How It Was Recorded

The Weeknd · Beauty Behind the Madness, 2015

The Hills

Lead vocal, verseLead vocal, chorusBacking vocals and outro chantVerse guitarClaps, kick and subStereo busVerified24Reported1

What the sources do and do not say

Sound On Sound Inside Track with Illangelo, who mixed The Hills at the singer's home studio in Toronto, entirely in Cubase. Every row is a plug-in he names for this song; no hardware is named apart from the mic, which he cannot recall for certain. Vocal sections are split into verse, chorus and backing for clarity; he says chorus chain is similar to the verse.

Lead vocal, verse

The Weeknd

Microphone

Neumann U 67

Reported

The mix engineer thinks, without being sure, that the verse vocal was recorded on this microphone in the spare room at the singer's house.

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 EFX

Verified

First insert on the verse lead vocal, applied subtly for tuning; he notes it is an older version.

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-DS

Verified

De-esser on the verse lead vocal, taking out sharp sibilance from a slightly bright microphone capture.

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

EQ on the verse lead vocal rolling off top and bottom to give a lo-fi sound.

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 Vocal Rider

Verified

Rides the level of the verse lead vocal automatically so it stays in a good place.

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026

The plugin used on the record

Waves Vocal Rider

level rider

The plugin used on the record.

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

Universal Audio API 560 (UAD)

Verified

EQ on the verse lead vocal with a delicate curve, chosen because it added a fuzzy quality that suited the lo-fi and sub-bass mix.

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-MB

Verified

Multiband compressor on the verse lead vocal to balance the low and high parts of the voice, pumping audibly.

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 Little Radiator

Verified

On a parallel send for the verse vocal, adding heat so the parallel copy sounds a little overdriven.

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.

UREI 1176

Verified

Compressor (UAD plug-in) on the parallel verse vocal track, after the Little Radiator, slammed hard.

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026

Emulation of this unit

Universal Audio 1176 Classic Limiter Collection

compressor

Models several revisions of the 1176, including the blackface units.

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

Also worth a look: Waves CLA-76 Compressor / Limiter (Models two 1176 revisions (blacky and bluey)).

Audio Ease Altiverb 7

Verified

Reverb on the first effects send for the verse vocal, his go-to reverb, followed by pre-delay and EQ to tame the top end.

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026

The plugin used on the record

Audio Ease Altiverb 8

reverb

Altiverb 8 is the current version of the reverb named in the source.

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

Universal Audio EP34 Tape Echo

Verified

Effects send for the verse vocal giving a fast slap delay.

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026

The plugin used on the record

Universal Audio EP-34 Tape Echo

delay

The plugin named in the source.

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

Waves Doubler

Verified

Effects send that widens and slightly detunes the verse vocal, feeding on to MicroShift.

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026

The plugin used on the record

Waves Doubler

modulation

The plugin named in the source.

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

FabFilter Timeless 2

Verified

Effects send for longer, filtered delays that enter in certain pockets of the verse vocal.

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.

Lead vocal, chorus

The Weeknd

Mix effects

Waves Reel ADT

Verified

Stands in for a second vocal take on the chorus lead group, doubling the voice and adding power.

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

Supplies the main distortion on the chorus lead vocal, driven only a touch.

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.

Backing vocals and outro chant

The Weeknd

Mix effects

Pultec EQ (model not stated)

Verified

First insert on the All Back group, attenuating low end; a second Pultec later boosts the high end.

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026

Emulation of this unit

Universal Audio Pultec Passive EQ Collection

equaliser

Models the Pultec EQP-1A, MEQ-5 and HLF-3C. The source does not say which Pultec was used.

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

Also worth a look: Waves PuigTec EQs (EQP-1A and MEQ-5) (Models the Pultec EQP-1A and MEQ-5).

Teletronix LA-2A

Verified

Two mono instances on the backing vocal group so the left and right channels compress independently.

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026

Emulation of this unit

Universal Audio Teletronix LA-2A Leveler Collection

compressor

Universal Audio owns the Teletronix name; this is its own model of the LA-2A.

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

Also worth a look: Waves CLA-2A Compressor / Limiter (Models an LA-2A from Chris Lord-Alge's collection. Cheaper and runs without UA hardware).

Universal Audio Cooper Time Cube

Verified

Used in wet solo mode on the outro chant harmoniser, delaying left and right separately so the vocal pokes out.

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026

Emulation of this unit

Universal Audio Cooper Time Cube Mk II Delay

delay

Universal Audio's model of the Cooper Time Cube, which its founder's company built.

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

Verse guitar

Carlo Montagnese

Mix effects

Soundtoys Decapitator

Verified

Insert on the guitar track that sounds in the verses.

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 Reel ADT

Verified

Insert on the guitar track that sounds in the verses, alongside the Decapitator.

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.

Claps, kick and sub

Carlo Montagnese

Mix effects

Brainworx bx_solo

Verified

Keeps the clap sound, taken from a generic 808 library, in mono and dead centre.

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.

Universal Audio Pultec EQ (UAD)

Verified

On the combined kick and sub track, adding low end around 30Hz.

Settings
low end added around 30Hz

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026

The plugin used on the record

Universal Audio Pultec Passive EQ Collection

equaliser

The plugin named in the source.

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

Waves L2

Verified

Limiter on the combined kick and sub track, used as a safeguard to cap their level.

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.

Stereo bus

Carlo Montagnese

Mix effects

Slate Digital VTM

Verified

Virtual tape machine on the stereo bus, with the bass push set in its Settings tab and realistic hiss.

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 15 Nov 2026

The plugin used on the record

Slate Digital Virtual Tape Machines

tape

The plugin named in the source.

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

FabFilter Pro-MB

Verified

Used very subtly on the stereo bus to glue the song together.

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.

Sources

  1. Inside Track: The Weeknd (Secrets Of The Mix Engineers: Carlo Illangelo Montagnese), Sound On Sound, 2015-12. 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.

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.