Mix Challenge - Round 2
Hi all:
Firstly, I want to thank each and every one of you for your time, creativity, and effort! It means so much to me - as a songwriter, musician, and as a human being.
Just so you know, I didn’t read the mix notes or any feedback comments before listening to the mixes. I didn’t want to colour my perception because it’s the result, not the tools that ultimately matter.
So. A few broad issues that were the most common....and open to improvement:
-Consistency in the sonic signature. As in the brightness and bottom end from section to section. Verses to chorus.
-Definition of the chorus vocals. These eat up a lot of space. So does everything else in the chorus, but it’s about making the puzzle pieces fit together to reduce masking. So EQ is preferable over compressors and saturators here I think. This section needs hard carving to come alive.
-Amplifying the emotional impact of the sections. This also refers to how something such as reverb brightness or its decay affects the listeners visceral response. But volume is always the most effective tonal shaping EQ we have.
-Uniting the vocals to the backing band. This applies mostly to the acoustic sections and effects. Ideally it can be spacey and weird but still feel like a band performing.
So one common attribute in a lot of these mixes, and it’s partly due to the soft verse vocal delivery plus the Saturn saturation track, versus me essentially hitting the 1176 compressor input much louder & harder while recording the chorus vocals (which tends to darken up a stacked performance as well).
As a result the chorus vocals are often coming off much warmer, further back, and less intelligible than the single lead vocal.
The chorus is still a first person narration. I would have loved to have a real & varied choir singing backup. Maybe like in Another Brick in the Wall. To my ear it should be as if the chorus lead is joined in by more voices, and they should retain most of that same presence. Think classic Queen too. Except here I’m just one singer, and I can’t sing like they can...
I think the same applies to the different drum sections. I know it’s often easier to make fewer instruments sound bigger, but the chorus is our payoff.
It’s a toggle between a classic sort of 70’s tight kit and then these modern, in your face samples. It’s a difficult mashup to transition well. But, they must compliment each other and again the chorus must sound bigger and harder than the acoustic instrument dominated sections.
Don’t be afraid to build that chorus wall of sound. Use the full range of the frequency spectrum, width, and depth. Think about the overall dynamics and flow like a left to right graph of intensity.
Tension and release is our friend and goal here. Can you make the listener feel those two principles?
Pick the elements that speak to you most, and drive the melody and point home...
Ride the master fader if necessary, but remain within the loudness tolerance.
Brian Eno working with Bowie said -
“Stop thinking about artworks as objects, and start thinking about them as triggers for experiences.”
I forgot to note whether each piano intro was replaced. It’s a relatively small thing, but was part of the ‘task’ - so please include it for this round...
If you need any clarity regarding my comments or going forward I’m happy to assist.
Thanks again for all your efforts!!!
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Photonic
https://www.dropbox.com/s/e1ywsqjtfdqpd ... c.wav?dl=0
Intro Piano could be brighter and more married to the vocal.
LV sould be ridden to follow the buildup. It gets lost in the places like the bridge (1:57)
Add top end to CH Vox at 1:19. These are duller than then the other tracks and need a tweak.
Great verse vocal sound and ambience! Piano & vox feel a bit disjointed.
Sorry. That gritty distortion on the verse guitar @:41 is masking and stepping on the vocal too much. Try other effect.
@:57 noise on acoustic track?
Feel free to use my Flutter & Wow track 66 VS BG FX.
CH vox a touch too distant. Too soft. Good blend though!
Bass is a little too round. I hear some noises and compression artifacts.
70’s Drums sound great. Kik and hat kind of loud. 70’s kick and bass could lock together better. Both are quite round.
CH bass great.
Chorus drums soft and disjointed in the soundscape.
Chorus feels a little lifeless in comparison to other sections, increase its energy please.
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studjo
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1fQPzhD ... sp=sharing
The Intro piano radio eq is very interesting. How about trying a similar effect on the lead vocal until the bass and electric piano come in...to have them in the same surreal emotional space.
Mix sounds big. Clear. Good energy!
Chorus vocals needs focusing. Presence. They need to feel closer to the listener to impart their intensity.
70’s drums far too clicky. Too pinched or overcompressed. Maybe more OH or room is needed. They’re not breathing or meshing with the bass well.
Maybe blend the bass sub better beginning at 2:54 or automate the sub effect.
Bottom end in the verses is very powerful. The Chorus doesn’t expand on that. Chorus kik needs more impact & clarity & volume.
Verses sound clean and close. Chorus loses that presence.
2:54 piano sounds mushy and distant. This is an intimate part. Ride the piano verb and DDL
Balances are 80% there. Focus on the vocal levels. Ch vox too low. Too wet.
Bass gets boomy and & overwhelming at 3:25 and other spots.
Following choruses feels anticlimactic.
Buss compression too aggressive?
Good vocal. Great bass! It sits a little high though.
Melody vox is sort of veiled.
Great thick CH drums!
Good job!
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orbital58
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1aUl-wH ... sp=sharing
Intro vocal is too wet specifically in the high mids. Maybe try a short predelay on the reverb? Dry it up a bit in the beginning and build it up and into the chorus. Maybe a touch shorter or darker plate.
Maybe less ~8k more 800-1k in LV. Make it more in your face. And a silkier top end.
Plate return needs eq to focus it, and to remove unimportant frequencies.
You can also use my 66 VS BG FX DDL track @56
Nice chorus vocal! Bit wet especially on the low register vocals.. Ride and EQ the reverb return for clarity.
Acoustics very nice but much too boomy in the chorus ~150hz. Try Mid/Side high pass needed?
70’s drums missing the backbeat impact after the fill. Scooped feeling and no oomph from the kit. Too thin ~200-800hz
Piano comp attack too fast. Let more transient through. It’s choking the sound a little.
@2:53 decrease the overall volume to increase the dynamic juxtaposition.
A lot of elements are too squashed. The compressors aren’t breathing, they’re stifling.
Piano nice
Overall levels great.
Very good & big chorus blend!!
Drums a little low & thin
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RodA - Wildcard
https://www.dropbox.com/s/21br8lcs8i1j9 ... _.wav?dl=0
The intro piano is overcompressed. Slow the compressor attack & quicken the release to allow more transient through to match the vocal bite.
LV could use a little more weight to balance out the top end.
Awesome feeling when the bass comes in. Deep bass! 8ve down. Cool!! Just needs riding.
Can you mute the electric piano DDL at the beginning of flutter @:58. There’s too many elements distracting you at that point.
Chorus is a bit messy. Beautiful acoustic guitars. Song feels fast - which implies great energy! But this mix needs better clarity overall.
Can you match the low end force of the chorus to make the sections flow together a bit more.
Lead vocal reverb is masking. Too much low frequency bloom.
LV @1:33 The reverb is feeling a bit too tiled room as opposed to warm plate or chamber. A bit splashy in the high mids. Marry it to the vocal more.
70’s kit lacking depth & low mids. Not sitting enough with the rest of the band.
Elec piano nice DDL but maybe ride the send or return and use it more sparingly throughout. Use it where it’s only most effective and can actually be heard.
Crash needs a hi pass filter.
The chorus vocals get more lost as song progresses...
Mix needs clarity in the midrange and a dryer bottom end.
Bass 8ve lows need to be tightened up and unified with its the amp sound. Maybe automate the Sub 8ve blend to keep it balanced when it starts resonating.
Awesome potential. Please continue...
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Frequency Painter
https://www.dropbox.com/s/mld0vng2o9t31 ... r.wav?dl=0
Really enjoyed the creativity on display!!
The Piano intro & Vocal aren’t feeling like they are in the same performance space though. Vocal obviously is very compressed. Almost spitty. Aim for more smoothness.
Bass is missing some deeper depth even though it’s quite round.
2nd verse. FX too loud. Too narrow too.
Love the FX ideas, but there’s a line between potent and overwhelming. Just tuck them in a bit.
The Vocal is getting lost in the bridge. @2:00 It’s feeling very far back in the soundstage.
Reverb needs to be tailored more to the vocal spectrum, especially in the chorus.
But the impact is fantastic!
@3:00 & 3:07 has FX crackles. Nice FX though.
70’s drums a bit boxy.
Whole mix just little wild regarding the balances. Bit too FX wet - which affects clarity.
Essentially reign in the FX just a bit. We can all hear them just fine. Haha.
Outro Piano is great. Fantastic vocal treatment @2:58!
You just automated the effect mix 100 to 0% correct?
Excellent blend. Faithful to reference which is ok I guess. LV 2nd verse too much FX
Ch vox great! Play with automating the reverb send - feel free to bring the Vox closer or farther depending on the surrounding instruments. Perhaps notch some mids out or hipass the reverb return for more CH vocal intimacy.
Great CH drums. Tight. Is the CH kick off to the left a few degrees though?
Great effort!
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kirurg
https://www.dropbox.com/s/nv6a3wyxnvj0y ... g.wav?dl=0
Good piano. Could use a little more weight and ambience though. Great vocal sound. Could use just a few more rides to keep it on top and sitting in front of the band.
Mix builds nicely.
Lovely treatment on electric piano!
Noise at 1:03?
Beautiful sounding descending acoustic line in chorus. I like that.
70’s snare needs a bit more low mid heft.
Distortion in electric piano FX envelop filter before 2nd chorus. @2:30. Please clean up.
@2:48. Chorus refrain needs to feel fuller.
@3:48 CH vocals become anemic. Maybe raise the harmonies here.
@4:16 More chorus heft in general. The first chorus feels more powerful than the subsequent ones.
Jazz bass transients @3:07 become distracting.
Balances are great! Vocal sounds great!
The obvious automation effort makes the track sing. Made a massive difference.
Interesting that you featured the CH melody so much over the other harmonies. It didn’t occur to me to start building up that way. I like it. But maybe push up the high harmonies in the last choruses as a crescendo and variation.
Chorus drums great, maybe a bit louder even.
Maybe the mix to beat!
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maxovrdrive
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1fyCyOP ... sp=sharing
Good piano weight and intimacy with the intro vocal. Intro piano chorusing is a bit pitchy though, the detuning or modulation depth is a bit too deep.
Transients on the electric piano @:30 sounds like a small dense tiled room verb. The attack comes across as smeared and noisy. Doesn’t really sit in with the bass attack.
Flutter section acoustics feel a little brittle. More high mid body than pick strum and resonance. Needs weight. Warmth.
Mix mids in general need attention. Crucial 600hz-3.5k instrument range needs more clarity and punch. Feels hollow and a touch harsh in places.
70’s drums come across a papery. I hear a big scoop out of lower mids. It creates space but maybe just cutting has gone too far. The saturation is making the kit smaller, not bigger in this case.
Chorus vocals too narrow & too thin. Missing the same impact and feels smaller and less important compared to verse vocals. Chorus Acoustic guitar in mono lacks good transients and is very hollow sounding. Phase cancellation I guess?
The verse vocal really hugs you - can you make the chorus vocals do that too?
Then make the instruments support and hug the voice. Many elements seem to be in different acoustic spaces.
There great potential here though...
Kill it.
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AndyM - Wildcard
https://signalflowau-my.sharepoint.com/ ... g?e=0Slavj
Intro piano is a bit boxy.
Very nice vocal sound! Maybe a touch more of 6 or 12K. Or maybe it just riding the levels more for intelligibility during the LV piano outro section
Nice sonic signature.
Chorus vocals are a touch muddy. ~300-600hz
Could I hear a little more pick attack on the acoustic guitar, or less boom around 400hz in the flutter & wow section?
Chorus acoustics sound fantastic!
Great balances. V2 synths awesome!
70s Kick feels just a bit loud and clicky. Too much point. Very Talking Heads in the 80’s if you know what I mean.
The Choruses feel a little far away at times. But have a very nice blend. Play with the reverb depth within the sections and chorus to chorus. And feel free to juice the chorus vocal levels for even more impact.
Bottom end in chorus kicks is a little undefined and too round. Think less beach ball, more chest thump. Match it to the hard snare and clap vibe.
It may also be pumping your compressor or sidechaining weird at the end. I can hear the release. It feels uncoupled from the mix for some reason.
A really good mix Andy. Come back for round two!!
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Christoph_K
https://www.dropbox.com/s/xfxs96h2c5u4m ... K.wav?dl=0
Great piano. And intro. LV slap delay is a bit loud and bright. Consider notching out some mids in your vocal FX returns to let them sit around and not right on top of the lead vocal, if that makes sense.
Love the building energy. And presence.
Chorus vocals need a 1-2.5db boost. Kick some ass.
Bass nice and warm. Flutter section great!!
Ch vox good effects. Chorus bass is too thin though.
Great energy. Great flow
Piano slap a bit much at times.
Push the entire Chorus volume up for better impact if necessary.
70’s snr is a bit loud. Kit needs low mids for better punch. Not getting the drum tone. Just drum snap.
Ch drums very good. But I hear the compressor making it smaller not bigger.
Very creative take!!
Please automate and ride the effects. They overwhelm in places. Make it flow. They need to be integrated better to add & not distract the vocal performance.
This mix needs to feel more unified.
Excellent effort!
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KrissK
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1d4orPd ... sp=sharing
Nice open in your face present vocal.
The piano feels comparatively thin in the intro though. Unify the two elements.
Mix has a nice sonic signature. Could use some judicious low mid bass cleaning up.
Build each section in intensity leading up to the chorus. Such as verse electric guitar. Bigger Acoustic guitars.
Bass is a very good anchor here. Little loud and boomy at the outro section though. Automation needed.
Applause up please.
Nice CH vox sound! Needs even more presence though. And/or ~+2db fader volume.
CH Synth Bass a little thin, it should have the same relative loudness as the Jazz Bass.
Chorus drums have an awesome punch. Can you give the chorus a little more sub action and impact please?
Nice sounding 70s drums but they could sit in the track a little more. Love the presence but the snare is too papery and loud. Needs thwack and movement. Maybe try a parallel compressor like 1176 all buttons in or equivalent to bring up the drum ambience. Or more OH or Room.
Cool V2 synth space!
Chorus seems to be lacking bottom end compared to verses.
A fantastic verse lead vocal sound that sits well. Don’t <beep> with it.
Make the chorus vocal sound that good!!
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SuC76
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1sx1EuQ ... sp=sharing
Nice piano space & Vox blend. Could be a bit warmer overall.
LV vocal may have too much ~1K
Pull down Saturn just a hair maybe boost 14k. It’s a bit spitty, bit nasally. Upper mids lack clarity. Maybe it’s the way it’s hitting the compressor so hard. It’s subtle though but I can hear it.
The LV also needs riding, and more volume in bridge.
Bass a bit light. Needs more sub weight. Acoustics just a bit dark. Could use some sparkle.
Ch Vox. Needs more force, energy, power, pressure.
The vocals feel secondary to the instruments.
Really great 70’s drum sound. But chorus drums aren’t as bright nor as present.
CH kik feels like a there’s side chain issue? Or. Low end headroom is eating up mix buss comp. especially in the last chorus, something feels off.
CH low synth is lost too.
Great Potential! You’ve gotten excellent clarity and separation in the mids - particularity in the verses.
Maybe add a little more weight and gravitas to the mix overall to make it more intimate. Like a compressed pultec or something tubey in parallel?
Warm up the foundation a bit. Great mix!!
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White Punk OD
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1lzthi5 ... sp=sharing
Tape hiss audible at head. Don’t need that, it’s not really the 70’s.
Piano is too midrangey yet dampened feeling.
Maybe extend the pianos frequency range a little to make it feel likes it’s sharing the same intro vocal space. Give it more attack and depth without squashing it.
The LV intro reverb & DDL are smearing the vocal around 1-2k and the FX is a bit bright. Or loud.
Whole mix just a bit dark and lacking energy. Electric guitar can come up quite a lot.
Each section should have an increasing perception of energy leading to the chorus as a climax.
Acoustics are a little boomy @~100hz in chorus.
Mix low mids need work for better clarity. Chorus bottom end could be more impactful. Bigger. Harder.
Cool bass DDL - needs few cents less detune or depth though to keep the Vox from seeming pitchy.
Acoustics strum too quiet. Build the energy.
CH vocal actually a little loud in 1st chorus! ~1db. But it’s the right idea!!
Vocals get lost by the last chorus however.
Good 70’s drum sound, snare is blurred though. Either its reverb is too wide or it’s losing that great thwack but it’s sitting a just little far back in the soundscape.
The Chorus drums can come up to match the verse drum intensity.
Applause are too loud.
Some effects are randomly overbearing in outro vocal. Vocal feels slight disjointed from the band.
‘Get more’ space sounds hollow, unnatural.
LV De esser issues!! Too obvious.
Prefer chorus treatment to verses, so concentrate on improving that.
‘Love me’ at the end is too loud. The song is winding down at this point. He’s desperate here, so it should be very intimate.
Great effort! Great potential.
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tiagogardner - Wildcard
https://www.dropbox.com/s/imkvg46m5cy0j ... r.wav?dl=0
Piano needs more top end excitement and energy.
Intro LV feels closed in. Maybe increase the space around the box it in each new section. It’s very upfront but a little too midrangey
Address the mix mids. Open up the top end. Extend low end.
1:07 weird DDL feedback is distracting.
Interesting balancing. Good 1st chorus.
Vocal @1:42 and other places getting lost.
Verse guitar a touch thick.
Great bridge. Maybe needs a bit shorter snare reverb.
Cool 2nd Chorus mute! Maybe just make the edit sound more natural, slightly less abrupt.
CH Vocals need a little more brightness & volume. Chorus vocal saturation is introducing some artifacts.
808 thump addition @3:08? This section works better with the 3 elements I think, plus the challenge has rules about arrangement changes. Thanks.
Outro piano louder than drums and Vox. Rebalance this please...
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Blang - Wildcard
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-tWalx ... sp=sharing
Intro Piano lacks high end detail and space. Boxy, veiled.
Intro vocal almost scratchy and not vibing. It works better with electric keys, but LV top end isn’t very smooth.
Good mix. Needs it’s elements to be somewhat more unified though. The effects needs to serve, not overwhelm the mix. Try greater use of width and depth. Darker means farther. Closer means brighter.
Verse electric guitar distortion doesn’t work for me. Sorry. Try something else on it.
Very cool flutter and wow section though!
Great chorus vocal sound! But the verse vocal is louder. That should be the opposite.
Very upfront LV. Needs some automation riding.
Reign in FX. Effects needs to be at a more appropriate level in most instances. To serve not distract.
70’s drums little dark & boxy.
Strings and choir elements lost in mix.
Guitar @2:21 too chorused.
2nd chorus effect little loud.
Good flow.
Great Ch kik.
Crystallizer? @2:58 becomes distracting.
Has great potential!
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Ok. Have fun!!!
Additional mix entries....
► Show Spoiler
In order of submission.
#15 Richard Clark 30/100
Vocal Balances are off. Swimmy.
I like the DDL effect. CH drums lack impact.
Feels disjointed on the whole.
Try using references mixes as you go.
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#18 BOYDE 25/100
Very wet vox. Hall.
Lacks unity. Messy mix.
Piano region is wildly out of sync.
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#22 s&f 40/100
Doesn’t feel mixed.
Vocal very loud. Weird DDL
Distorted in places?
Drums too loud.
Acoustics lost
Good CH vocals.
Good CH drum
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#25 Gloo 65/100
Verse Vocal midranging and a little loud
Good balancing
Big kick. Sub issue
CH vox are dull compared to verses.
Ch synths very cool
Chorus drums feel round & soft compared to 70’s
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#27 Hruiz 78/100
Not sure about this one.
Take more chances.
Acoustics sound a little too dense & undefined.
Kick and bass occupying sane frequencies.
Chorus lacking low end clarity.
Drums too Loud and wet
Chorus vocals too dark.
Good vocal,
Well automated.
Great balances
Dull overall?
Big chorus. Little too washed out.
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# 31 Dodgingrain 60/100
Vocal thin. Scratchy. Spitty. Hollow
Nice bridge.
Chorus. Interesting panning.
Not bright enough though.
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32 alavault 40/100
Piano dark. Vocal moves off to the sides. Gets buried by other instruments.
Distracting DDL
Bass overwhelms the mix. Then gets overcompressed.
Vocal becomes too wet. Swimming.
Hall size is too big for vocals. Needs predelay and high pass EQ.
I like the way you use the CH harmony.
Bridge good.
Chorus has impact but vox gets lost in noise. Too dark. Too boomy.
Many times the instruments are too wet or feel disconnected from each other.
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#36 loger 74/100
Consider this one!!
True to original. Crackles?
Very bright, LV very squashed. Pinched effect.
But Ch vox not present enough.
Intimate
Good balances between elements.
70’s drums not sitting in the mix. Rather on the mix.
Very nice acoustic guitar sound
Ch drums very good. Little boxy. Little loud.
Take more risks!
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#37 dadomuchato 78/100
Very good intro.
Vocal gets buried early on. Needs automation.
Wish you took more chances. Lacks a bit of magic but that my subjective opinion.
Good energy. Nice acoustic guitars.
Great drum sound. Too quiet though.
Bass way too loud in places, good amp tone but boomy. Uncontrolled.
Balances are a little off to my ear. Needs refinement, as it feels more like a rough mix.
CH Vocals maybe 1.5db low.
Ch drums very good. Too quiet if anything.
Very good overall. Little bass heavy.
Chorus vox Too dark.
Consider this one too!!!
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#39 Hiwatter 70/100
Feels unrefined. Needs automation on the verbs and vocals.
Very very crisp bitey vox too loud
Nice balance
Vox way too wet. Sets it apart from the band.
Great drums. Jazz Bass is thin.
Good CH Vox blend energy and drums.
Good CH punch
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#46 javiramallo 35/100
Good intro
Good LV sound!
Bass wobbly
DDL weird
Acoustics DDL weird & distracting
Good drums
Bad CH vox blend - undefined
Ch drums buried
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#47 bluesation 25/100
Piano out of sync!
BG’s bizarre hollow phasing effect.
Bass good sound
Good LV sound
Missing BGs
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#49 elroms 77/100
Good vocal.
Over compressed piano & thin.
Good bass. Little over compressed.
Acoustics too low
Very straightforward
Good chorus vox levels.
Big heavy drums
Ch drums anemic. Smaller than verse ones.
CH needs more impact.
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#51 Square 62/100
Doesn’t feel unified.
Verses are upfront. Chorus set back too far
Vox just a little mid rangy
Bass. Good.
Nice CH vox
V2 synth too loud
Drums ok. Bridge Vocal bit lost
Acoustics lost in middle.
Stomp is great.
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#53 grigoal 46/100
Bass good but a touch loud
BG’s coming in wrong places.
CH vocals too dark and too wet
Good LV sound. Little lost in parts
Drums punchy but not sitting in the mix
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# 55 Green-Dog 70/100
Boxy overall
Boxy piano
LV too much room verb, good tone with piano.
Cool trem on
Bass is lost in mix. Reverb??
Nice width on CH vocals. Needs more level. Maybe scooped out a little too much.
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#58 heli667 67/100
Piano dull and lifeless.
Nice flutter section. Use my DDL
Chorus vocal strange blend. Not upfront or bright enough.
Salvageable. Lot of redeeming qualities.
Good vocal tone. Good mix.
Piano lacking sparkle - mono to stereo a good concept but too extreme?
Warm bottom. Good bass tone. Tiny bit boomy and too round.
Electric piano saturation is beautiful.
CH 1 - noise?
CH needs goose in volume. Bit of presence. More width.
The blend is fine if the melody comes in stronger.
CH drums low end lack impact.
V2 nice plate effect. But use it judiciously.
The FX returns could use some hi/low pass to focus them.
Applause dull.
Vocal Plate over sizzles.
Drums could come up, panning the tambourine is distracting.
Outro - Sizzle becomes a distraction.
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#59 unclesnuggles 71/100
Too much audible hiss! Gate or mute your returns.
Nice warm vocal.
Could use my DDL and FX tracks
Chorus vocals are mushy. Sound like their coming from another room. Lack impact.
Very dry. Faithful to original
Chorus vocals buried.
All other instruments very good
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#60 dwic 50/100
Tuning overkill!
Good LV sound
Vox slap.a little loud.
Nice delay on electric piano
Melodyne? Tuning doesn’t work.
CH bass too loud
Drums overwhelming
CH vox lost in background.
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# 63 zerododo
68/100
Weird mix.
Like that you took chances but the FX feel haphazard.
Maybe not salvageable.
Vocals de essed too much
Piano too deturned
Good LV
Good bass. Out of sync note?
Good chorus Vox but drums thin.
Bridge weird mix
DDL feedback is set too high.
CH vox too dark.
Ch drums lost
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66 jules666 55/100
Thin piano. Bit over compressed
Bass fudemantal is lost.
Guitars lost
Bg good
Drums overcompressed.
Not a great instrument balance
Doesn’t feel cohesive.
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#67 d8bflup 50/100
Lifeless
Kick too loud
Bgs are buried
Doesn’t feel balanced.
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#69 germano 25/100
Oversaturating and reverb are both too much .
Bass reverb is an interesting concept but it’s too overpowering.
Chorus vocals are muddy and swamped.
Instruments boomy
Needs a cut around 300-600hz
Some parts ore out of sync.
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#70 Arthur Labus 67/100
Potential.
Kudos on the creativity. Just needs to be utilized as an embellishment rather than taking away the focus.
Maybe tone down the effects by 30-50%
Missing vocals??
Good mix structure though.
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#73 VasDim 69/100
Vox and piano don’t mesh
LV thin.
Very faithful to original. Too much so.
Chorus vocals too far away.
Chorus lacks punch
Too much deesser
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#75 pabloAT 66/100
Needs polish.
Good vocal sound. Good bass sound.
Some sections really work, some don’t.
LV levels uneven and buried as the song progresses.
Could benefit from more depth.
Drums dwarf everything else.
CH vocal parts missing or out of balance
Great Ch kick
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#76 Coiled_Ear 62/100
Piano super dark
Vocal cluttered and skewed high end, nice low end.
Pumping compressors.
Nice Ch vocals. Interesting blends
79s kick too thuddy. Using the same space as bass
Electric piano too DX7
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#78 RoadieShow 50/100
Intro very midrange heavy
LV too prominent. 3-6K in places. De-esser issues.
High mids hurt
Chorus vox is dark
Ch kik too soft & round
Nice bass sound
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#81 dnlptn 70/100
Overall good levels but the saturation isn’t tuned to the best range or proportionate.
Intimate intro
Good mix
Saturation on CH Vox too much
Vocal getting buried in bridge
Great CH drums
Verses better than chorus
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#82 Alex Van mixland 65/100
Re: MIX CHALLENGE - MC075 April 2021 - Submissions until 21-04-2021 23:59 UTC+2/CEST
https://drive.google.com/file/d/17NMdDH ... sp=sharing
Piano sounds closed down completely to rest of track. Concept works but its too extreme. Doesn’t welcome the listener.
Voice good hall a bit too thick need hpf
Mix nice balance
Chorus vocal good
Acoustics good
Drums good but thin
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#84 jeffsoloband 58/100
Effect hiss.
Intro piano out of sync
Interesting effects.
Great drums sound.
Ch Vocols over saturated
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#85 bexplorers 70/100
Has potential!!
Nice LV sound
Fine mix. But doesn’t expand on original
70 Drums too forward
CH vocals too dull
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#88 Jerze 66/100
Doesn’t work for me.
LV overeffected.
Strum guit too dark
Vox BG DDL pitch FX weird
Mix too narrow
Nice acoustic guitar
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#89 PEKUTO 81/100
Not innovative. Not bad though. Has potential.
Good intro. Good balanced mix except for acoustics.
Faithful to original. Missing DDL
Chorus not powerful. Acoustics lost, too dark.
Drums good. Strings too loud.
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#90 Herbalizer 83/100
Intro Voice and piano not unified.
Piano so dull & lost in reverb is biggest mix issue.
LV a little thin and scratchy.
Not crazy about it’s EQ.
Great CH synths. Great oomph.
CH vox last phrase a little low 1st time
70 Drums a little low overall.
Some bottom end noise @4:14 on right side.
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#92 Euphony 73/100
Piano intro- large volume discrepancy.
Vocal little crisp.
Hiss...
Cool electric piano. Little loud.
Noise. Cracking around acoustics
70 drums dark and kick thumpy.
Chorus vocals uneven.
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#93 AskAndy 65/100
Audible hiss
DDL on crowd too mushy.
Bass distortion too high in register
Cool 2nd verse bass effect.
Claps dosing weird.
Appreciate the risks but most don’t serve the song.
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#94 Edu Cesar 80/100
Good vocal level. Verb send a little over down. Creative idea though.
Nice electric piano effect
Elec guitar too boxy
Chorus Vox phase FX a bit much
70’s kick a bit too loud over the bass guitar. Not interlocked or grooving.
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#95 fdelmo 67/100
Ok intro. Good vocal sound.
Not a bad mix.
Bass DDL boomy. Too prevalent in right ear. Distracting.
Well mixed bridge.
Chorus vocals very good.
Didn’t take any other chances.
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#96 MartinDalesio 66/100
Vocal too much 8k had an aliasing feel.
Feels disembodied from rest of track
Melodyne OverTuning? ‘Together’
Nice Ch Vox mix!
Bit strident though
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#98 Clueless 40/100
Piano & Vox & bass over saturated.
Too many elements saturated. Removes impact.
Vocal honky and squashed. Effect should be in stereo for width.
Drums buried
Ch vocals lack edge. Lack balance.
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#99 fofocruz 20/100
Piano too dull. Lacks energy.
Biggest issue. Vocal over de-essed. Lisping!
Bass over compressed.
Verse bgs buried
Chorus vocals lacks volume
Chorus vocals boxy.
Bass artifacts
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#100 ICMix 50/100
Piano chorus FX too deep. Modulation too fast.
Vocal hall needs eq. Hpf. And riding.
Too wet in the low mids.
Bass sound solid.
Chorus vocals a little student. Too narrow.
Chorus a bit bass shy.
70s drums lack transients
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#101 DimitrisPalantzas 60/100
Vocal reverb left side only.
Good levels.
Acoustic guitars a little too dull & boomy.
Vocal level consistent.
Hi hat too loud.
Crash cymbal out of sync!
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#102 linden6790 65/100
Hiss
Lead Vocal is veering left.
Piano boxy and attack overcompressed
Cool 1/8 note DDL on electric piano!!!
Bit of mud on acoustics.
Interesting chorus vocal FX
Mix a bit muddy in general. Needs hp filters.
FX great but levels too dramatic.
LV needs riding.
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#103 Cadence Soundlabs 67/100
Piano boxy
Vocal a little loud. Or. Little too thick.
Acoustic guitar DDL noise.
70s drums lack presence. Slap DDL near but a little blurring
Applause too low
Chorus blends sound good.
Chorus drums great.
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#104 Naturecord 60/100
Vocal a little thin. Just a bit too much Saturn?
Piano good.
There’s an aliasing overtone quality to the chorus vocals. Saturation plugin not tuned to the part?
Nice kick and snare. Overheads a bit low.
BGs too low
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#106 LATE Elver 67/100
Piano wholly. Good LV tone.
Lacks energy. Good bass tone.
Chorus vocals oversaturated
Kick thwapping.
Good chorus blend
Bottom end not powerful.
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#108 Edu Cesar 68/100
Good feel.
Vocal bit wet. Touch loud. Try EQ on hall & plate returns.
Mix a bit midrangey.
Electric piano transients very hard.
Acoustic guitars thin.
All Vocals needs riding. Not sitting great.
Elements feel a bit out of balance
70 drums sound great too loud.
Nice chorus kik.
Nice piano sound.
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A short update on the Submission Overview (Statistics) and the "Wild-Card mechanic" test run.
