How It Was Recorded

Daft Punk · Random Access Memories, 2013

Get Lucky

Lead vocalVocoder (robot) vocalsRhythm guitar (two layered parts)Bass guitarDrum kitKeyboards and synthesizersMix bus and mixdown (album-wide)Verified44Inferred1

What the sources do and do not say

Most engineering detail comes from Mick Guzauski and Peter Franco describing the Random Access Memories sessions as a whole. Only Nile Rodgers' two guitars and Nathan East's bass take are sourced to this song. Guzauski and Franco do not say who drummed on it; Omar Hakim is named by No Treble's 2025 write-up of a Nathan East interview, and the drum set-up described applied to both of the album's drummers. Chris Caswell is the album's keyboardist; no source ties him to this song by name. Not sourced, so not listed: Pharrell Williams' vocal recording chain, the vocoder model, Rodgers' amp or DI, East's bass model, and Hakim's kit. Sources disagree on the kick sub microphone (NS-10 woofer or Yamaha SubKick), U 47 or U 47 fet, and U 67 or U 87 for the room. Guzauski says he does not think any outboard was used on Rodgers' guitar, though in another interview he mentions 1176s on guitars.

Lead vocal

Pharrell Williams

Mix effects

AMS Neve 88R

Inferred

EQ on guest vocals: top-end lift for presence plus a narrow cut. Guzauski does not name the EQ

Settings
His usual approach: high-frequency boost (amount not stated); very narrow cut around 3-4 kHz, varied per singer

A suggestion, not a documented fact: Guzauski names desk EQ for the vocoder parts, bass, guitar and keyboards, but does not say what he used for this EQ on the guest vocals. The desk is assumed here.

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 12 Nov 2026

Emulation of this unit

Universal Audio Neve 88RS Channel Strip Collection

channel strip

Model of the 88RS channel strip (EQ, dynamics, preamp), made with AMS Neve.

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

dbx 902 De-Esser

Verified

Hardware de-esser so the vocal could be brightened without sibilance

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 12 Nov 2026

Emulation of this unit

Plugin Alliance Lindell 902 De-esser

de-esser

Models the dbx 902 de-esser.

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

Also worth a look: Waves DeEsser (A simple de-esser that does the same job; not a model of the 902).

Universal Audio UAD Precision De-Esser

Verified

Plug-in de-esser used when heavier de-essing was needed (one of the few plug-ins on the album)

Source: Universal Audio, accessed 12 Nov 2026

The plugin used on the record

Universal Audio Precision De-Esser

de-esser

The plugin used on the record.

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

Teletronix LA-2A

Verified

Vocal compression at mix

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 12 Nov 2026

Emulation of this unit

Universal Audio Teletronix LA-2A Leveler Collection

compressor

Universal Audio owns the Teletronix name; this is its own model of the LA-2A.

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

Also worth a look: Waves CLA-2A Compressor / Limiter (Models an LA-2A from Chris Lord-Alge's collection. Cheaper and runs without UA hardware).

EMT 140

Verified

Plate reverb on vocals (real plate at Conway)

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 12 Nov 2026

Emulation of this unit

Universal Audio EMT 140 Classic Plate Reverberator

reverb

Models three EMT 140 plates, made with EMT.

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

Also worth a look: Soundtoys Little Plate (A simpler EMT 140 model with one decay control).

Lexicon PCM42

Verified

Vocal delay (this or the Eventide H3000, depending on song)

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 12 Nov 2026

Close match

Soundtoys PrimalTap

delay

Models the Lexicon Prime Time, the PCM42's predecessor, with the same kind of modulated digital delay.

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

Eventide H3000

Verified

Vocal delay (this or the Lexicon PCM42, depending on song)

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 12 Nov 2026

Emulation of this unit

Eventide H3000 Factory Mk II

multi-effect

Eventide's own plugin version of the H3000.

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

Vocoder (robot) vocals

Daft Punk (Thomas Bangalter, Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo)

Mix effects

AMS Neve 88R

Verified

Desk EQ to keep diction intelligible on the vocoder parts

Settings
Amount not stated

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 12 Nov 2026

Emulation of this unit

Universal Audio Neve 88RS Channel Strip Collection

channel strip

Model of the 88RS channel strip (EQ, dynamics, preamp), made with AMS Neve.

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

GML Parametric equaliser (model not stated)

Verified

Several narrow-band cuts to tame resonant frequencies that stuck out of the vocoder

Settings
Narrow-band cuts; frequencies not stated

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 12 Nov 2026

Close match

Massenburg DesignWorks MDW Parametric EQ

equaliser

George Massenburg's own plugin version of his parametric EQ design.

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

UREI 1176

Verified

Compressor used on the vocoder vocals

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 12 Nov 2026

Emulation of this unit

Universal Audio 1176 Classic Limiter Collection

compressor

Models several revisions of the 1176, including the blackface units.

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

Also worth a look: Waves CLA-76 Compressor / Limiter (Models two 1176 revisions (blacky and bluey)).

Rhythm guitar (two layered parts)

Nile Rodgers

Instrument

Fender Stratocaster

Verified

Nile Rodgers' 'Hitmaker' Stratocaster. Rodgers' main guitar; one of the two layered guitar parts

Source: MusicRadar, accessed 12 Nov 2026

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

Custom Plexiglass Stratocaster-style guitar

Verified

Second guitar, which Rodgers says he used to double his guitar on this song; he says the linear lick came from it

Source: MusicRadar, accessed 12 Nov 2026; Source: MusicRadar, accessed 12 Nov 2026

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

Mix effects

AMS Neve 88R

Verified

Desk EQ presence boost on Rodgers' guitar across the album. Guzauski says he does not think any outboard was used

Settings
Boost around 5 kHz on the desk (amount not stated)

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 12 Nov 2026

Emulation of this unit

Universal Audio Neve 88RS Channel Strip Collection

channel strip

Model of the 88RS channel strip (EQ, dynamics, preamp), made with AMS Neve.

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

Bass guitar

Nathan East

Amplifier

Recorded direct (DI), no amplifier

Verified

Bass recorded direct, no amp or mic mentioned

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 12 Nov 2026

No plugin suggested. Recorded direct, so there is no amp to model. Leave the amp simulator off.

Input chain

Neve 1081

Verified

Preamp/EQ module for the bass DI signal

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 12 Nov 2026

Emulation of this unit

Universal Audio Neve 1081 Channel EQ

equaliser

Model of the 1081 channel EQ, made with AMS Neve.

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

Also worth a look: Waves V-EQ4 (Waves' model of the 1081 EQ).

Teletronix LA-2A

Verified

Compressor on the bass on the way in

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 12 Nov 2026

Emulation of this unit

Universal Audio Teletronix LA-2A Leveler Collection

compressor

Universal Audio owns the Teletronix name; this is its own model of the LA-2A.

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

Also worth a look: Waves CLA-2A Compressor / Limiter (Models an LA-2A from Chris Lord-Alge's collection. Cheaper and runs without UA hardware).

Avid Pro Tools

Verified

Bass retake captured to tape and Pro Tools at the same time

Source: MusicRadar, accessed 12 Nov 2026

The plugin used on the record

Avid Pro Tools

DAW

The DAW used on the record.

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

Mix effects

AMS Neve 88R

Verified

Only bass processing at mix: desk mid-range EQ so it cuts through

Settings
Mid-range boost (frequency and amount not stated)

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 12 Nov 2026

Emulation of this unit

Universal Audio Neve 88RS Channel Strip Collection

channel strip

Model of the 88RS channel strip (EQ, dynamics, preamp), made with AMS Neve.

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

Drum kit

Omar Hakim

Microphone

AKG D112

Verified

Main kick mic: solid low end and punchy mid-range

Position
Inside the kick drum, right next to the Sony C500

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 12 Nov 2026; Source: SonicScoop, accessed 12 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. The D112 is still made.

Sony C500

Verified

Second kick mic for beater attack and defined top, blended instead of EQ

Position
Inside the kick drum, right next to the D112

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 12 Nov 2026; Source: SonicScoop, accessed 12 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.

Neumann U 47 fet

Verified

Third kick mic: more low end, less attack

Position
Outside the kick drum

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 12 Nov 2026; Source: SonicScoop, accessed 12 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.

Yamaha NS-10 woofer wired as a microphone

Verified

Fourth kick source for very low bottom end, on its own track

Source: SonicScoop, accessed 12 Nov 2026; Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 12 Nov 2026

No plugin suggested. A loudspeaker wired as a microphone to catch only sub-bass. No plugin does this; a sub-harmonic generator is a different process.

Shure SM57

Verified

Snare top mic

Position
Snare top

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 12 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. The SM57 is still made and inexpensive: the real thing is the practical route.

AKG C451

Verified

Snare bottom mic

Position
Under the snare

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 12 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.

AKG C451

Verified

Hi-hat mic

Position
Hi-hat

Source: SonicScoop, accessed 12 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.

Sennheiser MD 421

Verified

Tom mics

Position
Toms

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 12 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. The MD 421 is still made.

Schoeps CM5U (as printed in the source)

Verified

Overhead pair

Position
Overheads

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 12 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.

Neumann U 67

Verified

Room mics, set up as a precaution and barely used

Position
Room

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 12 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

API Mic preamps (model not stated)

Verified

Preamps favoured on kick and snare for punch

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 12 Nov 2026

Close match

Universal Audio API Vision Channel Strip Collection

channel strip

Includes API's preamp, EQ and dynamics models. The source does not name the preamp model.

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

AMS Neve 88R remote mic preamps

Verified

Preamps on toms and overheads

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 12 Nov 2026

Close match

Universal Audio Neve 88RS Channel Strip Collection

channel strip

The 88RS channel strip model includes the desk's mic preamp stage.

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

Studer A827

Verified

24-track analogue recorder for the basic tracks, run in parallel with Pro Tools and later transferred in

Settings
24-track, ATR tape, 15 ips, +3 alignment, Dolby SR

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 12 Nov 2026

Emulation of this unit

Slate Digital Virtual Tape Machines

tape

Includes a model of a two-inch Studer A827.

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

Also worth a look: Universal Audio Studer A800 Tape Recorder (Models the A800, the A827's predecessor).

Dolby SR

Verified

Noise reduction on the multitrack tape to avoid hiss; also softened top transients and fattened the lows

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 12 Nov 2026

No plugin suggested. Noise reduction is designed to be inaudible. Nothing to add in a DAW.

Lynx Aurora 16

Verified

A-D converters for the parallel Pro Tools recording

Settings
Pro Tools at 96 kHz, Antelope clock

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 12 Nov 2026

No plugin suggested. A converter, designed to be transparent. Your own audio interface does this job.

Mix effects

Teletronix LA-2A

Verified

Light parallel compression on kick and snare (this or an 1176)

Settings
Parallel, used sparingly

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 12 Nov 2026

Emulation of this unit

Universal Audio Teletronix LA-2A Leveler Collection

compressor

Universal Audio owns the Teletronix name; this is its own model of the LA-2A.

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

Also worth a look: Waves CLA-2A Compressor / Limiter (Models an LA-2A from Chris Lord-Alge's collection. Cheaper and runs without UA hardware).

UREI 1176

Verified

Light parallel compression on kick and snare (this or an LA-2A)

Settings
Parallel, used sparingly

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 12 Nov 2026

Emulation of this unit

Universal Audio 1176 Classic Limiter Collection

compressor

Models several revisions of the 1176, including the blackface units.

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

Also worth a look: Waves CLA-76 Compressor / Limiter (Models two 1176 revisions (blacky and bluey)).

API 2500

Verified

Parallel compression across the whole drum kit

Settings
Parallel on the drum bus

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 12 Nov 2026

Emulation of this unit

Waves API 2500

compressor

Model of the API 2500 bus compressor, made with API.

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

Keyboards and synthesizers

Chris Caswell (album keyboardist); Daft Punk

Instrument

Custom Modular synthesizer (Modcan and other modules)

Verified

Source of almost all the album's synth sounds

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 12 Nov 2026

Approximate

VCV VCV Rack

instrument · free

A free virtual modular synth. It does not model these modules, but it works the same way.

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

Also worth a look: Arturia Modular V (Models a Moog modular system: a different modular, same approach).

Amplifier

Recorded direct (DI), no amplifier

Verified

Session keyboards recorded direct

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 12 Nov 2026

No plugin suggested. Recorded direct, so there is no amp to model. Leave the amp simulator off.

Microphone

Neumann U 87

Verified

Mics on the Fender Rhodes, the exception to the DI'ed keyboards

Position
On the Fender Rhodes (placement not stated)

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 12 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

AMS Neve 88R

Verified

Console EQ and compression to fit keyboards and synths into the mix

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 12 Nov 2026

Emulation of this unit

Universal Audio Neve 88RS Channel Strip Collection

channel strip

Model of the 88RS channel strip (EQ, dynamics, preamp), made with AMS Neve.

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

Mix bus and mixdown (album-wide)

Mick Guzauski (mix engineer)

Mix effects

AMS Neve 88R

Verified

Analogue mix console at Conway Studio C, fed from Pro Tools

Settings
72 inputs, fed from Pro Tools at 96 kHz; extra tracks submixed in the box

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 12 Nov 2026

Emulation of this unit

Universal Audio Neve 88RS Channel Strip Collection

channel strip

Model of the 88RS channel strip (EQ, dynamics, preamp), made with AMS Neve.

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

EMT 140

Verified

Main reverb across the mix (real plates)

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 12 Nov 2026

Emulation of this unit

Universal Audio EMT 140 Classic Plate Reverberator

reverb

Models three EMT 140 plates, made with EMT.

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

Also worth a look: Soundtoys Little Plate (A simpler EMT 140 model with one decay control).

Avalon Equaliser (model not stated)

Verified

Stereo bus EQ, used alongside a couple of older solid-state EQs and ahead of the bus compressor

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 12 Nov 2026

Approximate

Universal Audio Avalon VT-737 Tube Channel Strip

channel strip

Includes Avalon's EQ section, but the source does not name the Avalon model, and it may not be this one.

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

Neve 33609

Verified

Stereo bus compressor on most songs

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 12 Nov 2026

Emulation of this unit

Universal Audio Neve Dynamics Collection (33609)

compressor

The collection includes a model of the 33609 stereo compressor.

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

Ampex ATR-102

Verified

Half-inch mixdown machines; three run at once and the preferred print chosen per song

Settings
Three machines: one at 15 ips with Aria electronics, two at 30 ips (standard and high-flux heads)

Source: SonicScoop, accessed 12 Nov 2026

Emulation of this unit

Universal Audio Ampex ATR-102 Mastering Tape Recorder

tape

Model of the ATR-102 mastering deck, made with Ampex.

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

Sources

  1. Recording Random Access Memories | Daft Punk (Peter Franco & Mick Guzauski), Sound On Sound, 2013-07. Accessed 12 Nov 2026.
  2. Mick Guzauski On Mixing Daft Punk's Random Access Memories with Universal Audio, Universal Audio. Accessed 12 Nov 2026.
  3. Nile Rodgers on the Hitmaker, Daft Punk and Hendrix, MusicRadar, 2013-07. Accessed 12 Nov 2026.
  4. "He insisted I bring my plexiglass guitar": Nile Rodgers on Thomas Bangalter's specific request when Daft Punk invited him into the studio to record Get Lucky, MusicRadar, 2023-10. Accessed 12 Nov 2026.
  5. How bass legend Nathan East almost blew Daft Punk's cover... then "got lucky" on their biggest hit, MusicRadar, 2025-01. Accessed 12 Nov 2026.
  6. Icons: Mick Guzauski on Engineering and Mixing Daft Punk's "Random Access Memories", SonicScoop, 2013-05. Accessed 12 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.

Disclosure: plugin links currently go straight to the maker and earn us nothing. If that changes, affiliate links will be marked here. Suggestions are chosen on fit, never on commission, and are kept separate from the recording facts. More.