Clearmountain 8068

Name: Clearmountain 8068
Price: 49.99 USD
Author: Apogee

by Apogee · Channel Strip · Neve 8068 console channel emulation

Not rated yet

Clearmountain 8068 recreates a channel of Bob Clearmountain's custom Neve 8068 console from New York's Power Station studio.

It covers the preamp, EQ and fader module, with Mic and Line modes and auto gain, for $49.99 (regular $149).

Best for: Vocals, Drums, Guitars, Acoustic Instruments, Mix Bus. Genres: Rock & Indie, Pop, R&B & Soul.

Keywords: drums, vocals, auto-gain, hardware emulation, strings, British console, aggressive, analog-sounding, broad-strokes, bus processing, clean, full mix, gritty, lo-fi, mix bus, mixing, musical, subscription, subtle, tight, warm.

What it does

Clearmountain 8068 models a full channel of the custom, modified Neve 8068 console that Bob Clearmountain used at the Power Station in New York, the desk behind records by Chic, Sister Sledge and Kool & the Gang. Apogee modeled the circuits and components, including the fader module, to capture the console's analog character.

3-band EQ: a musical console EQ suited to drums, vocals and strings, with broad curves by default.
High-Q mode: tightens the EQ bands when you need more precise boosts or cuts.
Line mode: the cleaner input path, adding subtle harmonic warmth and richness.
Mic mode: a hotter input path for bolder saturation and aggressive drive, all the way to lo-fi grit.
Auto gain: keeps the output level steady as you drive the Mic gain, so extra volume doesn't trick you into hearing an improvement.
Fader module: the harmonics and frequency response of the channel's fader stage are part of the model.

The current version is 1.20.0 (first released on Plugin Alliance in September 2026). Plugin Alliance sells it (on sale at the time of writing), includes it in its CORE and PRO subscriptions, and offers a 14-day trial.

Source: Apogee product page

When to use it

Clearmountain 8068 is one specific desk, set up the way a famous mixer had it, with only EQ, input drive and fader. That is narrower than Brainworx's bx_console N and UAD's Neve 88RS Channel Strip Collection, which give you a full console channel with dynamics and gating, and UAD's Neve 1073 Preamp & EQ Collection, which focuses on the classic preamp and EQ, and it offers far fewer processing options than rated strips like Waves Scheps Omni Channel or iZotope Neutron 5. Its auto gain makes it easy to push the Mic mode for color without fooling yourself with level jumps, and at the sale price it is one of the cheaper ways to get a Neve-style channel.

Best for: console color and broad EQ on vocals, drums, strings and acoustic tracks, and adding drive to single tracks.
Genres: rock, pop, R&B, funk and disco-era sounds.
Look elsewhere if: you want compression and gating on every channel (bx_console N or the Neve 88RS Channel Strip Collection), or a modern all-in-one strip with many modules (Scheps Omni Channel).

Where to buy

Plugin Alliance: $49.99

Tutorials and reviews

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