How It Was Recorded

Darude · Before the Storm, 1999

Sandstorm

BassDrumsLead riffStrings and arpeggioMixdownVerified8Reported1

What the sources do and do not say

Single Sound On Sound Classic Tracks interview with Darude (both pages read; page 2 covers live set-up and later history, with no further studio rows). The track is instrumental, so there is no vocals section. Mixer and DAT row roles reflect the live summing described by Virtanen; Korg TR-Rack, Trinity and Cubase are mentioned but without a stated role on the final record, so are omitted.

Bass

Ville Virtanen

Instrument

Roland JV-1080

Reported

Supplied the bass part, which Virtanen describes as some kind of hollow square bass. (recalled with uncertainty)

Source: Sound On Sound, 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

Drums

Ville Virtanen

Instrument

Roland TR-909

Verified

Hardware 909 supplied the kick and the open and closed hi-hats, replicating the patterns from his ReBirth demo.

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026

Emulation of this unit

D16 Group Drumazon 2

drum instrument

An emulation of the TR-909.

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

Also worth a look: Roland Roland Cloud (Roland's own subscription, which includes its software TR-909).

Roland JV-1080

Verified

Its 909 kit supplied the snare, including the big rolls, and the crash cymbal.

Source: Sound On Sound, 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

Lead riff

Ville Virtanen

Instrument

Ensoniq ASR-10

Verified

Sampler into which the original lead synth sound was sampled directly for the studio version at Salovaara's studio.

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

Mix effects

Steinberg Quadrafuzz

Verified

Distortion plug-in that the lead synth line was run through in Cubase, which gave the riff the sound heard on the single.

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.

Strings and arpeggio

Ville Virtanen

Instrument

Roland JP-8080

Verified

Source of the big synth strings patch, which he calls crucial to the track.

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026

Close match

Arturia Jup-8000 V

instrument

An emulation of the JP-8000, the keyboard version of the JP-8080.

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

Clavia Nord Rack 2

Verified

Played the arpeggio that begins in the second break of the long mix.

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026

No plugin suggested. No plugin equivalent mapped yet.

Mixdown

Ville Virtanen

Mix effects

Mackie 24/8

Verified

Mixer through which the split-out sounds were fed and summed live while fader moves and filter sweeps were made by hand.

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026

No plugin suggested. No plugin equivalent mapped yet.

Tascam DA-20

Verified

DAT recorder that captured the live mix in a take with no edit, and which went to mastering.

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).

Sources

  1. Classic Tracks: Darude 'Sandstorm', Sound On Sound, 2020-12. 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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