CURRENT CHALLENGE - GENERAL INFORMATION
Time Frame: Monday, 01st April 2019 to Sunday, 21st April 2019 (21 days)
Challenge submission will end on 21-04-2019, 11:59pm CEST/GMT+2 (Germany) - until further notice.
Want to find out if you're still within the deadline, please consult the following options:
The
Global Countdown on it's dedicated page or the countdown on the
home page. You can also consult the World Clock at the top of the forum or alternatively the following tool - in this case please select "Berlin (Germany)" as location 1, and your location as location 2:
Time and Date - World Clock Meeting Planner. We do post reminders via our
Twitter account and
Facebook page.
Song Provider: morelia (Paul Sanderson)
Song Name and Length: We Fly, 3:57min
Song Information: 90 BPM / Signature: 4/4, Key of Emin
File Format: WAV, 44kHz, 16bit
GENRE: Alternative Rock
Preview of the Song:
https://www.reverbnation.com/morelia/so ... 619-we-fly
A word from the song provider:
morelia wrote:I recorded this through an Allen and Heath ZED10. Apologies if the quality is below expectations. I do my best with what little time I have.
I've tried to provide everything at a reasonable level to start mixing. Drums and Guitars are the focus of the song for me but the vocals sound so bad I think they take away from the overall quality of the song. I'm pretty happy for an anything goes with the mix.
I've used Superior Drummer 3 and layered it with some Steven Slate Drums 5. Feel free to use any or all drums. My hearing is not the best so if there are any issues with layering any of these files feel free to avoid using them.
My preference is to go with the style that influenced the song (thinking Audioslave, Foo Fighters) but if you are feeling something else, then go for it. But do check out some Audioslave (Cochise, Gasoline, Show Me How To Live) as I'm a big fan and probably tried to get in that ballpark.
(more technical details in the Mix Pack bundled TXTs)
A few words by the Mix Challenge staff:
Staff (Mister Fox) wrote:This month's challenge is an Alternative Rock production, that can go several routes. For example: 90s Grunge/Alternative Rock, where mix consoles were over-driven on purpose to create a more dirty sound, then sometimes even printed on to tape running at 15ips. Or fairly modern mid 2000s alternative rock, which is still slightly dirty, but the overall sound was more "crisp" and high fidelity, not to mention certain parts being "over-corrected" rather than taken "as is".
I can recommend to watch the "Classic Albums: Nirvana - Nevermind" documentary with Butch Vig (who gives an insight on mixing such vocals), but also the "Sound City" 2013 documentary movie by Dave Grohl. Plenty of extra knowledge to gather here.
We're working with 16bit files this time around. Apologies, but this is the limitation of the Mix Console being used (the ZED-10 only has a 16bit DAC). So please keep possible noise floors in mind while gain staging.
Please also take note, the Mix Challenge doesn't allow Drum Sample Replacement anymore. However, there are two drum kits for you to blend this month. It is recommended to pay extra attention to detail though, as just straight up layering doesn't always work (hint: kick). The triggered hi-hat is also of different pitch, but with careful blending, it can work as complementary element. There are barely any room mic recordings present - so some tricks need to be used to "remodel" that. It's a challenge after all to work with what you're given, and to enhance with all the tricks you know.
And finally, don't forget to pay attention to the intro of the song (see demo mix). The small guitar bits should not be underestimated to generate a powerful transition to the rest of the mix.
As usual, be creative, have fun while mixing and good luck!
Please also consult the TXT files that are bundled in the source files package below. There you can find more information about the individual files and changes to the time signature.
Special Add-On Rules:
- try to create a mix that complements this production (in your own style)
- Clean / Alternative versions can be used if you need more flexibility over a certain sound (if present in this production)
- No rearrangement or pitch shifting of the song structure, with the exception of the following add-on rules
- PRODUCTION RELATED: make the best out of the provided audio material (EQ, compression, transient tools, etc), no "drum sample replacement"!
- summing bus processing is allowed, as long as the dynamic range (average signal strength to maximum signal strength) doesn't suffer - use of this method is artistically!
- try to not(!) pre-master the track (please no overuse of mix bus treatment, no loudness adjustments / limiting) - read: NO MASTERING
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Source Files:
Main Mix Package - Mirror on the Mix Challenge Homepage (149,05 MB, LZMA compressed, zip)
The provided files were packed as ZIP with LZMA compression.
File size extracted: 1082,02 MB, packed 149,05 MB (ZIP, LZMA)
In order to extract the files, we can recommend these programs:
Macintosh:
The Unarchiver -
get it here
Keka (open source) -
get it here
Windows:
7zip -
Installation /
Portable
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Please
take note of the official rules - they can be found at the following thread:
Mix Challenge - Official Rules and Guidelines
Please address any OT question in the official Gossip thread:
Mix Challenge - Gossip and Discussion
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SPONSORS (Prizes):
Prizes for Mix Challenge participants:
Note: All licenses are NFR (Not-For-Resale), except where noted.
Changes to available prices on short notice may be possible and will be announced separately.
Acon Digital is kind enough give away a single plugin of winner's choice.
License will turn into NFR
More info on Acon Digital:
http://acondigital.com
Hornet Plugins is kind enough give away one license from the depicted tools (see image) to the winner
License will turn into NFR
More info on Hornet Plugins:
http://www.hornetplugins.com
Metric Halo is kind enough to give away a single plugin of winner's choice.
License will turn into NFR
More info about Metric Halo:
http://mhsecure.com/metric_halo/
MuTools is kind enough give away one license of MUX Modular 7 of winner's choice (until End of 2018)
License will turn into NFR
More info on MuTools:
http://www.mutools.com/
NOS Audio is kind enough give away one license of NOS Roomer to the winner
License will turn into NFR
More info on NOS Audio:
http://www.nosaudio.com/
Tone2 is kind enough to donate a license of
Ultraspace to the winner (until further notice)
License will turn into NFR
More info on Tone2:
https://tone2.com
THANKS FOR THE LICENSE DONATIONS!
And also a thank you to all former contributors as well.
If you want to sponsor content (please have a focus on mix plugins, bundles and the likes), please get in touch with the Mix Challenge staff.
Please spread the word of the challenge on social media.
For example with our dedicated
Twitter Account or
Facebook Page
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Good luck to all participants.
And most importantly, have fun!