CURRENT CHALLENGE - GENERAL INFORMATION
Time Frame: Sunday, 01st October 2023 to Saturday, 24th October 2023 (21+3 days, extended timeframe)
Challenge submission will end on 24-OCT-2023, 23:59 UTC+2/CEST (Germany) - until further notice.
Want to find out if you're still within the deadline, please either consult the
Global Countdown (dedicated page), or the countdown on the
landing site. There will also be short reminders on Social Media and on
Discord.
Song Provider: Pray For Hayden (represented by
@BenjiRage)
Song Name and Length: Don't Panic!, 2:55 min
Song Information: 170 BPM / Signature: 4/4
File Format: WAV, 44kHz, 24bit
GENRE: Pop-Punk
Preview of the Song (Demo Mix):
INFORMATION: This version might sound different from the provided multi-tracks.
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SOURCE FILES:
Main Mix Package - full package (343,15 MB, LZMA compressed, zip) (updated: 07-OCT-2023 23:50 UTC+2/CEST, change in TXT files)
IMPORTANT NOTE: download window might show a smaller file size, file unavailable after 24-OCT-2023 (extended timeframe)
The provided files were packed as ZIP with LZMA compression (specs from 2015).
File size extracted: 917,47 MB, packed 343,15 MB (ZIP, LZMA)
To those that downloaded the Main Mix Package prior to 08-OCT-2023, you only need to download the updated TXT Pack:
Mix Package - TXT Files only (0,08 MB, regular zip)
In order to extract the files, we can recommend these programs / apps:
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A word from the song provider:
BenjiRage wrote:Pray For Hayden are a 5-piece pop-punk band with a sound consisting of rock guitars, poppy vocals and 80s style synths.
Band members are:
- Ash: guitars and lead vocals
- Tom: guitars
- Bryn: bass
- Jonny: vocals (also usually also guitar, but not performing on this recording)
- and Ben (myself): Drums, backing vocals and synth programming
"Don't Panic!" is a song about not wanting to follow a path that everyone else is seemingly going down, instead you can go your own way and doing something else, and that it's ok to do that and not feel bad about it. It was originally written and recorded by the band in the mid 2000's but this particular version was a re-recording done in April 2020 when the UK was under COVID-19 lockdown and everyone was stuck inside at home, not allowed to go out - the title seemed very apt at the time for the period of turmoil the world was going through!
As we were all stuck apart though, each instrument had to be recorded separately by each band member at their respective homes playing to a backing track. Tracks were then sent to me, I added in my parts and mixed it all. Consequently there is quite a difference in recording quality, levels etc between the different instruments as we all had different gear and various levels of recording experience between us.
With the mixing of the song, I think it's important to convey a lot of energy and power since our live performances are like this and we want the recordings to try and mimic it. We also have a very thick and full sound with a lot going on in terms of melodic/harmonic content. The frequency spectrum is pretty stacked so I often find it hard to get each individual element to stand out in the mix. As you'll hear in the demo, it's all very squashed in and everything seems to jostle for attention. A mix that is able to maintain the power and fullness, yet give each element space and presence I think would nail it.
Some reference tracks for the kind of style/sound are:
Jimmy Eat World - Big Casino
All Time Low - Do You Want Me (Dead?)
Small Pools - Killer Whales
Green Day - Know Your Enemy
I hope it provides an enjoyable challenge and I'm really looking forward to hearing your mixes.
Good luck to all!
A few words by the Mix Challenge staff:
As of MC092 / June 2023, and for easier thread readability of the game thread, the "Words by the Mix Challenge staff" are now only part of the bundled TXTs of the Mix Pack. Please check out this text section as well for additional explanation and possible hints for this month's game.
Rule Summary:
More technical details are in the Mix Pack bundled TXTs. In there you can find the lyrics of the song (incl. a translation to English), more information about the individual files, possible changes to the time signature, and maybe even additional tips and tricks relevant to this production. Additionally a TL;DR Rule Set and, depending on the song provider's approval, an available "Off-site redistribution agreement" for a possible portfolio presentation.
Please consult the official
Rules and Guidelines for a more detailed set of rules, including how to document your edits, maximum loudness values and delivery formats (see
Rule Book - Post #6).
Failing to adhere to the rules will result in disqualification. There will be no additional reminders given.
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LICENSE SPONSORS (Bonus Prizes):
A huge thank you goes to our very generous License Sponsors for this month's game. Those being (in alphabetical order):
Acon Digital,
Audified,
Hornet Plugins,
IK Multimedia,
Kilohearts,
Metric Halo,
NOS Audio,
NUGEN Audio and
Tone2
A detailed list of offerings can be found in the following information block.
► Show Spoiler
Available Bonus Prizes for Mix Challenge participants:
Note: All licenses are NFR (Not-For-Resale), except where noted.
Changes to available prizes on short notice may be possible and will be announced separately.
Acon Digital is kind enough to give away either one plugin bundle, or any individual stereo plug-in of winner's choice. (
exception: Application Bundles, Immersive plugins)
License will turn into NFR
More info on Acon Digital:
https://acondigital.com
Audified is kind enough to give away one license of MixChecker Pro to the winner
License will turn into NFR
More info on Audified:
https://audified.com
Hornet Plugins is kind enough to give away one license from the depicted tools (see image) to the winner
License will turn into NFR
More info on Hornet Plugins:
https://www.hornetplugins.com
IK Multimedia is kind enough to give away one license of T-RackS Tape Machine Collection to the winner
License will turn into NFR
More info on IK Multimedia:
https://www.ikmultimedia.com
Kilohearts is kind enough to give away a "Sound Design Playground" Bundle, consisting of one license each of Snap Heap and Multipass, which supercharges all freely available Kilohearts Essentials.
License will turn into NFR
More info on Kilohearts:
https://www.kilohearts.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:
https://mhsecure.com/metric_halo/
NOS Audio is kind enough to give away one license of NOS Roomer to the winner
License will turn into NFR
More info on NOS Audio:
https://www.nosaudio.com
NUGEN Audio is kind enough to give away one license from the depicted tools (see image) to the winner
License will turn into NFR
More info on NUGEN Audio:
https://nugenaudio.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.
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Good luck to all participants.
And most importantly, have fun!
BEFORE WE GET STARTED:
MIX(ING) CHALLENGE THREAD INDEX
