The Doors · L.A. Woman, 1971
Riders on the Storm
5 sourced items across 3 sectionsVerified2Reported3
What the sources do and do not say
Single Mix Classic Tracks article by Blair Jackson with Bruce Botnick and Paul Rothchild. It covers the L.A. Woman sessions in the rehearsal room, the Rhodes line and the mix at Poppy, but gives no microphones or outboard for the song itself. Rain and thunder effects came from an Elektra sound effects disc played on a stereo tape machine of unstated model, so there is no row for it.
Lead vocal
1 item
Jim Morrison
Microphone
The real chain
Electro-Voice Microphone (model not stated)
ReportedAlbum sessions
Botnick thinks the singer used the same microphone as on tour, an Electro-Voice, for the album vocals, recorded from the bathroom doorway.
- Position
- Singer stood in the bathroom doorway of the rehearsal space
Source: Mix, accessed 15 Nov 2026
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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.
Electric piano
1 item
Ray Manzarek
Instrument
The real chain
Rhodes Rhodes piano
Reported
Supplied the spacey electric piano line heard through the song.
Source: Mix, accessed 15 Nov 2026
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Emulation of this unit
Arturia Stage-73 V
instrument
A physical model of the Rhodes Stage and Suitcase electric pianos.
Recording and mixing chain
3 items
Input chain
The real chain
Unidentified Console (model not stated)
VerifiedAlbum sessions
Album sessions, not stated for this song: Custom console borrowed from Elektra Studios for the sessions in the manager’s office, with mic cables run down to the band.
Source: Mix, accessed 15 Nov 2026
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No plugin suggested. The source does not name the model, so no specific plugin can be suggested.
The real chain
Scully 8-track tape recorder (model not stated)
VerifiedAlbum sessions
Eight-track machine borrowed from Elektra Studios for recording the album sessions.
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
Quad Eight Console (model not stated)
Reported
Desk used at Poppy Studios when this song was mixed, which Botnick says is where the track came together.
Source: Mix, accessed 15 Nov 2026
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Covers this kind of unit
MixWave Quad Eight MM-310
preamp and EQ
Models Quad Eight's MM-310 preamp and three-band EQ module, made with Quad Eight. The source does not name the model, so this stands for the maker's family of units: it is not a model of the one on the record.
Sources
- Classic Tracks: The Doors’ “Riders on the Storm”, Mix, 2006-02. 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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