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You can find his mixes on Nirvana's youtube channel --- Heart Shaped Box [1] [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9pwGlgQz2E https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9

You can find his mixes on Nirvana's youtube channel --- Heart Shaped Box [1] [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9pwGlgQz2E https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9pwGlgQz2E

keeglin 4y ago
Thank you for this! That just brightened my evening. It's sounding _incredible_.
jhap 4y ago
Can someone with more experience help me recognize the differences between this version and the released version? I'm having trouble hearing them.
- bwoodward 4y ago
  You might like this video -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6Gp8up3l8Y https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6Gp8up3l8Y
  - gregsadetsky 4y ago
    Thank you so much for posting this
- hluska 4y ago
  First off, that’s cool too!! If you want to get into it, start by putting the released version on repeat and listen to it a few times in a row. To start, focus on Kurt Cobain’s voice, specifically where it ‘sits’ in the mix. Then, switch to Steve Albini’s version. When I hear Steve Albini’s version, Kurt Cobain’s voice is less pronounced. What do you think?? If that helps, I can point out more differences. Or, maybe you can point out some you hear?
- mixedbit 4y ago
  If you are using laptop speakers you may heave troubles hearing any difference, try headphones instead.
- parenthesis 4y ago
  To me the differences matter much less than the fact that after about a minute and a half you've basically heard the whole song, and then I just get bored. Which is funny, as there are many very repetitive tracks I like with long running times which never bore me. (Random example https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXbdzLgwME0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXbdzLgwME0 .)
ch4s3 4y ago
I can’t put my finger on it but that just sounds wrong to me.
- jdelman 4y ago
  Kurt's vocals on the verses are panned left as if he's standing there. They're double-tracked on the album mix, which was a technique John Lennon used that Kurt admired. The reverb really sounds like a room. Guitars are definitely overdubbed on the final mix with the distortion cranked up, rather than sounding like one gentler guitar. I would say the bass seems not quiet but like it's "hiding" behind the guitars - it's not cutting through the mix the way it does on the album version. Seems to be a different guitar take for the solo - there's a pretty noticeable wah-wah effect on the guitar solo in Albini's mix. Overall Albini's mix sounds much more live, which is exactly what he had in mind before he recorded with the band. The final mix is compressed, balanced, radio-friendly: it sounds more like it could fit on Nevermind than some of the other songs on In Utero.
  - ch4s3 4y ago
    Left Kurt is the most noticeably odd thing with headphones, it just feels too much like he’s right off to my side. It’s just not the sound of the band in my head. The bass is noticeably different too, but doesn’t feel as wrong against my head cannon of their sound.
    - pmarreck 4y ago
      https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=headcanon https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=headcanon
      - ch4s3 4y ago
        In my head Kurt has a sound and presence that doesn’t necessarily match the whole body of their work, but makes sense to me when I think about their songs.
  - 4y ago
StopTheWorld 4y ago
Pixies Nirvana
agumonkey 4y ago
Impressive, it's a lot heavier and ~indie. Strange to revisit these times.
- bwoodward 4y ago
  if you like a less polished sound, you should tuck into the Nirvana demos [1]. Back in the day it was really difficult to acquire these things (mainly trading or buying CDRs later on). Nirvana is an excellent rabbit hole band, though. There are plenty of b-sides, bootlegs, demos, technically unreleased tracks, compilations, etc etc. They've released box sets that have pretty much everything besides the live bootlegs. [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QoBcTBkNp94 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QoBcTBkNp94
  - agumonkey 4y ago
    I'm not sure I prefer Albini's mix, I'm still missing the released (commercial) mix. Somehow I find albini's version too toyed with (some instruments pops out at times). And the demo you linked is closer to the final version in that regard, sounds more like Nirvana to me. Thanks for the link, I had no idea these were online. In a totally other genre, Michael Jackson Thriller vocal studo outtakes are breathtaking.
    - eggsbenedict 4y ago
      >Somehow I find albini's version too toyed with (some instruments pops out at times) I'm a professional record producer and songwriter. Here are my thoughts: Very likely it's the other way around. Albini is notoriously hard-headed about refusing to use compression on tracks and mixes. He's gone on record about how compressors ruin the tone, expressivity, and micro-dynamics of recorded sounds. Regardless of whether you agree with that, and he does have a point, compression performs one job admirably: it prevents dynamic sounds from unexpectedly popping out of a determined dynamic range. This is a disagreement lots of people have had with Albini's method, and he's also a little prickly about these things. He has an artistic vision of "properly" recording bands and mixing them in a way that doesn't adulterate or modify their live sound. In other words, he tries to get the final sound just through exacting microphone placement while recording, and applies the absolute minimum of post-processing. However, the consensus in commercial record production at this point is that signal processing such as compression, distortion, and equalization, even in dramatic quantity, can create a more compelling audio result. Albini certainly views this as leading to a decline in fidelity (in the etymological sense of truth), and possibly as leading to a decline in artistic integrity (heavily debated). A couple final ideas: - In a recorded-music world, what constitutes an "authentic" or "true" sound? - Should a studio operator (recording/mixing) aim to respect the real-world sound of the artist, or the intentions of the artist? How do you identify the intentions of an artist?
MrScruff 4y ago
Oh that's cool! I remember hearing about this mix at the time and wondering how it would sound. I much prefer it, way more in keeping with the indie 'live' vibe of the rest of the album and it feels darker/more menacing because of the greater contrast between the verses and chorus. I actually always felt the original track stood out (in a bad way) on the album and it's interesting to hear how much of that was introduced by the remix. The recording style Albini uses here was also in evidence with another classic rock album he references here, PJ Harvey's 'Rid of Me'. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVeP-AHFk-s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVeP-AHFk-s Some people (eg. Elvis Costello) hate this 'naturalistic' style, but I think the overproduced style that dominates radio often strips tracks of their personality.
- pschuegr 4y ago
  Got a source for that Elvis Costello opinion? I'd like to read more.
  - MrScruff 4y ago
    https://guitar.com/news/music-news/elvis-costello-steve-albini-pj-harvey-rid-of-me/ https://guitar.com/news/music-news/elvis-costello-steve-albi... My take is that as a singer songwriter he can't stand the fact that Albini makes the drums and guitars as prominent as the vocals, and gives the vocals so much room ambience. I think it works fantastically on a rock album that's supposed to be dark and brooding anyway.
raverbashing 4y ago
Interesting. There are definitely interesting aspects but the volume gating(?) on the start of the chorus are a No-no for me It definitely feel more "indie" but not 100% in a good way for me.

You can find his mixes on Nirvana's youtube channel --- Heart Shaped Box [1] [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9pwGlgQz2E https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9pwGlgQz2E

keeglin 4y ago

Thank you for this! That just brightened my evening. It's sounding _incredible_.

jhap 4y ago

Can someone with more experience help me recognize the differences between this version and the released version? I'm having trouble hearing them.

bwoodward 4y ago
You might like this video -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6Gp8up3l8Y https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6Gp8up3l8Y
- gregsadetsky 4y ago
  Thank you so much for posting this
hluska 4y ago
First off, that’s cool too!! If you want to get into it, start by putting the released version on repeat and listen to it a few times in a row. To start, focus on Kurt Cobain’s voice, specifically where it ‘sits’ in the mix. Then, switch to Steve Albini’s version. When I hear Steve Albini’s version, Kurt Cobain’s voice is less pronounced. What do you think?? If that helps, I can point out more differences. Or, maybe you can point out some you hear?
mixedbit 4y ago
If you are using laptop speakers you may heave troubles hearing any difference, try headphones instead.
parenthesis 4y ago
To me the differences matter much less than the fact that after about a minute and a half you've basically heard the whole song, and then I just get bored. Which is funny, as there are many very repetitive tracks I like with long running times which never bore me. (Random example https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXbdzLgwME0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXbdzLgwME0 .)

ch4s3 4y ago

I can’t put my finger on it but that just sounds wrong to me.

jdelman 4y ago
Kurt's vocals on the verses are panned left as if he's standing there. They're double-tracked on the album mix, which was a technique John Lennon used that Kurt admired. The reverb really sounds like a room. Guitars are definitely overdubbed on the final mix with the distortion cranked up, rather than sounding like one gentler guitar. I would say the bass seems not quiet but like it's "hiding" behind the guitars - it's not cutting through the mix the way it does on the album version. Seems to be a different guitar take for the solo - there's a pretty noticeable wah-wah effect on the guitar solo in Albini's mix. Overall Albini's mix sounds much more live, which is exactly what he had in mind before he recorded with the band. The final mix is compressed, balanced, radio-friendly: it sounds more like it could fit on Nevermind than some of the other songs on In Utero.
- ch4s3 4y ago
  Left Kurt is the most noticeably odd thing with headphones, it just feels too much like he’s right off to my side. It’s just not the sound of the band in my head. The bass is noticeably different too, but doesn’t feel as wrong against my head cannon of their sound.
  - pmarreck 4y ago
    https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=headcanon https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=headcanon
    - ch4s3 4y ago
      In my head Kurt has a sound and presence that doesn’t necessarily match the whole body of their work, but makes sense to me when I think about their songs.
- 4y ago

StopTheWorld 4y ago

Pixies Nirvana

agumonkey 4y ago

Impressive, it's a lot heavier and ~indie. Strange to revisit these times.

bwoodward 4y ago
if you like a less polished sound, you should tuck into the Nirvana demos [1]. Back in the day it was really difficult to acquire these things (mainly trading or buying CDRs later on). Nirvana is an excellent rabbit hole band, though. There are plenty of b-sides, bootlegs, demos, technically unreleased tracks, compilations, etc etc. They've released box sets that have pretty much everything besides the live bootlegs. [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QoBcTBkNp94 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QoBcTBkNp94
- agumonkey 4y ago
  I'm not sure I prefer Albini's mix, I'm still missing the released (commercial) mix. Somehow I find albini's version too toyed with (some instruments pops out at times). And the demo you linked is closer to the final version in that regard, sounds more like Nirvana to me. Thanks for the link, I had no idea these were online. In a totally other genre, Michael Jackson Thriller vocal studo outtakes are breathtaking.
  - eggsbenedict 4y ago
    >Somehow I find albini's version too toyed with (some instruments pops out at times) I'm a professional record producer and songwriter. Here are my thoughts: Very likely it's the other way around. Albini is notoriously hard-headed about refusing to use compression on tracks and mixes. He's gone on record about how compressors ruin the tone, expressivity, and micro-dynamics of recorded sounds. Regardless of whether you agree with that, and he does have a point, compression performs one job admirably: it prevents dynamic sounds from unexpectedly popping out of a determined dynamic range. This is a disagreement lots of people have had with Albini's method, and he's also a little prickly about these things. He has an artistic vision of "properly" recording bands and mixing them in a way that doesn't adulterate or modify their live sound. In other words, he tries to get the final sound just through exacting microphone placement while recording, and applies the absolute minimum of post-processing. However, the consensus in commercial record production at this point is that signal processing such as compression, distortion, and equalization, even in dramatic quantity, can create a more compelling audio result. Albini certainly views this as leading to a decline in fidelity (in the etymological sense of truth), and possibly as leading to a decline in artistic integrity (heavily debated). A couple final ideas: - In a recorded-music world, what constitutes an "authentic" or "true" sound? - Should a studio operator (recording/mixing) aim to respect the real-world sound of the artist, or the intentions of the artist? How do you identify the intentions of an artist?

MrScruff 4y ago

Oh that's cool! I remember hearing about this mix at the time and wondering how it would sound. I much prefer it, way more in keeping with the indie 'live' vibe of the rest of the album and it feels darker/more menacing because of the greater contrast between the verses and chorus. I actually always felt the original track stood out (in a bad way) on the album and it's interesting to hear how much of that was introduced by the remix. The recording style Albini uses here was also in evidence with another classic rock album he references here, PJ Harvey's 'Rid of Me'. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVeP-AHFk-s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVeP-AHFk-s Some people (eg. Elvis Costello) hate this 'naturalistic' style, but I think the overproduced style that dominates radio often strips tracks of their personality.

pschuegr 4y ago
Got a source for that Elvis Costello opinion? I'd like to read more.
- MrScruff 4y ago
  https://guitar.com/news/music-news/elvis-costello-steve-albini-pj-harvey-rid-of-me/ https://guitar.com/news/music-news/elvis-costello-steve-albi... My take is that as a singer songwriter he can't stand the fact that Albini makes the drums and guitars as prominent as the vocals, and gives the vocals so much room ambience. I think it works fantastically on a rock album that's supposed to be dark and brooding anyway.

raverbashing 4y ago

Interesting. There are definitely interesting aspects but the volume gating(?) on the start of the chorus are a No-no for me It definitely feel more "indie" but not 100% in a good way for me.