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How It Was Recorded

The Ronettes · Album, 1963

Presenting the Fabulous Ronettes

9 sourced items across 6 sectionsReported1Inferred8

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: Baby, I Love You, Be My Baby. 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

Sound On Sound Classic Tracks, with Larry Levine interviewed. Only the lead vocal U47 is tied to this song; the rest describes Levine's usual Gold Star methods for Spector sessions, so it is marked general-practice. Levine says the drummers and other players varied from session to session.

Lead vocal

1 item

Ronnie Bennett

Microphone

  • The real chain

    Neumann U 47

    ReportedOne song

    Microphone Ronnie Bennett sang the lead vocal into, standing behind a music stand, at the Gold Star sessions for this song.

    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.

Acoustic guitars

1 item

Microphone

  • The real chain

    Electro-Voice RE15

    InferredUsual practice

    Usual practice, not stated for this record: Microphones mostly used on the acoustic guitars in the middle of the room. (recalled with uncertainty)

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

    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.

Bass guitars

1 item

Microphone

  • The real chain

    Shure SM57

    InferredUsual practice

    Close microphones on the bass guitar amplifiers, often used in the usual Spector session layout. (recalled with uncertainty)

    Position
    Close-miked on each amp

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

    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 SM57 is still made and inexpensive: the real thing is the practical route.

Drum kit

2 items

Hal Blaine

Microphone

  • The real chain

    Neumann U 67

    InferredUsual practice

    Usual practice, not stated for this record: Overhead microphones on the drums, used sparingly to get just enough presence given the leakage in the small room.

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

    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

    RCA 77-DX

    InferredUsual practice

    Usual practice, not stated for this record: Kick drum microphones, used sparingly to get just enough presence.

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

    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.

Pianos and electric piano

1 item

Microphone

  • The real chain

    Electro-Voice RE15

    InferredUsual practice

    Usual microphones on the grand piano, upright piano and electric piano.

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

    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, tape and console

3 items

Microphone

  • The real chain

    RCA 44

    InferredUsual practice

    Usual practice, not stated for this record: Microphones on the two trumpets and two trombones of the horn section.

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

    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.

Input chain

  • The real chain

    Ampex 350 three-track tape recorder

    InferredUsual practice

    Usual practice, not stated for this record: Three-track machine that the live mono backing track was recorded onto.

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

    Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026

    Get the sound · our suggestion

    Approximate

    Slate Digital Virtual Tape Machines

    tape

    Models two Studer machines, not this recorder. It gives the general behaviour of analogue multitrack tape.

    Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for
    Also worth a look 1

  • The real chain

    United Western Recorders Custom 12-input console

    InferredUsual practice

    Usual practice, not stated for this record: Custom console built by Bill Putnam with 12 inputs, used to record the backing tracks at Gold Star.

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

    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

  1. Classic Tracks: The Ronettes 'Be My Baby', Sound On Sound, 2007-04. 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.

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