How It Was Recorded

Maroon 5 · Album, 2014

V

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: Animals, Maps, Sugar. We found nothing specific to these songs, so this album record is the closest account we have.

Lead vocalBassPianoVerified13

What the sources do and do not say

One Mix article on the V sessions at Conway, mostly Noah Passovoy's own account of the album's recording; none of it names Sugar, so every row is album-level. Piano, drums and synth details are partial. The album was released in September 2014 per the article, so the year is given as 2014 rather than the 2015 in the brief. A MusicRadar interview with James Valentine on V was also read and names no relevant gear for this song.

Lead vocal

Adam Levine

Microphone

Neumann U 67

Verified

Main lead vocal microphone on most of the V sessions.

Source: Mix, 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.

Shure SM7

Verified

Alternative vocal microphone used on some of the vocals.

Source: Mix, 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. Its successor, the SM7B, is still made.

Input chain

Chandler TG2

Verified

Preamp that the U 67 vocal went into when tracking.

Source: Mix, accessed 15 Nov 2026

Close match

Waves EMI TG12345 Channel Strip

channel strip

The Chandler unit recreates the preamp of EMI's TG12345 desk. This models a channel of that desk.

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

UREI 1176

Verified

Compressor after the preamp on the vocal, touching only the peaks.

Settings
Barely hitting, catching only the peaks

Source: Mix, accessed 15 Nov 2026

Emulation of this unit

Universal Audio 1176 Classic Limiter Collection

compressor

Models several revisions of the 1176, including the blackface units.

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

Also worth a look: Waves CLA-76 Compressor / Limiter (Models two 1176 revisions (blacky and bluey)).

Bass

Mickey Madden

Amplifier

Ampeg B-15

Verified

Cabinet side of the bass sound, blended with the DI; usually one of Madden's B15s.

Source: Mix, accessed 15 Nov 2026

Approximate

IK Multimedia AmpliTube 5

amp and cabinet simulator

An amp and cabinet simulator covering this style of amplifier. Whether this exact model is included was not checked.

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

Also worth a look: Native Instruments Guitar Rig 7 Pro (An amp and cabinet simulator covering this style of amplifier. Whether this exact model is included was not checked).

Input chain

Avalon U5

Verified

Direct-input side of the bass sound, blended with a cabinet.

Source: Mix, accessed 15 Nov 2026

No plugin suggested. A DI box passes the signal on cleanly. Plug the instrument straight into your interface's instrument input.

Neve 1081

Verified

Preamp for the DI bass signal.

Source: Mix, accessed 15 Nov 2026

Emulation of this unit

Universal Audio Neve 1081 Channel EQ

equaliser

Model of the 1081 channel EQ, made with AMS Neve.

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

Also worth a look: Waves V-EQ4 (Waves' model of the 1081 EQ).

Lang PEQ-4

Verified

Equaliser in the DI bass chain.

Source: Mix, accessed 15 Nov 2026

No plugin suggested. No plugin equivalent mapped yet.

UREI 1176

Verified

Compressor in the DI bass chain on some tracks, the alternative being a Distressor.

Source: Mix, accessed 15 Nov 2026

Emulation of this unit

Universal Audio 1176 Classic Limiter Collection

compressor

Models several revisions of the 1176, including the blackface units.

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

Also worth a look: Waves CLA-76 Compressor / Limiter (Models two 1176 revisions (blacky and bluey)).

Empirical Labs Distressor

Verified

Compressor in the DI bass chain on some tracks; pushed hard for a distorted tone where a harsher bass sound was needed.

Source: Mix, accessed 15 Nov 2026

Emulation of this unit

Universal Audio Empirical Labs EL8 Distressor

compressor

Model of the Distressor made with Empirical Labs.

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

Also worth a look: Empirical Labs Arousor (Empirical Labs' own plugin, built on the Distressor design rather than copying one unit).

Piano

Microphone

AKG C 12

Verified

Pair of microphones for the main piano sound.

Source: Mix, 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

Neve Preamp (model not stated)

Verified

Preamps for the piano microphones.

Source: Mix, accessed 15 Nov 2026

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

Neve 33609

Verified

Compressor on the main piano sound.

Source: Mix, accessed 15 Nov 2026

Emulation of this unit

Universal Audio Neve Dynamics Collection (33609)

compressor

The collection includes a model of the 33609 stereo compressor.

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

Sources

  1. Marooned At Conway, Again, Mix, 2014-09-29. 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.