João Roquette opens new studio in Lisbon

After a long installation and fine-tuning work, the private studio of the producer and composer is now fully functional with a 5088 table by Rupert Neve as the heart of the installation.

The new studio of the prestigious Portuguese producer and composer João Roquette is installed on the third and last floor of a historic building in the emblematic Barrio Alto of the Portuguese capital. The producer (who has an enviable collection of vintage instruments, which includes a Hammond organ, a Honner Clavinet and a Fender Rhodes, as well as several guitars and amplifiers from the 1960s), after having tried various consoles available on the market, has finally opted for the 5088 from Rupert's Name (brand distributed in the Peninsula by Reflexion Arts), because in his experience, the old Neve series 80 had always given him the best results.

"After having tried the preamp, EQ and compression modules of the Portico series, I realized that the similarity with the vintage ones was enormous, although results could be obtained with greater transparency with the current ones. But when I heard the new 5051, with EQ based on the original designs (inductors), input and output transformers and the integrated compressor, I was certain that the 5088 was the table I would want for my studio," highlighted the producer.

The console, which had arrived in Lisbon during the summer of last year, now has 6 5051 modules (EQ and compressor), 6 5032 modules (mic preamp and EQ) and a 5042 (tape distortion simulator) installed.

After the first practical results, Roquette maintains that "the 5088 has 'The Sound'. It is warm without being 'vintage'... it is transparent without being modern! It sounds 3D but solid. Perfect. The modules are wonderful both for their sound and functions."

Last September, Roquette wanted to put the icing on the cake, complementing its external auxiliary equipment rack with the Portico II Master Bus Processor from Rupert Neve. He defined it like this: "I just got the RND Master Bus Processor, another 'Swiss military knife', with excellent sound that integrates perfectly with the 5088."