even-order harmonic content and produces a more saturated character. Pre 881 models the push-pull class AB output configuration. The push-pull pair raises the saturation threshold, aided by a step-up output transformer, and should produce a cleaner output at normal levels, though both Rupert Neve and the factory’s head of electrical drawing noted that the crossover transition leaves high-order harmonics at the extremes. Both devices are in the suite so you can hear the difference for yourself.
Serial Numbers and Component Tolerances
No two channels on a real desk ever measured quite the same, because every component sits somewhere inside its production tolerance. Console 80 models this directly. Every device carries a six-digit serial number that acts as its build sheet, drawing the transformers, inductors, resistors, capacitors, output stage bias, and, on the compressor, the rectifier diodes and timing capacitors, each within their factory tolerance range. Consecutive serial numbers come from the same production batch and make a matched pair. Numbers far apart draw from different batches and spread further across the tolerance window. The Set Stereo function gives you a random pair of consecutive numbers, suitable when you want some character difference while keeping mastering-level left-right matching. Fully random serials widen that difference, which broadens the stereo field and gives the track more space. The differences are deliberate and small: hundredths of a decibel between close neighbours, a couple of decibels between extremes. Enough that two instances never sum identically, and enough that a stereo pair has a little width and a little life.
The Devices
Pre 873 and EQ 873 are the two halves of the 1073 circuit, split for convenience and to keep CPU use manageable. The EQ uses three bands and a low-cut filter, every frequency on a switch, with curves broad enough that each position shapes a region rather than a surgical point. With every band switched off, EQ 873 still softens the top end slightly, as the original hardware does when its EQ section is engaged. Pre 881 and EQ 881 model the 1081 circuit, which brought four EQ bands and the class AB output stage. Diode Comp 854 models the 2254 compressor’s diode bridge topology, where the serial number system affects the gain reduction curve on each channel, meaning the left and right sides can start compressing at slightly different points and work with different characteristics at full scale. Bus 872 models the 1272 line amplifier, used on group outputs to bring levels back up after summing.
How to Use It
Load devices across individual tracks, groups, and the master bus the way a hardware desk would be wired. The serial number backplate, revealed by clicking the Monomono logo in the device corner, lets you set matched or deliberately mismatched pairs for any stereo processing stage. Think in tone with the EQ sections rather than precision surgery, because the curves are forgiving and broad. Use the low-cut filter to clear rumble before adding weight with the low shelf. On the compressor, let the serial numbers introduce small timing differences between left and right, because that small asymmetry is often enough to open up a mix that feels too controlled or too flat.
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