How It Was Recorded

Coldplay · Album, 2011

Mylo Xyloto

This is an album-level record: the sources describe how the album as a whole was recorded, not one song. Where a detail belongs to a single song, the row says so.

Songs this record stands for: Charlie Brown, Every Teardrop Is a Waterfall, Hurts Like Heaven, Paradise. We found nothing specific to these songs, so this album record is the closest account we have.

VocalsDrumsKeyboardsMixVerified6

What the sources do and do not say

Single manufacturer-hosted interview with co-producer and engineer Rik Simpson about the Mylo Xyloto sessions; it mentions Paradise only to note its synth strings, so every row is album-level. Sessions were mostly live in the Beehive hall with no control room, tracked flat with little EQ or compression. No microphone models, instrument or amp details are given. A MusicRadar page was read but is only a video teaser; a Spike Stent mixing feature on audiotechnology.com was blocked (403, archive 404).

Vocals

Input chain

Universal Audio 6176

Verified

Simpson says the studio has about eight of these channel strips, which cover bass, vocal and piano.

Source: Universal Audio, accessed 15 Nov 2026

Emulation of this unit

Universal Audio LA-6176 Signature Channel Strip

channel strip

Universal Audio's own channel-strip plugin based on the 6176, with the 610-B valve preamp and an 1176 compressor (plus an LA-2A option the hardware lacks).

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

Also worth a look: Universal Audio UA 610 Tube Preamp & EQ Collection (Models the 610 valve preamp that forms the front half of the 6176; it has no compressor).

Drums

Input chain

Universal Audio 4-710d

Verified

Simpson recorded a lot of drum sources through this tube and transistor blending preamp during the album sessions.

Source: Universal Audio, accessed 15 Nov 2026

Covers this kind of unit

Universal Audio UA 610 Tube Preamp & EQ Collection

preamp and EQ

A Universal Audio valve mic preamp, so it covers the valve side of this unit's blend; it is not a model of the 710 circuit and has no solid-state path.

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

Mix effects

Universal Audio UAD Studer A800

Verified

Simpson uses this tape emulation plug-in to add crunch to individual instruments or groups, especially drums and bass, helping them gel.

Source: Universal Audio, accessed 15 Nov 2026

The plugin used on the record

Universal Audio Studer A800 Tape Recorder

tape

The plugin named in the source.

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

Keyboards

Input chain

Universal Audio 4-710d

Verified

Simpson recorded a lot of keyboards through this tube and transistor blending preamp during the album sessions.

Source: Universal Audio, accessed 15 Nov 2026

Covers this kind of unit

Universal Audio UA 610 Tube Preamp & EQ Collection

preamp and EQ

A Universal Audio valve mic preamp, so it covers the valve side of this unit's blend; it is not a model of the 710 circuit and has no solid-state path.

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

Mix

Mix effects

Solid State Logic Matrix

Verified

A 16-channel hybrid mixer at the studio that sums audio and works as a Pro Tools fader controller for fader rides.

Source: Universal Audio, accessed 15 Nov 2026

Close match

Solid State Logic SSL Native Channel Strip 2

channel strip

SSL's own channel-strip plugin. It is not a model of this particular desk.

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

Also worth a look: Waves SSL E-Channel (Models the 4000 E channel strip; the source does not make this the same desk).

Universal Audio UAD Manley Massive Passive EQ

Verified

Simpson often used this EQ plug-in on the stereo mix print made on the 88.2 kHz rig to add polish.

Source: Universal Audio, 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. Rik Simpson on Producing Coldplay's Mylo Xyloto, Universal Audio. 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.