How It Was Recorded

Billy Ray Cyrus · Old Town Road, 2019

Old Town Road

Billy Ray Cyrus lead vocal (tracking)Billy Ray Cyrus verse vocal (mix)Lil Nas X vocal chain (as received)Master busVerified17Reported1

What the sources do and do not say

Source is Paul Tingen's Sound On Sound Secrets Of The Mix Engineers piece with vocal producer and mixer Andrew Bolooki, who recorded Billy Ray Cyrus at the Record Plant and mixed the Columbia version of the song. It covers vocals only: the instrumental was YoungKio's stereo stem, so there is no drum, bass or guitar chain. Page 1 (also read) gives the story and his own studio, but no tracking chain beyond what is on page 2. The H-Delay row is the journalist's description, so it is reported. A Mix Online press release about Billy Ray Cyrus's 2012 album Change My Mind was also read and is unrelated to this song. The album title and 2019 year are the single's release, not taken from a source.

Billy Ray Cyrus lead vocal (tracking)

Billy Ray Cyrus

Microphone

AKG C24

Verified

Vocal microphone at the Record Plant, used in place of the Telefunken 251 that the studio lacked; one side of the stereo capsule was used.

Source: Sound On Sound, 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.

Input chain

Neve 1073

Verified

Preamp and EQ for the vocal; Bolooki rode its output level by hand while recording and used its EQ to remove low rumble.

Settings
EQ engaged to cut rumble below 80Hz; output knob ridden manually at conservative levels

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026

Emulation of this unit

Universal Audio Neve 1073 Preamp & EQ Collection

preamp and EQ

Made with AMS Neve as a model of the 1073 preamp and equaliser.

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

Also worth a look: Waves Scheps 73 (Models the 1073's preamp and equaliser, made with Andrew Scheps).

Tube-Tech CL 1B

Verified

Compressor after the 1073 in the vocal tracking chain.

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026

Emulation of this unit

Softube Tube-Tech CL 1B Mk II

compressor

Made with Tube-Tech as a model of the CL 1B.

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

Billy Ray Cyrus verse vocal (mix)

Billy Ray Cyrus

Mix effects

Celemony Melodyne

Verified

First insert on the vocal tracks; Bolooki used it mainly to keep the timing of Cyrus's separately recorded doubled parts together.

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026

No plugin suggested. This is already software, so the stand-in is the thing itself. No product link has been added for it yet.

FabFilter Pro-Q 3

Verified

EQ insert on the verse lead vocal tracks and again on their group aux track.

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026

Close match

FabFilter Pro-Q 4

equaliser

Pro-Q 4 is the current version of the same equaliser.

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

FabFilter Pro-DS

Verified

De-esser in the insert chain of four of the five verse vocal tracks, placed before the compressor to fix problems before boosting.

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026

No plugin suggested. This is already software, so the stand-in is the thing itself. No product link has been added for it yet.

Waves CLA-76

Verified

Compressor in the insert chain of all five verse vocal tracks.

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026

The plugin used on the record

Waves CLA-76 Compressor / Limiter

compressor

The plugin named in the source.

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

Universal Audio UAD Distressor

Verified

Two instances on Cyrus's vocals: one on the main vocal aux and one set aggressively in parallel and blended back into that aux, to add punch and clarity.

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026

The plugin used on the record

Universal Audio Empirical Labs EL8 Distressor

compressor

The plugin named in the source.

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

Waves SSL Channel (E or G version not stated)

Verified

Channel strip copied from Lil Nas X's vocal chain onto some of Cyrus's vocal tracks for tonal continuity.

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026

Close match

Waves SSL E-Channel

channel strip

Kinelski names only the Waves SSL channel strip. Waves sells an E-Channel and a G-Channel; the source does not say which he used.

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

Also worth a look: Waves SSL G-Channel (The other Waves SSL channel strip. The source does not say which version was used).

Waves C6

Verified

Multiband compressor on almost every vocal bus, used to clean up mud by finding and cutting an annoying frequency via the side-chain bands.

Settings
"Pooch Vocal" preset

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026

No plugin suggested. This is already software, so the stand-in is the thing itself. No product link has been added for it yet.

Waves H-Delay

Reported

Insert on the quarter-note and eighth-note delay aux tracks fed by the verse vocal.

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026

No plugin suggested. This is already software, so the stand-in is the thing itself. No product link has been added for it yet.

Antares Auto-Tune

Verified

Used on some of Cyrus's chorus tracks very subtly, with slow automated retune speeds and automated bypasses; not used on his verse.

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026

No plugin suggested. This is already software, so the stand-in is the thing itself. No product link has been added for it yet.

Lil Nas X vocal chain (as received)

Lil Nas X

Mix effects

Antares Auto-Tune EFX

Verified

First plug-in listed in the insert chain on every Lil Nas X vocal track; Bolooki automated its bypass on certain notes so it would not warp them.

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026

No plugin suggested. This is already software, so the stand-in is the thing itself. No product link has been added for it yet.

Avid EQ3 7-Band

Verified

EQ in the insert chain on every Lil Nas X vocal track.

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026

No plugin suggested. This is already software, so the stand-in is the thing itself. No product link has been added for it yet.

Waves SSL Channel (E or G version not stated)

Verified

Channel strip in the insert chain on every Lil Nas X vocal track.

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026

Close match

Waves SSL E-Channel

channel strip

Kinelski names only the Waves SSL channel strip. Waves sells an E-Channel and a G-Channel; the source does not say which he used.

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

Also worth a look: Waves SSL G-Channel (The other Waves SSL channel strip. The source does not say which version was used).

Waves Renaissance DeEsser

Verified

De-esser in the insert chain on every Lil Nas X vocal track.

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026

No plugin suggested. This is already software, so the stand-in is the thing itself. No product link has been added for it yet.

Waves L2

Verified

Last plug-in listed in the insert chain on every Lil Nas X vocal track, hit hard for a saturation effect that Bolooki came to see as part of the vocal tone.

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026

No plugin suggested. This is already software, so the stand-in is the thing itself. No product link has been added for it yet.

Master bus

Mix effects

Waves L2

Verified

Only plug-in on the master bus, used for listening and sending out bounces.

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026

No plugin suggested. This is already software, so the stand-in is the thing itself. No product link has been added for it yet.

Sources

  1. Inside Track: Lil Nas X ft Billy Ray Cyrus 'Old Town Road', Sound On Sound, 2019-08. 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.

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