How It Was Recorded

New Order · Substance 1987, 1987

True Faith

Lead vocalGuitarBass guitarDrums and percussionKeyboards and samplersSequencingVerified5Reported9

What the sources do and do not say

Single Sound On Sound Classic Tracks article with producer Stephen Hague on the Advision sessions for True Faith and 1963. It covers the synths, sampler, drum machine, sequencer, vocal microphone and Hook's bass chain; it names no microphones for the hi-hat and cymbals and no outboard. The article spells the guitar as a Squire Stratocaster; the Octave Voyetra 8 and the DX5 appear in the list of gear the band brought in.

Lead vocal

Bernard Sumner

Microphone

beyerdynamic M 88

Reported

Handheld microphone for Sumner's guide and lead vocals, recorded in the control room.

Position
hand-held by the singer

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.

Guitar

Bernard Sumner

Instrument

Fender Stratocaster

Reported

Sumner's guitar on the song, recorded direct (the article spells the maker "Squire").

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026

No plugin suggested. A guitar is the source of the sound, not a process applied to it. No plugin stands in for it.

Input chain

Unidentified Console mic preamps (model not stated)

Reported

Overloaded to produce the distortion on the direct guitar.

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026

No plugin suggested. The source does not name the model, so no specific plugin can be suggested.

Bass guitar

Peter Hook

Instrument

Yamaha DB1200S

Verified

Hook's four-string bass, used on this song and on 1963.

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026

No plugin suggested. A bass guitar is the source of the sound, not a process applied to it. No plugin stands in for it.

Amplifier

Electro-Harmonix Clone Theory

Verified

Hook's only pedal at the time, placed ahead of the preamp in his bass chain.

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026

Approximate

Native Instruments Guitar Rig 7 Pro

amp and cabinet simulator

Includes a range of modelled pedals. Whether this exact pedal is among them was not checked.

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

Alembic Valve preamp (model not stated)

Verified

Valve preamp in Hook's small rack; its output fed a 12-inch cabinet and also went direct to the desk.

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026

Covers this kind of unit

IK Multimedia AmpliTube 5

amp and cabinet simulator

An amp simulator whose valve preamp stages do the same job as an instrument preamp of this kind. It is not a model of the Alembic.

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

Unidentified 12-inch cabinet (model not stated)

Verified

Studio cabinet used because Hague wanted a speaker moving air for the bass.

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026

Covers this kind of unit

IK Multimedia AmpliTube 5

amp and cabinet simulator

An amp and cabinet simulator that covers a wide range of amplifiers and speaker cabinets of this kind. It is not a model of this unit, so pick the nearest one in it by ear.

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

Also worth a look: Native Instruments Guitar Rig 7 Pro (An amp and cabinet simulator that covers a wide range of amplifiers and speaker cabinets of this kind. It is not a model of this unit, so pick the nearest one in it by ear).

Microphone

Sennheiser MD 421

Reported

Hague recalls a couple of Sennheiser 421s on the bass cabinet; the amp, a straight DI and the preamp feed were mixed to mono while recording.

Position
on the bass cabinet

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 MD 421 is still made.

Drums and percussion

Stephen Morris

Instrument

E-mu SP-12

Reported

Hague thinks the computer clocked the SP12 and that all the drum tracks on both songs were done on it.

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026

Close match

Inphonik RX1200

instrument

An emulation of the SP-1200, the SP-12's successor. You load your own samples.

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

Unidentified Drum kit (model not stated)

Reported

Morris's kit was brought in so live hi-hat and cymbals could be added over the programmed drums.

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026

Approximate

Toontrack Superior Drummer 3

drum instrument

A sampled drum instrument. It does not claim to be this kit or drum.

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

Keyboards and samplers

New Order and Stephen Hague

Instrument

E-mu Emulator II

Reported

Hague believes the harmonic pad was a combination of an Emulator II sound and the Voyetra played live.

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026

Emulation of this unit

Arturia Emulator II V

instrument

An emulation of the E-mu Emulator II.

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

Octave Voyetra 8

Reported

Hague believes the Voyetra was played live and combined with an Emulator II sound for the pad.

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026

Covers this kind of unit

u-he Diva

instrument

An analogue-modelling polysynth with two oscillators and a 24 dB low-pass filter per voice, like this one; it is not a model of this unit.

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

Yamaha DX5

Reported

Source of most of the bass sounds among the gear New Order brought in.

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026

Close match

Arturia DX7 V

instrument

Models the DX7. This unit uses the same six-operator FM design.

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

Also worth a look: Digital Suburban Dexed (A free DX7 emulation. This unit uses the same six-operator FM design).

Sequencing

New Order

Instrument

Yamaha QX1

Verified

Sequencer that held the band's sequences before they were bounced into Hague's computer, after which it was no longer used.

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026

No plugin suggested. A sequencer, computer or synchroniser. It controls other equipment and makes no sound of its own. Any DAW does this job.

Sources

  1. Classic Tracks: New Order 'True Faith', Sound On Sound, 2005-03. 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.

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