Mary Hopkin · Post Card, 1968
Those Were the Days
9 sourced items across 7 sectionsVerified2Reported7
What the sources do and do not say
Single Mix Classic Tracks article with engineer Geoff Emerick, who says memories are vague and mostly phrases the microphone choices as what he would have used. Nearly all rows are therefore hedged. Choir was recorded at Trident, not Abbey Road; no Trident gear is named by model. Hewson and Hopkin cover players, not gear.
Lead vocal
2 items
Mary Hopkin
Microphone
The real chain
Neumann U 47
Reported
Emerick believes a U 47 would have been the microphone on Hopkin’s vocal.
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.
Input chain
The real chain
Fairchild Compressor/limiter (model not stated)
Reported
Emerick believes the vocal would have gone through a Fairchild 660 limiter and onto the fourth track of the 4-track.
Source: Mix, accessed 15 Nov 2026
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Emulation of this unit
Universal Audio Fairchild Tube Limiter Collection
compressor
Models the Fairchild 660 and 670. The source does not say which model was used.
Also worth a look 1
- Waves PuigChild 660 & 670 (Models the Fairchild 660 and 670 owned by Jack Joseph Puig)
Banjo and guitars
1 item
Microphone
The real chain
Neumann M49
Reported
Emerick believes a Neumann M 49 or M 50 would have been used on the banjo and guitars; he does not settle on one.
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.
Drums
1 item
Microphone
The real chain
Coles 4038
Reported
Emerick says a Coles 4038 may possibly have been used on the drums.
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.
Brass
1 item
Microphone
The real chain
Coles 4038
Reported
Emerick says he would have used Coles 4038 microphones on the brass. (recalled with uncertainty)
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.
Strings
1 item
Microphone
The real chain
Neumann U 47
Reported
Emerick believes the strings were miked with Neumann U 47s or U 67s; he does not settle on one.
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.
Abbey Road Studio Three tracking chain
2 items
Input chain
The real chain
Studer 4-track tape machine (model not stated)
Verified
Emerick says Abbey Road had a Studer 4-track, and separately that the song was done on 4-track with one-inch tape.
Source: Mix, accessed 15 Nov 2026
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Approximate
Slate Digital Virtual Tape Machines
tape
Models two Studer machines, not this recorder. It gives the general behaviour of analogue multitrack tape.
Also worth a look 1
- Universal Audio Studer A800 Tape Recorder (Models a Studer A800, not this recorder. It gives the general behaviour of analogue multitrack tape)
The real chain
EMI REDD.51
Verified
Emerick says the equipment at Abbey Road included a REDD.51 console with Telefunken amps in it.
Source: Mix, accessed 15 Nov 2026
Get the sound · our suggestion
Emulation of this unit
Waves Abbey Road REDD Consoles
console emulation
Made with Abbey Road Studios as a model of its REDD.17, REDD.37 and REDD.51 desks.
Children’s choir (Trident Studios)
1 item
Microphone
The real chain
AKG C 12
Reported
Emerick says he might have used C-12 microphones on the children’s choir recorded at Trident.
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.
Sources
- Classic Tracks: Mary Hopkin’s “Those Were the Days”, Mix, 2015-11. 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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