How It Was Recorded

Taylor Swift · Evermore, 2020

Willow

Lead vocal'Rubber bridge' guitarsDrums and rhythmTwo-bus (mix)Verified25

What the sources do and do not say

Single source: Paul Tingen's Secrets Of The Mix Engineers interview with Jonathan Low (SOS, March 2021). The mix rows come from Low's walkthrough of the 'willow' Pro Tools session and are song-specific. The four vocal tracking rows (Telefunken U47, Siemens desk, Lisson Grove AR-1, Burl converter) describe how Low recorded Swift's evermore vocals in general, so they are album-level. The article does not say who played the rubber-bridge guitars, and the instrument-only synths listed in the session have no stated function, so they are omitted.

Lead vocal

Taylor Swift

Microphone

Telefunken U47 (modern)

VerifiedAlbum sessions

Album sessions, not stated for this song: Low's choice of vocal microphone when he recorded Swift at Long Pond for evermore.

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.

Input chain

WSW/Siemens Console (1965)

VerifiedAlbum sessions

Album sessions, not stated for this song: Vocal microphone signal went straight into this desk when Low recorded Swift.

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026

No plugin suggested. No plugin models this rare 1960s broadcast desk, and its circuit is not documented well enough to name a fair stand-in.

Lisson Grove AR-1

VerifiedAlbum sessions

Album sessions, not stated for this song: Tube compressor the vocal passed through after the desk while tracking Swift.

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026

Emulation of this unit

Kush Audio AR-1

compressor

A plugin model of the Lisson Grove AR-1 itself.

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

Also worth a look: Waves Abbey Road RS124 Compressor (Models the EMI RS124, the Abbey Road compressor the AR-1 is based on).

Burl A-D converter (model not stated)

VerifiedAlbum sessions

Album sessions, not stated for this song: Converter that took the vocal into Pro Tools when Swift was recorded.

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.

Mix effects

Universal Audio UAD Pultec EQP-1A

Verified

Added to the lead vocal on 'willow' for a little air at the top and a small cut in the low end.

Settings
Small cut at 30Hz, boost at 8kHz

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026

The plugin used on the record

Universal Audio Pultec Passive EQ Collection

equaliser

The current version of the plugin used on the record.

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

Oeksound Soothe

Verified

Lightly applied on the lead vocal to control harsh resonances in the high mids and a little in the lower mids.

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026

No plugin suggested. This is already software, so the stand-in is the thing itself. No product link has been added for it yet.

FabFilter Pro-Q 3

Verified

Subtractive EQ on the lead vocal, making notches at several frequencies.

Settings
Notches at 200Hz, 1kHz, 4kHz and close to 10kHz

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026

Close match

FabFilter Pro-Q 4

equaliser

Pro-Q 4 is the current version of the same equaliser.

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

FabFilter Pro-DS

Verified

De-esser on the lead vocal taking off a couple of decibels.

Settings
Takes off a couple of decibels

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026

No plugin suggested. This is already software, so the stand-in is the thing itself. No product link has been added for it yet.

FabFilter Saturn 2

Verified

Saturation on the lead vocal using a warm tape setting.

Settings
Warm tape setting

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026

No plugin suggested. This is already software, so the stand-in is the thing itself. No product link has been added for it yet.

Universal Audio UAD Capitol Chamber

Verified

Vocal chamber aux giving density and size without a long tail, and setting where the vocal sits.

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026

No plugin suggested. This is already software, so the stand-in is the thing itself. No product link has been added for it yet.

EMT 140 (UAD plug-in)

Verified

Plate aux on the vocal for the longer tail and depth behind the chamber.

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026

No plugin suggested. This is already software, so the stand-in is the thing itself. No product link has been added for it yet.

'Rubber bridge' guitars

Microphone

Neumann U47 (variant not stated)

Verified

Low says the rubber-bridge guitars sound best recorded on this mic together with a DI.

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.

Input chain

SPL Transient Designer

Verified

On many of the DI guitar tracks, used to reduce sustain and keep the low end punchy.

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026

No plugin suggested. This is already software, so the stand-in is the thing itself. No product link has been added for it yet.

Mix effects

FabFilter Pro-Q 3

Verified

On the rubber-bridge guitars, cuts some midrange and some air around 10kHz to control splashy highs and boominess.

Settings
Cuts some midrange and some air around 10kHz

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026

Close match

FabFilter Pro-Q 4

equaliser

Pro-Q 4 is the current version of the same equaliser.

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

Soundtoys Tremolator

Verified

Quarter-note tremolo on the rubber-bridge guitars to make the accents more apparent.

Settings
Quarter-note tremolo

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026

No plugin suggested. This is already software, so the stand-in is the thing itself. No product link has been added for it yet.

Massey CT5

Verified

Compressor on the guitars side-chained to the kick drum to duck them on less important beats.

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026

No plugin suggested. This is already software, so the stand-in is the thing itself. No product link has been added for it yet.

Universal Audio UAD Precision K-Stereo

Verified

Used to make the rubber-bridge guitars wider.

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026

No plugin suggested. This is already software, so the stand-in is the thing itself. No product link has been added for it yet.

Soundtoys Echoboy

Verified

Delay on the rubber-bridge guitars, automated so it only comes on in the bridge for more ambience.

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026

The plugin used on the record

Soundtoys EchoBoy

delay

The plugin named in the source.

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

Drums and rhythm

Instrument

Teenage Engineering OP-1

Verified

Most of the drum parts on 'willow' were played on it by Aaron Dessner rather than programmed.

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026

No plugin suggested. A self-contained pocket studio with its own synth engines, sampler and tape recorder. No plugin stands in for the whole instrument.

Roland TR-8S

Verified

Bryan Devendorf programmed some of the beats on it.

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026

Close match

Roland Roland Cloud

instrument

Roland's own subscription, with software versions of the TR-808, 909 and other machines that the TR-8S models.

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

Amplifier

Fender Rumble

Verified

Low ran the TR-8S beats through this bass amp to add woofiness, like an acoustic kit room mic.

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).

Mix effects

Thermionic Culture Culture Vulture

Verified

Hardware insert on the grouped drums and bass for saturation, building intensity toward the end.

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026

Emulation of this unit

Universal Audio Thermionic Culture Vulture

saturation

Made with Thermionic Culture as a model of the Culture Vulture.

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

Two-bus (mix)

Mix effects

Universal Audio UAD Massive Passive

Verified

EQ on the two-bus aux that mimics Low's console two-bus approach.

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026

No plugin suggested. This is already software, so the stand-in is the thing itself. No product link has been added for it yet.

Universal Audio UAD API 2500

Verified

Compressor on the two-bus aux.

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026

No plugin suggested. This is already software, so the stand-in is the thing itself. No product link has been added for it yet.

Universal Audio UAD Ampex ATR-102

Verified

Tape emulation on the two-bus aux, set to 15ips with half-inch GP9 tape for this song.

Settings
15ips, half-inch GP9

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026

The plugin used on the record

Universal Audio Ampex ATR-102 Mastering Tape Recorder

tape

The plugin used on the record.

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

Sources

  1. Inside Track: Taylor Swift 'willow', Sound On Sound, 2021-03. 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.

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.