How It Was Recorded

Cher · Believe, 1998

Believe

Lead vocalChorus guitarSampled drumsPiano and padEffects and processingVerified12Reported4

What the sources do and do not say

Single Sound On Sound article from February 1999, read in full, with Mark Taylor describing the production of Believe. The article originally credited the vocal effect to a Digitech Talker; a later editorial footnote says it was Auto-Tune, so both rows are kept with that attribution. A Korg VC10 vocoder was tried and rejected, and a Mackie desk is mentioned but with no stated function beyond general EQ, so neither has a row. Mix and mastering details (Townhouse) name no gear.

Lead vocal

Cher

Microphone

Neumann U 67

Reported

Microphone used for Cher's vocals, chosen at her suggestion after a recent session with it.

Source: Sound On Sound, 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

Tascam DA-88

Reported

Three of these digital multitrack recorders captured the vocals before they were loaded into Cubase VST.

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026

Approximate

Slate Digital Virtual Tape Machines

tape

Models two Studer machines, not this recorder. It gives the general behaviour of analogue multitrack tape.

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

Also worth a look: Universal Audio Studer A800 Tape Recorder (Models a Studer A800, not this recorder. It gives the general behaviour of analogue multitrack tape).

Mix effects

Drawmer DS404

Verified

Its filter section was used on the vocal, ahead of the Talker, to create the narrow, telephone-like tone Cher wanted.

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026

No plugin suggested. No plugin equivalent mapped yet.

Digitech Talker

Reported

Taylor describes this vocoder-style pedal as giving the stepped vocal effect, with a Nord Rack tone as carrier, and thinks he used it only on a few very short vocal sections.

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026

Approximate

Native Instruments Guitar Rig 7 Pro

amp and cabinet simulator

Includes a range of modelled pedals. Whether this exact pedal is among them was not checked.

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

Antares Auto-Tune

Reported

The editor's later footnote says the audible Cher effect on the vocal came from this pitch-correction software set too fast, not from the Talker as originally credited.

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026

No plugin suggested. This is already software, so the stand-in is the thing itself. No product link has been added for it yet.

Chorus guitar

Amplifier

Session Sessionette

Verified

Amplifier through which the chorus guitar was run.

Source: Sound On Sound, 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).

Microphone

AKG C414

Verified

Microphone on the Sessionette amp for the chorus guitar.

Source: Sound On Sound, 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.

Mix effects

Zoom Zoom (model not stated)

Verified

Used to add tremolo to the chorus guitar, which was then heavily EQ'd.

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026

Approximate

Native Instruments Guitar Rig 7 Pro

amp and cabinet simulator

Includes a range of modelled pedals. Whether this exact pedal is among them was not checked.

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

Sampled drums

Instrument

Akai S3000

Verified

Sampler on which the kick drum was built by layering four of Taylor's own kick samples on each note.

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026

Approximate

TAL Software TAL-Sampler

instrument

A sampler plugin with vintage-style converters. It is not a model of this unit, and you load your own samples.

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

Piano and pad

Instrument

E-mu Vintage Keys

Verified

Source of the piano sound, based on a Yamaha CP80 electric piano with slight modification, then compressed hard.

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026

No plugin suggested. No plugin equivalent mapped yet.

Roland Juno-106

Verified

One of two sounds layered to make the main synth pad of the track.

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026

Emulation of this unit

Roland Roland Cloud

instrument

Roland's own subscription, which includes its software Juno-106.

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

Also worth a look: TAL Software TAL-U-NO-LX (Models the Juno-60, the Juno-106's close predecessor); Arturia Jun-6 V (Models the Juno-6, an earlier member of the same family).

Korg TR-Rack

Verified

The second of two sounds combined to make the main synth pad.

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026

No plugin suggested. No plugin equivalent mapped yet.

Effects and processing

Instrument

Clavia Nord Rack

Verified

Supplied the carrier tone for the vocal effect, with its notes sequenced from Cubase to follow the vocal melody.

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026

No plugin suggested. No plugin equivalent mapped yet.

Oberheim Matrix 1000

Verified

Made the white-noise wind effect at the very start of the track.

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026

No plugin suggested. No plugin equivalent mapped yet.

Mix effects

Roland SDE-330

Verified

Delay unit adding lots of spacious ambience without cluttering the track, mentioned alongside the piano sound.

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026

No plugin suggested. No plugin equivalent mapped yet.

ART Tube EQ

Verified

Used with the sampler EQ and the desk to crunch up the sampled sounds.

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026

No plugin suggested. No plugin equivalent mapped yet.

Sources

  1. Recording Cher's 'Believe', Sound On Sound, 1999-02. 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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