How It Was Recorded

Eminem · Recovery, 2010

Not Afraid

Rap and hook vocalsBassDrums and percussionKeyboard overdubsGunshot effectsReported11Inferred2

What the sources do and do not say

Sound On Sound Inside Track with engineer and mixer Mike Strange Jr, with a section on Not Afraid. Most rows come from that section; the Sony C800 and Avalon 737 rows describe Eminem's usual vocal setup and are marked general-practice. The article does not give mic positions or numeric settings. The MusicRadar piece in the candidates is about Lose Yourself and was not used.

Rap and hook vocals

Eminem

Microphone

Sony C800

InferredUsual practice

Eminem's vocal microphone in the large live room at Effigy, which Strange says he has used for years; the passage describes his usual setup rather than this song alone.

A suggestion, not a documented fact: Strange describes how Eminem is normally recorded at Effigy, not this song specifically.

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

Avalon 737

InferredUsual practice

Mic preamp taking the vocal microphone straight into Pro Tools in Eminem's usual vocal setup, as Strange describes it.

A suggestion, not a documented fact: Strange describes the normal vocal chain, not this song specifically.

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026

Emulation of this unit

Universal Audio Avalon VT-737 Tube Channel Strip

channel strip

Made with Avalon as a model of the VT-737sp channel strip.

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

Alta Moda Unicomp

Reported

Outboard compressor on the rap vocals; pushing it hard back into the SSL returns caused some of the vocal distortion heard in the rap.

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026

No plugin suggested. No plugin equivalent mapped yet.

Mix effects

Requisite L2M

Reported

Tube mastering-style compressor used on the vocals of this song; Strange says he has used it on every Eminem song he has recorded.

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026

No plugin suggested. No plugin equivalent mapped yet.

TC Electronic 2290

Reported

Hardware delay used in place of the plug-in delay for the repeating delay on the hook vocal.

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026

No plugin suggested. No plugin equivalent mapped yet.

Massenburg EQ (plug-in)

Reported

Equaliser plug-in on the two rap vocal tracks.

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026

The plugin used on the record

Massenburg DesignWorks MDW Parametric EQ

equaliser

The plugin named in the source.

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

Digidesign Extra Long Delay

Reported

Delay plug-in on the spoken intro track.

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.

Bass

Luis Resto

Mix effects

API 550a

Reported

Equaliser on the bass; Strange says the studio likes it a lot.

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026

Emulation of this unit

Waves API 550

equaliser

Made with API as models of the 550A and 550B equalisers.

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

Drums and percussion

Boi-1da (original beat); Luis Resto (added 808 kick)

Mix effects

SSL Console (model not stated)

Reported

Console EQ and a little compression on Boi-1da's drum tracks so they sat with the rest of the track.

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026

Close match

Solid State Logic SSL Native Channel Strip 2

channel strip

SSL's own channel-strip plugin. It is not a model of this particular desk.

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

Also worth a look: Waves SSL E-Channel (Models the 4000 E channel strip; the source does not make this the same desk).

Antares Auto-Tune

Reported

Used on the 808 kick that Luis Resto added, to hold its pitch steady because the 808 drifted in pitch.

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.

Keyboard overdubs

Luis Resto

Amplifier

Recorded direct (DI), no amplifier

Reported

Resto's keyboard overdubs were recorded direct, with the engineers in the control room.

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026

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

Mix effects

Massenburg EQ (plug-in)

Reported

Equaliser plug-in on one of the OB8 sounds in the track.

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026

The plugin used on the record

Massenburg DesignWorks MDW Parametric EQ

equaliser

The plugin named in the source.

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

Gunshot effects

Mix effects

Massenburg EQ (plug-in)

Reported

Equaliser plug-ins on the three gunshot tracks added at the end, used to roll off some low end.

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026

The plugin used on the record

Massenburg DesignWorks MDW Parametric EQ

equaliser

The plugin named in the source.

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

Sources

  1. Mike Strange Jr: Eminem Recovery, Sound On Sound, 2010-10. 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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