Today you can buy microphones that were used to record Nirvana's 'In Utero'
I don't want to say "me too" too loudly, but my microphone collection includes mics that were used by Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh and Sir Yehudi Menuhin at a memorial service in St. Paul's Cathedral in London. Unfortunately since both mics were Shure SM58 models and I didn't make a note of who used which, I don't think there is any likelihood that I can cash in.
Not so Steve Albini though. His microphone collection includes some that he used to record Nirvana's In Utero at Pachyderm Studio in 1993. The mics have since resided at Albini's Electrical Audio and are now up for sale.
The mics in question are these...
- A stereo pair of Lomo 19A9 vacuum tube capacitor mics
- An Electro-Voice PL20 dynamic mic - a differently badged and coloured version of the well known RE20
According to sales agent Reverb, the Lomo mics were used as drum overheads; the PL20 and one of the Lomos (which one?) were used for Kurt Cobain's vocal.
Do you want them?
This is a good question. Microphones are not generally known to improve with age, but older designs sometimes have characteristic sound textures that make new, modern mics sound a little bland in comparison. Age will not improve frequency response, noise or distortion, but these elements of texture can also be interesting to work with.
So would you buy these mics because of their vintage status? Maybe.
What about the Nirvana connection? This could make the mics museum pieces. If you run an audio museum then they could be great additions to your collection and look lovely in a display case. That would be a little sad wouldn't it, for the mics never to be used again?
But does the ghost of Kurt Cobain live on through these mics? I could ask whether the ghost of drummer Dave Grohl lives on too, except he is still very much in the land of the living. I saw him on BBC Breakfast just yesterday.
You could perhaps feel that you were channeling Kurt Cobain's spirit to use these mics. Or you could sell this idea to people who hire your services or studio. There could be an artistic or financial return in that.
But these mics must have been used on many different bands and artists since In Utero. Might that not have tarnished any remaining ghostly spirit that resides within? Only a psychic detective could answer that one.
Whatever, these are interesting mics, and the fact that they are available to buy is worthy of attention. The sale by auction opens September 21, 2017 and concludes September 30. Here is the link you need to find out more...
https://reverb.com/news/shop-preview-steve-albinis-in-utero-mic-collection
P.S. If you buy the mics, let us know and we will feature you and your studio in these pages.
P.P.S. A word from Steve...
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David Mellor
David Mellor is CEO and Course Director of Audio Masterclass. David has designed courses in audio education and training since 1986 and is the publisher and principal writer of Adventures In Audio.
@FavoredByG.O.D: a legend, a gift to music. RIP STEVE
@nvm9040: Honestly there is a few producers I would like to listen to for hours and Steve Albini is one of them
He brought some much to that 90s grunge,indie,and noise rock scene
@gimmigimmigimmi: I will love you forever
@WilkinsonX: For those wondering- the mics sold at auction in 2017 for three dollars and fifty cents.
@HoneyWindbutton: They became valuable so I canât use them and must sell them to the highest bidder. How very punk rock đ . No judgement on selling them but the rationale eludes me. Also I love Steve and respect him immensely.
@nathanwilson2116: Whats the first song on this??
@Vittada1313: I love this interview..
You were one of a kind Steve.
@wilburwokeii8298: RIP
@Headwyres: Rest in Peace, Steve. Your methods in recording those prolific albums will be remembered forever....
@pattonPwr: RIP Steve Albini đđđ
@gillihansmobilewelding: "Get them in to the hands of someone who would treat them like that" Why can't you Dave or Krist treat them like that, keep them together, and then we'll always know for sure. This is stupid. Put them in a museum if you're trying to preserve history.
@brownmoney27: Overrated producer
@wilburwokeii8298 replies to @brownmoney27: Whereâs your career?
@timothynelsonmusic: After reading Albini's letter to Nirvana insisting he not take a percentage of In Utero's royalties, I can totally imagine Grohl and Smear basically just saying "dude, go make some cash for once, seriously."
@crypttonite: he may not take points, but he is still embarrassingly famous industry tool phony
forget this Steve, bitching about Sonic Youth being mainstream recruiters.
When Nirvana showed up to his house to record they were the most mainstream act on the planet. All the Hollywood drama was of their own doing, not victims of fame. First fuckin world problems.
Kurt made up the stomach shit for fan empathy. Embarrassing. I liked it too because they came across as real. regular folks. Phony as fuck. What are the songs about? Nothing really, he wasnât going for meaning, lyrics came last. Plus the drama, I donât want to hear him sing about a thing. We also know what Dave is really like. If u like music with no rock n roll to it, no melody. Not to mention Foo Fighters got in to the Hall of Fame first year of eligibility. Krist is the only redeeming human in this music industry product. The amount of promotion Nirvana gets to this day on youtube & instagram is stupid af.
@chadmunsey3864: Seriously? Immortalizing a microphone? Total nonsense.
@Helenography0741: Sad these just got sold, that existing ex nirvana dudes didnât care. They could have bought them, the gifted them back the Albini to keep in a special case.
@venezuelalibre2502 replies to @Helenography0741: For the members of Nirvana, those microphones are regular microphones with even lower price than new ones. For a collector, they can be as expensive as they imagine.
@morbidmanmusic: Someone needs cash
@Prez_Obeezy: Some of these mics could've been used on a pixies recording too. Wouldn't it be cool to have a mic that both Kurt Cobain and Frank Black sang into.
@MrMotherfuck123: How much did they make ?
@hortosoniclab3851: so how much did he get?
@bullydully7428: Microphones
@tuskedbeast: First time I've gotten a hint of cheese from this guy.
@MouthVisuals: I didn't expect him to sell the microphones for a reason like that. I thought he was a guy who is acting rationally, like selling a piece of equipment only when he absolutely doesn't use it in the studio. Or is it because those mics' history/relevance is "tainted" and he doesn't want it to influence his work? Interesting.
@Mauviecili: Butch Vig should produce In Ătero
@blankpool: I love the bit about the Sennheiser 421
@CFCMahomet: Steve has great character. The fact that he could have just grabbed a Sennheiser mic from the bunch and said it was the one, but didnât, says a lot about him as a person.
@brownmoney27 replies to @CFCMahomet: Oh what a perfect gent he is.
@lincolnmicrophonellc: Whoever got the PL20 if you ever sell it come to me, k thanks. đ
@tan319: It seems he was talking about selling them because they could be
stolen pretty easily.
@DawnwalkerUK replies to @tan319: Or broken, or fluffy coffee spilled on them
@snails9505: Meanwhile, all the Beatles mics still in operation in Abbey Road
@morbidmanmusic replies to @snails9505: That as my first thought, as I was laughing at this video. So many great singers... and bands.., where are their mics? Silly stuff, and Steve knows.
@monsieurmitosis: Not criticising or anything but this all strikes me as being very un-punk Rock.
@szimbazsununnu1088: Screw this! Anyone who's operated a studio knows that you should avoid buying a used mic. Microphones get stolen. Mics get dropped. Mics get spat on (which over time affects their ability to capture sound). Mics get exposed to weird things, like, say...a flooded studio? So the buyer for this is not an engineer; he's a collector or preservationist. To an engineer, these mics should not be worth much - especially when you consider the first two are made in Russia (dummm da DUM dum...) where quality is of the utmost concern, and the EV was often used in front of radio DJ's mouths. I'd prefer a Shure. In December 2020 in Chicagoland, I'm offering the same amount that Louis Winthorpe III gets offered for his watch in Philadelphia: 50 bucks. (oh are we negotiating? okay I'd go up to a hundred, but if I'm going to pull a Benjamin out of my wallet, then I'm gonna make you plug each one in and prove they work).
P.S. In light of the recent election results, am I wrong in thinking it just might be better for Donnie to continue, rather than that 'woman of color' (for the sake of her being a woman, and colored) taking office? Someone that we know nothing about?
"Northbrook or wherever." Gand was located in Northfield, Steve.....................with an earring.
Hey, got any mics that were used to record Gish? Siamese Dream? MCIS? Got any mic pres?
Excellent video * * * *
@raingirlcat2245 replies to @szimbazsununnu1088: Why were you mentioning the election when you wrote this. Are you stupid? đ
@georgemoreno6793: Steve, I wish you would have kept anything Nirvana for your private collection. I feel like your work will be studied and appreciated for a very long time,
@PNWIRE: "I just need to get them to someone who will take care of them... Preferably someone with little understanding of monetary value."
@AlexArcady: I got one too. Thinking of selling it, but ebay is too complicated to my understanding. Blessings
@lincoln7184: Maybe someone in the police who does imaging forensics or something could distinguish the right mic from the photo?
@yi382: This felt wholesome
@caivsivlivs: so how much did they end up going for?
@szimbazsununnu1088 replies to @caivsivlivs: dooder That's insanity. Yet another example of the times we are living in.
@wberdan7: What were the final auction prices?
@brucedickert5411: Steve, I think YOU are the perfect person to archive these microphones, and perhaps display them under glass at Electrical Audio, never to be used again. If I could afford them, I would certainly do that along side of a microphone that my Grandfather may have used while recording "The Ink Spots", or maybe "The Andrews Sisters", or maybe even "Bing Crosby", while employed at Decca Records. Wow, an amazing piece of history you have!!
@EntropicSpore replies to @brucedickert5411: Not so subtle flex there
@f.g.6019: So...are they sold or what?
@abradfordajb: If those mic's are truly "historical artifacts" (which they are), then should they not be donated to a music museum such as MIM, or one of the many, many other facilities around the country? OTOH, why NOT just continue to use them yourself, as opposed to putting them into the hands of someone you don't know, who may in turn just sell them off to make a "quick buck" ?
@jordan3119 replies to @abradfordajb: You clearly have no idea of the financial situation that Albini is in because of his staunch approach to taking ZERO royalties out of respect to the artist he works with and the extreme downturn in profit in the recording industry. This situation allows him to continue making music that will continue to influence history. And I for one have no problem with that.
@szimbazsununnu1088 replies to @abradfordajb: Ever operated a studio? I have. Mics get used by the occasional "visiting engineer" as he states in the video. That visitor can sometimes be a punk kid who doesn't know what he's doing (and can
whoopsdrop the mic). Another reason? Mics can "disappear"...(cue up the Morrissey song, Shoplifters of the World Unite).@louiscypher7090: I bid $5 USD!
@Albeit_Jordan: "As soon as I had heard these had become significant and valuable, I had to take them out of circulatin."
...why?
@bluemcdaniel99 replies to @Albeit_Jordan: Albeit_Jordan He doesnât want to break them.
@BrutalistJr replies to @Albeit_Jordan: he must have some affectionate sentiment towards the preservation of history
@caidema replies to @Albeit_Jordan: @BrutalistJr exactly
@matteframe replies to @Albeit_Jordan: He cares about music history?
@szimbazsununnu1088 replies to @Albeit_Jordan: Mics get dropped. Mics get stolen. Any other questions?
@wado1942: One of my biggest regrets was selling one of my tape machines to a collector. A great, classic piece of machinery sits deteriorating in a case now instead of being used.
@dhorne2525: The cynicism on this thread is bizarre. The two themes "he's selling them because he's greedy" and "Albini's loaded and doesn't need more money" are both stupid and contradictory ... and irrelevant. He's right, they're artifacts, no argument, and he's also right that they belong with someone who will treat them as such. Pretty simple, not a huge scandal worthy of all of the gossipy bitching on here.
@housewares replies to @dhorne2525: No, he's overdoing it, and it's unusual to see such lack of self-awareness from him. Yeah, I know about Electrical Audio's financial straits, I didn't say it was immoral, just a bit fake. They may have some neat technical aspect to an audio geek but at the end of the day they are JUST microphones
@dannon2010: Thet 421 APPEARS to have identify-able damage to the screen...? He didnt even talk about the Sennheiser, except "I dont have it" which he DOES and probably knows which one if, that damage is actually there...? The windscreen closest to the corner appears to be smushed in and the screen itself, the paint is scratched off...I have two of them and its pretty obvious thats damage similar the pattern of a well used 421. They sound great BTW...He has it on his wall, or sold it for big bucks maybe...didnt want to disclose how much. It gets sticky and cash is king.
@thehappypine: ill give you 6 dollars for them
@cashcoinmedia: My precious
@submissivelover: Oh? he auctioned off the Mics he used to not properly record Kurt Cobains singing?? fantastic.
@Andranik05: I once saved a pen that Steve Albini used to sign an autograph (true story). I thought at the time, Steve Albini would think this is so stupid.
But back to the video, why did the mics became âhistorically significantâ after the album was reissued?
@turvus2 replies to @Andranik05: Because most punkers are fucking posers. "Oh look, I am so cool. I hate money. But not when I need it."
@housewares replies to @Andranik05: He tried (unsuccessfully IMO) to convince potential bidders of his 99% certainty or whatever that these are the identical charismatic mics of lore. I guess I have no problem w/ flipping functional audio equipment; however this crap's about as historic as the "genuine recycled bowling lane" tables at Shake Shack
@frogs4335: forgot the 20 gauge , disliked
@thespiritworldband: give' em to courtney....she needs drug money
@demonicsweaters: I can't even afford these models that WERE'NT used on a Nirvana record! haha
@nicholasworrell2747: I do i know this guy isnt ridding around with a box full of microphones though..
@cdreyes81: cashing in on kurts name. mics are mics. oh he's dead so they're so theyre historical artifacts. give me a break. . are those mics steve always had? i bet.
@blueflagmusic: This is up there with Home Shopping Network.
Steve should include a shovel with all the b.s.
he is dropping.The hype cloud surrounding him
is thick.
@GooGuGajoob: ???
@UngKristen: I can see an alternate timeline in which Steve doesn't care about this and keeps using them
@morbidmanmusic replies to @UngKristen: As it should be... it's s stupid concept.
@allenschmitz9644: Heck ya stevie..sell them puppys before people say Kurt who?
@felipesigne901: steve albini is such a respectable character (don't know him personnally, but every public apparence is humbling)
@brownmoney27 replies to @felipesigne901: Yeah, the guy from rapeman is respectable. Get a grip. đ
@mikemarsh7387: Who is âChris Novoselvichâ?
@lucbourgeois5554 replies to @mikemarsh7387: That's how the name is pronounced right...
@EcstasyJesus replies to @mikemarsh7387: @lucbourgeois5554 No it's not. But to most people he was known as Chris, simply because it was easier than to correct everyone. Even in Kurts diaries he calls him Chris
@szimbazsununnu1088 replies to @mikemarsh7387: @lucbourgeois5554 ...right in Yugoslavia. If you're in the English-speaking world, no.
@TempoDrift1480: Man there are some dumb people commenting on this video.
@SpiritsOfAnotherDay: Did Steve ever sell âthe microphonesâ ? How much did they take in ?
@coldcalifornia replies to @SpiritsOfAnotherDay: ÂŁ9,500 for the vocal mic. ÂŁ8,250 for the drum overheads.
@SpiritsOfAnotherDay replies to @SpiritsOfAnotherDay: Cold California Thanks for the information ! Fascinating !
@szimbazsununnu1088 replies to @SpiritsOfAnotherDay: @Knobcore For the money, or less wear-and-tear on the mics?
@szimbazsununnu1088 replies to @SpiritsOfAnotherDay: @Knobcore Yeah you're probably right. I'd agree with that - 10-15 years ago.
@jacobjallen2620: I would NEVER have sold them
@JohnnyDMusicandTutorials: In a way, I think he should use them. Maybe they would inspire those who do to make their best music? Just thinking.
@jasonarmstrong5750: Personally I wouldâve donated them to a museum but thatâs just me
@thefeeps replies to @jasonarmstrong5750: Courtney Love would have legally wrangled them off the museum somehow probably!
@leonardokula5742: Didn't really expect this kind of bull shit from steve albini, really lol
@RiotHomeRecording: wtf, why would you not still use them? If I didn't used the gear in my studio that was used on a classic record more than half my recording equipment would be out of commission. The records some of my gear helped make make in utero look like a high schoolers demo. What a shame!
@matteframe replies to @RiotHomeRecording: Name one record you engineered personally that sold over 5 million copies. Ok now stfu
@mrblister8359 replies to @RiotHomeRecording: @matteframe ..anyone can distribute there music now for free and stream there music to the whole world every day. i do this i will never make money but i wont have a manager who knows i am of more value dead. and endless hangers on offering drugs.
@AdamRainStopper: Side note, is the PL20 just what the RE20 used to be called, or is there a big difference?
@AdamRainStopper: Ok, this is getting a bit ridiculous. Famous, very wealthy rock stars are auctioning off their personal amps and guitars (at 10X markup from what it would cost new, because rock star) now, and I don't know, call me old school, but I think that is just a bit over the top and greedy. Sure, if you sell it to someone who is also wealthy and just a collector of rare studio stuff, fine, and maybe donate the proceeds to a charity. I don't know, there is nothing essentially different about a transducer once a person who shouted into it is dead. I actually own a set of pickups from a strat style Jackson that was owned by Chris Hannah (Propagandhi). I use them in a "fat strat" of my own. They are great pickups. He is a great guy, and he just gave them to me. I would have willingly paid 100 bucks for them, but he was just like "nah, you can just have them." Now they are one of my favorite bands, Hannah is probably my favorite songwriter.But I would NOT have bid multiple hundreds or even thousands of dollars on those pickups, or even the entire guitar. This star-worship is supposed to be beneath us as musicians (reverb is a site targeted toward musicians).
@johnvalencia9927 replies to @AdamRainStopper: it really is guitar/musician geek horseshit. No talent? No problem, just collect expensive shit. How ironic that Kurt took to stage with crap you'd find in a pawn shop back in 1989. Gear is absolutely useless without talent.
@AdamRainStopper replies to @AdamRainStopper: @johnvalencia9927 Yeah, he also wasn't some kind of youtube shredder, or whatever the equivalent would've been back then. He was also, first an foremost, a songwriter. He could sing, and he played guitar as one does while one is singing. His playing isn't like the types who go searching for impressive crap, and he probably didn't care that much about gear other than the interesting looking Fender model he found in an actual pawn shop early on. Now? That same model is - of course - worth ridiculous amounts if you can find a good condition original, and the transducer he screamed into at Steve Albini's studio recently went for 10X its new price. *sigh
@TweedSuit: I'm Lewis Skolnick, and i was in Revenge of the Nerds.
@Tomatofury: Rape Me.... Damn
@theblakex: Steve should've known these were valuable back in 1993. Anything Nirvana touched is gold.
@turvus2 replies to @theblakex: This clown was to cool to admit it at the time.
@Brokenface replies to @theblakex: After the recording of that album DCG gave Steve more serious problems to think about than the historical importance of those mics
@luciustitius: He is still a punk. As Grohl and Co. is. Theyâre not friendly theyâre just became more cynic with age. Nothing bad about that imho. And why not selling some shitty mics to a bunch of idiots who are willing to pay top dollars just because Kurt Cobain drooled onto them? Pecunia non olet. I think it is a brilliant idea and Cobain would have laughed his ass off about it for sure. Does anyone in YT-Land know what those mics made in the auction?
@m_crowley6674: Steve what about those fucked up headphones? Sounds only comin outta one side.
@chrisknight3734 replies to @m_crowley6674: gabecrow I would buy those Slint phones
@hazysativa3045: Someone lost another poker game..
@xarmy5669 replies to @hazysativa3045: judging by the water retention i think he has another habit to feed
@sovietguitareffects: Sold for 10k, holy shit< too low!!!
@EmeraldWoodArchives: I understand the "mojo" factor. I own a rare pair of SG Brown Super Type K headphones that were only used at EMI Studios, London, from 66-69. They sound awful, but there's a real chance Lennon, McCartney, Barrett, or whoever used 'em at some point. I can't say I use them that much, but they're cool to have.
@mattblackwell2985 replies to @EmeraldWoodArchives: That is definitely super cool. Congrats.
@ash_aiden replies to @EmeraldWoodArchives: Cool
@ggvbeer4339: who did the music in the background ???
@reality8605: Steve is a good guy.
@NickJGerdes: id buy it and give it to the rock n roll hall of fame, should be for all to see
@jesse_cole: lol, Albini. "I never gave a shit about In Utero... before it came out, I called it a piece of shit that would never sell... people close to me confided that I should sell these mics... and I realized that I SHOULD... to honor the fact that I want to get 10s of thousands of dollars for microphones like an RE-20 that someone could buy for $400 if Kurt Cobain hadn't spit into it... and to honor the fact that I don't give two shits about owning any piece of Nirvana memorabilia..."
Stay classy, Steve.
@jdmitchell6995: How much are the Slint mics?
@thewedge8823: Holy shit Nirvana used Russian mics!!! đ·đș power baby
@PhilbertQAverage replies to @thewedge8823: Tons of Albini's records use Lomos!
@szimbazsununnu1088 replies to @thewedge8823: That's why Steve sold them; Russian-made electronics break down sooner than other countries' products :D :D :D
@KLiNorge: $20
@AlanGonzalez-vq7bj: Rest In Pace Kurt Cobain
1967-1994
@Kaaotikock: wasnt their best album, because it was rushed, he wouldnt let them do multiple takes or little things, they had to goto someone else who was less of an asshole to finish it, you can tell that because of how bad it sounded thats why their singer killed himself,
no offense.
@UndercoverRat replies to @Kaaotikock: James B. Hall ok shut up
@Kaaotikock replies to @Kaaotikock: just trying to make the shittest comment possible. too bad its true.
@Keyc94 replies to @Kaaotikock: lol they recorded in the way Kurt wanted to sound. Kurt said that he wanted Nevermind in the same sound as In Utero. And they picked Albini because they were statisfied with his work and vision at the work on nevermind (where Albinii was the sound engineer) maybe do you history lesson before you talk bullshit. Kurt was pissed about the label which demand a "mix" for Heart shaped boxed and All Apologies to sell easier. And he hated Andy Wallace for the mix at Nevermind(they were forced by the label to work with him, because they were newcomers and had to do what the label say but afterwards they could chose and they chosed Albini). Kurt hated Nevermind and the issues with is success...so he hated Smells like teenspirit and Andy Wallace. If you think one the album is reason why he killed himself then it was because of Nevermind the "overproduced bullshit"
@WillCorg: This song sounds like someone is trying to play 'Snail' from Smashing Pumpkins' Gish album.
@ROOKTABULA: Sell them to private people and lose track of them in order to "preserve these historical artifacts'. Riiiiight. He's cashing in.
@szimbazsununnu1088 replies to @ROOKTABULA: I couldn't disagree with your comment more. Steve's right: he's a sound recording, not a preservationist. Get the mics over to someone who will care for them - regardless of the value.
@thepanman8: I felt like the in utero album lost the bang that butch vig gave nevermind. Somethin was missing.
@SPLASHGOD575 replies to @thepanman8: In utero is classic
@WantonMyth replies to @thepanman8: dooder In Utero has aged wonderfully
@Frijolero18 replies to @thepanman8: dooder I would take an Albini production over a Vig one any day. The rawness is what makes it, not to mention the drums always sound huge.
@patrickprice6215: next up for bid a piece of sidewalk kurt walked on...
@RichardCorral: It's just a mic bro
@MrRushbrown: I would treat them good
@TheEarCandy: Albini is a genius, you guys can display your keyboard confidence all you want but if you were truthful or knew what you were talking about, you would walk over your own grandmother to have a recording session with him.
@Abrow183 replies to @TheEarCandy: TheEarCandy well put!
@bluemcdaniel99 replies to @TheEarCandy: No cap
@dobbatron replies to @TheEarCandy: You could also just pay him.....
@szimbazsununnu1088 replies to @TheEarCandy: Well said, but I don't entirely agree. The Steve Approach to recording is not for everyone. He seems to like organic - particularly persussion. If you want that sound, great! If commercial success is what you're after, then send your grandmother over to CRC at 232 Ohio St instead.
@dnnysrock: why take them out of circulation???? fuck fuck. use them. why keep living in the past, kurt was so real, he is insulting his legacy by doing this.
@dnnysrock: why not used them? bullshit. its just bullshit . kurt wouldnt have cared for this.
@dnnysrock: why not used them? bullshit. its just bullshit . kurt wouldnt have cared for this.
@dnnysrock: money ! steve wants money. rad
@coffinperson: Put them in a Nirvana museum