How It Was Recorded

George Michael · Album, 1987

Faith

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: Faith, Father Figure, I Want Your Sex, Kissing a Fool, Monkey, One More Try. We found nothing specific to these songs, so this album record is the closest account we have.

Lead vocalRhythm and solo guitarBassDrum programmingKeyboards and samplesConsole used for recallsVerified12Reported2

What the sources do and do not say

One Sound On Sound Classic Tracks piece (Chris Porter, engineer) covering the Faith album sessions at Puk and Sarm West, with a few statements about the title track specifically. Most rows are album-level, so this is an album record; song-specific rows are marked. Porter hedges the KM84 ('probably'). No amplifier for Hugh Burns, and no drum kit or mixer settings for the title track, are stated.

Lead vocal

George Michael

Microphone

Neumann M49

Verified

The vocal microphone George Michael used on the album at Puk, which Porter describes as having a controlled but very open top end.

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.

Mix effects

Lexicon 224

Verified

Gave the extended high-frequency pings heard on the more reverberant vocals.

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026

Emulation of this unit

Universal Audio Lexicon 224 Digital Reverb

reverb

Made with Lexicon as a model of the 224.

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AMS RMX16

Verified

Vocal reverb, one of the few effects Porter used on George's vocals.

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026

Emulation of this unit

Universal Audio AMS RMX16 Expanded Digital Reverb

reverb

A model of the AMS RMX16 itself, built from the original algorithms with the extra programmes that could be loaded into the hardware.

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AMS DMX 1580

Verified

Delay line used among the vocal effects.

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026

Emulation of this unit

Universal Audio AMS DMX Digital Delay & Pitch Shifter

delay

A model of the AMS DMX 15-80 S itself, covering its two delay channels and its pitch shifting.

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AMS Delay (model not stated)

Verified

Two short delays, one either side of centre, formed the characteristic vocal sound heard through 'Faith' and beyond.

Settings
30 ms delay panned slightly left of centre; 45 ms delay slightly right of centre; sometimes pitch variation on each side, generally not

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026

Covers this kind of unit

Universal Audio AMS DMX Digital Delay & Pitch Shifter

delay

Models the AMS DMX 15-80 S, the firm's best-known digital delay. The source does not name the model, so this stands for the maker's family of units: it is not a model of the one on the record.

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Rhythm and solo guitar

Hugh Burns

Microphone

Neumann KM 84

ReportedOne song

Porter believes this recorded Hugh Burns' Bo Diddley-style acoustic rhythm part, which was double-tracked.

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.

Mix effects

Unidentified Quarter-inch tape delay (model not stated)

VerifiedOne song

Tape delay feeding a plate gave the 1950s-style sound for Hugh Burns' guitar solo.

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026

Covers this kind of unit

Soundtoys EchoBoy

delay

Includes tape-echo and studio tape-machine delay styles, the same method as the delay on the record. The machine is not identified, so it is not a model of the unit used.

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Unidentified Plate reverb (model not stated)

VerifiedOne song

Plate reverb fed from the tape delay on the guitar solo.

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).

Bass

Deon Estus

Instrument

Roland Juno-106

Verified

Used for bass and strings sounds on the album.

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026

Emulation of this unit

Roland Roland Cloud

instrument

Roland's own subscription, which includes its software Juno-106.

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

Also worth a look: TAL Software TAL-U-NO-LX (Models the Juno-60, the Juno-106's close predecessor); Arturia Jun-6 V (Models the Juno-6, an earlier member of the same family).

Amplifier

Recorded direct (DI), no amplifier

VerifiedOne song

Deon Estus' bass part for 'Faith' was recorded direct.

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.

Drum programming

George Michael

Instrument

Linn LinnDrum

Verified

Rhythmic starting point for every song on the album, in place of a live drummer.

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026

Emulation of this unit

Aly James Lab VProm

drum instrument

An emulation of Linn's LM-1 and LinnDrum, built around their sound chips.

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Keyboards and samples

George Michael

Instrument

Yamaha DX7

VerifiedOne song

Its cathedral organ preset produced the pipe-organ-style intro of 'Faith'.

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026

Emulation of this unit

Arturia DX7 V

instrument

An emulation of the Yamaha DX7.

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

Also worth a look: Digital Suburban Dexed (A free, open-source DX7 emulation that loads original DX7 patches).

Greengate DS3

Verified

Early 8-bit sampler with its own sequencer, used for percussion samples across the album.

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026

Covers this kind of unit

TAL Software TAL-Sampler

instrument

A sampler plugin with vintage-style low-resolution converters like those of early samplers; it is not a model of this unit, and you load your own samples.

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Console used for recalls

Input chain

SSL 4048 E

Reported

Console at Sarm West Studio 2 that let Porter recall every sonic component when sessions resumed there.

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026

Close match

Solid State Logic SSL Native Channel Strip 2

channel strip

SSL's own channel-strip plugin. It is not a model of this particular desk.

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

Also worth a look: Waves SSL E-Channel (Models the 4000 E channel strip; the source does not make this the same desk).

Sources

  1. Classic Tracks: George Michael 'Faith', Sound On Sound, 2013-03. 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.

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