Steve Albini Auctions 3 Microphones Used on Nirvana's In Utero | Reverb.com
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 14 ต.ค. 2024
- Steve Albini, recording engineer of many seminal records and owner of Electrical Audio, has three microphones he is looking to auction. The microphones, a Electro-Voice PL20 and two Lomo 19A9's, have gained notoriety as they were used to record parts of Nirvana's final record, 'In Utero'. The Lomo 19A9's were used as overheads for Dave Grohl's drum tracks. One of the Lomos and the PL20 were used together for Kurt Cobain's vocal sessions. As all three have become more like historical artifacts, as opposed to utilitarian microphones, Steve has decided to sell them to someone who will cherish and take care of them.
Read more about Steve Albini and the Nirvana microphones at bit.ly/2wrKYaH
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Rest in Peace, Steve. Your methods in recording those prolific albums will be remembered forever....
If there's anyone in the industry that deserves more than he's chosen to take, I think it's Steve Albini. I understand his choices, but man, the guy deserves a lifetime achievement award and then some for his influence and contributions to how people make music.
I don't understand his choices. All he did was give his money to the label. If he didn't want the money, he should've taken it and donated it. Instead some execs who did nothing got his money...
@@ThatFilmisGnarly There is an audio-interview with Steve about the In Utero Album, which can be found here on youtube (it's about 1 hour long). In that interview he said, that it's his philosophy to take a flat fee instead of royalties of the album sales, to make sure that he doesn't "steal" money from the artists. Nirvana had to divide their pie with Interscope/Geffen and Universal Music, so i think it was a fine gesture from Steve
@@ThatFilmisGnarly the label was getting as much money as they got, either way. If Albini had taken points, it would have come from the band's share of the profits. The labels wasn't going to give up anything.
More than "in Utero" reference I think just being used by Steve Albini makes it a awesome thing.
Jin J honestly
Fuck yes.
Jin J Completely agree. Albini is historic himself.
I believed that he said himself that if he tried to sell gear with himself as reference he would actually get less for it :D
He's probably got some of Kurt's unflushed toilet paper lying around too.
What a mook.
What about an Albini jumpsuit auction?
lmao i said the same thing when i first saw this. i'd grab one of those onesies real quick
Jason Duerr that's brilliant
He''s the forgotten Venture Brother, in his SpeedSuit + cumerbund guitar strap.
LMFAO I was like wait what is he wearing a fucking jumpsuit? Kim Jong Un is jelly
I have no idea why Electrical Audio don't sell merch.
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!!
Not so subtle flex there
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.
TheEarCandy well put!
No cap
You could also just pay him.....
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.
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 didn’t, says a lot about him as a person.
Oh what a perfect gent he is.
I love this interview..
You were one of a kind Steve.
Hey Steve, what about the mic I drooled into.
I'd pay good money for that. (Also, good job Bub!)
Well that microphone is not immortalized because he washed it off.
steve albini is such a respectable character (don't know him personnally, but every public apparence is humbling)
Yeah, the guy from rapeman is respectable. Get a grip. 😊
Best Ebay description ever
😆
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.
That is definitely super cool. Congrats.
Cool
I wanna see the pen or copywriter he used to diss the Pumpkins in 1994
Guitarists Suck "Fuck you, billy corgan"
@@stella-vu8vh Why the hostility towards Billy? Billy is the #1 sculptor of 90s rock.
@nfsu2-remakes Nope, that's a huge deal between David Geffen and radio stations, MTV, etc. It's the nature of the music business. Want YOUR song to be played over (and over) again? It'll cost you between $500,000 to $2,000,000.
@Stefne Mares I do all the time. Catch them live, they’re insanely good.
@@szimbazsununnu1088 Albini’s beef was with the Pumpkins’ (Billy’s) supposed “careerist” attitude (whereas a band like Nirvana was seen to have more of a classic punk “integrity”). They wanted to be the biggest band in the world, and they played the game to achieve it. They did, and that allowed them the freedom to spend a year in the studio recording Mellon Collie and its b-sides, and it was monumental. There’s something to be said about music scenes and the community that surrounds them, which Albini has always been a big supporter of, and he didn’t see Billy and the pumpkins as embracing those ideals.
But among artists in my experience it’s hard to say who actually has more influence, Nirvana or the Pumpkins.
"Was born in this town, lived here my whole life. Probably come to die in this town, lived here my whole life" That Steve Albini? Wow. Simply must go dig out some Big Black right now
"l-dopa, fix me, alright?"
@@silentqueue2344 I got a sickness...
Nothin to do but stare at the wall.....
Jump kerosene...
There’s kerosene around, set me on fiyarr-*AAAAAAAAAAAAGGHHHH!*
I can't even afford these models that WERE'NT used on a Nirvana record! haha
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.
These are going to a rich person. Period. Us plain mortals could never afford how expensive these are sure to become.
However, I'm glad Albini finally gets to cash in on In Utero, being that he refused points on the album.
Jared Chord he refuses points on every album he's recorded.
Niko S Indeed. It's an honorable thing. A trait that I personally picked up from him. Although I highly doubt it would matter with the local artists I produce. But you never know.
He does every so often, so he can use the money to keep his studio open. As he quite often has to pay to keep the studio open with the money from his own pocket
I brought my little violin for you. Let me play you a song. "Weeeeeeeee, weeeeeeeee, weee, weeeeee, weeeeeeeeee!"
thegreatsiberianitch ????
RIP Steve Albini 💔💔💔
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."
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,
Steve needs to feed his poker habit.
Or his recording habit
His net income is from Electric Audio, his poker habit comes out of his pocket.
He plays poker to keep debt from owning the studio away. Its not cheep keeping that thing running and his ethos keeps him from charging bands too much. Mostly DIY artists record there and he's not counting on Madonna or Taylor Swift to keep his profits turning. He said he was out of debt for six months once. He's good enough at poker and shrewd enough not to let poker fuck him. Its his life raft.
I don't think you understand accounting but whatever, dude likes to play poker so I wish him luck.
Yeah its not his 'accounting', do you sort out his finances? It costs 30 thousand a MONTH to keep Electric Audio afloat. Do you think he makes that money through indie-punk bands?
I love the bit about the Sennheiser 421
I can see an alternate timeline in which Steve doesn't care about this and keeps using them
As it should be... it's s stupid concept.
I don't know. Sinatra's U47 is still in circulation at Capitol. It is often requested when artists go in to record. Keep the tools working and making great music. Just knowing your recording into a historical microphone can help a performer's performance.
Yeah, but...Capitol is probably an environment that has two things Steve's studio does not: security personnel, and clientele who wouldn't think of stealing a microphone.
@@szimbazsununnu1088 very true.
Put them in a Nirvana museum
Photo by Bob Weston, who plays with Steve in Shellac. Check out Shellac! Listen to Shellac!
Rest In Pace Kurt Cobain
1967-1994
2:58 Steve could take this picture to somebody who could analyze it with pictures of the 421s that he does own and figure out which was the one here. Unless they are all superficially worn to hell, even I could see which mic still has the pattern of wear from the photo. Seems like it could be worth looking into. Also, just keep the mics.
Steve is a good guy.
At 4:17, Steve wipes a few molecules of Kurt's dried spit/DNA off the top of the mic ... but, then again, I suppose he also deposits a few molecules of his own sweat/oil/DNA on there ... so does that make it worth $10k more, or $10k less ... ? Either way, it's drenched in 'mojo' ...
they're "trained" mics they can record better than a lot of human beings
Personally I would’ve donated them to a museum but that’s just me
Courtney Love would have legally wrangled them off the museum somehow probably!
How much are the Slint mics?
"I just need to get them to someone who will take care of them... Preferably someone with little understanding of monetary value."
id buy it and give it to the rock n roll hall of fame, should be for all to see
Great! Now we can expect 19A9s to go up at least 2x in the price since Russians are already selling them with ridiculous $1200+ price tags.
But I agree with some people in the comment section, these mics could be better off in some museum if you consider them to be historical artifacts. Otherwise, they are likely to end up in the hands of some rich Nirvana fan, who is likely to then resell them on eBay "in order to afford to send his kids to school".
The prices are insane for 19A9's on reverb now!
fuck the mics we need the original cuts of In Utero
Not sure what that means. They did release a remixed version of the record a few years ago. Is that what you mean?
I think he means the original before Scott lit remixed it
We love you.
ill give you 6 dollars for them
This felt wholesome
For those wondering- the mics sold at auction in 2017 for three dollars and fifty cents.
It's sad that Nirvana is the only name attached to these and not the other seminal records that they were also probably used on.
A UserName Agreed. But the monetary sum would be infinitely less if these were tied to The Pixies rather than Nirvana. He could probably bank more if he included the other artists that used them though.
Thinking these will wind up in the RNRHOF, not the worst fate by any means. Preserving the recordings is more important, however I'm guilty as anyone here of gear fascination. Gotta tip your cap to someone who gets excited over preserving the legacy and historic importance of old hardware.
I would NEVER have sold them
What were the final auction prices?
I got one too. Thinking of selling it, but ebay is too complicated to my understanding. Blessings
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.
THanks Steve! Cheers
It seems he was talking about selling them because they could be
stolen pretty easily.
Or broken, or fluffy coffee spilled on them
This song sounds like someone is trying to play 'Snail' from Smashing Pumpkins' Gish album.
I support the idea of persevering important pieces of our music history but "In Utero" was released in 1993. Does it seem a bit strange that all of a sudden these are deemed artifacts? I'm sure they've been heavily used between 1993 and 2017 but now they're too precious to see studio use? I doubt they've been sitting in a box for the last 20-some years and just rediscovered. Something about this situation doesn't add up to me.
'persevering'
He clearly mentions that they're only now being seen as historical because of a photo contained in the reissue of the record, which had not previously been published.
My precious
Steve should've known these were valuable back in 1993. Anything Nirvana touched is gold.
This clown was to cool to admit it at the time.
After the recording of that album DCG gave Steve more serious problems to think about than the historical importance of those mics
I'm Lewis Skolnick, and i was in Revenge of the Nerds.
What does Corey Taylor's mic think of this?
LOL this meme will never get old.
@@RebelThoughts82 is it old yet?
"Historical" is a bit of a stretch in regards to In Utero. Nevermind, yeah, but I wouldn't be too worked up about preserving the legacy of these mics. I'm a fan, and an audio engineer, but I just don't see much significance here, though, I'm sure somebody would give them a loving home. Me? I'd use them.
In Utero is historical. Last studio album from Nirvana a major band in rock history.
Randall Yeager the
so how much did they end up going for?
@dooder That's insanity. Yet another example of the times we are living in.
Someone lost another poker game..
judging by the water retention i think he has another habit to feed
He won 105.000 $ and a bracelet during the world series of poker in 2108, i remember that he said poker income Is about 30% of what he makes in a year.
dude why does he only wear a jumpsuit now wtf
Sometimes people wear things when they're at a work place like a studio. Only my guess.
That's their working clothes at the studio. It's inspired by those old school engineers back in the day.
He's lazy. Also too lazy to pay me the $10 he still owes me from when he was with Rapeman.
it's how he stays in the "work" frame of mind
Don’t shit on the suit. I back it.
In a way, I think he should use them. Maybe they would inspire those who do to make their best music? Just thinking.
Damn does he need money that bad?
Why can't they be used anymore exactly...?
I think this is dumb...Those mics should continue to be used, they sounded awesome on In Utero!
surgeyX considering he takes royalties from basically none of the records he produces (including In Utero) yeah, probably. Plus like he said, dave and krist told him to sell them.
Vashtheultimate He got a crapload of money for In Utero...!
surgeyX Compared to what Warner Bros and the RIAA took from it, and considering that a) Steve takes zero royalties or points for each album he does and b) he only charges a single flat rate for his time and equipment: I'd say he pretty much made sweet FA in the long run for In Utero.
takes none of the royalties -> he got a crapload of money
I'm struggling to find any logic in this conclusion...
He got well over 100,000 USD just for In Utero alone...he's done other records besides that yanno. In Utereo was like two weeks of work. This guy is not poor.
It will be interesting to see what they fetch.
This guy is a wizard.
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.
Side note, is the PL20 just what the RE20 used to be called, or is there a big difference?
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 “historically significant” after the album was reissued?
Because most punkers are fucking posers. "Oh look, I am so cool. I hate money. But not when I need it."
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
f you dropped these 3 mics into a bin with 20 of the same models, they'd be indistinguishable: so would they lose their magic powers, or would that make ALL the mics talismanic? Magic is fecund, so now they're ALL In Utero mics - just include the narrative docs with'm that describes them as such, and literally Presto Chango! THe powerful mind clouding spell is cast.
I've never been to a seance before...is that ricky jay over there?
Wm Perry Sir, let me say respectfully that I would not trust you to turn a frog... into a frog!! Since it is obvious you have no idea how the dark arts function!!! The nerve of this malarkey! You sir would cast a magic circle with excessively salted McDonald's french fries and fill your chalice with a ninety nine cent any size beverage!! And then have the outright gall to wonder why your accent throw rugs continue to animate a full week preceding the full moon's passing!! Such conduct!!... and at the dawn of the Aquarian age! Know ye not that foolery shall begat foolery!!??!? Have ye' no shame?!
Though i stand by my system of creating holy relics/harvesting $ from the dim, you have conjured a shameful memory: I once turned a frog into a toad by leaving it in a terrarium until it mummified. My enemys were unsmote, my biddings unundertook. My grammar ungrammed to this very day. Hey Y'all Sateen™!
Ay, the astral forgives nothing!!
The first six words of your comment are what most people don't realize...particularly the word "dropped". Exaclty. If they're dropped, then how much are they worth?
Maybe someone in the police who does imaging forensics or something could distinguish the right mic from the photo?
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!
Name one record you engineered personally that sold over 5 million copies. Ok now stfu
@@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.
Big Thumbnailed videos about Steve Albini
I will love you forever
Sad these just got sold, that existing ex nirvana dudes didn’t care. They could have bought them, the gifted them back the Albini to keep in a special case.
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.
next up for bid a piece of sidewalk kurt walked on...
why would you even want them
excellent handle pardner. Hail!
Modern, Easy Care Sateen™ (now with 'the Kiss of Infamy')
They became valuable so I can’t use them and must sell them to the highest bidder. How very punk rock 😅. No judgement on selling them but the rationale eludes me. Also I love Steve and respect him immensely.
I do i know this guy isnt ridding around with a box full of microphones though..
1:53 that's is what happening in Serve The Servants...
Did Steve ever sell “the microphones” ? How much did they take in ?
£9,500 for the vocal mic. £8,250 for the drum overheads.
Cold California Thanks for the information ! Fascinating !
@Knobcore For the money, or less wear-and-tear on the mics?
@Knobcore Yeah you're probably right. I'd agree with that - 10-15 years ago.
First time I've gotten a hint of cheese from this guy.
Or you can donate them to the MoPop museum of Seattle
kali tarot What is a MoPop?
thegreatsiberianitch Museum of Pop culture, it used to be the EMP (experience music project) until some executive or something got mad about it
In order to respect them as historical artifacts he has to sell them? He couldn't just respect them by pulling them out of the studio and put in a safe place ? Also, I didn't know a published photograph could make those mics "historical artifacts" I would've thought because a famous person sang on them did that. It's strange they would be deemed historical after a photo was put out.
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" ?
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.
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 -whoops- drop the mic). Another reason? Mics can "disappear"...(cue up the Morrissey song, Shoplifters of the World Unite).
Heck ya stevie..sell them puppys before people say Kurt who?
What is the 1st song called? It almost sounds just like my own written song...
Darude - Sandstorm
who did the music in the background ???
What's the music playing in the background?!
Probably music that Google/TH-cam deems not a 'copyright infringment'...
Whoever got the PL20 if you ever sell it come to me, k thanks. 😍
RIP
Holy shit Nirvana used Russian mics!!! 🇷🇺 power baby
Tons of Albini's records use Lomos!
That's why Steve sold them; Russian-made electronics break down sooner than other countries' products :D :D :D
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).
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.
@@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
"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.
Whats the first song on this??
Sold for 10k, holy shit< too low!!!
so how much did he get?
Anyone know how much they sold 4?
So...are they sold or what?
money ! steve wants money. rad
cool.
I felt like the in utero album lost the bang that butch vig gave nevermind. Somethin was missing.
In utero is classic
@dooder In Utero has aged wonderfully
@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.
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.
HOW. RAD.