Editing Nevermind (section)

=== Mixing and mastering ===
Vig and the band were unhappy with Vig's initial mixes and decided to bring in someone else to oversee the [[Audio mixing (recorded music)|mixing]]. DGC supplied a list of options, including [[Scott Litt]], known for his work with [[R.E.M.]], and [[Ed Stasium]], known for his work with [[Ramones]] and [[the Smithereens]]. Cobain was concerned about bringing in well known producers, and instead chose [[Andy Wallace (producer)|Andy Wallace]], who had co-produced [[Slayer]]'s 1990 album ''[[Seasons in the Abyss]]''.<ref name="diperna1996">di Perna, Alan. "Grunge Music: The Making of Nevermind". ''Guitar World''. Fall 1996.</ref> Novoselic recalled, "We said, 'Right on,' because those Slayer records were so heavy."<ref>Berkenstadt; Cross, p. 96</ref>

Wallace's mixes most notably altered the drum and guitar sounds.<ref name="Azerrad 179 180">Azerrad 1993, p. 179–80</ref> According to Wallace and Vig, the band loved the results.<ref>Berkenstadt; Cross, p. 99</ref> However, they criticized it after the album was released. [[Steve Albini]], who engineered Nirvana's next album, ''[[In Utero]]'' (1993), said Vig's initial mix "sounded maybe 200 times more ass-kicking" than the final version of ''Nevermind'' and that Nirvana referred to it while working on ''In Utero.'' He said that Vig was an excellent engineer who "had a good, sympathetic relationship with all the noisy bands he recorded in the 80s", which was why Nirvana had hired him.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Walls |first=Seth Colter |date=September 27, 2011 |title=Kurt Cobain Thought ''Nevermind'' Was Nirvana's Worst Album |url=https://slate.com/culture/2011/09/nirvana-nevermind-reissue-the-version-of-nirvana-s-album-that-kurt-cobain-loved-best.html |access-date=September 19, 2022 |website=[[Slate (magazine)|Slate]] |language=en}}</ref>

''Nevermind'' was [[audio mastering|mastered]] by [[Howie Weinberg]] on the afternoon of August 2 at the Mastering Lab in Hollywood, California. Weinberg started working alone when no one else arrived at the appointed time in the studio; by the time Nirvana, Andy Wallace, and Gary Gersh arrived, he had almost finished.<ref>Berkenstadt; Cross, p. 102</ref> A [[hidden track]], "Endless, Nameless", intended to appear at the end of "Something in the Way", was accidentally left off initial pressings of the album. Weinberg recalled, "In the beginning, it was kind of a verbal thing to put that track at the end [...] Maybe I didn't write it down when Nirvana or the record company said to do it. So, when they pressed the first twenty thousand or so CDs, albums, and cassettes, it wasn't on there." Cobain called Weinberg and demanded he rectify the mistake.<ref>Berkenstadt; Cross, p. 103</ref>