MIX CHALLENGE - MC064 April 2020 - Winners announced

[Mister Fox]

Hello and welcome to the Mix Challenge 64 - April 2020


This is the introduction post, where we directly link to the challenge corresponding files (source files, submission information, sponsors), start of the evaluation process and the first post for re-submissions for Mix Round 2.



This month we have the chance to work on a Liquid Drum & Bass production by returning client and fellow forum user "Jorgeelalto" (under his artist name "7th Pyramid"). The song is called "Octalism", and is part of the "Seculor Closure EP".

Two important things to point out:
The Rules and Guidelines have been updated. Please get yourself acquainted with the changes. To avoid confusion regarding submission deadlines, we're also switching from the 12-hour clock system (a.m./p.m.) to the 24-hour clock system, and adapt UTC+2/CEST instead of GMT+2/CEST (Germany is currently observing Daylight Saving Time).




Please take note of the following

• Please consult the official "Rules and Guidelines" for the Mix Challenge regarding principles of the game, recommendations and upload/submission guidelines (Updated - 30-MAR-2020)
• IMPORTANT: as of MC061, please only provide WAV files, files need to be accessible/downloadable, try to work within suitable work levels (the focus of this game is "mixing", not mixing and finalizing), document your edits (ideally also with screenshots), name the files properly to distinguish your edit from all others.
• please use the following naming convention (Contestant Name = Forum Username):
  • MC000_ArtistName_TrackName_ContestantName.wav
  • MC000_ArtistName_TrackName_ContestantName_R2.wav for those that go into Mix Round 2
  • Example: MC064__7th_Pyramid__Octalism__forum_username.wav
• please only upload to cloud storage spaces (DropBox, GoogleDrive, etc), not SoundCloud.
• It is highly encouraged to give feedback to each other, to share tips and tricks. Ideally, this should happen after Mix Round 1 has ended, to not influence each other during the main competition round

Also please take note of the following

• Our Song Pool has dried up! We're looking for new source material for future competitions. Please follow our official campaign. Your only investment is time in turn for a free mix by our very talented participants. No new tracks mean no more challenges! Please reach out!

This post will be updated with the corresponding links as we progress, and of course the suitable thread headlines. So please watch this spot:


Submission Period: General Information, Source Files, Sponsors
Mix Round 2: Global Feedback and Round 2 Participant Announcement
Results of the Mix Challenge: Winners announced

[Mister Fox]

CURRENT CHALLENGE - GENERAL INFORMATION

Time Frame: Wednesday, 01st April 2020 to Tuesday, 21st April 2020 (21 days)

Challenge submission will end on 21-04-2020, 23:59 UTC+2/CEST (Germany) - until further notice.

Want to find out if you're still within the deadline, please consult the following options:
The Global Countdown on it's dedicated page or the countdown on the home page. You can also consult the World Clock at the top of the forum or alternatively the following tool - in this case please select "Berlin (Germany)" as location 1, and your location as location 2: Time and Date - World Clock Meeting Planner. We do post reminders via our Twitter account and Facebook page.



Song Provider: 7th Pyramid (Jorge Marcos Chavez)
Song Name and Length: Octalism, 4:17 min
Song Information: 175 BPM / Signature: 4/4, Key of G#m
File Format: WAV, 44kHz, 24bit

GENRE: Liquid Drum & Bass


Preview of the Song:


Link to Bandcamp: https://7thpyramid.bandcamp.com/track/octalism


A word from the song provider:

This is a track I started in a heartbeat when I was waiting for a plane in Schiphol Airport this summer. I got really inspired by Hugh Hardie's last album, Shadows & Silhouettes (which have an amazing melodic and drum work), especially this track (https://hughhardie.bandcamp.com/track/evening-red). Of course I don't expect your mix to sound anything like that, just because my arrangement is not even close. You can also take inspiration on my own mix (which of course can be improved on) (https://7thpyramid.bandcamp.com/track/octalism).

If you don't really know this genre much, you can check these other tracks to see what I was aiming for more or less:
https://bcee.bandcamp.com/track/come-and-join-us
https://ciarecords1.bandcamp.com/track/talk-to-me


Some ideas about the possible mixing process:

• You will probably need to work (read: Distort, multiband process) the snare so it gets a bit "louder" and bigger. Not much fatter though, since lately DnB snares are tiny.
• The Liquid Drops are so subtle in my mix I didn't even remembered they were there, so that gives you an idea about the overall feeling the ambience should have around the whole track - audible but not protagonist (although there are some sections where they can show a bit more, since there are so few melodic elements).
• Play with filters! The drum section really benefits from getting some low pass or high passing on 1 or half bar transitions. You can check my own mix for inspiration (especially in the Apollo pad track, which gets lowpassed on the second break.
• Feel free to use big reverbs and long, uneven delays for the ambiences, FXs and (a bit less for) pads. Some sounds have to be closer and more present (main drums) but others are meant to create an atmosphere (the Noise Chants, for example - see if you can identify them in the original mix).
• Another idea that I used in another track of mine with the same feel: a send with a distortion, a long delay with almost no feedback and a very wet, long reverb, to get an added artificial ambience via mixing. These tracks call for creativity on the mix side.
• Also, do sidechain things, especially the bass with the kick and maybe kick and pads (subtly), or snare and pads (with a quick sidechain so it clears the path for the snare but it's not too present).
• Final thing: Please fade out the track at the end

(more technical details in the Mix Pack bundled TXTs)

A few words by the Mix Challenge staff:

If you're unfamiliar with this Drum & Bass Genre, as usual - Wikipedia is your friend. Or even the (reopened) Ishkur's Guide to Electronic Music (Drum n Bass branch, then check out Liquid Funk/Liquid Drum n Bass).

Modern Drum & Bass lives from having "clean cut" and sometimes larger than live drums. Sidechain compression wasn't that big of a thing with this sub-genre compared to the way more aggressive Hardstep. It's there, but it's subtle. The most important thing in my opinion, is finding a good balance between groove and soundscapes. This is where your gut instincts come in.

Else - there is really not much to add this month. Our client already gave a lot of editing hints. Just take a close listen to all the intricate details with the original production, let yourself be inspired, then find your own groove.

Have fun!

Please also consult the TXT files that are bundled in the source files package below. There you can find more information about the individual files and changes to the time signature.

Rule Summary / Add-On Rules:

• try to create a mix that complements this production (in your own style)
• Clean / Alternative versions can be used if you need more flexibility over a certain sound (if present for this production)
• make the best out of the provided audio material (EQ, compression, transient tools, etc), no "drum sample triggering / replacement"!
• summing bus processing is allowed, as long as the dynamic range (average signal strength to maximum signal strength) doesn't suffer - artistic use only!
• try to not(!) pre-master the track - the focus of this game is "mixing" - NO MASTERING
• provide the edited material in the same sampling rate and bitrate as originally provided. Do not convert/dither down
• ADD-ON RULES - PRODUCTION RELATED: create a suitable track fade-out

Please consult the official Rules and Guidelines for a more detailed set of rules. Failing to adhere to the rules will result in instant disqualification


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Source Files:

Main Mix Package - Mirror on the Mix Challenge Homepage (217,95 MB, LZMA compressed, zip)
IMPORTANT NOTE: file unavailable after 21-APR-2020


The provided files were packed as ZIP with LZMA compression.
File size extracted: 1814,17 MB, packed 217,95 MB (ZIP, LZMA)
In order to extract the files, we can recommend these programs:

Macintosh:
The Unarchiver - get it here
Keka (open source) - get it here

Windows:
7zip - Installation / Portable


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Please take note of the official rules - they can be found at the following thread:
Mix Challenge - Official Rules and Guidelines

Please address any OT question in the official Gossip thread:
Mix Challenge - Gossip and Discussion

If you like what the Mix Challenge (community) has been doing in recent months:
Please consider supporting us

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SPONSORS (Prizes):

Prizes for Mix Challenge participants:

Note: All licenses are NFR (Not-For-Resale), except where noted.
Changes to available prices on short notice may be possible and will be announced separately.



Acon Digital is kind enough give away a single plugin of winner's choice
License will turn into NFR
More info on Acon Digital: http://acondigital.com



Hornet Plugins is kind enough give away one license from the depicted tools (see image) to the winner
License will turn into NFR
More info on Hornet Plugins: http://www.hornetplugins.com



IK Multimedia is kind enough give away one license of T-RackS ONE to the winner
License will turn into NFR
More info on IK Multimedia: https://www.ikmultimedia.com



Metric Halo is kind enough to give away a single plugin of winner's choice
License will turn into NFR
More info about Metric Halo: http://mhsecure.com/metric_halo/



NOS Audio is kind enough give away one license of NOS Roomer to the winner
License will turn into NFR
More info on NOS Audio: http://www.nosaudio.com/



Tone2 is kind enough to donate a license of Ultraspace to the winner
License will turn into NFR
More info on Tone2: https://tone2.com



THANKS FOR THE LICENSE DONATIONS!
And also a thank you to all former contributors as well.

If you want to sponsor content (please have a focus on mix plugins, bundles and the likes), please get in touch with the Mix Challenge staff.

Please spread the word of the challenge on social media.
For example with our dedicated Twitter Account or Facebook Page

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Good luck to all participants.
And most importantly, have fun!

[JulienMeirone]

Hi guys, here my mix for this month challenge. It was an interesting one. For me, the most challenging thing was to have the maximum amount of high end or brightness without ending with a super harsh mix. To me, it was more about mixing the all thing together than processing a lot of individual tracks.

Wav :
https://www.dropbox.com/s/jberf1if6gh19 ... e.wav?dl=0

Screenshots :
https://www.dropbox.com/s/22snx1zcr7e4v ... M.png?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/s/ggnm5hyp0fvz8 ... M.png?dl=0

I used massively fabfilter Q3 and MB, bx console SSL, DBX 160, Vertigo vsm3, L1, Valhalla shimmer and vintage verb, Purple 77, Bx townhouse, Vertigo vsc2, Bx digital V3, ozone dynamics 9, maag EQ4, softube EQ, ozone Exciter 9, gullfoss and the dangerous EQ for the high cut only.

Hope you will enjoy it.

Have fun too. Cheers.

[chriskamery]

Hi everyone,

Here is my go for this month. Not a genre that I have a lot of experience so I am looking to learn from anyone's feedback. Of course a big thank you to the artist and everyone who makes these contests possible.

Wav:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/ifn5takvkvpam ... y.wav?dl=0

Docs:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/geyfntzvtk3b1 ... .pptx?dl=0

[Armenelli]

This was fun! The tracks and sounds are fantastic; I must admit I may have treated it more as an art soundscape (it reminded me a lot of the stuff I did in college) instead of fitting it into the genre. Thanks to Jorgeelalto for the great tracks and Mister Fox for putting all this together!

Here's my submission: MC064_7thPyramid_Octalism_Armenelli.wav

And a screenshot of my session: Aremenelli Screen Shot

I played with the stereo image to try and create some unique moments. I hope it translates for you all!

Peace!

[Martin Buricchi]

Hi everybody,

I'm new to MC and this is my first contest. I hope I did everything ok on submission and upload.

Here my mix and screenshots of the session :

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/ ... sp=sharing

I use mostly fabfilter eq3,cla-2a compressor and some cla76. I sidechain kick on bass and snare on pad. Added some reverbers and delays. I mixed on bus using some ssl g channels and treated the master bus with a strip and vitamin to balance the equalization but not to premaster the bounce.

This is my first mix in this genre, usually i mix rap/trap songs,I'll appreciate all feedbacks.

[BespokeAudio]

Hey all,
New to MC, so this is quite exciting!

First off, a huge thank you the organizers and obviously to Jorgeelalto for the super-fun track and such great references to use in building our mixes.
In this mix for you, I've tried to combine the space and openness of the Hugh Hardie track, while aiming for the intensity of the BCee tune.
Hopefully, it hits the sweet spot for you, too.

The Mix:
Groups colour-coded.
Busses added for NYC compression and colouration.
Bass split in two for manipulation of top/bottom frequencies.
Some other doubling for FX.

Plugins:

Channel:
TDR - Nova
Acon - Digital Multiply
Voxengo - MSED
WaveArts - Tube Saturator Vintage
Musical Entropy - Spaceship Delay
Audio Damage - RoughRider 3
Infected Mushroom - Wider
Native Instruments - Guitar Rig 5
TDR - Kotelnikov
Shattered Glass Audio - SGA1566
Harrison - XT-3D Triple Delay
Flux - Bittersweet
Kuassa - Basiq

Mix Buss:
TDR Nova
Voxengo - MSED
WaveArts - Tube Saturator Vintage
Musical Entropy - Spaceship Delay
TDR - Kotelnikov
Sanford - Bass Tightener
Klanghelm - DC1A3

Master Buss:
TDR - Nova
Kuassa - Basiq
TDR - Slick EQ
Voxengo - SPAN
Youlean - Loudness Meter 2


This was mixed 'Top-Down' in Harrison Mixbus.
Why?
When there's a track with this much ambience going on, I like to let them all "happen" on the first listen. This lets me decide, for example, if a "Vocal" track is actually a vocal track or if it needs a new home with the drums.
Once we know who's who, everybody that needs a bus has been placed on one, and the REAL fun begins!

First, we check to make sure that the sounds we are working with are clean and give them a basic EQ profile if needed.

Then
/Automation.

Well-
Automation--->Tweak EQ--->Tweak Automation--->Apply light compression (if needed)--->Check Song, realize there are more automation tweaks and do them--->Create EQ spaces where things are muddy--->Sidechain Bass/Kick and play with it--->Adjust Automation--->Apply FX--->Check for added muddiness--->EQ the mud into clay--->Tweak Automation--->????????--->Profit.

Screenshot:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1OhU0P ... kJEMcc-jyC

Mix:
drive.google.com/open?id=1KtqPq_jqpuyuN9ysdSFjQO1yZvtyxeWv
Edit: Corrected the size/channels
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1FEIMr ... aTme63WFg8

All feedback is welcome!!




Thank you for this opportunity to touch your art,
Marcus.

[shroom feverish]

WAV
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1cojFp1 ... sp=sharing

MP3
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1pVM3Sb ... sp=sharing

Intention was to create more atmospheric feeling for track using panning and delay/reverb FX. Added low frequencies to sounds so that parts where main sub bass is not present, low end is still felt, using EQ and distortion/drive. Used EQ on all tracks to shape overall freq balance more even across freq range. Compression and limiting to even peaks on some tracks.

All the best to everyone!

[pedroruca]

Hi, this is my first mix contest. Hope everything complies all the rules. Here is my mix, I tried to get a good sub/kick relationship and a nice groove, and then fill gaps with the rest of the instrumentation.

Good track btw.

WAV
https://www.dropbox.com/s/5jk3cveb92yoz ... a.wav?dl=0

[pedroruca]

Hi guys, here my mix for this month challenge. It was an interesting one. For me, the most challenging thing was to have the maximum amount of high end or brightness without ending with a super harsh mix. To me, it was more about mixing the all thing together than processing a lot of individual tracks.

Wav :
https://www.dropbox.com/s/jberf1if6gh19 ... e.wav?dl=0

Screenshots :
https://www.dropbox.com/s/22snx1zcr7e4v ... M.png?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/s/ggnm5hyp0fvz8 ... M.png?dl=0

I used massively fabfilter Q3 and MB, bx console SSL, DBX 160, Vertigo vsm3, L1, Valhalla shimmer and vintage verb, Purple 77, Bx townhouse, Vertigo vsc2, Bx digital V3, ozone dynamics 9, maag EQ4, softube EQ, ozone Exciter 9, gullfoss and the dangerous EQ for the high cut only.

Hope you will enjoy it.

Have fun too. Cheers.

That kick almost blew my hair man, awesome mix