The Moody Blues · Days of Future Passed, 1967
Nights in White Satin
6 sourced items across 3 sectionsReported6
What the sources do and do not say
One Mix Classic Tracks article (Matt Hurwitz, first printed February 2019) was read in full. It is narrative, so most rows are reported. The tape delay row is album-level (Deramic Sound System). The Decca console, reverb chambers and Francis 12-string are mentioned without a stated function on this recording and were left out. The Sound On Sound candidate URL did not return within the time limit and was not read.
Lead vocal
1 item
Justin Hayward
Microphone
The real chain
Neumann U 67
Reported
Hayward's lead vocal for the song was recorded with a tube U67.
Source: Mix, accessed 15 Nov 2026
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No plugin suggested. Microphone-modelling plugins only work with their own matched hardware microphone, so there is no plugin to link. Placement and the room matter more than the model.
Mellotron
2 items
Mike Pinder
Instrument
The real chain
Mellotronics Mellotron
Reported
The Mellotron still sounded thin, so three more Mellotron parts were overdubbed onto the remaining tracks.
Source: Mix, accessed 15 Nov 2026
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Emulation of this unit
Arturia Mellotron V
instrument
An emulation of the Mellotron, with its tape sets.
Input chain
The real chain
Unidentified Reverb (model not stated)
Reported
Live reverb was added to the Mellotron while tracking, to soften the uneven note attacks.
Source: Mix, accessed 15 Nov 2026
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No plugin suggested. The source does not name the model, so no specific plugin can be suggested.
Tape machines and echo
3 items
Input chain
The real chain
Studer 4-track tape machine (model not stated)
Reported
The single rhythm track was recorded to one track of the Studer 4-track.
Source: Mix, accessed 15 Nov 2026
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Approximate
Slate Digital Virtual Tape Machines
tape
Models two Studer machines, not this recorder. It gives the general behaviour of analogue multitrack tape.
Also worth a look 1
- Universal Audio Studer A800 Tape Recorder (Models a Studer A800, not this recorder. It gives the general behaviour of analogue multitrack tape)
The real chain
Ampex half-inch 4-track tape machine (model not stated)
Reported
The four Mellotron tracks were mixed down to the half-inch Ampex 4-track, which then took further overdubs including backing and lead vocals.
Source: Mix, accessed 15 Nov 2026
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Approximate
Slate Digital Virtual Tape Machines
tape
Models two Studer machines, not this recorder. It gives the general behaviour of analogue multitrack tape.
Also worth a look 1
- Universal Audio Studer A800 Tape Recorder (Models a Studer A800, not this recorder. It gives the general behaviour of analogue multitrack tape)
The real chain
Unidentified Tape delay (model not stated)
ReportedAlbum sessions
Decca's Deramic Sound System prescription for the album's rhythm section combined a little reverb with tape delay, with each side's reverb fed to the opposite side.
Source: Mix, accessed 15 Nov 2026
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Covers this kind of unit
Soundtoys EchoBoy
delay
Includes tape-echo and studio tape-machine delay styles, the same method as the delay on the record. The machine is not identified, so it is not a model of the unit used.
Sources
- Classic Tracks: The Moody Blues' "Nights in White Satin", Mix, 2019-02. Accessed 15 Nov 2026.
What the ratings mean
Stated by the engineer, producer or artist, or by the manufacturer.
Stated by a reputable secondary source.
An educated suggestion, not a documented fact.
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