How It Was Recorded

Talking Heads · Album, 1977

Talking Heads: 77

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: Psycho Killer. We found nothing specific to this song, so this album record is the closest account we have.

GuitarBassDrumsStudio and mixVerified4Reported7

What the sources do and do not say

Single Mix Classic Tracks article built around engineer Ed Stasium's recollections. Most of the miking is album-level and hedged; only the drum re-amping at the mix, the guitars and the bass are tied to this song. Vocals are not covered and no settings or positions are stated.

Guitar

David Byrne

Instrument

Gibson Guitar (model not stated)

Verified

Engineer says Byrne was mostly playing a Gibson guitar at the time of the sessions.

Source: Mix, accessed 15 Nov 2026

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

Microphone

Neumann U 87

Reported

Engineer thinks the guitar amp was probably miked with a 57 and an 87 together, in various positions.

Source: Mix, 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.

Bass

Tina Weymouth

Instrument

Fender Mustang Bass

VerifiedOne song

Engineer is certain Weymouth played her Mustang bass.

Source: Mix, accessed 15 Nov 2026

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

Drums

Chris Frantz

Microphone

Sennheiser MD 421

Reported

Engineer believes 421s were used on the toms.

Source: Mix, 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. The MD 421 is still made.

Sennheiser MD 421

Reported

Engineer believes a 421 was used on the kick drum.

Source: Mix, 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. The MD 421 is still made.

Unidentified 451 microphone (maker not stated)

Reported

Engineer believes a 451 was used on the hi-hat.

Source: Mix, 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.

Neumann U 87

Reported

Engineer believes 87s were used as drum overheads, with no room mics because the room was too small.

Source: Mix, 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

Crown DC-300 power amplifier

ReportedOne song

Engineer recalls, for this song's mix, sending the drums out through power amplifiers into the large room at Media Sound, re-miking them and bringing them back into the mix; he is not certain of the amplifier model.

Source: Mix, accessed 15 Nov 2026

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: 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).

Studio and mix

Input chain

Roger Mayer Custom console

Verified

Engineer says the Sundragon control room had a custom-made console, with built-in compressors and about 20 inputs at most, used for the sessions.

Source: Mix, accessed 15 Nov 2026

No plugin suggested. A one-off or custom-built desk. No plugin models it.

Studer A80 16-track tape machine

Verified

Engineer says the Sundragon studio had a Studer A-80 16-track machine, on which the album was cut rather than the later 24-track.

Source: Mix, accessed 15 Nov 2026

Emulation of this unit

Slate Digital Virtual Tape Machines

tape

Models a Studer A827 multitrack and an A80 mastering machine.

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

Also worth a look: Universal Audio Studer A800 Tape Recorder (Models the related Studer A800).

Mix effects

Neve 8078

Reported

The article states the album was mixed at Media Sound in Studio A on this console.

Source: Mix, 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.

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

Sources

  1. Classic Tracks: Talking Heads' "Psycho Killer", Mix, 2025-10-31. 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.