Kurt Cobain

According to Jack Endino, Bleach was recorded close-mic with a Shure SM58:

I am often asked how we got Kurt’s guitar sound.... When we did Bleach, the Randall was "in the shop" for repairs so we used my ’68 Fender twin... No speakers in my Twin: we used a 2×12 cab, sealed back, with 70 or 75-watt Celestions, that Kurt had. Close-miked with an SM-58, recorded to Otari half-inch 8-track at 15 ips with no noise reduction.

From the Nirvana FAQ on Jack Endino's own website: http://www.endino.com/nirvfaq.html

"He also used a Fender Bassman on about four songs and a Vox AC30 for some clean tracks. Four microphones were used to mic Kurt's speaker cabinet (he would pick which mic he liked best for each song and its signal was sent through the Neve console at Sound City): a Shure SM57, an AKG 414, a Neumann U87, and occasionally a Sennheiser 421. His main effects were the DS-1 Distortion and Small Clone. A ProCo Rat distortion pedal was also used on some songs on the album (6)."

This is where Kurt sang In Utero [Pachyderm Recording Studio, Cannon Falls, Minnesota], from left to right: EV RE-20 (dynamic mic), Lomo 19a-9 (tube condenser mic), Sennheiser MD421 (U4 most likely, dynamic mic).

"He also used a Fender Bassman on about four songs and a Vox AC30 for some clean tracks. Four microphones were used to mic Kurt's speaker cabinet (he would pick which mic he liked best for each song and its signal was sent through the Neve console at Sound City): a Shure SM57, an AKG 414, a Neumann U87, and occasionally a Sennheiser 421."

We also know he used an AKG C414 to record 'Polly' and 'Something In The Way'

Kurt Cobain used this microphone at the MTV Unplugged gig.

Kurt Cobain is seen using an Audix OM7 microphone in an Instagram post tagged with #kurtcobain and other Nirvana-related hashtags, indicating his connection to the gear. Additionally, during the In Utero Tour, Cobain began using a Guitar Center Strap, which can be glimpsed in other images linked in the discussion.

"Early days, we did not carry our own 58's, we just used whatever was in the club. When things got bigger, I used Crown CM310 noise-cancelling vocal mics." - Craig Montgomery (Nirvana's live sound engineer from 1989-1993)

Kurt Cobain used a Shure Beta 58 at the 1992 Reading Festival

on January 11, 1992 - Studio 8H, NBC Studios (Saturday Night Live), New York, NY During Nirvana's first SNL Performance, on "Smells Like Teen Spirit" & "Territorial Pissings" you can see Kurt using a Sennheiser MD 735 Supercardioid Vocal Microphone.

"He also used a Fender Bassman on about four songs and a Vox AC30 for some clean tracks. Four microphones were used to mic Kurt's speaker cabinet (he would pick which mic he liked best for each song and its signal was sent through the Neve console at Sound City): a Shure SM57, an AKG 414, a Neumann U87, and occasionally a Sennheiser 421."

This is where Kurt sang In Utero [Pachyderm Recording Studio, Cannon Falls, Minnesota], from left to right: EV RE-20 (dynamic mic), Lomo 19a-9 (tube condenser mic), Sennheiser MD421 (U4 most likely, dynamic mic).

Used for vocals on Nevermind, as stated by producer Butch Vig in this March 1997 Sound on Sound interview and this September 24, 2021 Twitter post via Nirvana's account.

Sound on Sound, March 1997, "Butch Vig - Talking Garbage"

Utilising a Neumann U67 and an LA2A, most of Cobain's vocals were recorded in the small Studio B at Sound City and ran straight to tape. The results alternate between a smooth, compressed, phasey sound and one of extreme dryness when the voice sits alone, yet minimal effects were employed. "Kurt really had an amazing voice," confirms the producer. "He could scream and it would have this great rasp and tone to it, and yet he could also bring it down really quiet and sound so world-weary and exhausted and intimate. It's hard to put your finger on it, but not many artists have that kind of voice or persona. Kurt had this brilliant pop sensibility in terms of melodic structure and phrasing, and yet he loved the attitude of punk, and those are the two things that collided and made Nirvana so special.

Twitter, September 24, 2021

Papa Joel (@joeljeromemusic): @Nirvana What mic did you use to record Something in the way? Kurt's voice sounds read #Nevermind30

Vig: I used a U67 on all the vocals. #Nevermind30

On July 2, 1992 - Plaza De Toros De Valencia, Valencia, Spain and July 3, 1992 - Palacio De Los Deportes De La Comunidad De Madrid, Madrid, Spain Kurt Can be Seen using a Sennheiser MD 431 Profi Supercardioid Dynamic Microphone.

On November 27, 1991 - Studio C, BBC Elstree Centre (Top of the Pops), Borehamwood, UK.

During the Top of the Pops, you can see during "Smells Like Teen Spirit" Kurt is using a Sennheiser MD 431 II Supercardioid Dynamic Vocal Microphone.

Neumann U47 that was used by Kurt Cobain for the last studio session of Nirvana on January 28-30 1994 at Robert Lang Studios. Used for the vocal track of "You Know You're Right". Timestamp at 0:48