Starships — Nicki Minaj1 / 2
Original RigYour Adaptation
GuitarCleanRiff

Starships Riff Guitar Tone Settings — Nicki Minaj

Nicki Minaj · 2010s+ · other

studio

Original Recording

Guitar
Unknown (likely sampled or synthesized guitar, model not specified in any source)
Pickups
Unknown (no evidence of real guitar pickups; likely digital/sample-based)
Amp
Unknown (no evidence of physical amp; likely processed in-the-box with plugins and studio effects)
Pickup Position
Unknown (likely digital/sample-based, not a physical pickup)

Studio recording, 2011-2012. No evidence of a real guitar or amp used; all sources point to heavy use of plugins and studio processing for the guitar riff in the clean section. Trevor Muzzy (engineer) mentions Apple Logic Bitcrusher, Urei 1176LN, Chandler Limited TG2, and Logic Pro Channel EQ as part of the processing chain. No live performance evidence for this tone.

Amp Settings

Mids
4.5
Bass
5
Gain
0
Reverb
3.5
Treble
7
Presence
6

Effects Chain

  • Apple Logic Bitcrusher · other
  • Waves Doubler · chorus

Guitar sample or DI → Chandler Limited TG2 preamp → Urei 1176LN compressor → Apple Logic Bitcrusher → Logic Pro Channel EQ → Waves Doubler → Digital reverb (plugin)

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Tone Character

  • bright and clear
  • polished and synthetic
  • tight transient attack
  • compressed and controlled dynamics
  • slightly processed/bitcrushed texture
  • doubled/wide stereo image
  • pop/dance-oriented clean tone
  • no audible amp breakup
  • studio-processed clarity
  • artificial, sample-like quality

Sources