Charlie Rich · Album, 1973
Behind Closed Doors
10 sourced items across 6 sectionsVerified1Reported9
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: Behind Closed Doors, The Most Beautiful Girl. We found nothing specific to these songs, so this album record is the closest account we have.
What the sources do and do not say
Mix Classic Tracks piece with engineer Lou Bradley on the Behind Closed Doors sessions. The mic list is the journalist's account of his standard setup for the sessions, so it is recorded as album-level and reported; only the U49 vocal mic is in Bradley's own words. The Sound On Sound piece on 'The Most Beautiful Girl In The World' was also read; it gives an M49 for Rich's vocal, which conflicts with the U49 here, so it was not used for rows.
Lead vocal
1 item
Charlie Rich
Microphone
The real chain
Neumann U49
Verified
Engineer's choice for Rich's lead vocal, picked over the U67 or U87 because its gentler top end suited his lip and mouth noises.
Source: Mix, accessed 15 Nov 2026
Get the sound · our suggestion
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.
Acoustic and electric guitars
2 items
Microphone
The real chain
Neumann KM 84
Reported
One mic on each acoustic guitar.
Source: Mix, accessed 15 Nov 2026
Get the sound · our suggestion
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.
The real chain
Neumann U 67
Reported
Microphone used on the electric guitar.
Source: Mix, accessed 15 Nov 2026
Get the sound · our suggestion
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.
Electric bass
1 item
Henry Strzelecki
Amplifier
The real chain
Recorded direct (DI), no amplifier
Reported
Electric bass was taken through two DI feeds, one from the bass and one from its amp, which were blended.
Source: Mix, accessed 15 Nov 2026
Get the sound · our suggestion
No plugin suggested. Recorded direct, so there is no amp to model. Leave the amp simulator off.
Drum kit
3 items
Jerry Carrigan
Microphone
The real chain
Neumann KM 84
Reported
Close mics on snare and hi-hat, and also on the toms.
Source: Mix, accessed 15 Nov 2026
Get the sound · our suggestion
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.
Get the sound · our suggestion
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.
Get the sound · our suggestion
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.
Piano
1 item
Hargus "Pig" Robbins
Microphone
Get the sound · our suggestion
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.
Recording chain
2 items
Input chain
The real chain
Ampex MM-1000
Reported
16-track tape machine the sessions were recorded to.
Source: Mix, accessed 15 Nov 2026
Get the sound · our suggestion
Approximate
Slate Digital Virtual Tape Machines
tape
Models two Studer machines, not this recorder. It gives the general behaviour of analogue multitrack tape.
Also worth a look 1
- Universal Audio Studer A800 Tape Recorder (Models a Studer A800, not this recorder. It gives the general behaviour of analogue multitrack tape)
The real chain
Columbia Console (model not stated)
Reported
Custom Columbia console the recording went through.
Source: Mix, accessed 15 Nov 2026
Get the sound · our suggestion
No plugin suggested. The source does not name the model, so no specific plugin can be suggested.
Sources
- Classic Tracks: Charlie Rich "Behind Closed Doors", Mix, 2011-09. Accessed 15 Nov 2026.
What the ratings mean
Stated by the engineer, producer or artist, or by the manufacturer.
Stated by a reputable secondary source.
An educated suggestion, not a documented fact.
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