MIX CHALLENGE - MC41 March 2018 - Winners announced

[Arthur Labus]

Here's my go:

MP3: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1n_dT0 ... AbQeQdfly2
WAV: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1-pBms ... oQSkLDX1q2

Beside of ususal automation and so on:
Waves NLS (Neve) on every channel
Snare1,2,3: Waves CLA Drums
Bass: Waves C4 Multiband compressor, Bass Professor I
Guitars Bus: Voxengo MSED bringing up the side signal
Strings Bus: Variety Of Sound Thrillseeker VBL, Eventide Stereo Room 2016
Choir tracks: Waves CLA Vocals
fake room bus with Variety Of Sound Nasty DLA
Master Bus: Waves NLS (Neve), Waves EMI TG12345 Console (EQ only), Prime Studio Charile limited (Gain), Toneboosters Barricade (just for sure, 3dB peak headroom)

Good luck everybody !

[Olli H]

I liked the original mix, so I didn’t try to change the sonic concept. Instead I just tried to make this song grow step by step little deeper and wider.

My starting point was the sound of the acoustic guitar, as it was the main underlying sound. I added some delays to it, not much else. I wanted to preserve the well recorded bright modern sound with acoustic guitar.

After that I checked the drum sound and tried to make them work together. As there were strings and choirs, it felt natural to me to have a big room with drums. But still I wanted to keep drums quite near.

After that I checked other instruments one by one. I didn’t use any special effects with them, mainly eq and different reverbs.

To make my mix sound modern, every now and then I checked the overall brightness and frequency balance by listening Jeff Buckley’s Grace, mixed by Andy Wallace. Hmm, released on 1994, is that modern sound? To me it’s modern, if it’s done in 80’s or after that.

No final mastering or loudness control applied to this mix, so just turn it louder if it’s not loud enough. If needed, I’m happy to provide louder mastered mix.


MP3: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1gb0_4 ... uDfq2hwa51

WAV: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1QlVbb ... LYCV2anQKM

[HerbFelho]

Hey all,
here´s my mix. Thanks again for the tracks dego.

As usual, but especially this time with only virtual instruments I did lots of automation (gain, pan, width, sends etc.) to bring character and excitement to the tracks, like some others here mentioned as well. I also tried to achieve space and depth to emphasize the cinematic character of this production. Other than that simply wanted to - well - make it sound better in all possible aspects, like clarity, punch, balance etc.

Plugins are the usual suspects like EQ (mainly ProQ2 or stock Studio One EQs) and compression (Fab Filter ProC2 and stock ones), some Slate and Wavs stuff for analog feeling and saturation. Main Reverbs are Waves TrueVerb, Stock Studio One Open Air Convolution Reverbs and Slate Verbsuite.
Nothing special, would be too much to list every detail here, but as ever I´m happy to provide more details if someone´s interested.

Some plugins that maybe less well know and I used this time:
- Auburn Panagement (for widening, panning and "stereoizing"), love this plugin, but as with all plugins of that sort, be very careful with phase and check for mono compatibility!
- Used some of the newer Waves Plugins like "Smack Attack" to enhance transients (or sustain) and "Torque" to tune the snare down a bit (to c sharp I believe)
- Soundtoys Tremolator to mess string vibratos up a bit.
- A new method I tried this time was to utilize Studio One´s splitter option, which is quite cool. For example on the plucked acoustic stereo track I split the channels and put different treatment on each side (Waves CLA-3A left and stock 1176 right). Worked great to widen the image, all that inside the insert chain without having to double the track or set up aux tracks, love it!

On mixbus only Slate Tape and FG Grey, just slightly kissing the needle to provide glue and a limiter to catch the loudest peaks.

Good luck all!

WAV: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1l16AD ... G4Q4Q2k-0j
mp3: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1p9P9p ... juPZzB2q8H

[Waleed Morris]

Hello everyone ,
For the first time i spent all days tell ends in this track , so fun and really tricky one .my main goal is bring more characters to the instruments and add slightly ambiance to the whole picture . i hope you like it .the most difficult for me is Cello track it's not for the dynamic issue but there is a specific harmonic frequencies going on must deal with it. i equated several times .. here the first one.


Final cello eq Mid-Side

here the final eq decision worked for me , i had to cut 2455hz deeply-10db this is frequency is so nasty.you can heard it obviously in
2:21 solo cello part. most welcome to any feedback or discussion about my mix .

Here my attempt to mix ,

Wav : download link here
Mp3 : download link here


Good luck to all .

Cheers !

[HerbFelho]

I had to check this in the original project file and it is indeed off. I should have picked up on this and I will correct it so I am happy for you you to put it back.

well, but I think also the strumming pattern is different after the break, so I left it as is.
But I did a bit of muting some parts during the break, just ideas leaping into my mind and as ever I can´t help and have to try that immediately. Can be easily undone of course if you don´t like it.

Cheers,
Herb

[FixInTheMix]

To be honest I wasn´t really interested on mixing this song so I decided to add a little bit more of a challenge to myself and tried to mix this on the last day in only 1 hour, used a timer and everything, so here it is.

WAV: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1JiqFs ... nLY8KSAKt3

MP3: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1DZf9A ... VaUc8ydtle_

As anyone can guess 60 minutes to mix a song is not much and I wasn´t able to add automation/modulation so this is just a static mix, basic eq, compression, reverb and delay.

Godd luck to everyone!

[Mister Fox]

Hello and welcome to all new participants, and welcome back to the old cats.

!	Bonus Info
	Could all participants please update their threads with at least rudimentary information what they did to the mix? It's part of the rule set: http://mix-challenge.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=5#p5

[Kolyev]

Hey everyone.

Haven't taken part in the mix challenge for quite a while but it sure feels nice to be back.

Here is my mix:

mp3: https://www.dropbox.com/s/4plxt9pvh6tq2 ... v.mp3?dl=0
wave: https://www.dropbox.com/s/wp8xhk74vqj2f ... v.wav?dl=0

Apart from the usual EQ and compression I have used a lot of saturation in my mix (it's basically all over the place) and I put sonimus satson (the CM version) on every group channel.
Most of the mixing time went into automation. I applied a lot of subtle volume and filter automations to emphasize the different parts of the song and to add some more life to the strings and choirs. Also the mix is getting a little wider and generally bigger over time (until the drums set in).
At around 2:40 I created a little transitional effect from the existing stems via sugar bytes turnado and at certain points delays are automated for smoother transitions.
On the mix bus I have some glue compression and toneboosters reel bus (but both is not heavily affecting the mix, just a touch) and everything below 120 Hz was made mono.

[AlbertVelasco]

Tried to create my own idea listening to the music itself. Just letting the music dictate me the feeling it wants to communicate.

Almost any EQing because they were really good takes... Tried to create spatiality on the mix.

Cello-Reverb trough aux send
Bells-Gain Automation
ChoirFemale-Reverb through aux send
ChoirMale-Reverb trough aux send
ChoirTenor-Reverb through aux send
OH-Reverb through aux send
Hi-Hat-Gain Automation
Kick-Compressor
AcousticGuitar-StereoDelay and Reverb through aux send
Guitar-Reverb and Stereo Delay
Ride-Reverb through aux send
Crash-Reverb through aux send
SnareTop-Compressor and Reverb through aux send
SnareBottom-Reverb through aux send
Guitar-EQ and Reverb through aux send
Bass-Compressor
Violin-Automation

https://www.dropbox.com/s/b6w4nj9rnf68c ... 2.wav?dl=0

https://www.dropbox.com/s/4fgqhz5ps993z ... 0.mp3?dl=0

Thanks for making this Contest!!!

[Henrik Hjortnaes]

I didn't mean to leave it this late again before submitting, but I started mixing the song just some hours ago. I had given up on the song previously, as I couldn't find a way to make it "click" with me. I couldn't figure out where to take it or what kind of space to create. Nothing worked for me, so I let it go early on.

But then today I finally thought - make a last try, make it simple, straight-up bright and clear like a rock song. No fear. No rocket science. Emphasis on the guitars, forget about complex depth and spacious ideas, it'll fall apart if I continue down that path. This approach is probably the death sentence for this mix round for me, but at least it turned out as something I can be satisfied with. It feels liberating

So, my mix is more or less all EQ. Lots of it. I've used the new wavesfactory Spectre EQ a lot, and also the BRA EQ's for broader strokes and cuts. And two reverbs, Soundtoys Little Plate and Acon's Verberate.

I usually do some side chaining to duck elements, but none of that this time around. I simply haven't got the time now. Automation is sparse as well.

I've used the SKnote Marconi1 EQ on the busses to try add some character. It's a crazy plugin, but it can add some body real quick.

I better upload now as time is running out. I've listened to all the mixes here. There are some fantastic diversity and killer mixes!

wav: MC041_-_dego_-_As seen on TV_-_HenrikHjortnaes.wav
mp3: MC041_-_dego_-_As seen on TV_-_HenrikHjortnaes.mp3