Die With A Smile by Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars: studio, gear and credits

Die With A Smile by Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars: recorded at Shampoo Press & Curl Studios, Los Angeles, CA / Gold Tooth Music, Beverly Hills, CA, produced by Andrew Watt, Bruno Mars, Dernst Emile II (D'Mile), Lady Gaga, engineered by Charles Moniz, Paul Lamalfa. See the credits and gear, then recreate th

Details

Song: Die With A Smile
Artist: Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars
Genre / Style: Pop / Soul / Soft Rock
Date(s) Recorded: Early to Mid-2024
Original Record Company & Catalog #: Interscope Records / Streamline Records – 00602465922316
Release Date: August 16, 2024
YouTube Search: Listen on YouTube

Personnel and session credits

Producer(s): Andrew Watt, Bruno Mars, Dernst Emile II (D'Mile), Lady Gaga
Chief Recording Engineer(s): Charles Moniz, Paul Lamalfa
Assistant Engineer(s): Alex Resoagli, Tyler Harris, Marco Sonzini (Additional)
Mixing Engineer(s): Serban Ghenea; Bryce Bordone (Mix Assistant)
Mastering Engineer(s): Randy Merrill
Musicians & Session Performers:

Lady Gaga - Lead Vocals, Backing Vocals, Yamaha Grand Piano
Bruno Mars - Lead Vocals, Backing Vocals, Fender Stratocaster Electric Guitar
Andrew Watt - Gibson Les Paul Lead Guitar, Drums

Studio and recording technology

Tracking Studio & Room: Shampoo Press & Curl Studios, Los Angeles, CA / Gold Tooth Music, Beverly Hills, CA
Mixing / Overdub Studio: MixStar Studios, Virginia Beach, VA

Reported gear and setup (not independently verified)

Mixing Console / Desk: Avid Pro Tools S6 / Custom In-The-Box Hybrid Routing Environment
Multitrack Tape Machine & Format: Avid Pro Tools HDX (24-bit / 96kHz Digital Audio Workstation)
Studio Monitors: ProAc Studio 100 / Yamaha NS-10M Studio
Key Outboard Processors & Hardware Units:

Neve 1073 (Discrete Solid-State Microphone Preamp / Inductor EQ): Primary tracking front-end for lead vocals, electric guitars, and drum close mics
Tube-Tech CL 1B (Optical Tube Compressor): Applied during tracking to Bruno Mars' lead vocal chain for silky optical leveling
Teletronix LA-2A (Electro-Optical Tube Limiter): Tracking limiter dedicated to Lady Gaga's vocal capture and DI bass smoothing
Empirical Labs Distressor EL8-X (Digitally Controlled Analog VCA Compressor): Snare drum and electric guitar transient shaping during tracking passes
Bricasti Design M7 (Stereo Algorithmic Reverb Processor): Outboard spatial simulation utilized for drum room ambience and vocal pre-delay decay

Synthesizers, Drum Machines & Electronic Instruments:

Sequential Prophet-6 (6-Voice Analog Polyphonic Synthesizer): Delivers warm, analog sustained pads beneath the piano and guitar foundations via discrete VCOs
Mellotron M4000D (Digital Tape Replay Sampler): Produces vintage Mellotron 8-voice choir and string textures in chorus interludes

Signal chains covered in the full track sheet

Instrument-by-instrument recording pathways, including: Kick Drum, Snare Drum, Drum Overheads, Bass Guitar, Rhythm Electric Guitar, Lead Electric Guitar, Acoustic Piano, Synthesizer Pads, Mellotron Strings, Lead Vocals (Lady Gaga), Lead Vocals (Bruno Mars), Backing Vocals.

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