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Drake, Photo: GabboT (Wikimedia Commons)

Photo: GabboT (Wikimedia Commons) · CC BY-SA 2.0

Independent research by truerecs. Not affiliated with, endorsed or verified by Drake. Every item links to its public source.
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What DAW does Drake use?

Drake's records with Noah '40' Shebib were made in Pro Tools. 40 has described a Neumann TLM 103 and Mbox rig for So Far Gone, then a Sony C-800G, Neumann U87 or Shure SM57 through a Neve 1073 or 1081 and a Teletronix LA-2A, with Auto-Tune and Waves plugins on 'Headlines'.

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AllTop 5Studio40's studio (Drake sessions)Headlines mix (by 40)Take Care road rig (by 40)So Far Gone sessions (by 40)
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What studio gear Drake uses: a sourced gear guide

Independent research by truerecs: every item links to the public source it comes from.

Studio

13 items

40's studio (Drake sessions)

5 items

Headlines mix (by 40)

11 items

Take Care road rig (by 40)

3 items

So Far Gone sessions (by 40)

4 items
Questions

About Drake's gear.

What DAW does Drake use?

Drake's records with producer Noah '40' Shebib were made in Pro Tools. 40 told Sound On Sound in 2012 that his home studio, where they record most material, runs a Pro Tools HD rig, and wrote in 2014 that So Far Gone was made on Pro Tools LE with an Mbox on a MacBook Pro.

What microphone does Drake use?

Noah '40' Shebib told Sound On Sound in 2012 that Drake records on a Sony C-800G, a Neumann U87 for scratch vocals, or a Shure SM57 when he records in the control room.

What preamp does Drake use?

His mics go through a Neve 1073 or 1081, according to 40 in Sound On Sound.

What plugins does Drake use on his vocals?

The 'Headlines' lead vocal chain was Antares Auto-Tune, Waves Q8, Waves DeEsser, Waves Renaissance EQ, Waves Renaissance Vox, a Bomb Factory Pultec EQP-1A and Avid Smack, per Sound On Sound.

What studio gear did 40 use on Drake's records?

40 described a Pro Tools HD rig, an LA-2A on Drake's voice, a Studiologic Numa 88 controller, a Hammond B3, RME Babyface and Apogee Duet 2 interfaces, and mixing 'Headlines' on an SSL 4000 G+. On Take Care he toured an Omni HD rack with a Neve 1073.

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Drake
About this guide · Last checked

Drake is the Toronto rapper and singer behind So Far Gone, Take Care and Views. This guide covers the recording setup producer and engineer Noah '40' Shebib described for Drake's sessions, from So Far Gone to Take Care: the DAW, mics, preamps, interfaces and the plugins on 'Headlines'. It is 40's gear on Drake's records, not a list Drake gave himself.

truerecs put this guide together from public videos, interviews and posts. Each item says how we know and links to the source. Drake didn't write it or choose anything on it. How we source gear guides.

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truerecs gear guides are independent research from public sources, not made or approved by the artist. Store buttons on this page may be affiliate links: truerecs may earn a commission when you buy through them, at no extra cost to you. Drake isn't paid for them. Report an error or ask for removal. Full disclosure.