How It Was Recorded

Coolio featuring L.V. · Gangsta's Paradise, 1995

Gangsta's Paradise

BassDrums and samplingStrings and synthsOverall recording mediumVerified1Reported3Inferred1

What the sources do and do not say

Mix Classic Tracks (Sarah Jones, with producer Doug Rasheed) and a Sound & Vision interview with Rasheed and L.V. The articles name producer gear but no microphones, preamps or vocal chain; the vocals section therefore has no rows. The MPC 60 and BB-5000 rows are the journalist listing the home-studio setup, not Rasheed tying them to specific parts. The Yamaha GX-1 appears only as the source of the Stevie Wonder sample and is not listed as gear used here.

Bass

Doug Rasheed

Instrument

Yamaha BB-5000

Reported

Named as the bass in the gear Rasheed set up at the Hollywood Hills house.

Source: Mix, accessed 15 Nov 2026

No plugin suggested. A bass guitar is the source of the sound, not a process applied to it. No plugin stands in for it.

Moog Minimoog

InferredUsual practice

Usual practice, not stated for this record: Rasheed says he layered Minimoog bass with his live bass to give a little more bottom.

A suggestion, not a documented fact: Doug Rasheed describes this as usual practice; it is not stated for this record.

Source: Mix, accessed 15 Nov 2026

Emulation of this unit

Arturia Mini V

instrument

Model of the Minimoog Model D.

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

Also worth a look: Universal Audio Moog Minimoog (Minimoog model made with Moog).

Drums and sampling

Doug Rasheed

Instrument

Akai MPC60

Reported

Listed among the gear Rasheed set up at the Hollywood Hills house.

Source: Mix, accessed 15 Nov 2026

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.

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

Strings and synths

Doug Rasheed

Mix effects

Roland JV-1080

Reported

Source of the big string stabs added for the final mix, after the original kick and snare were replaced.

Source: Mix, accessed 15 Nov 2026

Emulation of this unit

Roland Roland Cloud

instrument

Roland's own subscription, which includes its software version of this synthesizer.

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

Overall recording medium

Input chain

Unidentified Tape machine (model not stated)

Verified

The producer says the record was made on 2-inch analog tape; no machine or format details are given.

Source: Sound & Vision, 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).

Sources

  1. Classic Tracks: Coolio’s “Gangsta’s Paradise”, Mix, 2025-12-05. Accessed 15 Nov 2026.
  2. Doug Rasheed & L.V. on the Legacy of Coolio’s Gangsta’s Paradise at 30, Sound & Vision, 2025-09-30. 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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