The Black Eyed Peas · Album, 2004
Elephunk
8 sourced items across 4 sectionsReported4Inferred4
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: Hey Mama, Let's Get It Started, Shut Up. 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
Single Mix profile (June 2004) of will.i.am covering the Elephunk sessions; it does not discuss Let's Get It Started individually, so this is an album record. Several rows are will.i.am's general habits rather than tied to the album, and are marked general-practice. Album year per the batch file is 2004 (the album itself came out in 2003).
Vocals
2 items
will.i.am
Microphone
The real chain
Neumann Microphone (model not stated)
Reported
Placed next to his Pro Tools rig and keyboard in his own studio, where he recorded his own vocals for a later batch of Elephunk songs.
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.
Input chain
The real chain
Avid Pro Tools
Reported
Where will.i.am recorded his vocals straight in, with no second engineer, during the later Elephunk sessions.
Source: Mix, accessed 15 Nov 2026
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The plugin used on the record
Avid Pro Tools
DAW
The DAW used on the record.
Drums
2 items
will.i.am
Instrument
The real chain
Akai MPC3000
InferredUsual practice
Usual practice, not stated for this record: Formerly used by will.i.am to program drums, a job he says he now does in Pro Tools.
A suggestion, not a documented fact: will.i.am describes this as usual practice; it is not stated for this record.
Source: Mix, accessed 15 Nov 2026
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Approximate
Akai Professional MPC Beats
instrument · free
Akai's free MPC software. It gives the MPC way of working, not the sound of this hardware.
Input chain
The real chain
Line 6 Amp Farm
InferredUsual practice
Usual practice, not stated for this record: Sometimes used to add distortion to drum sounds captured from a turntable needle, to make them sound like a real kit.
A suggestion, not a documented fact: will.i.am describes this as usual practice; it is not stated for this record.
Source: Mix, accessed 15 Nov 2026
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No plugin suggested. This is already software, so the stand-in is the thing itself. No product link has been added for it yet.
Keyboards
2 items
will.i.am
Instrument
The real chain
Moog Synthesizer (model not stated)
InferredUsual practice
Usual practice, not stated for this record: One of the vintage keyboards will.i.am says he settled on as part of the sound he likes.
A suggestion, not a documented fact: will.i.am describes this as usual practice; it is not stated for this record.
Source: Mix, accessed 15 Nov 2026
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Covers this kind of unit
Arturia Mini V
instrument
A Minimoog emulation, so it has the Moog oscillators and ladder filter. The source does not say which Moog was played, so it is not a model of the instrument on the record.
Also worth a look 1
- Universal Audio Moog Minimoog (Moog-approved Minimoog emulation with the same oscillators and ladder filter. The source does not say which Moog was played, so it is not a model of the instrument on the record)
The real chain
Korg Triton
InferredUsual practice
Usual practice, not stated for this record: A digital synth will.i.am has used a little but dislikes because its sound turns up on so many records.
A suggestion, not a documented fact: will.i.am describes this as usual practice; it is not stated for this record.
Source: Mix, accessed 15 Nov 2026
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Emulation of this unit
Korg KORG Collection
instrument
Korg's own software versions of its instruments, sold as a bundle that includes this one.
Mix
2 items
Tony Maserati
Mix effects
The real chain
SSL 9000 J
Reported
The console on which Tony Maserati mixed Elephunk, in Studio 3 at Record Plant.
Source: Mix, accessed 15 Nov 2026
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Close match
Solid State Logic SSL Native Channel Strip 2
channel strip
SSL's own channel-strip plugin. It is not a model of this particular desk.
Also worth a look 1
- Waves SSL E-Channel (Models the 4000 E channel strip; the source does not make this the same desk)
The real chain
Avid Pro Tools
Reported
Where will.i.am made his own internal mix of each Elephunk song before handing it to Tony Maserati.
Source: Mix, accessed 15 Nov 2026
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The plugin used on the record
Avid Pro Tools
DAW
The DAW used on the record.
Sources
- will.i.am and the Black Eyed Peas, Mix, 2004-06. 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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