Who: Rupert Neve
Why He’s “Important”: Console Designer, Lifetime Achievement Grammy Award Winner
Biggest misconception: “That I’m dead or retired. I’m not retiring. I’m still working and designing as a consultant. I design innovative stuff and other people do the donkey work — the production. I’m in the wonderful position of being paid for my hobby.”
On the Digital Age: “Analog quality is still far in excess of what digital technology can attain. Although I believe my company will soon be able to show the standards thought to be the ceiling of digital quality aren’t so at all, the limitations of the present digital system actually produce fatigue when you listen. CDs aren’t just not producing the resolution of an LP, but they’re also producing other artifacts beyond the normal limits of hearing that the brain can sense. It creates a disturbance that brings on anger, frustration, and tension. That’s not what you want when listening to music.”
On Austin: “I’ve lived here six years but I used to live near Cambridge in England and there’s great parallels even if the weather here is much better. We’ve got a lovely river flowing through, academics, and industry. I feel very much at home.”
The Next Big Thing: Neve is a partner in Villa Muse, a recently announced $40 million production facility for music and film in Southeast Austin on 655 acres. Also, he’ll design a new round of pickups and amplifiers for Taylor Guitars. 
This article appears in March 16 • 2001.