The Police Zenyatta Mondatta equipment

Zenyatta Mondatta is the third studio album released by The Police in 1980. It was recorded at Wisseloord Studios in Hilversum, Netherlands.

This was their third and final album with Nigel Gray as producer and engineer. They planned to record it at Surrey Sound (like with the previous two albums), but could not do so for tax reasons, so they chose to record in the Netherlands instead. They recorded it within 4 weeks, between July and August 1980, with a week of concerts in the middle. The album was considered a rushed effort by many, and presence of record company executives at the studio compounded the pressure to deliver a hit album. They even left on tour the day they finished the record - "it was cutting it very fine", as Stewart observed.

The entire album, however, was remixed in one day at Strawberry South in Dorking, Surrey in August 1980. According to Nigel, this was due to the differing EQ standards between UK and European recording studios at the time.

On "Behind My Camel" (an Andy Summers composition), Sting refused to play bass on it, so Andy played the bass part himself. He believes he played one of Sting's basses - possibly the Ibanez MC940 natural.

For songs like "Don't Stand So Close To Me" and "De Do Do Do De Da Da Da", Nigel remembers the band recording with a click track (which from a close listen was provided by a Roland CR-78 drum machine). The click track can be heard bleeding in the introduction of "Don't Stand So Close To Me", where Andy fiddles with the chords (with some clicks and pops) while the Moog Taurus drone plays before the main song. Playing to a click track, however, proved to make it easier for Nigel to edit the different takes together from the 2-inch tape.

Sting
Basses:
 * 1962 Fender Jazz
 * 1978 Fender Precision fretless
 * Henk Van Zalinge Z-bass
 * Ibanez MC-940NT natural

Miscellaneous:
 * Moog Taurus I pedals
 * Moog Minimoog Model D

Andy Summers
Guitars:
 * 1963 Fender Telecaster custom
 * 1954 Fender Stratocaster
 * 1961 Fender Stratocaster

Amplification:
 * Roland JC-60 Jazz Chorus
 * Roland JC-120 Jazz Chorus
 * Marshall 100-watt amp heads
 * Marshall 4x12 cabinets
 * 1963 Fender Super Reverb

Effects:
 * Maestro Echoplex EP-2
 * Pete Cornish custom FX board
 * Roland FV-2 volume pedal

Other
 * Moog Minimoog Model D synth
 * Moog Taurus I pedals
 * Roland SH-2 synth
 * Roland GR-300 guitar synthesizer

Stewart Copeland
Drums (TAMA Superstar Super Mahogany, except where noted): Cymbals (Zildjian hollow logo A series except where noted)
 * 14" x 22" bass drum
 * Pearl 5" x 14" Snare (B4514 Custom Deluxe Chrome-Over-Brass)
 * 8” x 10” tom
 * 8” x 12” tom
 * 9” x 13” tom
 * 16” x 16” floor tom
 * 4 x TAMA Octobans (70s model Royalstar lugs)
 * New Beat 14" hi-hat
 * 8" splash
 * 22” Ping Ride
 * 2 x 18” Thin Crash
 * 16” Thin crash

Miscellaneous
 * Roland RE-301 Chorus Echo
 * Roland RS-505 Paraphonic

Microphones
Drums:
 * Bass drum:
 * AKG D12 - likely used as Nigel's main bass drum mic
 * Snare:
 * Shure SM57
 * Hi-hat:
 * AKG C451E - possibly used, though hi-hat mic is not visible in photos or videos
 * Tom-toms:
 * Neumann U67's (toms)
 * Overheads:
 * AKG C451E - seen faintly in session footage

Guitars: Vocals
 * Neumann U87s(?)
 * Neumann U67

Tape machines

 * Studer A80 2" 24-track (Wisseloord)
 * Studer A80 2-track (Wisseloord)

Consoles

 * Formula Sound 28/24 custom /w API modules and Allison 65k programmer: final mixing at Strawberry Studios
 * Polygram custom desk (Wisseloord)