MIX CHALLENGE - MC079 August 2021 - Winners announced

[germano]

Hello, my mix:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1zjpwJF ... sp=sharing

I mix on Reaper.
Use two sidechains:
Kick -> Bass
Vocal -> Guitar Bus

Give Less importance to Drums. And more to the vocals and guitar. The type of music ask for it.
Kick must have an EQ to take off same low and hight frequencies that appear from the recording but must go out.
Some delay to occupy more space and of course reverb.
Guive a more natuaral sound to the instruments.
Use Neutron a lot. But sometimes i need to use some SSL plugins from NI to cut the mix.

[Cubic]

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

[Saccharine_trust]

Just a sec late with my first mix-challenge (forgot to set bounce-timer ^^)

MY MIX-DOWN: https://drive.google.com/file/d/13C7iy2 ... sp=sharing

I chose to focus mainly on finding a balanced vocal mix, since I found & started on Thursday with the challenge.
My main focus was always the vocal mix, and I was inspired to try make a sound that spoke to the theme of the song.
On Thursday I attempted to blend in a telephone-effect behind the lead-vocal which ended up failing - so I had to redo the vocal on friday - and I landed today on a pretty clean Up-front sound that I am satisfied with. (The outro has a eq & rc-20 automation that lends itself to the telephone/far-away theme.)

Main techniques for the vocal is
1. LEAD has a low/mid focus, and a boosted high-end shelf (with deessing and wide-bell-reduction from 1,5k to 5k and a multibandcompressor controlling the 500-1k range) JUST to make the lead sit in a warm and upfront place of the whole song.
2. BACKUP; Mono-mixing and focusing on HP/LP-filtering and hardcore-shelving (even automating shelving & volume pretty hard) to fill out the space around the lead.

I definitely jumped over some major peak-editing of the summed guitars.
I would LOVE feedback on this, since I am novice and ambitious at mixing.

Cheers.

[Mister Fox]

It is the 22nd August 2021, 01:20 UTC+2/CEST - the first Mix Round has officially ended

Another very warm welcome to all new participants and as usual, a huge thank you to everyone that is spreading the word about the Mix Challenge. Please help get the Songwriting Competition as popular (less than 3 days left).


STATISTICS:

• If I didn't miscount, we have 44 submissions this month (44 prior to the deadline, 46 including entries after the deadline and submitted through PM)
• We have 1 submission after the deadline (as of 22-AUG-2021 1:20 UTC+2/CEST)
• We have 1 submission that could not be downloaded by the time of this post and is therefore disqualified
• We have 1 submission not submitted in public, but via PM (see Rule Book, post #6, Upload and Submission Guidelines)
• We have 0 submissions that have been withdrawn (but counts as entry within the deadline)
• Overview of Submissions - is your entry within given parameters? (PDF - updated: 24-AUG-2021, full sheet)
• Overview of Submissions (disqualifications only) (PDF - updated: 24-AUG-2021)

INFORMATION:
Statistic sheets have been updated (on 24-JUL-2021)
Statistic sheets are not available yet, please wait for the official announcement post -- sheets will arrive by mid 25-AUG-2021 latest
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INFORMATION:

Until the end of 2020, I provided a data sheet each month showing all entries and what values they have in terms of loudness (LUFS ILk), maximum signal strength (dBTP), if they are in the correct bitrate and sampling rate, if they were downloadable, etc. You can read about the whole process here.

As of 2021, I'm continuing this endeavor as additional learning tool for the Mix Challenge. This data sheet is not an automated process. I will post separately once I have the data sheet prepared and uploaded (which will be linked to from this post you're reading right now).



INTRODUCING "WILD-CARD" GAME MECHANIC:

From MC075 / April 2021 to/including MC079 / August 2021, we're testing a new game mechanic. This game mechanic offers participants with minor issues to their mixes, a chance to still advance towards the next round. At the cost of using a "wild card".

Please read here how this concept works in the following thread:
Mix Challenge - Addendum: Wild Card Mechanic (Test Run until AUG-2021)



I now open the field for everyone to give each other feedback (highly encouraged). This will be independent to the client feedback however.


Please watch this spot for the statistics sheet, client feedback and Mix Round 2 participant announcement.

Good luck to all participants.





The Songwriting Competition 48 (SWC48) is still in full swing.
The deadline is 24th August 2021, 23:59 UTC+2/CEST. The genre is "Downtempo (Chill-out)". So far we have 2 entries.

Please spread the word!

[satchboogie]

Hi !

I have a question for the fellow mixers. When i did the SWC079 i ran into phase problems with the verse guitars. I tried to eq and pan them differently, tried to use sample delay still couldn't overcome it totally. Are there cases when phasing is unavoidable?

Thank you,

satch

[RotterN]

Hi !

I have a question for the fellow mixers. When i did the SWC079 i ran into phase problems with the verse guitars. I tried to eq and pan them differently, tried to use sample delay still couldn't overcome it totally. Are there cases when phasing is unavoidable?

Thank you,

satch

Hi Satch,

sometimes phase can be unavoidable at the mixing stage.

I personally find that if it is a problem I dig a bit deeper with eq. See if I can distribute the phasing frequencies between the tracks and cut from the others so that the impact of those frequencies is reduced greatly. Or sometimes it can help putting both sides through a stereo delay that is timed differently on each side can help, especially to separate, and sometimes just a touch of different saturation on each side might give the separation you need.

As with many things in the mix there isn't a one choice solution, many times it is a case of trial and error to see what works and it could be a mixture of your usual tricks.
But sometimes that still doesn't work which is when you get more creative and maybe even try things you normally wouldn't.

Remember, it is our job to make the track sound Good, no matter what it takes to get there.

[DIVESPANNER]

Hi !

I have a question for the fellow mixers. When i did the SWC079 i ran into phase problems with the verse guitars. I tried to eq and pan them differently, tried to use sample delay still couldn't overcome it totally. Are there cases when phasing is unavoidable?

Thank you,

satch

Hi Satch,

sometimes phase can be unavoidable at the mixing stage.

I personally find that if it is a problem I dig a bit deeper with eq. See if I can distribute the phasing frequencies between the tracks and cut from the others so that the impact of those frequencies is reduced greatly. Or sometimes it can help putting both sides through a stereo delay that is timed differently on each side can help, especially to separate, and sometimes just a touch of different saturation on each side might give the separation you need.

As with many things in the mix there isn't a one choice solution, many times it is a case of trial and error to see what works and it could be a mixture of your usual tricks.
But sometimes that still doesn't work which is when you get more creative and maybe even try things you normally wouldn't.

Remember, it is our job to make the track sound Good, no matter what it takes to get there.

Hi Satch
I ended up swapping the phase on several tracks to try to cure this problem depending on what sort of DAW you use there should be an option to do this also some plugins have a phase switch option if you look at the link I included on my entry there are pictures where at the top of the faders just above the inserts some of the tracks have a bright green button those are the ones I changed and will show the symbol you are looking for on your DAW (Disclaimer please check anything I say as unproven it's just what I have gleened from youtube)

[satchboogie]

@RotterN
Thank you for pointing out that phase can be permanent in the mix but we try to do as many things as possible to avoid. The delay stuff is a good addition to my (small) arsenal! Thx

@DIVESPANNER
Thank you for the reply. I tried all kinds of phase stuff (sample delay, phase inv). Finally i agreed on a solution when it sounded bearable. I had better results eq-ing on their bus then eq in solo.

cheers,

satch

[DIVESPANNER]

@RotterN
Thank you for pointing out that phase can be permanent in the mix but we try to do as many things as possible to avoid. The delay stuff is a good addition to my (small) arsenal! Thx

@DIVESPANNER
Thank you for the reply. I tried all kinds of phase stuff (sample delay, phase inv). Finally i agreed on a solution when it sounded bearable. I had better results eq-ing on their bus then eq in solo.

cheers,

satch

Forgot to say nice mix by the way.

[Mister Fox]

The "Overview of Submissions" PDFs have been uploaded.
You can check them through the upper post (post #74).



As mentioned in July 2020, this data sheet is used for giving an overview of all entries, and whether or not they are within given parameters (loudness, sampling rate, bitrate). As of 2021, I'm continuing this endeavor as this is adding to the learning process, and there will be a dedicated "Mix Challenge Addendum thread" explaining the mechanic in the foreseeable future (I need some time for that). Please take note that creating this sheet is not a fully automated process. I am using Wavelab 10's "Batch Analysis" tool (EBU R-128 specs / equivalent to ITU-R BS.1770-4), but the overall layout and highlighting issues/mishaps, is time consuming. If you do not find yourself on this list, please let me know.


We have a disqualification rate of 20,45% for August 2021 (44 entries, 9 disqualifications, not counting the 2 submission "Out of Competition").

In comparison to previous months (detailed in spoiler tags):

► Show Spoiler

• July 2021 (20,34%, 59 entries, 12 disqualifications)
• June 2021 (26,08%, 46 entries, 12 disqualifications)
• May 2021 (22,73%, 66 entries, 15 disqualifications)
• April 2021 (24,59%, 61 entries, 14 disqualifications)
• March 2021 (25,64%, 39 entries, 10 disqualifications)
• February 2021 (35,05%, 77 entries, 27 disqualifications)
• December 2020 (22,67%, 75 entries, 17 disqualifications)
• November 2020 (31,15%, 61 entries, 19 disqualifications)
• October 2020 (33,70%, 92 entries, 31 disqualifications)
• September 2020 (32,60%, 46 entries, 15 disqualifications)
• August 2020 (28,57%, 35 entries, 10 disqualifications)
• July 2020 (40,37%, 109 entries, 44 disqualifications)

On average (13 months), we currently have a disqualification rate of 27,99% (compared to last month's 28,62% avg, which is also the statistic for one year!), the rate is on a declining trend. Please keep in mind, your mix being tagged "disqualified", does not automatically mean "you're out of the game" (see Wild Card Mechanic, read more about that below).




A commentary on this month's entries:

Once more welcome to all new participants that joined this August. I hope you enjoy your stay and you could learn something from the experience.

You will notice one new color marking in the Statistic Sheet. This one points out if the length of your mix is shorter than the original song. Please keep in mind, this is no disqualification criteria, but something you might need to address in a follow-up round. Generally speaking, you didn't leave enough silence in front and back of your edit. Or in a lot of cases for this particular Mix(ing) Challenge, the additional sounds at the end were sadly omitted (squeaky toy). This will be a talking point with the feedback by our Song Provider, as this is quite an important addition (also see the explanation / story for this particular song in post #2)

Please note, that I am also still quite lenient on the "filename usage". There is a template, yet some participants omitted that nonetheless, trimmed it to it's bare essentials, wrote the name of the artist wrong, etc. Again, no criteria for disqualification yet, but pointed out as "something to look out for".

Where I did draw the line, was with a lack of documentation of course. It is part of the bigger picture of this particular game, the learning experience. Please don't omit that, or just mention "I'm too lazy to explain my process" and then move on. This is disrespectful to your fellow participants. Please get re-aqainted with the Rules and Guidelines (Post #6). This will be the final time that I will bring this up. If you merely write "I've used basic stuff" in the future, or only post a link to your mix and nothing more, your entry will be tagged as "disqualified".


Speaking of omitting stuff:
Both the TL;DR Rules and the Rules and Guidelines (Post #6, Bullet Point #8) clearly state: do not change the arrangement.

This is the second month in row where this has been ignored, by the same participant even. Stating, and I quote, "I have eliminated some instrumential parts; in my opinion them did not add value to the song that I like in this essential capacity" is an absolute no-no. Your task is to take the mix as is, and edit/overhaul/mix it to the best of your capabilities. The songwriter in question had a clear vision, he/she provided the tracks and a demo mix with this particular vision. Else, the multi-tracks would have been edited as such. You are not in the role of a co-songwriter/producer, you only act as a mix engineer.

For this month, I will let this slide once more, allow a possible Round 2 continuation for this particular entry with the help of the "Wild Card Mechanic" (if the Song Provider selects your entry! But then you have to revert everything and mix from scratch). But for the future, if you've changed the arrangement without any prompt and/or permission through add-on rules or similar, and omit tracks as you seem for for the sake of an "improved arrangement", you will have failed your task and will be completely out of the game.

The Mix(ing) Challenge is not a Remix Challenge (or Re-Arrangement Challenge) after all.



Important to point out (for all new participants): :

Unless your file couldn't be downloaded, or it has been re-uploaded/re-posted during the course of the main submission round, having your entry being tagged as "disqualified" does not mean that you're completely out of the game (yet). Should you be selected for Mix Round 2 by this month's "client" (Song Provider), you have the option to advance through the use of the Wild Card Mechanic.

Please don't be frustrated but rather learn from the experience, find out what went wrong, and use your possible chance to fix this in a follow-up round. This is why the concept of the "Statistics Sheet" and "Wild Card mechanic" exists. It offers you an additional learning factor. Something you usually do not have the chance to outside of this community's monthly competition.
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I now (re-)open the field for everyone to give each other feedback (highly encouraged). This will be independent to the client feedback however. Though please note - criticism on the rule set and angry posts will be moved to the General Gossip Thread without further notice.


Please watch this spot for the client feedback and Mix Round 2 participant announcement.
This will happen sometime within the next 14 days (starting tomorrow).