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 · Neural DSP Quad Cortex
Guitar
Fender Mustang
Pickups
SS
Tuning
bridge
Strings
standard
Studio Comp
Chief DS1
Vintage Chorus
Search Cortex Cloud for 'Mesa .22' capture
1x12 CA
Plate Reverb
Tilt EQ
Studio Comp
← Studio compressor
Threshold
-34dB
Ratio
2:1
Attack
38s
Release
200s
Mix
50
Level
0dB
Chief DS1
← Boss DS-1
Dist
8
Tone
5
Level
7
Vintage Chorus
← EHX Small Clone
Rate
4Hz
Depth
7
Search Cortex Cloud for 'Mesa .22' capture
← Mesa/Boogie Studio .22
Gain
6
Bass
6
Mid
3
Treble
5
Master
7
1x12 CA
← Mesa 1x12
LowCut80Hz
HighCut8500Hz
Level
0dB
Plate Reverb
← Studio plate (Sound City sound)
Decay
1.5s
Predelay
20ms
Mix
18
Level
0
Tilt EQ
← Tilt EQ (global brightness)
Tilt
4.5
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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