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How It Was Recorded

Rihanna · A Girl like Me, 2006

Unfaithful

5 sourced items across 4 sectionsVerified4Reported1

What the sources do and do not say

Single source: Phil Tan's Secrets of the Mix Engineers interview, covering his mix only. All rows are mix-stage plug-ins; the article says nothing about tracking, microphones or the original instruments. The 1.68s reverb time sits under the SOS discussion and was not used for this song.

Vocals

2 items

Rihanna

Mix effects

  • The real chain

    Waves SSL E-Channel

    Verified

    Compressed and brightened the stacked backing vocals for clarity and definition.

    Settings
    Compression ratio of 8, with some high end added

    Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026

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    The plugin used on the record

    Waves SSL E-Channel

    channel strip

    The plugin named in the source.

    Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

  • The real chain

    TC Electronic Mega Reverb

    Verified

    General reverb for most of the mix, including the vocals; chosen for a clean sound and a larger space suited to a show-tune ballad.

    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.

Bass

1 item

Mix effects

  • The real chain

    Metric Halo Channel Strip

    Verified

    Gave the bass more roundness, mainly through its EQ section.

    Settings
    Small boosts at 2.2kHz, 315Hz and 80Hz (amounts not given)

    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.

Cymbals

1 item

Mix effects

  • The real chain

    DUY Redspider

    Verified

    Widened a mono cymbal so it felt wider and more washed out.

    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.

Stereo mix

1 item

Mix effects

  • The real chain

    McDSP Analog Channel

    Reported

    Inserted across the whole mix to add a touch of warmth and harmonic distortion, with a setting intended to emulate a Neve console. (recalled with uncertainty)

    Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026

    Get the sound · our suggestion

    No plugin suggested. This is already software, so the stand-in is the thing itself. No product link has been added for it yet.

Sources

  1. Inside Track: Rihanna 'SOS' & 'Unfaithful', Sound On Sound, 2007-02. Accessed 15 Nov 2026.

What the ratings mean

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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