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How It Was Recorded

Green Day · Album, 2009

21st Century Breakdown

29 sourced items across 6 sectionsVerified7Reported17Inferred5

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: 21 Guns, 21st Century Breakdown, East Jesus Nowhere, Know Your Enemy, Last of the American Girls. 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

Album record: 21 Guns is not named in either source. Source 1 is Blair Jackson's Mix feature with engineer Chris Dugan and producer Butch Vig on the sessions at Ocean Way; source 2 is a Telefunken press piece quoting Dugan on the vocal mics. The drum and guitar rows are mostly Jackson's narrative (reported); Dugan calls the M80 snare mic his regular scheme, so it is general-practice. The Pro Sound News Know Your Enemy page gives a similar vocal chain but is a different song and was not used for rows.

Lead vocal

3 items

Billie Joe Armstrong

Microphone

  • The real chain

    Telefunken U47

    Verified

    Lead vocal microphone chosen after a shoot-out, used for all of Armstrong's vocals on the album.

    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.

Input chain

Backing vocals

3 items

Mike Dirnt

Microphone

Input chain

Guitars

8 items

Billie Joe Armstrong

Instrument

  • The real chain

    Gibson Les Paul Junior

    Reported

    One of the guitars that did most of the work on the many layered guitar tracks.

    Source: Mix, accessed 15 Nov 2026

    Get the sound · our suggestion

    No plugin suggested. A guitar is the source of the sound, not a process applied to it. No plugin stands in for it.

  • The real chain

    Fender Telecaster

    Reported

    A Telecaster, said to have once belonged to Keith Richards, shared the bulk of the guitar layering. (recalled with uncertainty)

    Source: Mix, accessed 15 Nov 2026

    Get the sound · our suggestion

    No plugin suggested. A guitar is the source of the sound, not a process applied to it. No plugin stands in for it.

Amplifier

  • The real chain

    Park Park amp (model not stated)

    Verified

    Amp for the Les Paul Junior nicknamed Floyd on the left and right overdubbed guitar passes.

    Source: Mix, accessed 15 Nov 2026

    Get the sound · our suggestion

    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 1
    • 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)

  • The real chain

    Marshall Marshall amp (model not stated)

    Verified

    Used for a pair of guitar tracks when the band wanted to push the overdrive.

    Source: Mix, accessed 15 Nov 2026

    Get the sound · our suggestion

    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 1
    • 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

  • The real chain

    Royer R-121

    Reported

    The first cabinet's mic chain might have included this ribbon mic, alongside a 57.

    Position
    on one of two 4x12 cabinets, two mics per cabinet

    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.

Input chain

  • The real chain

    Chandler Germanium preamp

    Reported

    Preamps and EQs that the first cabinet's mic chain might have gone through.

    Source: Mix, accessed 15 Nov 2026

    Get the sound · our suggestion

    Covers this kind of unit

    Universal Audio Neve 1073 Preamp & EQ Collection

    preamp and EQ

    A discrete-transistor console preamp of the early Neve type that Chandler used as its reference point, so it thickens a signal in a related way; it is not a model of this unit and has no germanium stage.

    Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

  • The real chain

    Neve 1073

    Reported

    Preamps for the second cabinet's two mics.

    Source: Mix, accessed 15 Nov 2026

    Get the sound · our suggestion

    Emulation of this unit

    Universal Audio Neve 1073 Preamp & EQ Collection

    preamp and EQ

    Made with AMS Neve as a model of the 1073 preamp and equaliser.

    Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for
    Also worth a look 1
    • Waves Scheps 73 (Models the 1073's preamp and equaliser, made with Andrew Scheps)

  • The real chain

    Altec 1567A

    Reported

    Tube mixer that summed the processed cabinet mics down to one track.

    Source: Mix, accessed 15 Nov 2026

    Get the sound · our suggestion

    Emulation of this unit

    Soundtoys Radiator

    saturation

    Models the Altec 1567A mixer amplifier.

    Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

Bass

6 items

Mike Dirnt

Microphone

  • The real chain

    Sennheiser MD 421

    Reported

    One of two mics on the bass cabinet, run through the Vintech preamp and a Distressor.

    Position
    on his bass cabinet

    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 MD 421 is still made.

  • The real chain

    Neumann U 47 fet

    Reported

    Second bass cabinet mic, run through a Neve 1073 and a Distressor.

    Position
    on his bass cabinet

    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.

Input chain

Drums

8 items

Tre Cool

Microphone

  • The real chain

    Telefunken M80

    InferredUsual practice

    Usual practice, not stated for this record: Used on the snare because it rejects hi-hat spill from Cool's hard-hitting playing; he calls it his secret weapon.

    A suggestion, not a documented fact: Chris Dugan describes this as usual practice; it is not stated for this record.

    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

    Telefunken ELA M 251

    InferredUsual practice

    Usual practice, not stated for this record: Overhead mics on the kit.

    A suggestion, not a documented fact: The source describes this as usual practice; it is not stated for this record.

    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

    AKG C12A

    InferredUsual practice

    Usual practice, not stated for this record: Tom mics, on top, summed with 414s underneath.

    Position
    on top of the toms

    A suggestion, not a documented fact: The source describes this as usual practice; it is not stated for this record.

    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

    Shure B52

    InferredUsual practice

    Usual practice, not stated for this record: Kick drum mic, used with a 47 FET.

    A suggestion, not a documented fact: The source describes this as usual practice; it is not stated for this record.

    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 47 fet

    InferredUsual practice

    Usual practice, not stated for this record: Kick drum mic, used with a Shure B52.

    A suggestion, not a documented fact: The source describes this as usual practice; it is not stated for this record.

    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 M50

    Verified

    Main stereo room mics at Ocean Way.

    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

    Royer SF-24

    Verified

    Stereo ribbon room mic that replaced a pair of U67s and got used quite a bit.

    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

    RCA 77-DX

    Verified

    Old RCA 77s added as room mics, placed high up.

    Position
    way up in the air

    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.

Strings

1 item

Microphone

  • The real chain

    Neumann M50

    Reported

    Three distant M50 room mics gave the string sound preferred over the close mics, recorded in Studio A.

    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.

Sources

  1. Green Day Tours and Records with TELEFUNKEN Microphones, Mix, 2009-09. Accessed 15 Nov 2026.
  2. Music: Green Day, Mix, 2009-07. Accessed 15 Nov 2026.

What the ratings mean

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.