Rupert Neve, Grammy-Winning Architect of Modern Recorded Music, Dies at 94 Rupert Neve, Grammy-Winning Architect of Modern Recorded Music, Dies at 94 His revolutionary consoles and circuits powered seminal albums by Fleetwood Mac, Tom Petty and The Who, among others. Ellise Shafer, provided by FacebookTwitterEmail Rupert Neve, a pioneering designer of audio recording equipment that revolutionized the industry, has died, according to a statement on his company’s website. He was 94. As reported on his website, Neve died on Feb. 12 in Wimberley, Texas from “non-COVID pneumonia and heart failure.” Often credited as “the man who made the recording console,” Neve is best known for designing and producing microphone preamplifiers, equalizers, compressors and mixing consoles that are sought after in the industry. His designs are staples everywhere from large production facilities to home studios, and have even been reproduced as computer plug-ins to become more accessible for all music lovers and creators.