John Cougar Mellencamp · Album, 1987
The Lonesome Jubilee
12 sourced items across 4 sectionsVerified1Reported9Inferred2
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: Cherry Bomb. We found nothing specific to this song, so this album record is the closest account we have.
What the sources do and do not say
Mix Classic Tracks piece with engineer David Leonard on the album sessions at Belmont Mall Studios. Most gear statements describe the album's sessions or Leonard's habits, not Cherry Bomb specifically, and many are hedged recollections. Unit-level settings and positions are not given.
Lead vocal
3 items
John Cougar Mellencamp
Microphone
The real chain
Neumann U 67
Reported
Mellencamp's lead vocal microphone.
Source: Mix, accessed 15 Nov 2026
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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
Tube-Tech Mic preamp (model not stated)
InferredUsual practice
Preamp between the U67 and the compressor in Mellencamp's usual vocal chain, per Leonard.
A suggestion, not a documented fact: Described as his habitual vocal chain, not tied to this song.
Source: Mix, accessed 15 Nov 2026
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Covers this kind of unit
Universal Audio UA 610 Tube Preamp & EQ Collection
preamp and EQ
A valve microphone preamp with transformers in and out, the same kind of circuit Tube-Tech builds. It comes from a different maker and is not a model of the unit on the record, which the source does not name.
The real chain
Teletronix LA-2A
InferredUsual practice
Compressor at the end of Mellencamp's usual vocal chain, after the mic preamp.
A suggestion, not a documented fact: Described as his habitual vocal chain, not tied to this song.
Source: Mix, accessed 15 Nov 2026
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Emulation of this unit
Universal Audio Teletronix LA-2A Leveler Collection
compressor
Universal Audio owns the Teletronix name; this is its own model of the LA-2A.
Also worth a look 1
- Waves CLA-2A Compressor / Limiter (Models an LA-2A from Chris Lord-Alge's collection. Cheaper and runs without UA hardware)
Guitars
2 items
Microphone
The real chain
Shure SM57
Reported
Leonard says they probably used these on the guitars.
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 SM57 is still made and inexpensive: the real thing is the practical route.
Input chain
The real chain
Neve Mic preamps (model not stated)
Reported
Preamps the guitar mics went through, possibly alongside the Trident console's preamps.
Source: Mix, accessed 15 Nov 2026
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Covers this kind of unit
Universal Audio Neve 1073 Preamp & EQ Collection
preamp and EQ
Models the 1073, Neve's best-known transformer-coupled preamp. 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.
Also worth a look 1
- Waves Scheps 73 (Models the 1073, Neve's best-known transformer-coupled preamp. 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)
Drum kit
4 items
Kenny Aronoff
Microphone
The real chain
Shure SM57
Reported
Leonard recalls it on the snare, possibly instead of or combined with an AKG 451.
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 SM57 is still made and inexpensive: the real thing is the practical route.
The real chain
Electro-Voice RE20
Reported
Bass drum microphone, as Leonard recalls it.
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
Sennheiser MD 421
Reported
Tom microphones, as Leonard recalls it.
Source: Mix, accessed 15 Nov 2026
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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 67
Reported
Overhead microphones, as Leonard recalls it.
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.
Fiddle, accordion and tracking console
3 items
Microphone
The real chain
Neumann U 47
Reported
Leonard thinks it was probably used on Germano's fiddle, or the C-12.
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 C 12
Reported
Leonard says it was most likely on Cascella's accordion if the fiddle had the 47. (recalled with uncertainty)
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
Trident 80B
Verified
Console whose mic preamps handled most of the tracking, with the monitor panel handling tape playback.
Source: Mix, accessed 15 Nov 2026
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Emulation of this unit
Trident Audio Developments 80B EQ (Trident Digital Edition)
equaliser
Trident's own model of the Series 80B channel equaliser; it covers the EQ only, not the microphone preamp.
Sources
- Classic Tracks: John Cougar Mellencamp's "Cherry Bomb", Mix, 2023-09-26. 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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