Eurythmics · Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This), 1983
Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)
7 sourced items across 4 sectionsVerified5Reported1Inferred1
What the sources do and do not say
One Sound On Sound Classic Tracks piece, read in full, with Dave Stewart describing the early Chalk Farm and Church setups. Only a few units are tied to this song by name; the rest are album-level or general habits. The Andy Wright article on Peace (1999) is about a different album and was not used.
Lead vocal
2 items
Annie Lennox
Microphone
The real chain
Beyer Stick microphone (model not stated)
VerifiedAlbum sessions
Album sessions, not stated for this song: Their only Beyer stick microphone, often used for hi-hats, which Stewart used to record Lennox's vocal.
Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026
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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
Bel Noise reduction unit (model not stated)
InferredUsual practice
Usual practice, not stated for this record: Part of the basic setup Stewart bought; he used it to squash Lennox's vocals by switching it in and out on the vocal track.
A suggestion, not a documented fact: Stewart describes how he habitually used this unit in the early Chalk Farm studio, not on this song specifically.
Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026
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No plugin suggested. The source does not name the model, so no specific plugin can be suggested.
Drum computer
2 items
Dave Stewart
Instrument
The real chain
Movement Systems MCS Percussion Computer
Verified
Stewart tuned a tom sound right down on it to make the very low opening downbeat drum heard on this song, which he says came about by mistake.
Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026
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No plugin suggested. No plugin models this very rare British drum computer, and its mix of analogue and sampled voices has no fair general stand-in.
The real chain
Roland TR-606 Drumatix
VerifiedAlbum sessions
One of the machines Stewart used alongside the Wasp, Spider and Portastudio to work on drums and sequenced keyboard together while building tracks, some of which ended up on the album.
Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026
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Emulation of this unit
D16 Group Nithonat 2
drum instrument
An emulation of the TR-606.
Also worth a look 1
- Roland Roland Cloud (Roland's own subscription, which includes its software TR-606)
Synth parts
2 items
Dave Stewart, Annie Lennox
Instrument
The real chain
Roland SH-101
Verified
Triggered by the drum computer, it played the original powerful sequence, with Lennox’s second keyboard part played in between.
Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026
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Emulation of this unit
D16 Group LuSH 2
instrument
An emulation of the SH-101, extended with layers.
Also worth a look 2
- TAL Software TAL-BassLine-101 (An emulation of the SH-101)
- Roland Roland Cloud (Roland's own subscription, which includes its software SH-101)
The real chain
Oberheim OB-X
Reported
Lennox played the riff on a soft string sound on it, cut short to sound more attacking; Stewart thinks the sound was a preset.
Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026
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Close match
Arturia OP-Xa V
instrument
Models the OB-Xa, the model that sits between the OB-X and the OB-8.
Demo and tracking
1 item
Dave Stewart
Input chain
The real chain
TEAC 144 Portastudio
VerifiedAlbum sessions
Stewart recorded the sequencer onto it and bounced parts between tracks to build up pieces, some of which became album tracks.
Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026
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Approximate
Aberrant DSP SketchCassette II
tape
Models four-track cassette recorders in general (hiss, wobble, limited bandwidth), not the 144 specifically.
Also worth a look 1
- Wavesfactory Cassette (Models cassette tape and decks. No plugin of the 144 itself was found)
Sources
- Classic Tracks: Eurythmics ‘Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)’, Sound On Sound, 2018-07. 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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