Cypress Hill · Black Sunday, 1993
Insane in the Brain
9 sourced items across 3 sectionsVerified4Reported4Inferred1
What the sources do and do not say
Sound On Sound Classic Tracks (Tom Doyle, December 2018) with DJ Muggs and Joe Nicolo, read in full. Song-specific material is the SP-1200 tempo change and the mix effects; the Bel sampler, API EQs, 1176, vocal mic and SSL console are album-level or habits. Nicolo's A Room gear (Neve 8048, LA-2A, 1176s) is not tied to this record and is left out. The U87 is a general-practice row.
Rap vocals
2 items
B-Real and Sen Dog
Microphone
The real chain
Neumann U 87
InferredUsual practice
Usual practice, not stated for this record: Nicolo's preferred vocal microphone for rap at his Studio 4, the black one of three he owned, nicknamed Black Elvis.
A suggestion, not a documented fact: Joe Nicolo describes this as usual practice; it is not stated for this record.
Source: Sound On Sound, 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
UREI 1176
VerifiedAlbum sessions
Nicolo recalls using it on B-Real's vocals to bring out as much as possible against the rhythms on the album.
Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026
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Emulation of this unit
Universal Audio 1176 Classic Limiter Collection
compressor
Models several revisions of the 1176, including the blackface units.
Also worth a look 1
- Waves CLA-76 Compressor / Limiter (Models two 1176 revisions (blacky and bluey))
Beat and drum samples
3 items
DJ Muggs
Instrument
The real chain
E-mu SP1200
Reported
Muggs's sampler and drum machine, on which the beat was sped up one step to a faster tempo, the machine only moving in 6 bpm steps. (recalled with uncertainty)
- Settings
- Tempo raised in one 6 bpm step, which Muggs thinks went from 96 to 102 bpm
Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026
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Emulation of this unit
Inphonik RX1200
instrument
An emulation of the SP-1200. You load your own samples.
The real chain
Bel Sampling delay (model not stated)
VerifiedAlbum sessions
Album sessions, not stated for this song: Used in the studio as an early sampler that could trigger kick and snare sounds and change their pitch, so extra drum samples could be added to the programmed rhythm tracks.
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.
Mix effects
The real chain
API Graphic equaliser (model not stated)
VerifiedAlbum sessions
Album sessions, not stated for this song: Used to dig into the two or three track drum loops and thicken them.
Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026
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Covers this kind of unit
Waves API 560
equaliser
Models the API 560, the firm's ten-band graphic equaliser. 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.
Mix
4 items
Joe Nicolo
Mix effects
The real chain
SSL E Series (with G computer)
VerifiedAlbum sessions
Album sessions, not stated for this song: Console in the B Room on which Cypress Hill's tracks were mixed.
Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026
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Emulation of this unit
Waves SSL E-Channel
channel strip
Made with SSL as a model of the 4000 E channel strip.
Also worth a look 1
- Solid State Logic SSL Native Channel Strip 2 (SSL's own channel-strip plugin, based on a later desk)
The real chain
EMT 140
Reported
One of two reverbs named for the sparing touches of reverb on the mix; the other was a Yamaha REV-7, and the article does not say which was used where. (recalled with uncertainty)
Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026
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Emulation of this unit
Universal Audio EMT 140 Classic Plate Reverberator
reverb
Models three EMT 140 plates, made with EMT.
Also worth a look 1
- Soundtoys Little Plate (A simpler EMT 140 model with one decay control)
The real chain
Yamaha REV7
Reported
The alternative reverb to the EMT 140 for the sparing reverb touches on the mix; the article does not say which was used where. (recalled with uncertainty)
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 1980s digital units like this one, giving the same bright, slightly grainy halls and plates; it is not a model of this unit.
The real chain
Lexicon Primetime II
Reported
The only delay unit used on the mix.
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.
Sources
- Classic Tracks: Cypress Hill 'Insane In The Brain', Sound On Sound, 2018-12. 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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