How It Was Recorded

Nirvana · Album, 1991

Nevermind

This is an album-level record: the sources describe how the album as a whole was recorded, not one song. Where a detail belongs to a single song, the row says so.

Songs this record stands for: Come as You Are, Drain You, On a Plain, Smells Like Teen Spirit. We found nothing specific to these songs, so this album record is the closest account we have.

Lead vocalElectric guitarsBass guitarDrum kitFull mixVerified14Reported15

What the sources do and do not say

Album-level record. The sources describe the Nevermind sessions at Sound City (May to June 1991, per MusicRadar's history of the album) as a whole. The only song-specific claim listed here is the Small Clone chorus on the pre-chorus of Smells Like Teen Spirit and on Come As You Are. Makers for the LA-2A and FET 47 are the standard identifications; the sources give model names only. Not sourced, so not listed: guitar amp microphones, the bass guitar model, the vocal preamp and EQ, the tape machine model, and Andy Wallace's reverb and delay units. Sourced but left out because they belong to single songs or were not used: a Rat pedal taken direct and blended with an amp on Breed, a Big Muff on Lithium, a Marshall amp on a few things, and an RE20 put up on the bass but not used. Samples are an open question: MusicRadar's history of the album says Wallace used digital reverb and EQ on the room mics and blended samples behind the kick and snare, while its 2020 drum feature says Wallace has never confirmed this and concedes only that samples may have enhanced the ambient mics. Mentioned in the sources with no unit named, so not listed as gear: a tight slap echo on the vocal on a couple of songs, and a small amount of reverb on an otherwise dry vocal.

Lead vocal

Kurt Cobain

Microphone

Neumann U 67

Reported

Lead vocal microphone

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 12 Nov 2026

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.

Input chain

Teletronix LA-2A

Reported

Compression on the vocal on the way to tape, to control dynamics

Settings
Vig describes it only as a fair amount of compression; no figures given

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 12 Nov 2026

Emulation of this unit

Universal Audio Teletronix LA-2A Leveler Collection

compressor

Universal Audio owns the Teletronix name; this is its own model of the LA-2A.

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

Also worth a look: Waves CLA-2A Compressor / Limiter (Models an LA-2A from Chris Lord-Alge's collection. Cheaper and runs without UA hardware).

Electric guitars

Kurt Cobain

Instrument

Fender Mustang

Reported

1969 Competition model, left-handed, Lake Placid Blue. One of three guitars Cobain brought to the sessions

Source: Guitar World, accessed 12 Nov 2026

No plugin suggested. A guitar is the source of the sound, not a process applied to it. No plugin stands in for it.

Fender Jaguar

Reported

1965, left-handed, fitted with DiMarzio humbuckers. One of three guitars Cobain brought to the sessions

Source: Guitar World, accessed 12 Nov 2026

No plugin suggested. A guitar is the source of the sound, not a process applied to it. No plugin stands in for it.

Fender Stratocaster

Reported

Japanese-made, left-handed. One of three guitars Cobain brought to the sessions

Source: Guitar World, accessed 12 Nov 2026

No plugin suggested. A guitar is the source of the sound, not a process applied to it. No plugin stands in for it.

Amplifier

Electro-Harmonix Small Clone

Verified

Chorus pedal giving the watery clean guitar on the pre-chorus of Smells Like Teen Spirit

Source: Guitar World, accessed 12 Nov 2026

Approximate

IK Multimedia AmpliTube 5

amp and cabinet simulator

No Small Clone plugin was found. AmpliTube's analogue chorus pedal models are the same kind of circuit.

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

Boss DS-1

Reported

Distortion pedal Cobain brought to the sessions and regarded as the main factor in his tone

Source: Guitar World, accessed 12 Nov 2026

Approximate

Native Instruments Guitar Rig 7 Pro

amp and cabinet simulator

Includes distortion pedal models of this type. Not confirmed as a DS-1 model.

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

Mesa/Boogie Studio Preamp

Reported

Preamp of Cobain's own rack rig

Settings
Cobain says he ran the midrange all the way up (general remark, not session-specific)

Source: Guitar World, accessed 12 Nov 2026

Approximate

IK Multimedia AmpliTube 5

amp and cabinet simulator

Hosts IK's official Mesa/Boogie models. None is the Studio Preamp itself; a Mark-series model is the nearest relative.

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

Crown Power amplifier (model not stated)

Reported

Power amp of Cobain's rack rig, driven by the Mesa/Boogie preamp

Source: Guitar World, accessed 12 Nov 2026

No plugin suggested. A clean solid-state power amp. Amp simulators do not model it separately: use the power-amp stage of whichever amp model you choose.

Marshall 4x12 cabinet (model not stated)

Reported

Speaker cabinets for Cobain's rack rig

Source: Guitar World, accessed 12 Nov 2026

Close match

IK Multimedia AmpliTube 5

amp and cabinet simulator

Its cabinet section includes Marshall-style 4x12 models with movable virtual microphones.

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

Also worth a look: Native Instruments Guitar Rig 7 Pro (Includes 4x12 cabinet models to pair with any amp).

Fender Bassman

Verified

One of the main guitar amps used across the album

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 12 Nov 2026

Emulation of this unit

Native Instruments Guitar Rig 7 Pro

amp and cabinet simulator

Its Tweedman amp is modelled on the Fender Bassman.

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

Also worth a look: IK Multimedia AmpliTube 5 (Includes Fender-style tweed amp models; an official Bassman model is sold as an add-on collection).

Vox AC30

Verified

Amp used for the cleaner, lightly overdriven guitar sounds

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 12 Nov 2026

Emulation of this unit

Native Instruments Guitar Rig 7 Pro

amp and cabinet simulator

Its AC Box amp is modelled on the Vox AC30.

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

Also worth a look: IK Multimedia AmpliTube 5 (Includes an AC30-style amp model).

Bass guitar

Krist Novoselic

Amplifier

Ampeg SVT

Verified

Bass amplifier

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 12 Nov 2026

Emulation of this unit

Plugin Alliance Ampeg SVT-VR Classic

bass amp simulator

Officially licensed model of the SVT head and its 8x10 cabinet.

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

Also worth a look: Universal Audio Ampeg SVT-VR Bass Amp (Officially licensed SVT model for UAD and Apollo systems).

Recorded direct (DI), no amplifier

Reported

DI signal blended with the miked amp

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 12 Nov 2026

No plugin suggested. Recorded direct, so there is no amp to model. Leave the amp simulator off.

Microphone

Neumann U 47 fet

Verified

Bass cabinet mic that was kept

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 12 Nov 2026

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.

Drum kit

Dave Grohl

Instrument

Tama Granstar drum kit

Reported

Drum kit used for the sessions

Source: MusicRadar, accessed 12 Nov 2026

Approximate

Toontrack Superior Drummer 3

drum instrument

Sampled acoustic kits you can tune, swap and balance mic by mic. No library of this exact drum was confirmed, so choose the nearest by ear.

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

Tama Bell Brass snare

Reported

Rented snare available at the sessions

Source: MusicRadar, accessed 12 Nov 2026

Approximate

Toontrack Superior Drummer 3

drum instrument

Sampled acoustic kits you can tune, swap and balance mic by mic. No library of this exact drum was confirmed, so choose the nearest by ear.

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

Ludwig Black Beauty snare

Reported

Rented snare available at the sessions

Source: MusicRadar, accessed 12 Nov 2026

Approximate

Toontrack Superior Drummer 3

drum instrument

Sampled acoustic kits you can tune, swap and balance mic by mic. No library of this exact drum was confirmed, so choose the nearest by ear.

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

Microphone

AKG D12

Verified

Kick drum mic

Position
On the kick. A roughly six-foot tunnel of old drum shells was attached to the bass drum; where the D12 sat is not stated

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 12 Nov 2026

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.

Neumann U 47 fet

Verified

Second, more distant kick drum mic

Position
In the kick tunnel, set a little further back than where the front head would have been

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 12 Nov 2026

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.

Shure SM57

Verified

Snare mic, as Vig recalls it (he says he thinks so)

Source: MusicRadar, accessed 12 Nov 2026; Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 12 Nov 2026

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. The SM57 is still made and inexpensive: the real thing is the practical route.

AKG C451

Verified

Second snare mic

Position
Under the snare, per Vig's hedged recollection

Source: MusicRadar, accessed 12 Nov 2026

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.

Sennheiser MD 421

Verified

Tom mics

Source: MusicRadar, accessed 12 Nov 2026

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. The MD 421 is still made.

AKG C414

Verified

Overheads

Position
Overhead

Source: MusicRadar, accessed 12 Nov 2026

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.

Neumann KM 84

Reported

Additional cymbal mics

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 12 Nov 2026

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.

Neumann U 87

Verified

Pair. Room mics capturing the Sound City live room

Position
About 15 to 18 feet back from the kit

Source: MusicRadar, accessed 12 Nov 2026

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.

Input chain

Neve 8028

Reported

Tracking console at Sound City, with Neve mic preamps and 1084 EQ modules

Source: MusicRadar, accessed 12 Nov 2026

Close match

Universal Audio Neve 1073 Preamp & EQ Collection

preamp and EQ

Neve 80-series desks of this period were fitted with 1073-family preamp and EQ modules. This models the module, not the whole desk.

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

Also worth a look: Waves Scheps 73 (Another model of the 1073 module from the same family of consoles).

Studer 24-track tape machine (model not stated)

Verified

Multitrack recorder

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 12 Nov 2026

Close match

Universal Audio Studer A800 Tape Recorder

tape

Models a Studer 24-track. The source does not give the model used.

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

Also worth a look: Slate Digital Virtual Tape Machines (Includes a model of a two-inch Studer multitrack).

Full mix

Andy Wallace (mixer)

Mix effects

Solid State Logic G-series console

Verified

Mix console at Scream Studios, Los Angeles

Source: Sound On Sound, accessed 12 Nov 2026

Emulation of this unit

Waves SSL G-Channel

channel strip

Models the SSL 4000 G-series channel strip.

Get the plugin ↗What else it stands in for

Also worth a look: Solid State Logic SSL Native Channel Strip 2 (SSL's own channel strip plugin, based on its later 9000-series desks).

Sources

  1. BUTCVIG: Nevermind The Garbage, Sound On Sound, 1997-03. Accessed 12 Nov 2026.
  2. Kurt Cobain's guitars, amps & pedals: the definitive guide, Guitar World, 2021-02. Accessed 12 Nov 2026.
  3. "We've got a new drummer, his name is Dave, he's the best drummer in the world!": How Dave Grohl delivered the incredible Smells Like Teen Spirit drum track, MusicRadar, 2026-07. Accessed 12 Nov 2026.
  4. Inside Track: Linkin Park's The Hunting Party (Secrets Of The Mix Engineers: Andy Wallace), Sound On Sound, 2014-07. Accessed 12 Nov 2026.
Verified

Stated by the engineer, producer or artist, or by the manufacturer.

Reported

Stated by a reputable secondary source.

Inferred

An educated suggestion, not a documented fact.

Disclosure: plugin links currently go straight to the maker and earn us nothing. If that changes, affiliate links will be marked here. Suggestions are chosen on fit, never on commission, and are kept separate from the recording facts. More.