No. 0041991·grunge·5 blocks
Smells Like Teen Spirit
The tone that defined a generation. Cobain's approach to guitar tone was anti-perfectionist: a cheap offset guitar, a Boss DS-1 cranked for maximum aggression, and a Small Clone chorus adding an underwater shimmer. The genius of Teen Spirit is the quiet-verse/loud-chorus dynamic. The verses are clean with chorus; the choruses slam the DS-1 for a wall of scooped, angry distortion. The mid-scooped character is key to the grunge sound: heavy lows, biting highs, and a hollow midrange.
NevermindSignal path · input → output · 8 blocksLive values · Fractal Axe-Fx
Guitar
Fender Mustang
Pickups
SS
Tuning
bridge
Strings
standard
Studio Comp
DS1 Distortion
Analog Mono
USA MK IV
1x12 Deluxe
Plate
Filter Tilt
Studio Comp
← Studio compressor
Threshold
-34dB
Ratio
2:1
Attack
38s
Release
200s
Mix
0.5
Level
0dB
DS1 Distortion
← Boss DS-1
Dist
8
Tone
5
Level
7
Analog Mono
← EHX Small Clone
Speed
4Hz
Depth
7
Mix
60
USA MK IV
← Mesa/Boogie Studio .22
Drive
6
Bass
6
Mid
3
Treble
5
Presence
5
MV
7
1x12 Deluxe
← Mesa 1x12
LowCut80Hz
HighCut8500Hz
Level
0dB
Plate
← Studio plate (Sound City sound)
Mix
0.2
Decay
1.5s
Predelay
20ms
Filter Tilt
← Tilt EQ (global brightness)
Tilt
0.5
CenterFreq
1000Hz
Level
0
Engineer's note
File 004
The tone that defined a generation. Cobain's approach to guitar tone was anti-perfectionist: a cheap offset guitar, a Boss DS-1 cranked for maximum aggression, and a Small Clone chorus adding an underwater shimmer. The genius of Teen Spirit is the quiet-verse/loud-chorus dynamic. The verses are clean with chorus; the choruses slam the DS-1 for a wall of scooped, angry distortion. The mid-scooped character is key to the grunge sound: heavy lows, biting highs, and a hollow midrange.
— Kurt Cobain
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