MIX CHALLENGE - MC082 November 2021 - Winners announced

[Mister Fox]

Hi, Is a Dolby Atmos mix allowed to submit?

Despite Apple Logic Pro getting a free update in this area, "Dolby Atmos" is a object based surround format that needs specific software to "decode" (or dedicated hardware players). Despite the audio industry trying to say different, widespread access for everyone is still far and wide.

The answer is therefore "no". For the time being, please only 2.0 (Stereo) mixes that can work on any playback environment possible.

[Green-Dog]

Hi everyone,

Mix

Screenshots

Thanks for the great song.

In my mix, I decided to slightly change the balance of the instruments and highlight Latina and Bouzouki. It also seemed to me that the drum deserves to be a little more audible. I tried to build a rhythm part on the bass with the drum together.

No special tricks or techniques. Everything is as usual. If you have any questions, please ask.

Good luck to everyone,
Cheers

[vealparm]

First post here! Enjoy! Mixed this ITB, no additional level or mastering besides mix bus processing.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/17rG-l6 ... sp=sharing

Steve

[brynolf]

Hi, first time around here. Cool song and well recorded. Thanks to the artists for letting us handle their baby

Mixed entirelly in the box on HD650 headphones.

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/0snqrn5pgcug ... vur4a?dl=0

The vocal and flute was the lead players for me, so I put them in focus and built the rest of the tracks around them. Had to automate quite a lot to bring the right track in front at different times.

Lead vocal got a treatment of RVox compression, De-Essing and some EQ to cut a bit around 200Hz and add some top.

Vocal drones and harmonies were just panned around and compressed. Some EQ on problematic frequencies. A couple of dB of sidechained TrackSpacer to make room for the lead vox. Heavy De-Essing on the lyrics harmonies.

Bouzouki and latina got the role of high frequency rhythm section. Panned them out, cut out all the low end and added a minimum of Decapitator for some extra crisp.

The bass was tricky to get right. I split it into a LF and a HF track and tried the new Eventide SplitEQ on the HF track to bring out some attack on the pluck sound. The LF track got heavily compressed and added a little LoAir for extra sub.

The drums got some extra low end transients added by SplitEQ and some extra high frequency boost to add some smack.

First time using a VU meter for me, I just got the Klanghelm VUMT plugin that should do the job. Not used to it at all, but got some nice practice.

[Bologna57]

Hello, and thank you all for sharing this very interesting song.
In the past I had the opportunity to apply myself in Baroque and Renaissance music: one of the aspects that I noticed was the low volume of the stringed instruments and the low expressive possibility due to the constructive modalities of the instruments which limited also their timbre extension. Also in this piece - in an even more ancient style - the Buzouki, the Guitar and the Bass have these characteristics: I therefore thought it would be interesting to electrify them to see how the piece would have turned out with a somewhat hippie atmosphere. I then amplified the various instruments, equipping them with overdrive if necessary and the result is quite hypnotic and particular: I don't mind at all. Of course I do not expect everyone to like it and indeed I apologize in advance to the executors for having martyred their work.
As can be guessed, fuzz, wha and flanger pedals were also used; the percussion has been significantly equalized as well as compressed as much as necessary. Minor corrections have also been made to the intonation of the voices and the flutes have also been treated in 70ies style: some strong sighs have been maintained (fortunately perfectly in temps) to better characterize the executive passion; under the pressure of the amplified stringed instruments the choirs reduce their thickness, but in every way they remain fundamental to support the piece.
As I always say, the works should be mixed with several hands, alongside some performers and the producer: to leave everything in "technical" hands, the risk is to have too much creativity, as perhaps in this case.

Hope you like my mix, it's available here:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1HgQ7X9 ... sp=sharing

Have a Good day.
G.

[dnlptn]

Hi All,

Thanks for the opportunity to mix this.
Here is my entry:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1FI0jUU ... sp=sharing

I wanted to create a largish atmosphere with a somewhat dark feel. I started first with the drones and experimented with reverb settings to bring out the etherealness of the open harmonies. Then shaped the reverbs vocals, flutes and other instruments to give each a character. I mostly used Vintage Valhalla Reverb, but blended some others too - plate, short room, chorus/distortion+reverb etc. Some added warmth, others did something different to the top end.
I was low passing a bit, so I decided to add a gentle high shelf (~7k) on the mix bus early on.

I also used saturation (Black Box HG2 and Omni Scheps Channel) to add some edge and excitement.
Omni Scheps tone setting was used to bring out more of the 100-130hz area.

Other:
A little SC compression on the flute reverbs to keep it tight.
Abbey Road Chambers on the bass
Ocean Ways Room to give more body on one of the choirs near the end.

Cheers,

[vaporF15E]

My attempt:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/zfvwkxnevvgn6 ... E.wav?dl=0


Drums: Eq and compression, plus some multi-band compression to tame so low mids. SPL transient designer adding both some more attack and sustain
Lead Vocals: EQ, compression, reverb, some Soothe2 and multi-band compression. F6 dynamic eq for some natural upper mid resonances. Used some waves doubler for some of the background vocals
Male vocals: Eq, compression, reverb
Drone: eq, doubler, compression, reverb
Dadadumdums: Eq, reverb, dynamic eq, multiband compression, soothe2, doubler
flue: soothe2, eq, compression, reverb, multiband compression
stringed instruments: just eq
Bass: eq, compression, waves MaxxBass
Bells: multiband compression, saturation and eq
All music tracks (everything not vocals) fed to a bus with Trackspacer on it. Sidechained all music to the vocals extremely lightly between 300hz and 6khz.

I've mixed a song like this and quite enjoyed trying to solve problems I had never encountered before.

vaporF15e

[doobop]

Hi!

Wow..this was difficult for me, I had to use some different methods.

I spent a lot of time for the rough mix which I always do first. When I got the feeling of the song (from my perspective) I started thinking how could I do this with limited plugin dap usage. It was only possible with group many channel I figured out.. So I grouped the vocals to three different groups and another group for the drums.

Then I started the processed mix and used simple stuff as always, Compressors, EQs and FX.
I spent a lot of time for the reverbs, I felt the song calls for it..
Then I did some automations mostly on the flutes and the Lead Vocals regarding volume and Reverb sends.


Link:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/s82y551q6scfb ... p.wav?dl=0


Cheers,
Doobop

[Kidokz]

Hi!
Sorry if I am doing something wrong, this is my first time here, but I think I have studied everything.
After listening to the song and reading the lyrics, I saw this picture:
It's cold, Nordic, longing, but not hopeless. Love, hope.
In the quiet parts the Female Voice is very hypnotic and I wanted to emphasize that.

My version:
MC082_ Canardus_Horribilis__Längtan_feat_Saga_Björling__kidokz

What I did:
Equalized everything very carefully. Didn't cut out the resonances. Wanted more "naturalness".
Played with panning and reverb for the chorus and backing vocals.
The man's voice in the last part wanted to stand out, but not in the foreground.
The bells were getting lost. I decided not to raise the volume, and applied a slight saturation.
I only took out the breathing where it was too loud.
I do not mind to listen to any criticism.

[Beja]

(Google Translate)
I had ever heard this genre of music, but had never had the chance
to mix it up.
So I really enjoyed it. Many thanks to Canardus Horribilis / Saga Björling
and of course to Mr. Fox, for making this beautiful production available to me.

I really enjoyed this production since it has been a lot of fun to be giving in the
moments of the song, different presence to all the instruments without affecting
the voice. That is why the most laborious task has been the multiple automations and the
different frequency side-change compressions so that Saga's voice is understood
well with Instruments and choirs.

My Mix
https://www.dropbox.com/s/fdl8vz4a59cev ... a.wav?dl=0

Some prosecutions:

As always Bitwig Studio

05 Flute Ranveing: General Eq: ProQ3 + Musical Eq: API550A + API550B
+ Multiband Saturation (Middle band: 0.02 Band I Trebel: 1.78). Almost nothing
but it works fine.
Aux Send: Reverb Room Large (12.6%) + eq for the entire Flute group.
He took off his breaths on the entire track 05 Flaute Ranving. (Edition)
The breaths were preserved in 05 Flaute Anja Mic 1 and 05 Flaute Anja Mic 2

Saga Mix Group: All the voices and reinforcements of Saga were grouped.
For example Saga Lead Voc: General Eq: ProQ3 - Musical Eq: API 550A (HF 5000 + 2db) -
La Petit Exite (Low: 1db High: 1 - Noise floor: On - Output level: -4db)
Saga Mix Group: Eq Grup General: ProQ3 + Leveling: Compressor + Compressor + Compressor +
Peak Limiting: Peak Limiter + Final Eq: apQualizer 2 / Aux Send: Manny Marroquin
Reverb (Room Large) + EQ5.

Best regards to all participants and good luck!

Beja