How It Was Recorded

Luke Combs · What You See Is What You Get, 2019

Beer Never Broke My Heart

Lead vocalElectric guitarBass guitarDrumsBand tracking and master busVerified18Reported1Inferred3

What the sources do and do not say

Song record from Sound On Sound's Secrets of the Mix Engineers feature on producer Scott Moffatt and mixer Jim Cooley, read in full over both pages. Tracking details are mostly album-level or general to Luke Combs (the SM7B and Neve 1073 chain, the API Legacy board); the amp mics and all mix plug-ins are tied to this song. Drum, bass and guitar tracking mics, and most hardware, are not named.

Lead vocal

Luke Combs

Microphone

Shure SM7

InferredUsual practice

Usual practice, not stated for this record: The producer says Luke Combs is always recorded on this dynamic microphone, chosen after other mics were tried.

A suggestion, not a documented fact: Scott Moffatt describes this as usual practice; it is not stated for this record.

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. Its successor, the SM7B, is still made.

Input chain

Neve 1073

InferredUsual practice

Usual practice, not stated for this record: The producer believes the vocal microphone goes into a Neve preamp, probably a 1073, with any compression not printed.

A suggestion, not a documented fact: Scott Moffatt describes this as usual practice; it is not stated for this record.

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).

Mix effects

FabFilter Pro-Q 3

Verified

Gives a little EQ at the start of the lead vocal chain in the mix.

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

Massey THC

Verified

Adds distortion to the lead vocal, second in the chain after the EQ.

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.

UREI 1176

Verified

Compresses the lead vocal after the multiband compression step in the chain.

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026

Emulation of this unit

Universal Audio 1176 Classic Limiter Collection

compressor

Models several revisions of the 1176, including the blackface units.

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

Also worth a look: Waves CLA-76 Compressor / Limiter (Models two 1176 revisions (blacky and bluey)).

Waves Renaissance DeEsser

Verified

Several instances de-ess the lead vocal at the end of the chain.

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.

Electric guitar

Sol Philcox-Littlefield

Microphone

Shure SM57

Verified

One of two microphones on the guitarist's amps, blended with the other.

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. The SM57 is still made and inexpensive: the real thing is the practical route.

Royer 121

Verified

One of two microphones on the guitarist's amps, blended with the other.

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.

Mix effects

Brainworx bx_console SSL 4000 G

Verified

Plays an important part in the electric guitar chains, with its EQ and compression.

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.

SoundToys EchoBoy Jr

Verified

Adds a little saturated slap delay to the electric guitars for a cheap tape sound and depth.

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026

The plugin used on the record

Soundtoys EchoBoy

delay

The plugin named in the source.

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

Bass guitar

Mix effects

UREI 1176

Verified

Parallel compression and harmonic distortion on a duplicate of the bass DI track.

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026

Emulation of this unit

Universal Audio 1176 Classic Limiter Collection

compressor

Models several revisions of the 1176, including the blackface units.

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

Also worth a look: Waves CLA-76 Compressor / Limiter (Models two 1176 revisions (blacky and bluey)).

Universal Audio Pultec MEQ-5

Verified

EQs the bass, mostly adding mid-range so it pops in the mix.

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026

Emulation of this unit

Universal Audio Pultec Passive EQ Collection

equaliser

Models the Pultec EQP-1A, MEQ-5 and HLF-3C.

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

Also worth a look: Waves PuigTec EQs (EQP-1A and MEQ-5) (Models Jack Joseph Puig's Pultec EQP-1A and MEQ-5).

Universal Audio UAD Pultec EQP-1A

Verified

EQs the bass alongside the MEQ-5, mostly adding mid-range so it pops in the mix.

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026

The plugin used on the record

Universal Audio Pultec Passive EQ Collection

equaliser

The current version of the plugin used on the record.

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

Drums

Mix effects

Slate Digital Trigger

Reported

Layered with samples on the recorded kick and snare to give the track more punch.

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.

UREI 1176

Verified

Parallel compression on the snare to bring up the ghost notes.

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026

Emulation of this unit

Universal Audio 1176 Classic Limiter Collection

compressor

Models several revisions of the 1176, including the blackface units.

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

Also worth a look: Waves CLA-76 Compressor / Limiter (Models two 1176 revisions (blacky and bluey)).

Elysia Compressor (model not stated)

Verified

Used on a second parallel compression track for the snare, at the bottom of the session.

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026

Covers this kind of unit

Plugin Alliance elysia mpressor

compressor

elysia's own plugin of its mpressor compressor. 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.

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

Schoeps Mono Upmix

Verified

Widens the mono reverb chamber track, which was gated from the snare.

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.

McDSP Futzbox

Verified

Crunches the crotch ambience microphone 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.

Band tracking and master bus

Input chain

API Legacy console

InferredUsual practice

Usual practice, not stated for this record: Most microphones used for the band were recorded through this console, which was used most of the time.

A suggestion, not a documented fact: Scott Moffatt describes this as usual practice; it is not stated for this record.

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026

Close match

Universal Audio API Vision Channel Strip Collection

channel strip

Models the channel strip of API's Vision console, built from the same module family.

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

Mix effects

Waves SSL compressor (model not stated)

Verified

Compresses the master bus.

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.

Universal Audio Fatso

Verified

Adds an analogue sound on the master bus.

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.

iZotope Ozone 7

Verified

Used on the master bus for mastering-style processing.

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: Luke Combs 'Beer Never Broke My Heart' (page 1), Sound On Sound, 2020-02. Accessed 15 Nov 2026.
  2. Inside Track: Luke Combs 'Beer Never Broke My Heart' (page 2), Sound On Sound, 2020-02. 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.