How It Was Recorded

Fleetwood Mac · Album, 1977

Rumours

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: Don't Stop, Dreams. We found nothing specific to these songs, so this album record is the closest account we have.

Lead and backing vocalsGuitarBassDrum kitKeyboardsConsole and tape machineVerified8Reported3

What the sources do and do not say

Source is Sound On Sound's Classic Tracks on 'Go Your Own Way', which includes a short section on how 'Dreams' was recorded (guide vocal, Rhodes, Sennheiser 441). Everything else is Caillat describing the Rumours sessions generally, so most rows are album-level. A Mix Classic Tracks article on 'Go Your Own Way' was also read but gives no 'Dreams' detail. Drum miking in the Mix article refers to 'Go Your Own Way' and was not used.

Lead and backing vocals

Stevie Nicks

Microphone

Sennheiser 441

VerifiedOne song

Microphone used for Stevie Nicks' guide vocal on 'Dreams', which became the keeper take; Caillat says it suited her voice.

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.

RCA 77 (variant not stated)

Verified

One of the unusual microphones Caillat says was sometimes used for vocals on the album sessions.

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.

Guitar

Lindsey Buckingham

Microphone

Shure SM57

Verified

Close microphone on Lindsey Buckingham's guitar amp on the album sessions, paired with a 451.

Position
About an inch from the speaker cloth

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. The SM57 is still made and inexpensive: the real thing is the practical route.

Mix effects

Unidentified Leslie speaker (model not stated)

Verified

Rotary speaker that electric guitar could be sent to from a send on the console, when wanted for an effect.

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).

Bass

John McVie

Input chain

Unidentified Fat Box DI

Reported

Direct box the bass went through on the album sessions; the bass was also recorded from the amp on a separate track.

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026

No plugin suggested. A DI box passes the signal on cleanly. Plug the instrument straight into your interface's instrument input.

Drum kit

Mick Fleetwood

Microphone

AKG C414

Reported

Snare microphone on the album sessions, used with a pad.

Settings
20 dB pad

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.

Sennheiser 441

Reported

Kick drum microphone on the album sessions.

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.

Keyboards

Stevie Nicks

Instrument

Unidentified Rhodes electric piano

VerifiedOne song

Stevie Nicks played 'Dreams' on it when she first presented the song to the band; it was kept mic'd up and ready.

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.

Console and tape machine

Input chain

API Console (model not stated)

Verified

Recording console in the Sausalito Record Plant room where the first sessions took place; Caillat opened up the sound by lowering faders and raising input gain.

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026

Close match

Universal Audio API Vision Channel Strip Collection

channel strip

Models the channel strip of API's Vision console, built from the same module family.

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

API 550a

Verified

Equalisers on the Sausalito console; Caillat boosted every EQ channel to get the sound working.

Settings
+12 on every EQ channel

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026

Emulation of this unit

Waves API 550

equaliser

Made with API as models of the 550A and 550B equalisers.

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

3M 24-track tape machine (model not stated)

Verified

Multitrack recorder in the Sausalito Record Plant room used for tracking the album.

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026

Approximate

Slate Digital Virtual Tape Machines

tape

Models two Studer machines, not this recorder. It gives the general behaviour of analogue multitrack tape.

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

Also worth a look: Universal Audio Studer A800 Tape Recorder (Models a Studer A800, not this recorder. It gives the general behaviour of analogue multitrack tape).

Sources

  1. Classic Tracks: Fleetwood Mac 'Go Your Own Way', Sound On Sound. 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.