Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande · Chromatica, 2020
Rain on Me
17 sourced items across 6 sectionsVerified13Inferred4
What the sources do and do not say
One Sound On Sound Secrets of the Mix Engineers piece (Paul Tingen, August 2020) with Benjamin Rice and Tom Norris, read in full. Norris's mix rows are about this song; the Rice tracking chain (U47, 1073, CL-1B) and Melodyne use are his standing practice with Gaga, not tied to this song. Hardware and plug-in details of the recorded instruments and any session microphones beyond Gaga's vocal chain are not given.
Lead and backing vocals
5 items
Lady Gaga, Ariana Grande
Microphone
The real chain
Neumann U 47
InferredUsual practice
Usual practice, not stated for this record: Lady Gaga's own vintage microphone, which opens the vocal chain Rice has used on her for years and takes wherever they record.
A suggestion, not a documented fact: Benjamin Rice 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
Neve 1073
InferredUsual practice
Usual practice, not stated for this record: Microphone preamp that follows the U47 in Rice's standing vocal chain for Gaga.
A suggestion, not a documented fact: Benjamin Rice describes this as usual practice; it is not stated for this record.
Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026
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Emulation of this unit
Universal Audio Neve 1073 Preamp & EQ Collection
preamp and EQ
Made with AMS Neve as a model of the 1073 preamp and equaliser.
Also worth a look 1
- Waves Scheps 73 (Models the 1073's preamp and equaliser, made with Andrew Scheps)
The real chain
Tube-Tech CL 1B
InferredUsual practice
Usual practice, not stated for this record: Compressor after the preamp in that standing chain, going straight into Pro Tools.
A suggestion, not a documented fact: Benjamin Rice describes this as usual practice; it is not stated for this record.
Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026
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Emulation of this unit
Softube Tube-Tech CL 1B Mk II
compressor
Made with Tube-Tech as a model of the CL 1B.
Mix effects
The real chain
Celemony Melodyne
InferredUsual practice
Usual practice, not stated for this record: Used in a stand-alone session on the dry comped vocals for tuning and for tightening the timing of doubles and harmonies to the lead.
A suggestion, not a documented fact: Benjamin Rice 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. This is already software, so the stand-in is the thing itself. No product link has been added for it yet.
The real chain
Universal Audio UAD Fairchild 670
Verified
Plug-in used on this song to control Ariana Grande's overall vocal bus and Lady Gaga's vocal bus.
Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026
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The plugin used on the record
Universal Audio Fairchild Tube Limiter Collection
compressor
The plugin named in the source.
Guitars
1 item
Mix effects
The real chain
Ableton Delay
Verified
Ableton's factory delay with a sample delay/Haas preset, used by Norris on the guitars.
Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026
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No plugin suggested. This is already software, so the stand-in is the thing itself. No product link has been added for it yet.
Drop bass
3 items
Instrument
The real chain
Xfer Records Serum
Verified
Supplied a sub-bass layer, one of several drop bass parts later consolidated into one track.
Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026
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No plugin suggested. This is already software, so the stand-in is the thing itself. No product link has been added for it yet.
Mix effects
The real chain
FabFilter Pro-Q 3
Verified
On the bass group in dynamic mode, reducing 70 Hz a little.
- Settings
- Dynamic mode, reducing 70 Hz a bit
Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026
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Close match
FabFilter Pro-Q 4
equaliser
Pro-Q 4 is the current version of the same equaliser.
The real chain
Kush Audio AR-1
Verified
Compressor on the bass group to even out the signal.
Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026
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No plugin suggested. This is itself a plug-in, the software the record used, so there is nothing to stand in for.
Drum buses
4 items
Mix effects
The real chain
Plugin Alliance Black Box
Verified
Plug-in on the drum bus of this mix.
Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026
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No plugin suggested. This is already software, so the stand-in is the thing itself. No product link has been added for it yet.
The real chain
Slate Digital FG-X
Verified
Plug-in on the drum bus of this mix.
Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026
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No plugin suggested. This is already software, so the stand-in is the thing itself. No product link has been added for it yet.
The real chain
Oeksound Spiff
Verified
Transient shaper on the drum bus of this mix.
Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026
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No plugin suggested. This is already software, so the stand-in is the thing itself. No product link has been added for it yet.
The real chain
ADA Flanger
Verified
Flanger on a second drum bus, with filters, added later by Norris and Burns for an effect in the pre-chorus.
Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026
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Emulation of this unit
Plugin Alliance A/DA Flanger
modulation
Brainworx's plugin models the A/DA Flanger pedal, both the 1979 original and the 2009 reissue.
Keyboards and strings
3 items
Instrument
The real chain
Spectrasonics Omnisphere
Verified
Piano sound Norris added to emphasise the drop chords.
Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026
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No plugin suggested. This is already software, so the stand-in is the thing itself. No product link has been added for it yet.
Mix effects
The real chain
Waves RVox
Verified
Plug-in on the Omnisphere piano added in the drop.
Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026
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No plugin suggested. This is already software, so the stand-in is the thing itself. No product link has been added for it yet.
The real chain
Waves CLA Vocals
Verified
Used on the high strings with everything switched off apart from stereo widening.
Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026
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No plugin suggested. This is already software, so the stand-in is the thing itself. No product link has been added for it yet.
Master bus and compression experiments
1 item
Mix effects
The real chain
Alesis 3630
Verified
Tried by Norris to get a French-house pumping sound on the main riff, but it did not make it into the final mix.
Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026
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Covers this kind of unit
Waves dbx 160 Compressor / Limiter
compressor
A VCA compressor from the dbx tradition whose gain chips the 3630 uses; it is not a model of this unit.
Sources
- Inside Track: Lady Gaga 'Rain On Me', Sound On Sound, 2020-08. 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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