Joan Jett & The Blackhearts · I Love Rock 'n' Roll, 1981
I Love Rock 'n' Roll
6 sourced items across 4 sectionsVerified2Reported4
What the sources do and do not say
Both articles are Classic Tracks pieces with engineer Glen Kolotkin about this song and the album sessions at Kingdom Sound. Mic choices and the vocal delay are album-level, with the RE20 recollection hedged. The kit mics, bass DI and guitar mic placement are stated as general habits and were left out.
Lead vocal
2 items
Joan Jett
Microphone
The real chain
Electro-Voice RE20
ReportedAlbum sessions
Album sessions, not stated for this song: The engineer believes he put this directional dynamic mic on Joan Jett's vocals, valuing its built-in pop filter because she screamed.
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.
Mix effects
The real chain
Lexicon Digital delay (model not stated)
VerifiedAlbum sessions
Album sessions, not stated for this song: A Lexicon digital delay was put on her voice, with some reverb as well.
Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026
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Covers this kind of unit
Soundtoys PrimalTap
delay
Models Lexicon's Prime Time, an early studio digital delay with grainy, band-limited repeats. The source does not name the model, so this stands for the maker's family of units: it is not a model of the one on the record.
Backing vocals and hand claps
2 items
The Blackhearts and others in the studio
Mix effects
The real chain
EMT Plate reverb (model not stated)
Reported
EMT plate reverb enhanced the overdubbed layers of backing vocals and hand claps on the chorus.
Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026
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Close match
Universal Audio EMT 140 Classic Plate Reverberator
reverb
The 140 is the EMT plate most studios have; the source does not name the model.
Also worth a look 1
- Waves Abbey Road Reverb Plates (Models the EMT 140 plates at Abbey Road)
The real chain
Lexicon Reverb (model not stated)
Reported
Kolotkin says the stacked voices and hand claps were also given reverb that may have been Lexicon, but he is not certain.
Source: Mix, accessed 15 Nov 2026
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Universal Audio Lexicon 224 Digital Reverb
reverb
Models the Lexicon 224, the firm's first widely used digital reverb. The source does not name the model, so this stands for the maker's family of units: it is not a model of the one on the record.
Guitars
1 item
Joan Jett and Ricky Byrd
Microphone
The real chain
Electro-Voice RE20
ReportedAlbum sessions
Album sessions, not stated for this song: The engineer believes he used this directional mic on Joan Jett's guitar.
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.
Mix
1 item
Glen Kolotkin
Mix effects
The real chain
Harrison Console (model not stated)
Verified
Its automation was used for the first set of mixes; the mix the band picked was a later one made without automation.
Source: Mix, accessed 15 Nov 2026
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Covers this kind of unit
Harrison Audio 32Classic Channel Strip
channel strip
Harrison's own channel-strip plugin, taken from its 32-series desks. The source does not name the model, so this stands for the maker's family of units: it is not a model of the one on the record.
Sources
- Classic Tracks: Joan Jett 'I Love Rock & Roll', Sound On Sound, 2010-02. Accessed 15 Nov 2026.
- Classic Tracks: Joan Jett's "I Love Rock 'n' Roll", Mix, 2000-08. 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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