Comparing The Andy Wallace & Butch Vig Mixes Of Nirvana - Smells Like Teen Spirit
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I'd say Butch's mix sounds more "real", but Andy's mix steers the listener's attention more clearly. It takes conviction to sacrifice realism for the song's sake.
It's more polished. Punchier.
I don't know about you guys but Andy's mix with the more punchy kick drums at the beginning is what makes you get hooked to the song instantly.
The guy got completely what he needed to emphasize.
Butch's mix sound like Nirvana was a spin off the 80's. Including drum samples and all. Very 'transitional'. Wallace's mix sounds like the band they were supposed to be. A new look, a new era, a new sound. He changed the mind of everyone in the world to accept grunge! This album changed the entire music world and the executives were right to trust Andy's ears to change the music into a new decade. I never thought of it until I heard Vig's mix in your post. Thank you!
completly, wallace's mix sounds more open and less bassy, making it more grainy and harsh
Funny cause Andy Wallace is famous for using drums samples and snare replacement.....
I still prefer a bit of reverb on the drums though
Even as a 17 year old in 1992 I didn’t like the Wallace mix and thought it was too glossy, but now looking back it’s exactly what it needed to cross over into the mainstream and change music forever. Both mixes are good, though.
Andy Wallace did something amazing - he mixed it unconventionally. It's more gritty. The drums are 'smaller', but have greater impact. It's not over bright and amazingly, every little instrument and part is audible. He took the sound out of the 80's and into the 90's. It really sounds grunge, unlike the Butch Vig version, which sounds like it's still in the 'glam rock' drum sound era. Great props to the Geffen execs actually for choosing this much more forward thinking mix.
I'm not surprised Cobain preferred Vig's version - he produced them for months, helped them make an amazing recording and they became friends. But objectively, Andy Wallace brought the Nirvana sound closer to that awesome sound of In Utero. Very informative video.
Thank you!
How can you say that Butch Vig's mix sounds more like Glam Rock when Wallace's drums are much more boomy (not in terms of frequency, but it's kind of compressed and radio-friendly)? The drum sound in the In Utero album was perfect Nirvana tone and Butch's mix is closer to it. Kurt liked this mix because it was raw just listen to this brilliance /watch? v=wkfBzwb6eQw
Andy Wallace uses samples on the Kick and snare. Not a judgement but that is the big difference to me.
Jarek Bullfinch: Excellent analysis - I agree wholeheartedly. Wallace's drums are more primal and dynamic, Vig's are more hi-fi and uniform (with noticeably more hi-hat and high-end). At the time, it almost sounded a bit wrong - abnormal and weird. I wonder if the choice of mix would have made a difference to the final success of the recording, but do I remember hearing it for the first time and being a little bit scared. :)
agreed
what kind of downsampled youtube2mp3 wallace mix you playing
For real. Wtf
@@CynicEidolon he means it sounds super lossy and low quality, like a super old TH-cam video...
@@404TVfr he knows what it means - he was agreeing with the comment.
TOTALLY
use your ears kid Andy is a chump butch is a goat
The original or "andy wallace" mix has always had a special place in my heart, it has that papery swashy drum sound but it's still big and fills the freq spectrum. The guitars are blended perfectly, vocals are both dreamy and stick out, sometimes both at the same time. It's a really cool album, doesn't sound huge and polished but sounds clean and precise.
2:10 is what you came for
There are great lessons about Kurt’s thinking in this. The story of the actual mix - not some pop psychology analysis of Kurt - is the ultimate reflection of the internal battle that Kurt always had between being an outsider and being mainstream. The fact that Butch had to constantly tell Kurt that John Lennon doubled his vocals (Nevermind that everyone does it) is another example of it. He knew intellectually that these people around him were right. He trusted them. But that panicked, horrified voice in his head saying this is no longer a garage band, never went away.
(pun intended) 🥀
I like the mid range of the Wallace mix.
Andy Wallace triggered drum samples over the recorded drums. That’s why the snare is so different. I didn’t realize that was even possible at the time, but I guess it’s been possible since the late 70s. An early example of this is on Steely Dan’s ‘Gaucho’ (1980)
Yeah, if you had the patience, it was a possibility since recording is a thing
This is supposedly a listening example vid. I suggest talk less, interrupt less, and let the *music* do the talking.
Totally agree!
@@Affeyblaster was gonna say similar thing, let the music go on for longer before cutting it off
@@joeakajoe1 Yup..you nailed it Joe. let the music speak up!
Also learn your daw so you can switch between tracks within one movement
And his mic is louder than the audios...
I love the Burch Vig version better. It's fuller, rawer and ballsier. Additionally, the way the end of the solo in the Vig mix does what it does is absolutely perfect for the feel of the song. Definitely, check it out if you don't know what I'm talking about!
Andy Wallace is a master. There's a reason why his mix of Nevermind was used. He made those songs sound punchy. Also, Andy uses a lot of automation to really bring the different parts to life.
i enjoy vigs a lot more
Butch Vig version does not sound more natural. It is more scooped and compressed, which is why it sounds more contemporary. Both are great, just preference. Andy wallace's mix sounds much more real.
Ya I thought there was something wrong with my headphones when I finally listened to Bitch Vig. Very scooped, like my eardrums are getting sucked out of my ear. Andy Wallace totally saved this song from being just another song
I know this is old comment but the butch Vig version makes more sense to me, but I grew up in the punk rock scene at that time. So the butch Vig version sounds much more natural to me especially on the drums.
You nailed it.
@@Comment0997 I don't know but i always felt like alot of nirvana songs mixes sound weird, Smells like teen spirit and aneurysm for example just sound to clean and the drums sound kind of lame which is why i enjoy the butch vig version more. I don't think it would've made alot of difference though if they switched the mixes it's too minimal of a difference, and both mixes capture the essence of the song so i disagree with you.
i personally love the way bitch vig mixes songs
I love the tightness and vibe from the wallace track, everything serves the song more. I like that there is a lot more room sound and energy in the build up parts in butches version more tho, but it's just so washed out in the meat and potatoes parts of the song. Butches version had less warmth and clear low end.
Wallace's version could of had a bit more room energy on the drums at certain times. Butch's version has bit more rawness to it, but kind of flat, not enough dynamic between the sections.
Interesting to hear them both against each other. I guess I am lame and like wallace's version overall cause I like the vibe and clarity more.
Rick Beato said if they had released the Butch Vig version the Nirvana phenomenon would have never happened
I saw that Rick Beato video yesterday and found my way here. I know he said that, but after listening to both versions and doing my own A/B test I think he may have oversold that statement a bit. Yes there are some differences in the mix, but after hearing both I think it really just comes down to the the fact that the performance and the writing were truly one of a kind, and the song would have been a big hit either way. I think the Butch Vig mix is a little muddy on the low end, where the Wallace Mix really allows every part to shine without the Mud, which I do think allowed the Wallace mix to reach an insanely large audience. With the Vig mix I still think its a giant hit but maybe the song doesnt captivate as many people outside of the hard rock world. We'll never really know, but I think that the song itself is just too powerful to say 1 mix would make or break the song.
Is it just me? Am I the only one who prefers the Andy Wallace version? Instruments are more defined and punchy, while in butch's mix elements are too airy and washed out.
Bad Karma yea I like the Andy Wallace version either it's lively. the other one is too clean & flat for me
nope I like the Andy Wallace version better ... it sounds like Nirvana ... to me it is authentic to what Nirvana was
From a mixing/audio perspective i like Vig's mix better. It sounds more alive/dynamic to my ears. But then again, ... the Wallace mix is all i have ever heard up until now... and i'm used to it... just one of those things...
The Andy Wallace version is better, I guess if you don't like hifi pop mixes the Butch Vig one is better but I think the combination of Butch Vig as a producer and Andy Wallace's mixing is gold. It allowed Nirvana to break the charts, not saying I don't like more live lofi music but Nevermind overall sounds a lot better then In Utero (I prefer the songs on In Utero for the most part) because it is punchy and huge sounding. Also the mid presence of the Andy Wallace version helps it work on smaller systems, the drums sound cool but get lost.
I'm fine with both. I prefer the energy and "rawness"of Butch Vig's, but Andy's sounds sounds really nice.
Dude you’re cutting back and forth way too fast let a section play for like 30 sec and then play the same section on the other for 30 sec. that was frustrating to watch.
FAITHFAIL ......would have like to hear both your way and his way
30 seconds is too long. You loose perspective.
@@pierre-claudemeriot6562 so true.
He probably only played a few seconds at a time so he didn't get dinged by the TH-cam copyright police.
@Alpaca Megapint Wallace mix is better
Regardless of compression. They mixed one for the masses, and one for fans of the genre "pop/punk". Both done as excellent as possible, by industry accredited "producers/mixers". The bottom line is that the Vig mix will appeal to the hardcore fans, abd the other is for those hearing it for the first time.
For the first time sermon went through my heart. So fucking trueree
Honestly, I like the Wallace version better. It pulled their drums from sounding super 80s with gated reverb.
Other than the drum sound the rest is mainly in the EQing and slight differences in certain track volumes. I prefer the Wallace version because to me the main performances sound more up front and in your face and the overdubs are cleverly blended to fool your ear into not hearing them.
If i remember correctly the band prefered Butch Vigs mix but the record company prefered Andys mix. I watched some interview with either Butch or Dave talking about the album.
butch vig's mix is def brighter in spots but the drums just go away in the dense sections of the song and that is just a deal breaker i think. also, i am so used to the released mix my whole life, it's just burnt into me so i gotta go with the wallace mix in the end, if only it were bit brighter.
@@nooneinpart idk about nevermind but in utero was mastered at abby road, contrary to popular opinion (marketing) they suck the life out of any "remaster" I've heard from them. They did The Pixies Doo Little, it sounded so dead, i couldn't listen to more than a few songs, a huge disservice to that record. I found out why I'd never even known a "remaster" was released, ugh...
Dude, what kind of comparison is this? It sounds like you downloaded the Andy Wallace mix from youtubemp3. I know it because "Smells.." it's my reference track and it doesn't sound anything like this(WAV file ripped from the CD)
Wallace by far
Yes @dan , i agree. something doesnt sound right in the wallace version. What "Mastered" versions are you using? to really do an honest comparison you have to rip it from the original album cd that came out that year
regardless even in this comparison i still like the Wallace mix more.
I don’t even think its ytmp3... because i used ytmp3 to download the original wallace version and it sounds much better than the version showed here
4:30 the radio version's snare is so overly compressed that it looses all it's tone and just sounds like a snapping noise from a drum machine while the Butch Vig mix keeps all the tone and clarity of the dynamics from not being squashed and sounds much better in the quite parts but the radio version sounds slightly better in the loud parts(chorus/main riff intro) with the hyper compressed snare having more energy/umph. I'm self producing my own album right now and am halfway through mixing so it's easy for me to spot this stuff right away. it sticks out like a sore thumb like a half second part of your vocal takes being too loud or weak.
TO ME - the Butch Vig mix sounds like everything is stacked right thru the middle without any room.
It’s crazy how much midrange stuff is in Andy Wallace’s mix. Obviously it’s an over-all better mix, especially with the vocals, but I like the smiley-face-midrange-cut of Butch’s mix
Although Cobain complained he also admitted that Wallace’s mix made him cry at times. He was torn between what he thought was street cred with the punkers and what really was an incredible mix. Hands down Wallace’s mix is just more dynamic and ultimately more iconic. (Adjectives like “candy” or “commercial” are misnomers). Vig’s mix is good but it’s more static and thus lacks crucial lift and arc.
I actually do prefer Andy's mix. This version sounds super low quality. But the assessment by the presenter is correct about Butch's sounding much more live and Andy's sounding more clear.
The fact is, the drums sound a little too messy in Vig's version. Since the rhythm is perhaps the most important element of this song, I just think Wallace did this right in clearing it up, to hear the rhythm a lot better.
Andy Wallace drums were more muffled and kind of blending into the mix whereas the Butch Vig drums were crisp/snappy and more in your face. I like Butch Vi'sg work but I think Wallace made the song more of what it was then and today. My opinion is that the song may have never gained as much traction had the Vig version been chosen.
No Butch vigs drums was more muffed (i mean basy in a layer etc).
@@marthy995 busy because everything is bright in the drums. Needed grit to punch through
Noooo. The exact opposite. Vig’s mix is murkier as it was done on a Neve console. Andy put those Neve tracks through an SSL G series for the wicked punch and clarity his mix is known for.
Lets pause every four seconds
and talk
*..........W.........h........a.........t.........?..........*
That’s how you compare it.
@@derekg5674 except he can’t stop calling the first mix the original. Annoying. And fascinating. Lol
I don't know what Andy wallace version you've got, but it doesn't sound anywhere close to the original cd. That's why people is saying that Andy's mix sound sterile and dull!
I don't think this is a fair comparison.
GuiYe Garcia It's called mastering.
Well if you're right the mastering engineer would have made pretty big EQ moves ! Seems strange to me. I indeed think this Andy Wallace version has a little problem.
Mastering stage is not to fix this kind of things, and not to make such big moves.
GuiYe Garcia Don't know what you're talking about. The Andy mix here sounds like the released version just unmastered.
It's ok. We don't have to agree :)
Butch Vig's sounds more natural, but Andy Wallace mixed it in a way which lets all of the sounds be totally clear and audible and it's so amazing how you can feel the energy and even see it on the waveform, in comparison to Butch Vig's. Ultimately, Butch Vig's is more organic while Andy Wallace's is more pop, and I see nothing wrong with pop. I like the pop sound, it sounds refreshing, and I think that's what this album is about, a refreshing swim in a blue, crystal clear pool of pennyroyal tea.
seems like the goal in Andy's mind was to max the dynamic flip that the song relies on. To my ears, the reason Andy "won" the mix battle was he made the chorus stand out WAY more. By restraining energy he allowed bigger contrast between verse and chorus. That is what Teen Spirit became. The song 2 prototype. The wait for it song. EDM drops prototype. all that...
The snare sound is all I noticed after listening to 20 seconds of the Butch Big mix for the first time
i like andy wallace version better. even though vig's version also sound perfect. but the drums tone which andy made that more dryer is more fit to my ear.
One factor to consider is this song was played over and over and over again in the early 90s over the FM radio. FM radio as we all know adds that soft compression dynamic feature over the airwaves. You have to begin with a fairly dry track ( The Wallace Track ) to compensate for that so it sounds Great over the airwaves. I heard this song over and over again in the early 90s mostly on small radios and the music carried so well over the radio it was amazing. Also to be honest I’m not sure you have the highest Fidelity Wallace track. It sounds off from what I’m hearing when I compare them. The Fidelity is normally not an issue when I’m comparing the tracks. I enjoyed the video thanks for your effort. Geary
My 2 cents. In the Butch Vig mix, I think the guitars and bass sound muddy during the heavy parts. But the drums and the clean parts are a lot more authentic and powerful sounding. If there was just more clarity during the heavy parts it would definitely be the better mix.
Andy Wallace deserved a grammy for his mix of this song. Did he ever get one for this?
His mix is way better IMO. Sure the drums, especially the snare, are more verbed and roomy in Vigs mix which makes it sound live, but the snappy bassy drums that Wallace has really drives the track forward on almost any listening device, it made this song even more powerful than it was. Not to mention compression, Vig over used it on his mix, which today is standard, prob why it sounds like it belongs to today's era. From a pure marketing standpoint as to which version makes the most impact, Wallace wins no doubt.
But, on a grunge sound level, Vig certainly captured the spirt more. Pun intended.
DUDE thank you for doing this. Totally fascintating. When the two mixes are AB'd like that the Butch Vig one sounds more mixed to me. However it's likely that when the two are cranked for a long period of time the Andy Wallace one will be less fatiguing in the long run.
The Butch Vig one sounds mastered, the Andy Wallace one sounds like a mix before mastering.
maybe but its better to get people hooked asap with a FAT sound than risk them ignoring the track just so that if they dont they may listen to it more than 4 5 times. in the end its to the artist and label to chose, the artist may prefer a certain sound and identity or fame and the label will always pay the engineer for fame and financial success
I love this kind of stuff! If these are indeed the mixes from both Butch and Andy -- to my ears -- the Andy mix is drier, cleaner and more focused overall in the midrange. The Butch mix has more room/live vibe and it's brighter. A bit less separation in the louder parts as well. I think if you take some of the room vibe on the drums from the Butch mix and add it to the Andy mix would be my favorite mix.
If I’m not wrong, Andy Wallace heavily gated the drum parts and added sample snares etc over the top of the gated drum recordings yes? Head over to Rick Beato’s TH-cam page to get a better description than what I’m fumbling my way through. But, yes, Andy Wallace was famous for his 90’s drum recording method & the EXACT reason he did it was to reduce cymbal / hi hat wash etc through the snare speaker. It automatically tightens it up.
Butch Vig's version has clearly louder/banging drums because he's a drummer himself and we all know that drummers love to be heard in their mixes. Haha.
I honestly like both! However since I'm a drummer myself and I love Dave Grohl's work when he was in Nirvana, I think those loud and clear drums sound nice. Reminds me a lot of how the drums sounded like in Metallica's 1991 self titled-album which came around the same time.
What I get from this is Butch Vig's versions, (when separated), sound better, but Andy's version sounds better when everything is together, (Final mix with everything).
I think while Butch might’ve captured the individual sounds/instruments that define that nirvana sound and the mix has more air/high end brightness or whatever, Andy did a better job of actually mixing the elements together so that nothing actually gets lost in the mix at any point. Whether you get lost in the emotion, you can feel the transients of the song more - creating more dynamics which accents the groove.
If you don't put both tracks on the same db limit it's impossible to compare. Why is the second track less louder?
I actually kind of like Wallace's mix more. The different instruments are certainly easier to discern. Beyond that though, I also like how it goes for a bit more of a compressed sound almost? It makes it sound a bit grimier in my opinion, as opposed to Vig's mix, which in sounding more natural almost makes it sound a bit cleaner to me
Butch is a warmer tube amp sounding mix, Andy’s cuts through and is a louder mix imo
It sounds like Andy put the whole tack under water. Personally I like the Butch Vig more because it sounds like they are playing in front of me. Both are awesome though
I prefer the dry mix because the drums sound more natural and real. They sound too much like 80's "Hair Band" Drums when Butch Vig just smothered them in tape echo or reverb. That Echo just makes them smear into the background and sound undefined. Especially when you switch back to the dryer mix. The drums in the dry version have so much more pop and punch and sound like Grohl is playing right next to you in a small room. The echo'y version sounds like they were recorded in a church or cathedral. So I prefer the dry mix...
That's not tape echo or reverb. That's called the room they were recorded in
Probably just the room mics compressed to death
You forgot one important thing: Contrast. The Andy Wallace Version has a lot more contrast between the different sections and therefore a bigger tension span. It's just more interesting to listen to, especially over long periods of time, even if it sounds thinner at times.
yes but its weaker at getting people hooked and grabbing attention, the polish also goes against the nature of the track
It’s also preference. Do you like it more raw? What’s the music like you’ve grown up with? If you’ve listened to mainly commercial radio, you hear an early punk album you’re probably not going to like it’s sound. If you’ve grown up on punk, you’re probably not going to like the more polished? sound? My preference is more towards a rawer, live sound. If you asked me to choose between Nevermind or In Utero. I’ll take In Utero any day.
While the mix of each are very different, a lot of the differences that make the Vig version sound "live" and less clear is from it not being mastered. Some of those mids on the drums that give the snare the BOING sound and some other frequencies that muddy up the guitar in the Vig version are clearly mixed out but besides that the polished sound on the Wallace version is a result of mastering.
I find the Devonshire versions better for my personal taste, raw and straight to the face, probably how Nirvana wanted them before the corporate element got way too involved
So the Nevermind Album I have, are all the Butch Vig versions, but the main Smells Like Teen Spirit video, is Andy Wallance and the one I hear on the radio is the wallace. I can't believe I never noticed the differences, but now I'm always going to notice.
Nevermind album you have is Andy Wallace remix. Butch Vig mix was released only as a bonus CD on the deluxe version of Nevermind.
The Wallace mix is more dynamic. I guess he worked a lot with high pass filters to have more separation between the instruments, and smoother compression to get a more natural sound. The Vig mix is powerful and preserve, maybe, the "instict" of the song, but lacks of dynamic and separation. With the Wallace mix you can turn up the volume and still have clarity.
Was the Vig version ever mastered?
Not sure if the comments are correct about the Andy mix not being representative, but I'll say in this specific comparison, the Andy mix sounds more lo-fi, darker, and the phasing in the voices go with the "underwater" theme that really originally stemmed from Kurt's small clone chorus pedal. If I were behind the mixing board, I would personally mix like Butch did... however, I like the Andy mix. It would be hard to force myself to throw away the clarity.
I definitely prefer the Andy version. It may not have fit the grunge scene in that it's polished, but it is clear, consistent and has larger than life elements. You can tell that a lot of thought went into the mix. The band filtered guitar intro perks your ears. The muted drums followed by the wailing guitars and everything opening up. It may not have been as dirty sounding but it's so much more expressive in my opinion.
Never knew about these 2 mixes, awesome video!
Is the Andy Wallace 'mix' before mastering? Because it doesn't sound like the final "Smells Like..." that we all know. It sounds different to the 'mix' comparisons of "Smells Like..." that Rick Beato did. Thanks for putting it together anyways!
Andy was clearly mixing for a car stereo, which was where most of us were listening at the time.
Andy's is more polished and commercially accessible. That's exactly why Kurt didn't like it as much, but that polished mix helped catapult them to where they got. Butch's sounds more authentic to how they sounded live.
So it sounds like Vig compressed the transients (initial spikes) of the drums in order to lift the body and tail end. This gives it more sustain and more of a huge sound, but those transients are what keep the drums always present in Wallace's mix. It also sounds like Vig left a lot of low-mid frequencies in, and had quite a bit of reverb on the mix. While it gives a lot of life to the sparse sections, allowing a beefier tone and spaciousness where not a lot is going on, it also kind of smears everything together during the dense sections and makes things sound a little muddy and unclear.
I think probably a good way to balance the best of both would have been doing parallel compression on the drums to have both the punchy transient as well as the tail, and using sidechain compression on the reverb to allow the dense sections to be more dry while still having the wet sound during the verses. Or maybe even just some automation on the reverb. But hey, this was done back when that kind of processing was ridiculously expensive and difficult, as digital processing was still in its infancy and not yet suitable to mix records on. It wasn't always possible or practical to do parallel compression or to use a sidechained compressor due to limited number of compressor units. Were this mix done today in Pro Tools by either engineer, it'd probably have ended up more in the middle of the two.
"let's vomit everything I heard on TH-cam mixing tutorials and give my priceless insight on a track that was mixed by one of the leading engineers in the industry" smh
@@DorGuzman Or, and hear me out on this, maybe I actually used my ears and listened to the tracks and stated what I thought was done to them, and how I feel they might have been done differently had the engineers had access to modern technology.
The Butch Vig mix is very homogenous which is powerful from start but can get crammed easily when all comes together. I know Kurt liked that sound where everything is overlapping each other until you struggle to tell apart different instruments... xD
Andy Wallace instead created against all odds a rather accentuated mix that leaves some headroom here and there so the impact of the chorus f. e. is way heavier.
Love this comparisson video!
are they both high quality mixes? just wondering where you got them off
apples and oranges...
the only released mastered version of the vig mix is in with the lights out box set, while there are at least 2 mastered version of the wallace mix; the original mastering from 1991 and the remaster from 2011.
what versions did you use??
mastering can make a HUGE difference.
are the Devonshire mixes the butch vig mixes??
You can hear the room & the drums tone in Vig's version. The Wallace version is much more compressed they should have released both.
They did. And Butch's isn't a room sound - it's just slathered in trashy reverb.
The Butch Vig version sounds like the version I grew up with. I’m guessing there’s no difference between the UK and US releases?
I like Andy wallace mix better overall because how he emphasize every part that important in the song, is like telling a convincing story and highlight the lead part through out the song. Butch vig mix sounds like every instrument fighting eachother were the andy mix is focussed and tight and its a great reference even to this day. just my 2 cents peace out
"Sounds more Live" is exactly what my first thoughts were when I listened to it.
It would be nice if you did this over again and didn't confuse which mix you were talking about.
The Andy version sounds so much better, and you can see that the transients still exist.
Why haven't you mapped the two SOLO buttons to the same key on your keyboard? You would alternate much easier in between these two
I gotta say, it’s pretty close. Butch Vig’s drums to me are way better and to me that’s not even a comparison. I don’t like the bass in either one, it’s too low mid heavy in both mixes. I prefer scooped bass. Andy’s guitars are a bit less muddy and his vocals are also less drowned out. I can kinda understand why Andy’s mix was chosen since it sounded less ‘80s’, but I don’t see it as this holy grail that can’t be topped. I honestly think I would give the slight edge to Butch on this one for my preference.
The biggest difference I hear is Wallace's is more spatial and has a lot more stereo information. Butch's mix is right down the middle and more in your face. They both sound good to me, but because I like songs with wide stereo sounds I dig the Wallace version better.
You could hear more of the room mics in Butch Vig's version, drier more transient on Andys Mix, a more room's in Andys mix would have done it.
keep in mind the room mics that we're placed at sound city when butch did the rough cut.
This is good and fun comparison but you really gotta listen on some good speakers with good quality audio, I’m listening on my phone speakers lol but I’ve listened to Vigs version it really is good
You can see Vig's are more compressed, less dynamics. Everything is more airy though... Andy's has more dynamics but feels more focused.
Compare on Spotify! the Nevermind super deluxe box set has the Devonshire mixes(butch Vig’s mixes) the Andy Wallace mix in this video doesn’t sound like it should must be a low quality mp3. Andy’s mixes are far better when compared on Spotify.
Like I couldn't tell the difference I needed this. Thanks to Rick Beato - I had no idea these existed
Why does the Andy Wallace mix sound like it's from a 2006 limewire mp3 file?
Andy Wallace layered in sampled drums in his mix to make it more full sounding. Its one of his standard practices. What you thought was drums lost in vig’s mix is actually drums *added* to Andy Wallaces mix.
He denies this tho
@@PoboyMusic so what?
@@wentzr Well what you say might not be true then? lol
@@PoboyMusic he can deny all he wants, but you can't argue with waveforms in stems which make it clear as day that he's full of crap.
Butch's version was really opened up and had more air on it:) Great video boss! SUB
Butch Vig:
*Hits snare drum on a Friday evening before going home*
*Comes back Monday*
*Does not hear snare drum*
*CRANKS UP THE REVERB*
Honestly I’m leaning towards the original mixing of Nevermind
Sure the Devonshire mixes were great I’ll admit but some of the vocal tracks were feeling low on selected songs
Your Wallace version sounds like you recorded it on an iphone outside a bar that was playing it.
Andy Wallace mix is way better in my ears :) especially in the quiet parts.
Wallace's drumbs are tighter, but I also like Butch Vigs version better as well. It sounds like Andy in a V eq on it.
I love how in a video about mixing, your voice is insanely loud
so few comments about the vocals. although the video doesn't give us much of a chance to compare them.
Wallace's vocals are clearer and better.
Andy didn't have the Sound City echo chamber for his mix, while I'm nearly positive the Butch mix was done at Sound City with the chamber. The room itself is pretty dry, so the playing field would have been pretty even as the faders came up. Amazing how the exact same reels can yield such different results at the hands of different engineers, in any case...
The alleged Andy Wallace mix in this video is not the released version that I know.. the drums are way too dry and the whole mix lacks a serious amount of top end. The drums on the released version do not have long reverb on them, but they do have a lot of audible room ambience. To be honest, I don't think mp3 or TH-cam compression would make such a huge difference, it just sounds like another mix...
Butch said he didn't like Kurt's voice being buried. Kurt finally gave in, but they never used Butch's mix anyways
I think I like Butch version better except the one part where drums got a little bit lost in mix. I having that problem right now with a song on my album I’m mixing
Butch Vigs mix has a lot more high end boosts on the drums and more compression, Andys mix sounds much more mid focused, no so harsh and all the elements are placed better and less compressed. They are both good mixes I just think andys shows more maturity with the way he approached it.
I believe the Butch Vig hasn't been mastered, but that's what I hear. Usually there's a cut in 1K in those major record masterings. But yes, it sounds less processed, as opposed to Andy Wallace's worked the drums and bass a bit more so the whole thing stays cohesive.
If Vig's mix had gone public as the main one, there would barely be debate IMO. It carries the energy of the band better.
Wallace trades that energy for a more clinical, seperated approach. But in so doing, he robs the trio of some heft, makes the drums relatively puny, and guitars/vox too midrangey.
Opinions!
That doesn't sound like the original andy wallace mix. Is it from a remaster?
given the fact that youtube will play back at close to 380 kbps on hd playback i can still notice Andy Wallace is breathing better dynamically the other version wave looks like it got a mohawk haircut from over compression
The snare from the Butch Vig mix sounds huge and it punches your face. Really big