How It Was Recorded

Elvis Presley · Elvis: Burning Love and Hits From His Movies, Volume 2, 1972

Burning Love

Lead vocalGuitar ampsBasic trackingReported3Inferred3

What the sources do and do not say

One Mix Classic Tracks article (Barbara Schultz, originally April 2013) with engineer Rick Ruggieri. It names little gear specific to the song: the Ampex 16-track and RCA console are for the Studio C sessions; the vocal and guitar-mic rows are Ruggieri's general habits and are marked general-practice. LA-2A and EMT 140 are hedged recollections. Overdubs were done in Nashville by Al Pachucki with no gear named. The batch gave no album, so the first album release (a budget compilation) is used.

Lead vocal

Elvis Presley

Microphone

Electro-Voice RE16

InferredUsual practice

Usual practice, not stated for this record: Handheld vocal microphone for Presley, used for a period during Ruggieri's sessions with him.

A suggestion, not a documented fact: Ruggieri describes the handheld microphone used with Presley over a period, not specifically on this take.

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.

Input chain

Teletronix LA-2A

InferredUsual practice

Usual practice, not stated for this record: The engineer thinks he may have put a little LA-2A compression on Presley's vocal.

A suggestion, not a documented fact: Ruggieri speaks of how he handled Presley's vocal generally, and hedges.

Source: Mix, accessed 15 Nov 2026

Emulation of this unit

Universal Audio Teletronix LA-2A Leveler Collection

compressor

Universal Audio owns the Teletronix name; this is its own model of the LA-2A.

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

Also worth a look: Waves CLA-2A Compressor / Limiter (Models an LA-2A from Chris Lord-Alge's collection. Cheaper and runs without UA hardware).

Mix effects

EMT 140

Reported

If the tracks were mixed in Hollywood, the engineer thinks he would have tried plate four on Presley's voice, from the studio's 18 EMT 140 plates.

Source: Mix, accessed 15 Nov 2026

Emulation of this unit

Universal Audio EMT 140 Classic Plate Reverberator

reverb

Models three EMT 140 plates, made with EMT.

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

Also worth a look: Soundtoys Little Plate (A simpler EMT 140 model with one decay control).

Guitar amps

Microphone

Neumann KM 84

InferredUsual practice

Usual practice, not stated for this record: Microphones Ruggieri used on guitar amplifiers.

A suggestion, not a documented fact: The journalist describes Ruggieri's usual microphone choices; the guitar amps are not tied to this song.

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.

Basic tracking

Elvis Presley and band

Input chain

Ampex 16-track tape machine (model not stated)

Reported

Recorder that captured the three nights of sessions in RCA Studio C, which included the basic tracking for this song.

Source: Mix, accessed 15 Nov 2026

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: Universal Audio Studer A800 Tape Recorder (Models a Studer A800, not this recorder. It gives the general behaviour of analogue multitrack tape).

RCA Custom console (model not stated)

Reported

Its microphone preamps were used during these sessions; Ruggieri thought the console one of the studio's shortcomings.

Source: Mix, accessed 15 Nov 2026

No plugin suggested. The source does not name the model, so no specific plugin can be suggested.

Sources

  1. Classic Tracks: Elvis Presley, 'Burning Love', Mix, 2013-04. 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.