How It Was Recorded

Lil Tecca · We Love You Tecca, 2019

Ransom

Lead vocal and vocal bussesKick and 808 (mix)Juno and Omnisphere partsBeat bus and master busVerified24Inferred1

What the sources do and do not say

Paul Tingen's Secrets of the Mix Engineers piece with Joseph Colmenero covers his in-the-box mix of Ransom, almost entirely plug-ins. Tracking is barely covered: the producers recorded the vocal before he received it, and the U87 remark is about Tecca's vocals in general, so it is general-practice. Several vocal-bus plug-ins came with the producers' session rather than being chosen by Colmenero.

Lead vocal and vocal busses

Lil Tecca

Microphone

Neumann U 87

InferredUsual practice

Usual practice, not stated for this record: Microphone Colmenero says Tecca uses for his vocals in his sessions, not tied to this song's tracking.

A suggestion, not a documented fact: Joseph Colmenero describes this as usual practice; it is not stated for this record.

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.

Mix effects

Antares Auto-Tune Pro

Verified

Pitch correction placed on every vocal audio track in the mix, standing in for the Auto-Tune Live that came with the session.

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.

Waves Q6

Verified

Equaliser that opens the lead vocal bus plug-in stack.

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.

FabFilter Pro-C 2

Verified

Compressor second in the lead vocal bus chain.

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.

Waves SSL Channel (E or G version not stated)

Verified

Channel strip plug-in on the lead vocal bus, after the compressor.

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026

Close match

Waves SSL E-Channel

channel strip

Kinelski names only the Waves SSL channel strip. Waves sells an E-Channel and a G-Channel; the source does not say which he used.

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

Also worth a look: Waves SSL G-Channel (The other Waves SSL channel strip. The source does not say which version was used).

Waves RVox

Verified

Used as a noise gate on the lead vocal bus.

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.

Soundtoys Decapitator

Verified

Added vibe to the lead vocal bus.

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.

Waves C4

Verified

Used to pull down some peak frequencies on the lead vocal bus.

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.

Waves D-Verb

Verified

Extra reverb on the Harmony Vox aux, which takes the distant ad-libs.

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.

Waves RVerb

Verified

Reverb on the vocal reverb aux fed by sends from the vocal busses.

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.

Waves H-Delay

Verified

Quarter-note delay on the vocal delay aux fed from the vocal busses.

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.

Avid EQ7

Verified

Equaliser before the vocal reverb, taking out low and high end so the reverb does not catch sibilance.

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.

Kick and 808 (mix)

Mix effects

Waves API 550B

Verified

Cut the sub low end of the kick to clear room for the 808.

Settings
Cut of 12dB at 30Hz

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.

FabFilter Pro-Q 2

Verified

Added low mid-range to the kick for more chest thump.

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026

The plugin used on the record

FabFilter Pro-Q 4

equaliser

Current version of the plugin used on the record; Pro-Q 2 is no longer sold.

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

Waves NLS Channel

Verified

Analogue-style saturation on the kick, on the Nevo setting.

Settings
Nevo setting

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026

The plugin used on the record

Waves NLS Non-Linear Summer

console emulation

The plugin named in the source.

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

Waves API 550B

Verified

Boosted the 808 in the upper mid-range, where he says the fuzz lives.

Settings
Boost at 3kHz (the passage separately describes a 12dB boost in the upper mid-range)

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.

FabFilter Pro-Q 2

Verified

Rolled the top end off the 808 to keep fuzz without harshness.

Settings
Roll-off of 48dB at 6.5kHz

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026

The plugin used on the record

FabFilter Pro-Q 4

equaliser

Current version of the plugin used on the record; Pro-Q 2 is no longer sold.

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

Juno and Omnisphere parts

Instrument

Roland Juno-106

Verified

One of the two main melodic and chordal elements in the beat.

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026

Emulation of this unit

Roland Roland Cloud

instrument

Roland's own subscription, which includes its software Juno-106.

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

Also worth a look: TAL Software TAL-U-NO-LX (Models the Juno-60, the Juno-106's close predecessor); Arturia Jun-6 V (Models the Juno-6, an earlier member of the same family).

Spectrasonics Omnisphere

Verified

The other main melodic and chordal element, providing a pad-like bell sound.

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.

Mix effects

Waves CLA Effects

Verified

Collection of effects on the Beat FX aux, fed from the two melodic tracks to add interest and space.

Settings
Set 100 percent wet with delay, phaser, long reverb, top-end shine and distortion engaged

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.

Beat bus and master bus

Mix effects

Waves OneKnob Filter

Verified

DJ-style filter on the Beat Bus, automated at the end of the last chorus to sweep the highs out and back in.

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.

Waves API 2500

Verified

Compressor on the Beat Bus evening out bumps and adding clipping and level.

Settings
Ratio 1.5

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026

The plugin used on the record

Waves API 2500

compressor

The plugin named in the source.

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

Waves S1 Stereo Imager

Verified

Widened the beat on the Beat Bus.

Settings
Set to 30 percent

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.

Waves Greg Wells MixCentric

Verified

Mix bus plug-in chosen for a poppier, softly brightened sound, kept out of compression because of the 808.

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.

Waves NLS Channel

Verified

Master bus plug-in adding analogue grit to the whole track.

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026

The plugin used on the record

Waves NLS Non-Linear Summer

console emulation

The plugin named in the source.

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

Sources

  1. Inside Track: Lil Tecca 'Ransom', Sound On Sound, 2019-11. 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.

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.