MIX CHALLENGE - MC34 July 2017 - Winners announced

[Mister Fox]

Not a secret the most tricky thing for all of us was to get the Celeste right, really hard to figure out what´s going on there, would be interesting to know what you did there on your original mix. At least it should be closer to what you intended now.

Hehe. At this point I think shift some of the blame onto Mr Fox, as I'm sure it came up in conversation about whether effects presets should be provided for the celeste sound, and he said something like, "nah, they'll be able to work it out'.

I take the full blame.
However in all fairness, it was both simple and not easy at the same time.

Simple, if you took a closer listen as to what the delay times are.
And not easy as to figure out what DT did exactly. This is where gut instincts come in.


Now that the challenge is over, here is the solution:

• DT used two delays in row, I could recreate this effect with one delay and a reverb -- with the original delay, I didn't even need an additional reverb to "drown things out" a bit (see below)
• the main delay times are 1/8th and 1/8th Dot
• DT loved to play with the feedback dial on a lot(!) of the provided tracks (just listen to the preview mix), which results in these spacey modulated soundscapes. The special word is "self oscillation".

Here is what DT once wrote me via PM:

The delay on the Celeste is 'Nasty DLA' by Variety of Sound with a bit of 'Fruity Delay' afterwards. I agree that it would be easy to replicate, and as per my last message since you're after it, I'll be providing it!

In fact, I could recreate the sound nearly 1:1 with NastyDLA alone:
running in dual mono mode, aged, messing with the feedback knob and cutting away the lowend of the delay, Chorus to taste (if desired).

But since this plugin is Windows only, it's just as easy with another delay like D16 Repeater (cross platform!). Same settings regarding delay, the "Spread" mode to A, phase invert one channel, LC to 120Hz, panning a bit narrower (to 80%), Ping Pong mode off and either one of the tapes or an "old" digital device. Shouldn't sound muffled, but kind of "ariy on top".

In fact, any Stereo Delay where you can setup each channel separately should work, bonus if the feedback setting can be dialed up to self oscillation.




This... is what the challenge is about!

Things like this will continue to happen in the future where you have to listen closely in order to understand what's going on with the signal in the mix (or the guide track), and then recreate it as close as possible while adding your own fairy dust on top.


We provided screenshots and presets for the A1TriggerGate plugin (which is also a great delay on top of a very cool rhythm device!), not only because we wanted people to use this plugin (as part of the rule set this time!).

Another thing we didn't believe people would be able to recreate, was the modulated clap sound. This was built with the (sadly discontinued) Classic AutoFilter. Though I was told on KVR Audio that HYAKKEN somewhat ported that Retrigger Hold feature in his HY-Filter2. However while recreated that specific modulated sound, it didn't get close. And the update with that feature came after the files were prepared.

In case of the delay for that particular track (modulated clap), we also provided screenshots for those that did not(!) have FruityDelay or (in fact) PSP Audio 608 MD (which can pretty much do the same tab wise, but doesn't feed into the next channel). Took me a couple of hours to find the right settings to screenshot, to make things a bit easier for the participants (TL;DR: I recreated the modulated clap and the corresponding delay during the integrity check of this challenge!). Funny enough, this delay could also be used for more(!) than the modulated clap.

So if you didn't dive into the bonus files...



That's really all there is to it.
However, DT can probably go more in-depth as to what actual settings he used for the Celeste.



Anyway - good luck to all 2nd Round participants.
I'm back to rolling the dice for MC35 (which will start in less than 24 hours).

[SRMix]

@Mister Fox did you put a delay in front of a reverb or viceversa?

[Mister Fox]

Reverb -> Delay: washes out sound first, which can create super large spaces
Delay -> Reverb: you get the clean delays and the reverb adds an additional "tail"

[donkey tugger]

Hehe Fox, you know I'm only messing!

On my preliminary listens I think I've got my faves...but in true x-factor predictable style I'll keep you all waiting a bit longer...

I want to;

a) listen to them all on my cheap earbud headphones
b) listen to them all on the crappy computer speakers as well,.

Plus, I'm knackered, it being Monday

I'm in work late-ish tomorrow so my plan is to get up early (ish) and write up my feedback. If my best laid plan fails (i.e. I have an extra hour in bed - always a possibilty..), then tomorrow evening it will be!

[Mister Fox]

I know what you were only messing about... hence the

No rush on the Winners Podium - as long as that one is unveiled eventually.

[donkey tugger]

Had the extra hour in bed this morning of course.......

Mr Fox will sort out prizes etc I'm sure, so I'm just going to list my faves in the order I see them, with a few of the reasons why.


1.After much cogitation and deliberation, I’ve settled on Jim Kennedy's as the top mix from the second round, and hence the winner!. Whilst others may have had parts that I liked better (punchier drums, more upfront vocals), as a whole I think this has the most clarity, translates overall best in a variety of listening environments, and is great work given the time constraints, the over the top number layered tracks, and the unfamiliarity with the song. Nice one, and a deserved victory!

2. Not much between the top three to be honest, and edging in at number 2 is Herb Felho. Whilst perhaps not as’ radio-friendly’ as Mr Kennedy's, I liked this as it has real bite to the drums and bass, and is definitely a more ‘edgy’ mix. I liked the brashness of it, which is an equally valid take on the song. Perhaps a tocuch over-compressed in buts, but again, it's a fine line, and a bugger of a song.

3. In number 3 is Mork (and not because of the name!). Like Herb's mix, quite a 'master-blaster' in terms of compression. Again, perhaps a bit over the top, but given my commetns in the first round, I may have invited this just a bit! I liked the incidental effects in this one too, gave it a quite (ahem) contemporary feel. Not a bad achievement on a song by an old fart.

4. At four we have Photonic. I liked the more lofi drum parts in this, but then you toned them down for the verse! The use of automation and delays (I think..) on the bass in the 'transition section was nice and the vocal is mixed nicely, with good use of effects. What I think lets this down slightly is a bit of sheen at the top end (I had to use quite a lot of radical eq in my mix) and a bit of punch. Still a good mix though.

5. In at 5..Mr Sean Carango. You know how I was banging on earlier about directness and being, 'in yer face'...I think you just overdid it a bit, so I apologise! A good producer/engineer will of course ignore the client when they start talking bollocks...Seriously though, I liked the direct nature of this, but felt it could be offset with some parts with more delay/reverb, to get a bit of depth in the mix. Fox did some sterling work programming the replacement acoustic guitar and I think you could have used it to add a bit of silky high end perhaps. Bass very good though, probably sits as nice as any of them on the various headphones/monitors/speakers I've listened on.

6. Slick3gz. This is quite a laid back and open mix in terms of 'energy' - possibly less compression than some others. I remember when I sent Fox the files he did a very quick mix along the same lines, just to test them. I think the song does still work like this, but misses a lot of the drive,. I do like the lofi bit in the middle (perhaps needed to be a bit more gradual in the change back, but I do like stuff like that, to the point where it's probably one of my production/writing cliches...). Also, the bass does overhwhelm the drums in parts in this.

7. Erictracks. This what I would call again a more laid-back mix, but Slick3gz scores a bit higher as (despite bass being a bit much) he's gone a bit more freakout with the effects to my ears (although I've heard this song so many times, I'm probably verging on being one of the nutters it's about, and am imagining things.) Probably missing a bit of top end here too Eric. Other than that, nicely balanced, and I'm sure a mastering engineer would be able to do some good work with this. A quick special mention that the effect on the celeste at the end does have a bit of the sound of a UK ice-cream van, and I now have a pavlovian need to go and buy an ice-cream..

8. And finally - Arthur Labus. Quite overcompresed this one and as a whole I don't think it really works (again, don't listen to me!). However, peversely....this also has some of my favourite effects bits in, such as the bass at around 2 mins, the gated drums shortly afterwards, and the bass through delay in the transition part. I don't think you've pulled off a top mix this time, but you do have a good ear for imaginative effects.


And, as promised, bonus feedback to SR Mix - this is quite a nice mix now- open in the style of 5 and 6, and good use of the acoustic - bringing out some harmonies. The bass is done well too, but I'm not getting any kind of thump from the drums. Vocals could also do with being a bit polished - a bit of top end and perhaps chorus/doubling (in amall doses). Getting there in comparison to your first go!

Right, after my ice-cream, I'm going to turn off all the speakers/audio gear and sit down and read a book, and not listen to this song for a long, longwhile. Oh, hold on, new version of FL Studio is out; perhaps just a little play then..

Finally, I'd like to thank everyone for taking part and say again, these are only my impressions, and I do sometimes have some weird ideas on music. I've personally got a few ideas from things people have done, and when I've pointed out flaws in mixes, I've then realised, 'shit, I've done that in another song', so I've learnt plenty. I feel I also owe it to everyone who's entered to participate in one of these at some point, so the boot will be on the other foot and you can all laugh at my pitiful attempts to mix someone else's musc!

Finally, finally, thanks of course to Mr Fox for his perseverance, facilitation, and general cool-headedness in the face of my ramblings and ineptitude!

[Arthur Labus]

Thank you very much Mr. Tugger !
Great experience for me personally. It was not so my resort
TriggerGate plugin is great and i already used it on another mix and it is a killer !
Honestly, i didn't got the special rule with the celeste but got it accidentaly almost right ...
Also used NastyDLA ... magic !
Thank you for feedback and for such kind words.

Arthur

[Slick3gz]

@Donkey Tugger Thanks again for the learning experience.

[jhkennedy5]

Wow! I am very surprised and happy that DT has chosen my mix as the winner. It is very very satisfying given the quality of the mixes (many mixers I know from past challenges who do consistently great mixes!).

Thanks to DT for contributing a great song and taking the time to provide everyone detailed feedback. This is extremely valuable. I know I learned a lot as I got to know this song (even while I fiddled endlessly with the delay parameters on the celeste ).

Also, thanks to Mister Fox. Your efforts are very much appreciated. I really enjoy mixing the variation of material in these challenges.

I will take the Acon Digital DeFilter plug-in.

[Mister Fox]

First and foremost, congratulations to the winners!

The Winners Podium is
1) Jim Kennedy
2) Herb Felho
3) Mork


We perform with the usual - please select one license out of the pool and mention it in this thread, then (important) get in touch with me via PM with your full name and mail address.

I'll update the "winners podium" shortly.

Thanks again for your participation. You can leave the thread alive if you want to exchange tips/tricks, edits, etc.
MC35 is in full swing - see you over there!