How It Was Recorded

Duran Duran · Album, 1982

Rio

This is an album-level record: the sources describe how the album as a whole was recorded, not one song. Where a detail belongs to a single song, the row says so.

Songs this record stands for: Hungry Like the Wolf, Rio, Save a Prayer. We found nothing specific to these songs, so this album record is the closest account we have.

What the sources do and do not say

The Mix Classic Tracks piece covers the US remix of this song at Cherokee (Kershenbaum) and names little gear: a Neve console, Roland sequenced parts and the Auratone used for the original mixes. The dCS feature is album-level and a manufacturer write-up that repeats earlier quotes. Most rows are album-level, so this is an album record; no microphones, amps or guitar gear are named.

Drums

Roger Taylor

Instrument

Electronic kit used alongside a conventional kit on the album, giving large fills.

Source: Mono and Stereo (dCS feature), accessed 15 Nov 2026

Approximate

Toontrack Superior Drummer 3

drum instrument

A sampled drum instrument. It does not claim to be this kit or drum.

Keyboards and sequencing

Nick Rhodes

Instrument

Synthesiser that dominates the album, with a heavily phased string sound and an arpeggiator.

Source: Mono and Stereo (dCS feature), accessed 15 Nov 2026

Emulation of this unit

Arturia Jup-8 V

instrument

An emulation of the Jupiter-8.

Also worth a look: Roland Roland Cloud (Roland's own subscription, which includes its software Jupiter-8).

Sampler used sparingly on the album; it is not stated for this song.

Source: Mono and Stereo (dCS feature), accessed 15 Nov 2026

Emulation of this unit

Arturia CMI V

instrument

An emulation of the Fairlight CMI.

Console and monitoring

Input chain

Cherokee's Neve console was used for the American remix, with in-house engineer George Tutko.

Source: Mix, accessed 15 Nov 2026

Approximate

Waves NLS Non-Linear Summer

console emulation

Adds the summing character of three desks, one of them a Neve. The source does not name the console model, so this is only a family resemblance.

AIR's multitrack desk during the album sessions, giving room for production detail.

Source: Mono and Stereo (dCS feature), accessed 15 Nov 2026

No plugin suggested. The source does not name the model, so no specific plugin can be suggested.

Mix effects

Small speaker in the centre of the desk used to check the original mixes for UK radio.

Source: Mix, accessed 15 Nov 2026

No plugin suggested. The source does not name the model, so no specific plugin can be suggested.

Sources

  1. DCS: Revisiting Duran Duran's Rio, Mono and Stereo (dCS feature), 2021-08-27. Accessed 15 Nov 2026.
  2. Classic Tracks: Duran Duran's "Hungry Like The Wolf", Mix, 2022-08. 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.

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