How It Was Recorded

Bruce Springsteen · Album, 1984

Born in the U.S.A.

This is an album-level record: the sources describe how the album as a whole was recorded, not one song. Where a detail belongs to a single song, the row says so.

Songs this record stands for: Born in the U.S.A., Cover Me, Glory Days, I'm Goin' Down, I'm on Fire. We found nothing specific to these songs, so this album record is the closest account we have.

Lead vocalBassDrum kitOrgan and pianoVerified3Reported9

What the sources do and do not say

One Sound On Sound Classic Tracks article (Richard Buskin, March 2010) on the Born In The USA sessions at the Power Station, read in full. It does not discuss 'Cover Me' specifically, so every row is album-level and nothing is tied to this track. Row statements come from Toby Scott in his own words or from Buskin's narrative; guitar amp miking and drum miking habits in the article were left out as general practice.

Lead vocal

Bruce Springsteen

Microphone

Neumann U 87

Verified

Scott says he began by recording Springsteen's vocal with it, before later trying other microphones.

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026

No plugin suggested. Microphone-modelling plugins only work with their own matched hardware microphone, so there is no plugin to link. Placement and the room matter more than the model.

Bass

Garry Tallent

Amplifier

Recorded direct (DI), no amplifier

Reported

Tallent's bass was also recorded direct, alongside a miked amp.

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026

No plugin suggested. Recorded direct, so there is no amp to model. Leave the amp simulator off.

Microphone

Electro-Voice RE20

Reported

Microphone on Tallent's bass amp.

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026

No plugin suggested. Microphone-modelling plugins only work with their own matched hardware microphone, so there is no plugin to link. Placement and the room matter more than the model.

Drum kit

Max Weinberg

Microphone

Neumann U 87

Reported

Room microphones that gave Weinberg's drums a bigger sound in the Power Station live room.

Position
On large boom stands at the far end of the room, pointing up towards the ceiling

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026

No plugin suggested. Microphone-modelling plugins only work with their own matched hardware microphone, so there is no plugin to link. Placement and the room matter more than the model.

Input chain

Allison Research Kepex

Verified

Gated the snare plate reverb return, triggered by the bottom snare mic, to shape the album's snare sound.

Settings
Keyed from the bottom snare mic; set to close in about a second

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026

Close match

Softube Valley People Dyna-mite

compressor

Models the Valley People Dyna-mite, a later gate, expander and limiter from the company that Allison Research became.

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

Unidentified Plate reverb (model not stated)

Verified

A faulty non-EMT plate fed only from the top snare mic, giving the long reverb behind the album's snare sound.

Settings
Decay-adjust motor broken, leaving the decay at about three to four seconds

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026

Close match

Universal Audio EMT 140 Classic Plate Reverberator

reverb

Models EMT 140 plates. The source does not name the plate used.

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

Also worth a look: Waves Abbey Road Reverb Plates (Models the EMT 140 plates at Abbey Road. The source does not name the plate used).

Organ and piano

Danny Federici and Roy Bittan

Instrument

Hammond B3

Reported

Organ played by Federici.

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026

Emulation of this unit

Arturia B-3 V

instrument

A model of the Hammond B-3 with a Leslie speaker. The C-3 is the same organ in a different cabinet.

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

Also worth a look: IK Multimedia Hammond B-3X (Made with Hammond as a model of the B-3).

Yamaha CS-80

Reported

Synthesizer played by Bittan, who also played the grand piano.

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026

Emulation of this unit

Arturia CS-80 V

instrument

Model of the Yamaha CS-80.

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

Unidentified Grand piano (model not stated)

Reported

Piano played by Bittan in his own booth.

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026

No plugin suggested. The source does not name the model, so no specific plugin can be suggested.

Amplifier

Leslie Leslie speaker (model not stated)

Reported

Rotary speaker cabinet that Federici's organ was played through.

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026

Covers this kind of unit

IK Multimedia AmpliTube 5

amp and cabinet simulator

An amp and cabinet simulator that covers a wide range of amplifiers and speaker cabinets of this kind. It is not a model of this unit, so pick the nearest one in it by ear.

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

Also worth a look: Native Instruments Guitar Rig 7 Pro (An amp and cabinet simulator that covers a wide range of amplifiers and speaker cabinets of this kind. It is not a model of this unit, so pick the nearest one in it by ear).

Microphone

Neumann U 87

Reported

Microphone on the top speaker of the Leslie.

Position
On the top speaker of the Leslie

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026

No plugin suggested. Microphone-modelling plugins only work with their own matched hardware microphone, so there is no plugin to link. Placement and the room matter more than the model.

Electro-Voice RE20

Reported

Microphone on the bottom speaker of the Leslie.

Position
On the bottom speaker of the Leslie

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026

No plugin suggested. Microphone-modelling plugins only work with their own matched hardware microphone, so there is no plugin to link. Placement and the room matter more than the model.

Sources

  1. Classic Tracks: Bruce Springsteen 'Born In The USA', Sound On Sound, 2010-03. Accessed 15 Nov 2026.
Verified

Stated by the engineer, producer or artist, or by the manufacturer.

Reported

Stated by a reputable secondary source.

Inferred

An educated suggestion, not a documented fact.

Disclosure: plugin links currently go straight to the maker and earn us nothing. If that changes, affiliate links will be marked here. Suggestions are chosen on fit, never on commission, and are kept separate from the recording facts. More.