Kim Carnes · Mistaken Identity, 1981
Bette Davis Eyes
9 sourced items across 4 sectionsVerified2Reported7
What the sources do and do not say
Mix Classic Tracks piece with producer-engineer Val Garay, who describes the live band take at Record One and gives his session-note microphone list. Not stated: models of the API preamps or synths, any settings, and the mix chain (the article mentions an API console and 3M 79 recorders in the studio generally, not tied to this take).
Lead vocal
1 item
Kim Carnes
Microphone
The real chain
Neumann U 67
Verified
Lead vocal microphone, sung live in a booth beside the control room during the band take.
- Position
- Vocal booth adjoining the control room
Source: Mix, 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.
Guitars
1 item
Microphone
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.
Drum kit and percussion
6 items
Craig Krampf
Instrument
The real chain
Synare Synare electronic drum
Verified
An electronic Synare that was hit in the chorus and recorded live with the band.
Source: Mix, accessed 15 Nov 2026
Get the sound · our suggestion
Covers this kind of unit
u-he Diva
instrument
A general analogue-style synthesiser that can make the same oscillator, noise and filter-sweep drum sounds; it is not a model of this unit.
Microphone
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 MD 421 is still made.
The real chain
Shure 56 (model as stated)
Reported
Microphone on the top of the snare.
- Position
- Top of the snare
Source: Mix, 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
Sennheiser 441
Reported
Microphone on the underside of the snare.
- Position
- Bottom of the snare
Source: Mix, 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
Telefunken 251
Reported
Microphones on the toms and used as overheads.
- Position
- On the toms and overhead
Source: Mix, 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.
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.
Synths
1 item
Bill Cuomo
Amplifier
The real chain
Recorded direct (DI), no amplifier
Reported
Synths recorded direct as well as by a microphone on the amp, to avoid a harsh sound.
Source: Mix, accessed 15 Nov 2026
Get the sound · our suggestion
No plugin suggested. Recorded direct, so there is no amp to model. Leave the amp simulator off.
Sources
- Classic Tracks: Kim Carnes’ "Bette Davis Eyes", Mix, 2003-09. 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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