How It Was Recorded

OneRepublic · Album, 2006

Dreaming Out Loud

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: Apologize, Stop and Stare. We found nothing specific to these songs, so this album record is the closest account we have.

Lead vocalTracking and mix signal pathVerified5

What the sources do and do not say

The only article read is Paul Tingen's Inside Track on 'Stop & Stare' (SOS, June 2008), so most rows are album-level statements by mixer Joe Zook; the single song-specific row is the Neve 1272 preamps used for 'Apologize'. The article does not describe the vocal, drum or guitar chain of 'Apologize' itself; its detailed chains are for 'Stop & Stare'.

Lead vocal

Ryan Tedder

Mix effects

MicMix Master Spring Room Reverb

Verified

Provided the large, dark reverb on the lead vocal; Zook says he used it a lot across the album.

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026

Close match

AudioScape Engineering XL-305R Equally Tempered Stereo Reverb Plugin

reverb

A model of AudioScape's XL-305R, the modern remake of the MicMix Master-Room XL-305 made with its original designer; the record does not say which Master-Room model was used.

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Tracking and mix signal path

Input chain

Avid Pro Tools

Verified

Recording system for the album sessions at Greg Wells' Rocket Carousel studio.

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026

The plugin used on the record

Avid Pro Tools

DAW

The DAW used on the record.

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Neve 5114

Verified

Studio desk that recording to Pro Tools was often routed through during the album sessions.

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026

Approximate

Waves NLS Non-Linear Summer

console emulation

A console-summing plugin that includes one Neve desk. It gives a Neve flavour, not this console's channels.

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Mix effects

API 2520

Verified

Op-amps (with UTC transformers) in the preamps that amplified the summed mix at his 4014 Mixing studio for most of the album.

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026

Close match

Universal Audio API Vision Channel Strip Collection

channel strip

Models API's console channel, whose preamp is built around the 2520 op-amp, so this is the sound the component is known for; the op-amp itself is a part, not a unit a plugin can model alone.

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Neve 1272

VerifiedOne song

Preamps used in his mix summing system on this song (and 'Say') in place of the usual ones, for a slightly less gritty sound.

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026

Close match

Universal Audio Neve 1073 Preamp & EQ Collection

preamp and EQ

The 1272 uses the same amplifier stages as the 1073 but has no equaliser. This models the 1073.

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

Also worth a look: Waves Scheps 73 (The 1272 uses the same amplifier stages as the 1073 but has no equaliser. This models the 1073).

Sources

  1. Inside Track: OneRepublic 'Stop & Stare', Sound On Sound, 2008-06. 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.