MIX CHALLENGE - MC074 March 2021 - Winners announced

[elroms]

Hi! Here is my entry : https://drive.google.com/file/d/1bitflO ... sp=sharing

Substantial job! Wide panorama and wisely used, creative FX. Well done.

thanks a lot!

[RoadieShow]

Greetings!

This was an interesting challenge, for sure! I enjoyed the track and had a lot of fun navigating through all the dense layers of sound. My approach was simple: to take you on a trip through space and time (like Doctor Who). After gain staging, group bussing and EQing to reduce the competing frequencies I used panning, automation and effects to help the song sound like a journey through the final frontier.

My mix (via dropbox): https://www.dropbox.com/s/8fbvi6wobohsb ... w.wav?dl=0

ITU-R BS.1770-3 Loudness: -16.88 LUFS
True Peak: -1.12 dBTP (left), - 1.97 dBTP (right)

Comps: Waves SSL Bus Compressor, Waves CLA-76, AudioDamage RoughRider 3, Presonus Stock Comp
Reverbs: MPXI Native Reverb, Waves Abbey Road Plate, Output Movement, Waves CLA EchoSphere
Panning: PanCake 2 (& manual automation)
Saturation: Abbey Road Saturator
EQ: Presonus Stock EQ (decided to try to stick with one EQ that wasn't my standard SSL G Channel as a challenge. Presonus made a great stock EQ, check it out!)

The name of the game here (for me) was sidechain compression and subtractive EQ. I used RoughRider to control the sub, bass and kicks in an attempt to prevent them from competing for the same frequencies. Lots of high pass and low pass, plenty of scooped midranges. It took a fair amount of effort to keep everybody playing nice together.

Once the frequencies were tamed I moved on to the three dimensional motion. I used Output's Movement on certain tracks to move them around the sound field without simply panning them left to right. I then supported those tracks by creating layers using PanCake's panning paths. Finally I added reverb to a few key tracks in varying amounts, EQing the verb to cut out the mud. The resulting soundscape feels very much like movement through three dimensional space and time (I hope).

Thanks to everyone involved for submitting the track and facilitation this challenge. I appreciate any and all comments and look forward to hearing your mixes!

[maxovrdrive]

Greetings to all!

Many thanks to Christopher Dallman and Dodgingrain for providing us this month's song for the mix challenge.

I hope I satisfied the space vibe. Here's my mix:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1o6g0Jo ... sp=sharing

/////

HARMONY & I TRY VOCALS: eq/ deesser | ddl into chamber
LEAD & BACKING VOCALS: comp/ eq

KEYS: room
RHODES/ SYNTH/ ORGAN/ STRINGS: chamber

DBL GTRS: eq

BACKGROUND ARP: eq/ room into eq
PULSE ARP: eq into brauer motion
PAD: eq into chorus/ room into eq
STATEMENT: eq/ room into eq

DROP ARP: room into eq
MULTISAW
UMMMM: room into eq

BASS: m/s eq and imaging
BASS2: comp into transient designer into dynamic eq/ distortion
DBLBASS
SUBBASS: eq

KICK: comp/ transient designer/ dynamic eq
SNARE: dynamic eq into transient designer into saturation/ parallel comp/ room/ plate
HIT: comp into eq into m/s
parallel comp for all drums

MASTER
compressor
saturation

[Green-Dog]

Hi there,

First of all, big thanks to the song provider for such a cool track! I have enjoyed the time I mixed it.
The most problematic for me was the drums. I have tried a lot of tactics to get the kick works. I duplicated the track with the drums, cut off all except the kick, processed it with exciter and some saturation, and blended it to the main drum track.

If you have some more questions about my mix, I will be happy to answer.

Mix

Good luck to everyone!

[VasDim]

Hi all,
this is my attempt to mix:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/a5mjykpi628mp ... m.wav?dl=0

For all track are used:
- Waves Q10;
- Waves C4;
- Db ProComp.

AUX Effect;
- Waves TrueVerb;
- Waves SuperTap;

Good luck to all.
VasDim

[Toxic Shot Dot]

https://www.dropbox.com/s/8gchnn6y9u1gl ... t.wav?dl=0

True Peak: -3.64dBTP
Integrated: -17.70LUFS


A few explanations:
For me to start a mix, I've first to understand the composition.
In short I understand the structure of the composition in the following way,
there are layers which build up an arc of suspense: Drums, Bass, Themes, Insane, Pads, Noise, Background
I've wanted to give each layer the right position in the mix.
The layers itself are more floating-like, so there have to be a lot of micromovements to keep that interesting.
I've definitely wanted to feature the very nice synthsounds.
I've crushed the drums pretty hard ... maybe a little too much ... but I listend again and again and I like it.
A lot of reverb in general, delay to the vocals.
Such a track can't end like this, so I've decided to add some noisy broken Warp-Engine at the end.

[jules666]

Hi All,

New here!....and here is my attempt to mix this one:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1_j9TCg ... sp=sharing

Using Reaper for DAW.
All Monitoring done on headphones as I have no speakers, but using Sonarworks Ref 4 to help with this handicap.

The rules on final levels are something I hope I have got correct (normally just try and push as much as possible ).
(Used free version of youlean on master bus which showed intergrated at -18.25 LUFS)

Drums
Split the main track into two and filtered with EQ so I could process low end seperatly from mid/high
Usual EQ and some compression

Synths
Split into a couple of sub groups
Some EQ to try and make room for stuff.
Used Acme Opticom XLA-3 on most of the tracks as I just liked the grit it added.

VOX
Split into a few sub groups based on the phrasing.
Compression/EQ and then fed to the effects buses I created.

BASS
EQ/Compression (Acme Opticom XLA-3)

Aux Sends
Set up some buses which I used as sends, based on what I felt was needed at the time. Invidual tracks were pushed to one or more of these:
Vox Verb - EQ/CLA Epic
Flanger - ADA Flanger
Drum Compression - Pulsar Smasher/EQ
Distortion - Fuchs Overdrive/Comp
Some delay buses using EQ/Waves H-Delay (1/4) & (1/8)
Basic Reverb - EQ/CLA Epic
Tape/saturation: Waves J32

MASTER:
Just some light compression to help glue the mix using bx_Townhouse on just a 2:1 ratio.
YouLean Free to monitor levels.

Some automation here and there mainly on volume and for some of the sends.

If anyone wants more detail just ask.

Cheers
Jules

[Daddidio]

Updated this to indicate what I did in more detail.

Here goes. Added effects where I wished and tried to go for the mood you indicated. Hey, I'm new to this but had a hell of a time trying.

Used Dry vocal tracks
Used Dry Kick Track

-- Edited out a handful of clicks from track ends
-- Edited silent space from all tracks to better visualize them
-- Edited "I Try.." track to remove breath slide-in
-- Edited Harmony03 for breaths, noise
-- Edited Harmony04 for breaths, noise
-- Added Fade out to Backing Vocals Track
-- Added effects to dry kick and mixed drums to bass tracks
-- mixed hits and synths
-- rough mixed vocal levels
-- Added vocal effects and drum effects
-- Added Compression and limiter to mix bus
-- Adjusted levels
-- Adjusted EQ on all bass tracks and drum kit
-- Set an initial level balance of tracks and then mixed to taste, setting panning and automation of levels where needed to maintain the balance I was going for.

DAW - Cubase 10.5 Pro

Effects
Although I have used the same plugins on several tracks, the order in which effects are applied and the settings, vary.

Stock EQ was used on all tracks

Lead Vocal and the "trys"
AAS Objeq Delay, OrilRiver Reverb, W.A. Vocal Doubler, Oxone Imager2, W.A. Vocal Compressor

Harmonies
Stock Cubase Compressor and ModMachine on them along with OrilRiver Reverb, W.A. Vocal Compressor,W.A. Vocal Doubler, Oxone Imager2

Backing vocals
Stock Cubase Compressor and ModMachine on them along with OrilRiver Reverb, Oxone Imager2

Kick
Stock Cubase Compressor, AudioDamage RoughRider3, AconDigital Multiply, BPB Saturator, Yamaha Rev-X hall reverb

Wet Snare
Stock Cubase Compressor, AudioDamage RoughRider3, BPB Saturator, Yamaha Rev-X hall reverb

Solo Keys
Steinberg Chorus

Bass2 and Bass
Steinberg Compressor

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1dgs5T4 ... sp=sharing

Thanks, Tunenvy - Daddidio

[dnlptn]

Hi all,

Here is my submission for this mix challenge. Mostly tried to have fun with it and experimented with the FX.
Where I could, I added some sort of movement with autopan and using automation on reverbs and volume.
Had a lot more going on than I needed, here's some things that I did.

Drums
Parallel processing on snare loop- Phase Mistress -> UAD brigade chorus ->comp
FabFilter Timeless delay automated for certain sections of the track like in the end.
In the end section, OrangePhaser was blended in on the drum buss.

Umm Chorus
Ozone Imager, delay

Statement
Blackbox HG-2. Blended in phase-mistress for some edge. Avid OrangePhaser 40%.

Backing Vocals
One of them had Supermassive for an effect.

Main vocals
Had a couple of reverbs (7th heaven blended with Fabfilter R), slap delay and a ping pong delay.
Lead vocal at the end had a bit of lower pitched alterboy blended in

Reverbs
Fabfilter Pro R, 7th heaven, R4, Nimbus, Valhalla plate

Hope you enjoy it, thanks.

Drive Link
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1oQbyDv ... sp=sharing

[pabloAT]

Dear all,
Please find my mix to challenge MC074. Many thanks to the song provider for this nice (and challenging to mix) track and to MrFox.

[Dropbox's link to MC074]

DAW = Cubase 11.0
Integrated LUFS = -18.0
True Peak = -4.10 dB
WAV, 44kHz, 24bit

Preliminary work: cleaning-up, raw balance, panning/stereo spreading, check phase, HPF on all tracks (>20 Hz depending on the track), LPF on some tracks. Macro and micro automation during the final steps of the mix.

Drums & Percussion group
I’ve used the premixed subkick. Subtle compression and EQ for both kick and snare. Limiter on extra hat closer and hit tracks for presence. Panman on hat loop for movement. Sending all drum and percussion tracks to a bus and gluing everything with a touch of SSL compression, spring reverb and vintage delay (TAPE-201).

Bass group
I’ve used a lot of automation on this group, activating/deactivating fxs à go-go. For example, for the 0044 (bass) I applied a CLA-3A compressor for the whole track, but activated a chorus JUN-6 only during the song’s intro. The others Bass group’s track benefit of compression (subtle), a bit of decapitation/radiator, and a boost to the sub frequencies in the transition/atmospheric part before entering the ending of the track.

Distorted synths
The “distorted synths” were grouped to a bus that I’ve treated like electric guitars, reinforcing the saturated/analog vibe with FrontDaw, decapitator, radiator and others. I’ve the send everything to a LittlePlate and vinyl+stereo delay (see Marc Daniel Nelson’s post https://youtu.be/IRhzrJ6TctI)

Synth group
A LOT of work on balancing and chirurgical EQing (mainly Cubase’s Frequency2) to separate clashing frequencies and to leave room for all synths. Some tracks benefit from True Iron for analog vibe. Nothing more, nothing else...Then I’ve worked on different sends to mainly plate and Raum reverbs when needed.

Vocals
I’ve used tracks 0074, 0076, 0077, 0078, and 0079 for what I’ve called the “LV” group. Trackspacer sidechained with track 0060. A bit of saturation, tap delay and nothing else for both the LV group and backing vocal tracks.

Master Buss
Black Box’s saturation, Pultec EQ, a touch of SSL compressor and tape J-37 to glue everything.

All the best to the participants!
Pablo