Stevie Wonder · Album, 1977
Songs in the Key of Life
5 sourced items across 4 sectionsVerified5
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: I Wish, Isn't She Lovely, Sir Duke. 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
The only source is Richard Buskin's Sound On Sound Classic Tracks piece on Pastime Paradise, which covers the album's sessions at Crystal Sound. Sir Duke itself gets one sentence (the horn microphones); everything else is album-level or about other songs. Rows about Pastime Paradise only (Sony C500 vocal, AKG 414s, Yamaha GX1) were left out because they are not stated for Sir Duke.
Lead vocal (album sessions)
2 items
Stevie Wonder
Microphone
The real chain
Neumann U 87
Verified
Used on some songs of the album as the microphone for Stevie Wonder's lead vocal.
Source: Sound On Sound, 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
Electro-Voice RE20
Verified
Often a good choice for Stevie Wonder's vocals on songs across the album.
Source: Sound On Sound, 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.
Horns
1 item
Microphone
The real chain
Group 128 419Z
VerifiedOne song
Placed behind the horns, in addition to conventional microphones in front of them, which produced the unusual horn sound on Sir Duke.
- Position
- Behind the horns, as stated; the conventional microphones were in front.
Source: Sound On Sound, 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.
Harmonica
1 item
Stevie Wonder
Microphone
The real chain
Telefunken 47
Verified
Used to record Stevie Wonder's harmonica during the album sessions, after he tried it on vocals and did not much like it.
Source: Sound On Sound, 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.
Studio console (Crystal Sound)
1 item
Input chain
The real chain
Custom Crystal Sound custom 32-input console
Verified
The studio's home-made 32-input desk, built by Fischbach's partner, which included a tone-control circuit for pushing sounds back in the mix and its own monitor section.
Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026
Get the sound · our suggestion
No plugin suggested. A one-off or custom-built desk. No plugin models it.
Sources
- Classic Tracks: Stevie Wonder 'Pastime Paradise', Sound On Sound, 2007-12. 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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