Afrika Bambaataa & The Soulsonic Force · Planet Rock (single), 1982
Planet Rock
6 sourced items across 4 sectionsVerified6
What the sources do and do not say
Single Sound On Sound Classic Tracks article with producer Arthur Baker, read in full. The Micromoog and Prophet 5 rows only record that Robie brought them; the article does not say what each played. The studio also had a Neve console and Studer 24-track, listed without stated function, so they are left out.
Vocal effects
1 item
Afrika Bambaataa
Input chain
The real chain
Lexicon PCM41
Verified
Source of the studio effects on the record, including a very tight delay that produced Bambaataa's electronic vocoder-style vocal sound.
Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026
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Close match
Soundtoys PrimalTap
delay
Based on the Lexicon Prime Time, the first of this family of delays.
Drum machine
1 item
Session drum-machine programmer (Joe)
Instrument
The real chain
Roland TR-808
Verified
Drum machine chosen for the beats; a hired player copied the beat from Kraftwerk's "Numbers" and then the break from "Super Sperm".
Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026
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Emulation of this unit
D16 Group Nepheton 2
drum instrument
An emulation of the TR-808.
Also worth a look 1
- Roland Roland Cloud (Roland's own subscription, which includes its software TR-808)
Keyboards
3 items
John Robie
Instrument
The real chain
Fairlight CMI (model not stated)
Verified
Source of the pre-sampled sounds tried in the session, including the explosion, handclaps and the orchestra hit; it could not record samples.
Source: Sound On Sound, 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
Moog Micromoog
Verified
One of the two keyboards Robie carried up to the session; the passage gives no specific part for it.
Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026
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Approximate
Arturia Mini V
instrument
A Minimoog emulation. It has the Moog filter and character, but this is a different Moog.
The real chain
Sequential Circuits Prophet 5
Verified
One of the two keyboards Robie carried up to the session; the passage gives no specific part for it.
Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026
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Emulation of this unit
Arturia Prophet-5 V
instrument
An emulation of the Prophet-5.
Also worth a look 1
- u-he Repro (Includes Repro-5, a component-level model of the Prophet-5)
Reverb
1 item
Mix effects
The real chain
Sony Reverb (model not stated)
Verified
The studio's reverb, one of the few effects on the record.
Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026
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Covers this kind of unit
Valhalla DSP ValhallaVintageVerb
reverb
A reverb built on the methods of early digital studio reverbs such as Sony's. 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: Afrika Bambaataa & The Soulsonic Force 'Planet Rock', Sound On Sound, 2008-11. 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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