TONEDB

piano from “fix you” by coldplay | ToneDB

fix you

coldplay

piano

88% ai confidence

Tone Profile

A warm, melancholic, and intimate upright piano sound, characterized by a soft, slightly muted attack and a lush, spacious reverb that envelops the listener.

Signal Chain

Instrument: Yamaha U1 Upright Piano (or similar high-quality upright, possibly with felt treatment or consistent use of soft pedal)

Microphone: Pair of Neumann U87 Ai (or similar large-diaphragm condensers like Neumann U67s or AKG C414s)

Processing: Neve 1073 Preamps (or high-quality console preamps), Console EQ (e.g., SSL or Neve, for subtle shaping and warmth), Lexicon 480L Digital Reverb (likely a 'Hall' or 'Rich Plate' algorithm with a medium-long decay time, ~2.5-3.5 seconds), Subtle outboard compression (e.g., Tube-Tech CL 1B or Urei 1176, used sparingly to even dynamics without crushing them)

Other: Recorded in a professional studio environment (e.g., Air Studios, Parr Street Studios). Microphones likely placed as a spaced pair above the hammers or near the soundboard to capture warmth and detail, potentially blended with room microphones. The soft pedal (una corda) was almost certainly engaged to achieve the signature gentle, muted timbre.

Recording Notes

  • The piano part is central to the song's emotional arc, starting sparsely and building in intensity.
  • The recording likely focused on capturing a clean, warm, and resonant tone from the upright piano.
  • Extensive use of the soft pedal (una corda) or a 'felt piano' preparation contributes significantly to the muted, gentle attack.
  • The prominent reverb is a key characteristic, creating a sense of space and emotional weight. This was likely added during the mixing stage using high-end outboard units or top-tier plugins.
  • The piano was likely recorded in a well-treated room to control reflections and capture a pure tone before reverb application.

Recreation Tips

  • Use a high-quality upright piano sample library. Look for presets labeled 'Felt Piano,' 'Soft Upright,' or similar. Native Instruments 'The Gentleman' or 'Noire,' or Spectrasonics Keyscape's softer Yamaha uprights are good starting points.
  • If using a real upright piano, engage the soft pedal (una corda). You can also experiment with placing a thin layer of felt between the hammers and strings for a more authentic 'felt piano' sound.
  • Apply a high-quality hall or plate reverb with a decay time of approximately 2.5 to 3.5 seconds. Use a pre-delay of 20-50ms to maintain clarity of the initial piano attack.
  • Use EQ subtly. You might want a gentle boost in the low-mids (200-400 Hz) for warmth and a slight roll-off of very high frequencies (above 8-10 kHz) if the sound is too bright or brittle.
  • Consider light compression with a slow attack and fast release (ratio 2:1 or 3:1, threshold set to catch only the loudest peaks) to even out the dynamics, but be careful not to over-compress and lose the natural feel.
  • Pay attention to playing dynamics; the original performance is very expressive, with soft velocities being key to the gentle tone.

Sources