nelson used an analogue tape to record most of the tracks in the album. as recording progressed, "yellow" was one of a couple of songs that they "couldn't quite get on analogue". they recorded different versions, but they did not satisfy their taste. so nelson used pro tools "to get the feel of [the track] just right". once all of the takes were recorded into the computer, "we then put it down to the 2-inch, which i found was a great way to do it", according to nelson.