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How It Was Recorded

Paul & Linda McCartney · Ram, 1971

Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey

9 sourced items across 3 sectionsVerified8Reported1

What the sources do and do not say

Single Mix Classic Tracks article by Gary Eskow, with Tim Geelan (CBS rhythm tracks) and Dixon Van Winkle (A&R overdubs). Van Winkle gives high-pass for the telephone voice but later calls the Halsey filter a lowpass; both are recorded as stated. Vocal mic statements for U87 and SM57 are album-level. No mic, amp or drum details are given for the rhythm section.

Vocals and telephone voice

5 items

Paul McCartney, Linda McCartney

Microphone

  • The real chain

    Neumann U 87

    VerifiedAlbum sessions

    Album sessions, not stated for this song: Used for the smoother material during the Ram sessions at A&R; the engineer adds that McCartney liked it on his voice.

    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

    Shure SM57

    VerifiedAlbum sessions

    Album sessions, not stated for this song: Used for the rockier material during the Ram sessions at A&R.

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

  • The real chain

    Electro-Voice RE20

    Verified

    Van Winkle says the vocals cut at CBS were McCartney singing live with the rhythm section into this microphone.

    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

    Unidentified High-pass filter (model not stated)

    Verified

    Engaged on McCartney's voice for the telephone section to give the telephone character effect.

    Source: Mix, accessed 15 Nov 2026

    Get the sound · our suggestion

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

  • The real chain

    Unidentified Low-pass filter (model not stated)

    Verified

    A filter that McCartney cued to be dropped in for the Admiral Halsey character; it was switched in too early and caught one of the gurgles.

    Source: Mix, accessed 15 Nov 2026

    Get the sound · our suggestion

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

French horns

1 item

Microphone

  • The real chain

    AKG C60

    Reported

    The engineer believes this model was probably used, instead of the larger U87, on the French horns for the low-register flutter-tongue effect, with McCartney wanting mics right up in the bell.

    Position
    Close in the bell of the horn, as McCartney wanted (the engineer says this was the request)

    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.

Recording chain (CBS Studio B and A&R A1)

3 items

Input chain

  • The real chain

    3M MM-1000

    VerifiedAlbum sessions

    Album sessions, not stated for this song: The 16-track recorder at CBS Studio B during the Ram sessions.

    Source: Mix, accessed 15 Nov 2026

    Get the sound · our suggestion

    Approximate

    Slate Digital Virtual Tape Machines

    tape

    Models two Studer machines, not this recorder. It gives the general behaviour of analogue multitrack tape.

    Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for
    Also worth a look 1

  • The real chain

    Unidentified Console (homemade, model not stated)

    VerifiedAlbum sessions

    Album sessions, not stated for this song: The homemade console at CBS Studio B during the Ram sessions.

    Source: Mix, accessed 15 Nov 2026

    Get the sound · our suggestion

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

  • The real chain

    Altec Console (model not stated)

    VerifiedAlbum sessions

    Album sessions, not stated for this song: The custom-built tube console in A&R studio A1, where Ram's orchestra, vocals and some overdubs were tracked.

    Source: Mix, accessed 15 Nov 2026

    Get the sound · our suggestion

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

Sources

  1. Classic Tracks: Paul McCartney's "Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey", Mix, 2004-08. Accessed 15 Nov 2026.

What the ratings mean

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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