MIX CHALLENGE - MC075 April 2021 - Winners announced

[Square]

Hi @GmfSongs , just to verify, the 'section to be replaced' has this already been done before it was sent to us? As in, from what i see the piano part to be replaced already has been replaced with the dry piano intro as it is not the version in the demo mix, or are we suppossed to merge the two?

Or am i just reading this completely wrong which is also very possible

Great track btw, ive been listening to everything from Floyd to Gorrilaz to Modest Mouse to Queen for refference

Cheers!

[Mister Fox]

I can answer this as well:

Tracks 35 and 36 combined create "one piano take" - that is the original "main piano"
However, Track 38 and 40 (see folder "SECTION TO REPLACE") combined create a new piano take of the first 15 bars of this song

Basically - you're supposed to replace the first 15 bars of Track 35 with the alternative take from Track 38 and 40 (which summed, result in a new take)

In the end,it might look something like this - resulting in a whole piano take:




This month, you don't have a straight piano track all the way through, but sections you need to merge yourself. That's one of the twists.


EDIT 2021-APR-08:
Added screenshot of the piano take setup

[GmfSongs]

Sorry for the confusion. Mr Fox and I crossed our wires at the last moment before publishing.

I intended a “this section MAY replace” for that first verse piano. To offer the mixers a choice between that straight unadulterated raw track adding some treatment you create - OR to just go with the treatment I created - the one you hear in my mix.

But whatever works best and easiest at this point Is fine by me...

[Square]

All good. That clears it up, cheers!

[RichardClarke]

Here is my submission! I really loved working with this track, it’s a real pleasure to mix! The transitions are really fun and plentiful and its full of life. It has a kind of a narrative feeling which I love too. Thank you for providing it too us!!

Sadly I am mixing on my laptop with headphones only (moving house so my life is in boxes) and the sound card headphone socket decided to break and I only get sound in one ear this morning. So it cut my fun short :-( I really wished I could have spent longer on this just to see what other fun things could be done with it. Also I wanted to spend more time on the drums as they could have been better but I will probably screw them up more if I try to mix in mono in one ear!


Here are links to my mix downs

WAV - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1_eNCH1 ... sp=sharing
MP3 - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1tsTBLz ... sp=sharing

Here is a link to my mixer

Drum Buss - https://drive.google.com/file/d/13Hx6Gt ... sp=sharing
Bass and guitar busses - https://drive.google.com/file/d/11D0Y8y ... sp=sharing
Keyboards - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1k4JKKK ... sp=sharing
Vox Main - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1k0gZ2m ... sp=sharing
Vox Backing and Main Busses - https://drive.google.com/file/d/10ejcb2 ... sp=sharing

I use a few different busses for the final output - An instrument buss and vocal buss which feed into Submix buss (this is essentially the master buss).

Then there is an Side Chain buss which is for the HP filter I use on the SSL Comp that’s on the Submix buss for a little glue. On the Submix buss there is a rcomp which I just use to catch the odd transient. There is a little Pultec style EQ to try to mimic the sound of a desk a little (60htz bump and some 10k). I use an L316 for a little high end boost (15k plus) and a bit of volume increase if needed as I mix quiet. Now when I look at that chain I should probably simplify it a little as some things are potentially redundant as I have changed mixing styles a little.

Also running into the Submix buss is a Andrew Scheps style rear buss and also I do a bass end buss where I send some low end instruments (kick, bass, piano) I filter out everything above 320 and compress the result and feed that to the Submix buss to make the low end a little tighter and to add fullness if I feel I am missing it.

With the instrument channels you will see a lot of Scheps Omni channel. I use it all the time, mainly for the Pre and add Odd or Even harmonics to try to get a more analogue sound. Then maybe using the de-essers and small eq moves. I use the thump option on the snare and vocals a lot and some times on the keys. You will see the F6 on a lot of channels too as I like dynamic EQ a lot (I find it more forgiving to my clumsy imprecise mixing style!). I often HP and LP each channel in Cubase to start with as you can see simply to remove any unwanted noise that is not really musical on the instrument.

On the guitar and pads buss I side chain the kick and snare into the F6 to make some frequencies duck to let them cut through.

I think the most fun I had was with adding the reverse reverb later on in a bridge section, although that could do with automation for the last part of it as its possibly a little overbearing on the last two lines. I wanted to sit on it a week and get fresh perspective of the whole mix and possibly do more scene setting effects like that but then my soundcard broke :-( Like I said I could try tweaking it now but I think I would risk making my mix worse.

If anyone wants further details on what I did exactly just let me know and I will happily oblige!

[Square]

Hi richard

Just had a listen to your mix, and ya cubase is great! The stock plugs are really quite powerful. I especially have an affection for the Reverence Reverb Plug, after using that, i rarely use anything else..

The 'Megalomaniac' Chorus part comes through nicely and i hear the reverse delays (especially at the end), and they sound good too.

I would be careful with your low mids leading into the mids tho.

The bass comes through strongly and sounds as if it hits a compressor? that ducks the whole track at certain parts? Or perhaps it is just a little too high at times and crowds the rest a bit.

Ive also noticed (for me in my mix) that the bass needed a bit of fader treatment to keep it right volume wise otherwise some parts were too low and some were too high

But considering what you were working with (a broken sound card) well played!

anyways, all just my humble opinon, good luck and i look forward to people ravishing my track when i finish

Square

[Mister Fox]

A quick update:

I just edited my post above (post #12) to add a screenshot on how the "section to replace" looks like in the project (in my case, that is my setup in Cubase). You might cut/crossfade at different points. But if you've been confused up until this point, this should give you a general idea.


Additionally:

Those that have been scared off a bit from recent debates on the topic of rules, might be happy to read that we're trying out a new additional game mechanic this month. If you're already curious about the concept, you can read more about this in the "General Gossip Thread" (second half of the post). This particular test-run will happen throughout Q2/2021 (April 2021 to June 2021).

More about the slight mechanic adjustment once Mix Round 1 has ended (roughly 14 days left).

[BOYDE]

Hi everyone, hope you are doing well and of course, hello to Endicott Dread. Thank you for submitting your track and supporting the community, I hope we've all done it justice!

Please find my mix here and let me know your thoughts - https://www.dropbox.com/s/dba13livj9v48 ... E.wav?dl=0

I am happy to go into detail about how my mix came to be if you would like. Not sure if it was a requirement of not?

Many Thanks and happy to master this version should you choose it, Endicott Dread. I do think adding a limiter will help just that bit more with the large dynamic range inherent in your track!

Bring on the wall of sound!

Sam Boydell (BOYDE)
http://boyde.tv

[BOYDE]

@RichardClarke

It feels odd to give critique as my mix may be shit but in the essence of the forum and seeing as I've just listened to it I would give you one pointer.

Your ideas are great and each instrument sounds great. Your mixbus compressor is causing you problems. Firstly, there's a battle going on inside it that the keyboard (most of all) and bass guitar at the end are winning versus the vocal. It could be as simple as activating your HP sidechain or lower your threshold so it does a lot less to your overal mix.

Or.... the keyboardist of the group is well within their right to put the volume up by 10 and get there moment of glory! haha

[jeffssoloband]

So, just to be clear, using the two files in the "Section to replace" folder are optional.

i.e. Using tracks 35 and 36 "as is", and not using tracks 38 and 40 is acceptable.

Please confirm.

Thanks,
Jeff

I intended a “this section MAY replace” for that first verse piano.