How It Was Recorded

Ramones · Rock 'n' Roll High School and End of the Century, 1979

Rock 'n' Roll High School

Lead vocalGuitarsBassDrumsTracking consoleVerified6Reported11Inferred3

What the sources do and do not say

Single source: Mix Classic Tracks (Barbara Schultz, Ed Stasium interview) on the Cherokee film-music tracking of this song, plus remarks on the later Gold Star and End of the Century sessions. Stasium hedges much of the Cherokee equipment ('would have', 'probably'), and he was not engineer on the Gold Star sessions, so rows from those are album-level. Unnamed room mics, the 414s or U 87s on the drums, an Eventide phaser he guessed at, and Spector's Gold Star chamber were left out as no function or identification is stated.

Lead vocal

Joey Ramone

Microphone

Shure SM7

Reported

Stasium thinks an SM7 may have been set up during band tracking, when Joey sang a guide vocal in a booth.

Source: Mix, 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.

Neumann U 67

InferredUsual practice

Stasium's usual vocal microphone for Joey on overdubs.

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

Source: Mix, 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.

Neumann U 47

ReportedAlbum sessions

Album sessions, not stated for this song: Joey's vocal microphone at Gold Star for the End of the Century sessions; Stasium remembers it because the mic was shared for backing vocals.

Source: Mix, 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.

Input chain

Teletronix LA-2A

InferredUsual practice

Compressor in Stasium's usual overdub vocal chain for Joey, after the U 67.

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

Source: Mix, accessed 15 Nov 2026

Emulation of this unit

Universal Audio Teletronix LA-2A Leveler Collection

compressor

Universal Audio owns the Teletronix name; this is its own model of the LA-2A.

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

Also worth a look: Waves CLA-2A Compressor / Limiter (Models an LA-2A from Chris Lord-Alge's collection. Cheaper and runs without UA hardware).

Pultec EQ (model not stated)

InferredUsual practice

Equaliser in Stasium's usual overdub vocal chain for Joey.

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

Source: Mix, 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. The source does not say which Pultec was used.

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

Also worth a look: Waves PuigTec EQs (EQP-1A and MEQ-5) (Models the Pultec EQP-1A and MEQ-5).

Guitars

Johnny Ramone

Instrument

Martin D-28

Verified

One of the guitars rented for the Cherokee sessions.

Source: Mix, 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.

Fender Stratocaster

Verified

A Stratocaster rented for the Cherokee sessions; Stasium says it is the guitar he plays himself.

Source: Mix, 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.

Gibson Les Paul

Verified

Joan Jett's Les Paul, borrowed for the Cherokee sessions for power chords.

Source: Mix, 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.

Amplifier

Electro-Harmonix Mike Matthews Freedom amp

VerifiedAlbum sessions

Album sessions, not stated for this song: Johnny's practice amp, which Stasium used to track his Stratocaster throughout the End of the Century sessions.

Source: Mix, 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

Shure SM57

Reported

Stasium believes Johnny's guitar amp would have been miked close with an SM57 on the cabinet.

Position
on the cabinet

Source: Mix, 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.

Neumann U 87

Reported

Stasium believes a U 87 would have been added on Johnny's guitar amp, set further back than the SM57.

Position
further back than the 57

Source: Mix, 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.

Input chain

Pultec EQ (model not stated)

Reported

Stasium thinks he probably put a Pultec equaliser on the guitars at Cherokee.

Source: Mix, 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. The source does not say which Pultec was used.

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

Also worth a look: Waves PuigTec EQs (EQP-1A and MEQ-5) (Models the Pultec EQP-1A and MEQ-5).

Teletronix LA-2A

Reported

Stasium thinks he probably also put an LA-2A on the guitars at Cherokee.

Source: Mix, accessed 15 Nov 2026

Emulation of this unit

Universal Audio Teletronix LA-2A Leveler Collection

compressor

Universal Audio owns the Teletronix name; this is its own model of the LA-2A.

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

Also worth a look: Waves CLA-2A Compressor / Limiter (Models an LA-2A from Chris Lord-Alge's collection. Cheaper and runs without UA hardware).

Bass

Dee Dee Ramone

Instrument

Fender Precision Bass

Verified

Dee Dee's bass at the Cherokee sessions.

Source: Mix, 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

Recorded direct (DI), no amplifier

Reported

Stasium says the bass was taken direct, and adds that he probably also miked the amp.

Source: Mix, accessed 15 Nov 2026

No plugin suggested. Recorded direct, so there is no amp to model. Leave the amp simulator off.

Drums

Marky Ramone

Microphone

Shure SM57

Reported

Used on Marky's snare, on the top and bottom.

Position
snare top and bottom

Source: Mix, 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.

Sennheiser MD 421

Reported

Used on Marky's kick drum.

Position
on kick

Source: Mix, 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.

Neumann U 47 fet

Reported

Used outside the kick drum.

Position
outside the kick

Source: Mix, 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.

Sennheiser MD 421

Reported

Microphones on Marky's toms.

Position
on toms

Source: Mix, 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.

Tracking console

Input chain

Trident A-Range

Verified

The console at Cherokee Studios when the film music was tracked.

Source: Mix, accessed 15 Nov 2026

Emulation of this unit

Softube Trident A-Range

equaliser

Models a channel of the Trident A-Range desk: its equaliser and filters.

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

Also worth a look: Universal Audio Trident A-Range Classic Console EQ (Models the equaliser of the Trident A-Range desk).

Sources

  1. Classic Tracks: “Rock ‘n’ Roll High School,” The Ramones, Mix, 2014-12. 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.