Firestarter by The Prodigy: studio, gear and credits

Firestarter by The Prodigy: recorded at Earthbound Studios, Braintree, Essex (Liam Howlett's home facility) (Documented studio per Discogs (release-wide): Strongroom)), produced by Liam Howlett, engineered by Liam Howlett (Earthbound Studios), Neil McLellan (The Strongroom). See the credits and gear

Details

Song: Firestarter
Artist: The Prodigy
Genre / Style: Big Beat / Breakbeat Hardcore / Industrial Dance
Date(s) Recorded: October 1995 – January 1996
Original Record Company & Catalog #: XL Recordings, XLS 70 CD
Release Date: March 18, 1996
YouTube Search: Listen on YouTube

Personnel and session credits

Producer(s): Liam Howlett
Chief Recording Engineer(s): Liam Howlett (Earthbound Studios), Neil McLellan (The Strongroom)
Mixing Engineer(s): Neil McLellan
Mastering Engineer(s): Mike Marsh
Musicians & Session Performers:

Keith Flint - Lead vocals
Jim Davies - Overdubbed electric guitars
Liam Howlett - Keyboards, synthesizers, samplers, drum programming, arrangement
Kim Deal - Sampled electric guitar writer credit (The Breeders - "S.O.S.")

Studio and recording technology

Tracking Studio & Room: Earthbound Studios, Braintree, Essex (Liam Howlett's home facility) (Documented studio per Discogs (release-wide): Strongroom))

Reported gear and setup (not independently verified)

Mixing / Overdub Studio: The Strongroom (Studio 1), London, England
Mixing Console / Desk: Neve VR 60-Channel Console with Flying Faders
Multitrack Tape Machine & Format: Otari MTR-90 II 24-Track 2-inch Tape Machine (30 IPS)
Studio Monitors: Yamaha NS-10M Studio
Key Outboard Processors & Hardware Units:

Boss SE-70 (Multi-Effects Processor): Applied to guitar loops and vocal throws for heavy pitch-shifted distortion and modulation
Alesis 3630 (VCA Compressor): Crushed the parallel breakbeat loops to impart aggressive pumping sidechain character
Roland RE-201 Space Echo (Tape Delay / Spring Reverb): Provided gritty mechanical delay repeats on vocal ad-libs and synthesizer sweeps
Yamaha SPX1000 (Digital Multi-Effects): Delivered reverse gate and stereo pitch-doubling algorithms on lead vocal stems
dbx 160X (VCA Compressor): Clamped the electric bass and transient snare hits to yield tight, punchy dynamics

Synthesizers, Drum Machines & Electronic Instruments:

Roland W-30 (Sampling Workstation): Served as the primary MIDI sequencer and raw sample sketchpad for the entire composition
Akai S3200 (16-Bit Digital Sampler): Housed the primary stereo audio samples, breakbeats, guitar loops, and drum transients
Roland TR-909 (Analog/PCM Drum Machine): Provided the fundamental low-end punch for the reinforced kick drum accents
Korg Prophecy (Monophonic Physical Modeling Synthesizer): Generated the piercing pitch-bent lead siren stabs and dissonant glide textures

Signal chains covered in the full track sheet

Instrument-by-instrument recording pathways, including: Lead Vocals (Keith Flint), Rhythm Electric Guitar Overdubs (Jim Davies), Sampled Guitar Riff (The Breeders "S.O.S."), Sampled Vocal Shout (Art of Noise "Hey"), Main Breakbeat Drums, Reinforced Electronic Kick Drum, Synthesizer Sub-Bass, Lead Pitch-Bent Siren Synth (Korg Prophecy).

Want to sound like Firestarter?
Get the full signal chains and a step-by-step plugin recreation for Logic Pro, Ableton, Pro Tools and more.
Open the full track sheet

More from the archive