The recording process for Blue took place at Norman Petty Studios in Clovis, New Mexico, a facility with deep historical roots in American music recording. The sessions were tracked through an MCI JH-400 console onto a 24-track MCI JH-24 analogue tape machine. Norman Petty himself had famously worked with Buddy Holly in the same studio decades earlier, and although Petty had passed away many years before the Blue sessions, the studio remained operational and had recently undergone refurbishment.
Part way through the project the production encountered technical problems when the MCI JH-24 tape machine developed maintenance issues. As a result, the multitrack recordings had to be transferred to Alesis ADAT digital recorders, which at the time were widely regarded as cutting edge digital recording technology. The transition from analogue tape to the ADAT machines allowed the sessions to continue without losing any of the material already captured.
The microphone setup used throughout the sessions reflected a traditional studio approach with a selection of high quality dynamic and condenser microphones. The drum kit was recorded using an Electro-Voice RE20 on the kick drum and a Shure SM57 on the snare. Neumann KM 84 microphones handled both the overheads and hi-hat duties, while Sennheiser MD 441 microphones were used on the rack toms and Shure SM7 microphones were placed on the floor tom.
The piano was recorded using a stereo pair of Neumann U87 microphones. During the basic tracking sessions guitarist Bill Mulhair recorded his acoustic guitar directly through a DI, while later overdubs used a Neumann KM 84 to capture acoustic guitars and other acoustic instruments. His electric guitars were recorded direct through a DigiTech RP-1 effects processor rather than being miked through a traditional amplifier setup.
Capturing LeAnn Rimes’ vocal performance involved a number of microphones drawn from the well known Norman Petty microphone collection, which offered the production team a wide range of classic studio options. After experimenting with several models, the primary vocal microphone selected for the sessions was a Neumann M 49. Later in the project a Neumann U48 was also used, and on one occasion Rimes recorded a vocal pass through a Neumann U47 FET.
For ambience and depth, the production relied primarily on the natural acoustic characteristics of the MESA Theatre, which provided much of the reverb heard on the track. Additional processing included the classic EMT 140 plate reverb as well as a Lexicon 200 digital reverb, both of which helped shape the spacious character of the final mix.
Following its release, Blue quickly became a defining recording in modern country music. The combination of traditional recording techniques, classic studio equipment, and LeAnn Rimes’ remarkable vocal performance helped establish the song as a major success and launched Rimes into international stardom. Today, Blue remains one of the most recognisable recordings of the 1990s country revival.