Roger Miller · The Return of Roger Miller, 1965
King of the Road
8 sourced items across 5 sectionsReported8
What the sources do and do not say
Mix Classic Tracks by Blair Jackson covers the 3 November 1964 session at the CBS Quonset Hut. Microphone identifications are mostly hedged guesses (Lou Bradley's suggestions or the journalist's 'perhaps/probably'), so all rows are reported rather than verified. Drum microphones are described only as two unknown mics, so there is no drum row. Bass has two alternative rows (RCA 44 or Altec 639).
Lead vocal
1 item
Roger Miller
Microphone
The real chain
Neumann U 67
Reported
Probably the microphone on Miller's lead vocal, which was sung live with the band; the article hedges this.
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.
Guitars
1 item
Harold Bradley, Ray Edenton
Microphone
The real chain
Neumann U 67
Reported
Perhaps the microphone on the guitars; the quoted alternative is a Beyer or a Telefunken, so this is uncertain.
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.
Standup bass
2 items
Bob Moore
Microphone
The real chain
RCA 44
Reported
Lou Bradley suggests the standup bass was most likely miked with either an RCA 44 or an Altec 639. (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.
The real chain
Altec 639
Reported
Lou Bradley suggests the standup bass was most likely miked with either an RCA 44 or an Altec 639. (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.
Piano
1 item
Hargus "Pig" Robbins
Microphone
The real chain
Altec 21-B
Reported
Possibly an Altec 21-B condenser was the piano microphone; the text puts this with a question mark.
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.
Finger snaps, tape and reverb
3 items
Microphone
The real chain
Neumann U 47
Reported
Microphone that captured the finger snaps by Carllile and Killen; the article notes it was generally used for background singers.
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
Ampex 300 3-track
Reported
The session was recorded to this tape machine, and Kennedy monitored in mono.
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)
Mix effects
The real chain
EMT Plate reverb (model not stated)
Reported
Reverb was likely from EMT plates; the text does not say which part it was applied to. (recalled with uncertainty)
Source: Mix, accessed 15 Nov 2026
Get the sound · our suggestion
Close match
Universal Audio EMT 140 Classic Plate Reverberator
reverb
The 140 is the EMT plate most studios have; the source does not name the model.
Also worth a look 1
- Waves Abbey Road Reverb Plates (Models the EMT 140 plates at Abbey Road)
Sources
- Classic Tracks: Roger Miller's "King of the Road", Mix, 2013-05-01. 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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