Cannot get the desired tone when recording a Nirvana song

Question

I am trying to record the main riff of "Come As You Are" by Nirvana. I searched on the Internet the amp settings that I should use and I ended up using this : bass 4, mids 5, treble 6, high gain, chorus effect. It sounds like this : recording .

I am sure that you have noticed that it sounds a million miles away from the official recording or even from live performances ( like this one : Come As You Are ) and I have the feeling that it's not by changing the bass, gain or treble settings ( I did try ) that I will come closer to the right tone. My recording doesn't have the warm tone of the original, it sounds too metallic.

Do you know what effects I am missing here ?

Answer 1

You Cannot Match a Sound

There is simply no way for anyone to give you the formula to match a sound, there are too many factors. The best you can do is approximate. As Tim said in a comment there are many factors that go into your sound other than amp settings. To truly match a sound here is a short list off the top of my head of things that you would need to consider.

• Amp settings: Bass? Mids? Treble? Gain? Presence? More settings?
• Amp type: Tubes? Solid State? Brand? Modifications? Cabinet?
• Guitar settings: Volume? Tone? Pickup selection? Setup? Tuning/Intonation?
• Guitar type: Pickups? String gauge? Brand?
• Guitar playing: Picking tendencies? 'Finger tone'? Muting?
• Effects: What pedals? Pedal settings? More EQ?

For trying to match a live recording there are even more considerations. Room shape, PA system, the recording equipment, etc.

Obviously, something like amp settings makes much more of a difference to your sound than your string gauge for example, but all of the above can still contribute to the overall sound.

How To Get Close

Unfortunately, the link to your performance does not work, but I would be surprised if you were using even nearly the same equipment that Kurt used in the recording. It does not really matter however because the process for 'matching' a sound is the same.

0. Accept defeat
Accept that you will not perfectly match the sound. Also accept that you might not have the time for tweaking settings and research, money for gear, or patience for trial and error.

1. Approximate gear as close as possible
Use whatever amp, guitar, etc. that you have that is closest to what they used on the recording. You can usually find exactly what gear was used in the studio if they are a bigger band like Nirvana.

2. Approximate settings as close as possible
Sometimes the settings that were used in the recording for gear is available, but chances are that won't translate well into whatever gear you are using, as you have found out. Unfortunately, the only guidance I can give here is to use your ear.

3. Use your ear
Is the tone very treble-heavy? Increase your treble etc. You can usually get pretty close to the sound by using your ear with trial and error alone. This is where you should spend most of your time. This is also the part that people have the most trouble with as 'use your ear' is vague and is something only learned through excessive trial and error in my experience. Getting a second opinion or two from an experienced ear can help out a lot too in shaping a sound.