MIX CHALLENGE - MC094 October 2023 - Winners announced

[Mister Fox]

A friendly reminder:
We're in the final 24 hours to submit your mix for the extended deadline.

As of this moment, we have about 63 entries. (51 entries prior to the old deadline, 12 more entries prior to the new deadline).



If you've been sitting on your mix, now is the time to get everything sorted out, post both your link and documentation. Do not forget the deadline. And please triple check that everything is in order (file format, signal strength, accessibility, filename template).

As mentioned multiple times over...

The Filename Template is:
MC094__Pray_For_Hayden__Dont_Panic__ForumUsername.wav


Please pay attention to detail. Do not put your entry at risk of being disqualified.
Your submission is final !

[Pitta]

Hello good people!

Thanks @BenjiRage and the band. Really fun to mix this great tracks.

Here's my mix. Hope you enjoy it.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1mOzA4- ... sp=sharing

Mixed in the box with Reaper.
Summing thru folders: Guitar pairs in an aux, each aux to a guitar bus. Same for every LR pairs, synths, backing vocals. Also things like bass DI/bass amp, snare top/snare bottom. All drums in a drum bus.
Drum bus and bass bus sending to Master track.
Lead and backing vocals buses sending to All Vx track, then to Master track.
Fx to All Fx track and then to Master track.
Guitars and synths sent to a Music track then Master track.
There’s a common room, two mono reverbs, were I’m sending stuff thru different pre delays.
Drums and bass going to a parallel New York style compression track, with a smiley face eq. – sent to Master track.
Music track is ever so slightly ducked by lead vocal and snare.
Bass, with a dynamic eq (TDR Nova), is ducked on the sub region when kick hits.
Always find difficult to have the mix feel wide when you have the same parts on both sides. On guitars, tried the trick of cutting a bit of some frequency on the left one and boosting that on the right one and vice-versa in a different frequency. Did that for all pairs. On Tom’s guitar 1 pair, also used Waves PS22 Spread(10) in the aux.
Guitars 2, are widened by compressing the centre on their aux track. I feel it does it a bit.
Synths are a bit widened by Waves S1 Imager plugin.
It’s almost an LCR mix but not quite. Ash’s and Tom’s guitars 3, are more on the background and less wide. Toms are panned to where I “see” them in the overheads and rooms.
Master track width is slightly reduced except for the second backbeat part of chorus to help give it a lift. Also slightly more sub bass on that half chorus.
Opted to put synths more in the background. I think it gives depth to the mix and in spite you can’t really distinguish the synth arpeggio it gives some movement to the background, like a cloud shadow passing over the grass. If you mute the synths, it makes a big difference to the mix. I like the sound of the guitars and prefer the organic energy they bring to the song.
Broke the record, at least my record, of number of plugins in a snare, or any instrument for that matter. Never used dynamic eq on a snare before. Felt the need on this one. Also some multiband compression, mostly to even out low end and tuck some mid resonances in some hits. Still substituted some snare hits for some better sounding neighbor one.
Somethings I haven’t done before:
Had some fun with the watery effect on verse vocals: Filtered down and distorted lead vocal with a voice ducked mono delay that has a smily eq on it. Kind of the opposite of what one does when putting a full spectrum voice thru a filtered delay. Them I applied, to the delay, Waves PS22 Spread(mono to stereo), kept it with not much width, just around the vocal, and automated the tweak parameter creating a kind of a warble.
Little Alter Boy on lead vocal track with -3 on formant. I feel it helped with the mid rangy character of the recording that I wasn’t liking and wasn’t able to satisfactorily deal with eq.

Some print screens:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1jaIt6x ... sp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/11EIhvq ... sp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1LxDLLF ... sp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1cAslUa ... sp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1xu_ugE ... sp=sharing

[cpsmusic]

Hi Everyone,

Here's my entry for Mix Challenge 094.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1x_Im9N ... sp=sharing

Thanks to the song provider and to the challenge organisers.

In terms of mix style I wanted to enhance the overall energy of the performance while maintaining clarity between the different instrument groups. I used Green Day's "Know Your Enemy" as the primary reference. One of my goals for this mix was to achieve a mix that has good loudness potential which means greater use of hard clipping, especially for the drums.

As I've mentioned in previous challenges, I try to keep my mixing workflow fairly simple which in this case meant leaning on a handful of plug-ins which were used across most channels in various combinations. All channels had a console-tone emulator which was Sonimus N-Console. For EQ I used SSL X-EQ (cuts) and SSL Channel Strip 2 (boosts), while for compression it was mostly UA's DBX160 or one of several 1176s (Black 76, MC77, VLA-FET). I also used TB's Barricade for its Hard Clipper and Tape Saturator. The vocal channels used the Lindell 902 De-esser although the "esses" were mostly controlled via Melodyne. I found the guitars to be the most challenging instrument to fit into the mix and attempted to "tame" them using either Softube's Tape or Dirty Tape.

With respect to spatial effects I used my three hardware units for reverb, and plug-ins for the delays, although overall the mix was pretty dry. A TC M300 was used for a vocal plate. An SPX990 was used for two mono reverbs: a Drum Room (to extend the existing drum room ambience), and a Snare Plate. An SRV-330 was used for a Hall reverb to create a darker ambience for the delays so that they were pushed into the background. A mono slap was used for the lead vocal as well as a stereo 1/4 note delay which was used to create some additional ambience. IK's Tape Delay was used for both of these.

For the mixbus I used the following combination of hardware and software: N-Console, Barricade (hard clipping, no limiting), then out to a Technics SH-8020 Graphic EQ (gentle smiley-face curve adding about 2dB to the top and bottom), Aphex 320A Compellor (about 2dB of gain reduction, DBX 162SL (adding some pumping!), Oxford Inflator, and Metric Halo Character. I also made a few tonal balance adjustments with Black Rooster's Pultec EQ, an exciter (Type-B), some tape saturation (IK Tape Machine 99) and finally another round of hard clipping.

I didn't do much in the way of tuning or timing correction other than some touch-ups for the backing vocals using Melodyne.

Specs:

24-bit/44.1 kHz
-16.5 LUFS (int.)
-5.1 dBTP

Good luck to all contestants and once again thanks to everyone involved in the challenge.

Cheers!

[cpsmusic]

"Broke the record, at least my record, of number of plugins in a snare, or any instrument for that matter."

[ggibson1988]

Had fun with this one. Thanks to the provider and MR Fox for this opportunity.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1doSaen ... share_link

Started with rough volume balance.

Moved to kick: Added Neutron Transient Processor with increased attack below 98hz, reduced sustain between 98 and 20 kHz.
EQed with Pro-Q 3 and added compression


On to the Snare: EQ with Pro Q 3 and summed top and bottom to Snare Bus for additional EQ and Compression.

Balanced both Kick and Snare to Overheads.Which received EQ, compression and Tape Saturation.

Rooms just received Tape Saturation and EQ.

EQ and Compression on Toms.

Added High Pass Filter to Bass Amp and Low Pass to DI with additional EQ and compression

Compression, Saturation and EQ on Vocals.

Slap and 1/8 note delay on Lead Vocals, with some Room Reverb.

EQ and Hall Reverb on Backing Vocals.

Mix bus and API 2500 Compressor Plug-in, Pro Q 3 and tape saturation.

[1ktone]

Hi everyone,

A big thank you to @BenjiRage especially for the time extension and @Mister Fox for all his ongoing tireless work behind the scenes to keep this all going and staying on top of the rascals.

Anyway, here is the link to my mix:

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/b14qvhqb ... 8cvyx&dl=0

Had an interesting time with this. I worked a lot on keeping the drums and the vocals clear in the mix.

I spent a bit of time actually going through CLA vids and stuff as I have never really given a lot of time to doing that in the past and I figured I might actually learn something…which I did! Apparently he loves 8K. Who would’ve thought. I guess it makes sense, but you have to be careful and I think the bell curves on his SSL desk are very particular. That would be quite the instrument to have in your room - that desk of his.
Anyway, after getting into the band bio I also did a bit of research into Leeds, didn’t know Gang of Four was from there as well as Sisters of Mercy.
Damn, nice bit of pedigree.

Onto the Mix.

I’m not going into specific eq settings, but I’ll describe my process a little to give a little clarity. - I can provide these to anybody who is interested.

This was mixed in Logic Pro, monitoring through headphones.

I approached it from the perspective of wanting to have the energy of the guitars and also a balance of the instruments in general which was kind of difficult once you got into the refrain/chorus section when everything was landing in just about the same place. Congestion was an issue. There were a couple of really good tips I received from Mr CLA. 1) set the drums and use them as the benchmark for your levels 2) push the guitars into the mix up to the point where they start to take over the drums…I basically worked out levels from going over the refrain and finding room for as much as I could, working out the vocal balance referenced to the drum kit, slotted the bass in and then worked on pushing the guitars and keyboards in where i could without losing the drums, bass and vocals. I really wanted the backing vocals to be audible and panned these in a way to be interesting and also find room for them. I ended up panning Ben’s vocals into the centre so they sit just under Ash’s and it kind of made sense to me as he would be sitting at the drums. I discovered that synth2 really hit the mark when it first comes in with the held note/chord. Nice rumble. Synth1 is actually missed if you don’t put it in as it gives the top end a little sparkle and lifts everything.

I ended up using a lot more compression than I planned to originally. I actually ended up with a parallel compression buss for each sound group - drums, bass, guitars, vocals and synths. I used these to balance energy. I possibly over compressed things a little, but all in the name of experimentation. I’ve never used parallel compression before this month’s competition.

I found that the majority of compressor styles I used were VCA style except for the bass which had a FET style compressor on it.
Not much in the way of special plugins - mostly Logic native and a couple of FabFilters. I tried using a lot of the Logic classic EQs as well as the FF Q3.
I used a couple of reverbs and delays on vocals and mostly used the ambience mics given for the drums for their sound.

Overall I think I’m pretty happy with it. I could go in further yet in working out the detail more in the mid range, but for the 1st round it’s a nice place to start and I think I got the balance pretty right.

Any feedback would be appreciated as I’m working out my monitoring and translation is always interesting.

Cheers.

[Kolvanna]

I'm new here, so this is my first submission. As a 1 man operation in a home studio, in the last 6 months I've written, recorded mixed, mastered and released 5 solo albums.

MY MIX https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/j4pzurk8 ... u2t2j&dl=0

My approach:

• First up, I decided to give myself 5 hours to mix from start to finish - more realistic in a multi-client situation.

• I also chose not to listen to any other mixes of the song in order to come into it totally fresh and untainted.

Started with a static mix, NO compression eq or FX. The goal here - I wanted to feel where the dynamics and energy come from in the original recordings. For me this is the rawness of the performance.
There are some small timing errors, pick and fret noises, breaths and mic boom etc. I took an early decision to leave those in, untouched. They give it a more human element, too much polishing would have lost that. There was also a slightly chaotic feel that drives the energy, at some points 10 guitar tracks wanting to be heard. I wanted to keep that 'business' and not carve out too much individual space which would have been to clinical / sanitised for this song.
I imagined this as a live performance, with the lead vocal straining to be heard over the rest of the band. I wanted to keep that also.

On to the polished mix with limited FX. The goal here - bring together the separately recorded parts to sound as one performance, with a little sheen but not too much.

Drums - mostly up the centre, as they lost energy if too wide. I dropped the 'OH cymbals 01' track as it added nothing constructive. EQ and compression moves on the individual kick and snare tracks. The rest of the drum tracks were balanced, light panned and grouped together all treated with the same EQ, compression and a little harmonics. The overall drum master was then given some light studio reverb (Sunset sound), followed by Little Clipper to preserve overall headroom.

Guitars - I wanted to separate the 2 players, so panned them with Toms all left of centre, and Ash right. Main rhythms hard panned, with overlays slightly more to the centre. A little reductive EQ to make space for vocal, and bass with some focused additive EQ to let the harmony parts poke through subtly - you know they are there but they don't dominate or distract.

Vocals - Ash's lead has been treated with some automation on the loudest parts, subtle slow compression, de-essing and then a wide EQ boost at 4k for clarity. I also dialled this back from the conventional 'totally up-front' volume, so it would feel like he's straining infront of the band. Only a dab of reverb. For all other vocals, balanced and grouped to be given the same compression, treble boost and tight reverb and delay. I wanted to feel like a group performing together so panned only a little to the side of the lead centre vocal.

Bass - Fairly heavy compression to treat the peaks, then blended the DI and amp signals so the DI is more dominant in the low end and the amp for the rest.

Synths - I'll be honest, this does not sound like a synth band to me. When I gave these real presence and focus it just distracted from the energy of the song. I took a decision to use the synth parts as a background supporting soundscape. You can't pick them out, but do notice if they are removed. That's how I see them best fitting in a constructive way.

Master bus - just a little of my secret sauce :-)

[rijavia]

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1byylS3 ... sp=sharing from this morning.mostly used ssl4000 e-channel

[LughSenderson]

Hello everybody

As always I used BX SSL 9000J for all equalization and channel compression and lx480 for reverbs and delays. This time I added a lot of treble and compression with fast attack on all tracks. The goal was to achieve a more impactful sound.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1cx4jCs ... drive_link

[sthauge]

Hi

First, a big thank you to the musicians that provided the tracks. Also thanks to Mister Fox ++ for the work you are doing arranging these competitions.

These tracks is not my genre, so how this came out, I'm not sure. MC094__Pray_For_Hayden__Dont_Panic__Sthauge.wav

The mix:

I used my DAW, Harrison Audio Mixbus32C(now part of SSL) for the task. This DAW have most of the tool needed built into the DAW(gate/expander, compressors, EQs, Saturation, polarity optimization) so little need for general plugs.

I've used some more special plugs thought, such as:

A multiband compressor to even out the main vocal and soften it a bit. To handle problematic freqs, a deesser is used as a dynamic EQ to reduce or take them out.

There's automation done, but it could be more I guess. Else, the DAWs leveler even out some difficulties and/or enhance the consonants and attack on instruments that need it.

As usually, lot of parallel compression is used instead of compression in the signal path.

I've not focused on dept as much as usual in this mix. Though some space and separation is put into it.

Feel free to ask if there's something that need to be explained more in details.

Steinar

44kHz, 24bit
-16.3 LUFS
-1.3 dBTP