MIX CHALLENGE - MC055 June 2019 - Winners announced

[Mange]

@White Punk OD

Lately I have preferred broadband deessing/leveling instead of "filtering" but I agree that the sibilance in this track could use some filtering as well. Time to dust off that eiosis deesser maybe?

I am usually as slow as you say you are. Try this. Set a timer in your phone or whatever and abrubptly print a mix every hour, no notes, just a number, listen to them when mix is ready. I just today worked on this mix for a couple of hours and besides the obvious glitches and removed artifacts... could hardly tell the difference. Actually liked the vocals better on first, had accidentally activated a lopass filter on lead vocals.

[dobebon]

Thanks eatme for the feedback, that’s a huge effort to give everyone some feedback!

[Mange]

Mange: Love the kick and snare on your mix. Super punchy and great balance on them. Some parts the vocal stands out a bit too much maybe. Could use some spacial effects/compression to blend it in more maybe.

Thanks for having a listen, I am already on it:) This and some more has been tickled with.

Listened to your mix, first impressions
It´s loud, premastered, I don´t mind (I have a volume knob) but some here don´t like that... at all
There´s a really cool effect on the drums in the drum intro. Question.. how? Too much or too long reverb on lead vocals verses. liked the difference on vocals going in to pre chorus. hihat gets in the way on chorus. Drums sound too real to me. Not enough of the nice stuff and too much of the stuff we/I don´t want, works quite ok in the track though. Not much that rubbed my ears.

[Franklin99]

I'm also giving a standing ovation to Eatme for a tremendous effort. Even though we all know it is not the "official decree" on the mixes, it is tremendously helpful for all of those (nearly 90%) not making it to the 2nd round to have some unofficial feedback on their mixes.

Great job Eatme in compiling all those "listens" and corresponding notes together.

BTW, I think Mange hit it out of the park with his suggestion of making sure to use reference material more effectively.

[White Punk OD]

while we are waiting for official messages, I hope it is allowed to offer a little journey through the history of German "alternative pop" or whatever we call it.
so that's just my humble contribution to referencing.
(in case the forum does not support this kind of posting, I won't complain whatever measures)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2wkekZpikbY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWA_kJI8mA8 deep roots
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_KOUCOYVAos https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xqci3BMjpJc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ad8ukI7Z-b8 this one has a "regular" drum sound, but also a shnizzle lot of arrangement and subtle effects, and already a dose of electronica.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZbsqG_R3ySE electronica continues, now we are sample-based.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2AK5W8Fmng this team wanted to sound "organic", actually they were very hitech to achieve this.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GsRuJjgyZdQ lovely hall of fame prod, depth and softness, perfect sounds.

as we hear, there is a strong hierarchy almost every time, and we have examples about what to do with the different sounds (that must not get in the way of vocals or other sounds), depending on production budget and purpose of the performance.
it's all about transmitting the "Lebensgefühl" and there is a lot of understatement in usage of instrumental and drum sounds, or classic vocalist techniqes, i.e. many times they decide for very different aspects than this.

[Waleed Morris]

while we are waiting for official messages, I hope it is allowed to offer a little journey through the history of German "alternative pop" or whatever we call it.
so that's just my humble contribution to referencing.
(in case the forum does not support this kind of posting, I won't complain whatever measures)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2wkekZpikbY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWA_kJI8mA8 deep roots
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_KOUCOYVAos https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xqci3BMjpJc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ad8ukI7Z-b8 this one has a "regular" drum sound, but also a shnizzle lot of arrangement and subtle effects, and already a dose of electronica.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZbsqG_R3ySE electronica continues, now we are sample-based.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2AK5W8Fmng this team wanted to sound "organic", actually they were very hitech to achieve this.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GsRuJjgyZdQ lovely hall of fame prod, depth and softness, perfect sounds.

as we hear, there is a strong hierarchy almost every time, and we have examples about what to do with the different sounds (that must not get in the way of vocals or other sounds), depending on production budget and purpose of the performance.
it's all about transmitting the "Lebensgefühl" and there is a lot of understatement in usage of instrumental and drum sounds, or classic vocalist techniqes, i.e. many times they decide for very different aspects than this.

Thank you, I was searching around the internet for any German songs could use as a reference, any other recommendations albums bands or singers? much appreciated.

[Mister Fox]

Thank you, I was searching around the internet for any German songs could use as a reference, any other recommendations albums bands or singers? much appreciated.

Technically, Christina Stürmer is Austrian, not German.

Also - just a question - do people actually read what I wite? Because I'm fairly sure I gave some examples as possible references. Including "Juli", "Wir sind Helden" and "Silbermond" that were linked in the YT video dump. I guess they're the peak of this particular modern German Pop Rock with female vocalists.


This is an important question by the way - for both the Songwriting Competition and the Mix(ing) Challenge. We have these discussions on a monthly basis like "what? I didn't know of this particular rule set" or "did I do wrong?!" and "am I allowed to do this/that"? This gives me the impression that the time put into the rule set, the premises and the posts that "set the initial tone of the game" could be put to better use.

Please tell me this isn't so.

[Waleed Morris]

Thank you, I was searching around the internet for any German songs could use as a reference, any other recommendations albums bands or singers? much appreciated.

Technically, Christina Stürmer is Austrian, not German.

Also - just a question - do people actually read what I wite? Because I'm fairly sure I gave some examples as possible references. Including "Juli", "Wir sind Helden" and "Silbermond" that were linked in the YT video dump. I guess they're the peak of this particular modern German Pop Rock with female vocalists.

Yes ! I had read it all , but actually all songs included (White Punk OD) references it's too old releases (about 8-10 years) so any a bit new albums ?thank you .

[Dodgingrain]

Thank you, I was searching around the internet for any German songs could use as a reference, any other recommendations albums bands or singers? much appreciated.

Technically, Christina Stürmer is Austrian, not German.

Also - just a question - do people actually read what I wite? Because I'm fairly sure I gave some examples as possible references. Including "Juli", "Wir sind Helden" and "Silbermond" that were linked in the YT video dump. I guess they're the peak of this particular modern German Pop Rock with female vocalists.


This is an important question by the way - for both the Songwriting Competition and the Mix(ing) Challenge. We have these discussions on a monthly basis like "what? I didn't know of this particular rule set" or "did I do wrong?!" and "am I allowed to do this/that"? This gives me the impression that the time put into the rule set, the premises and the posts that "set the initial tone of the game" could be put to better use.

Please tell me this isn't so.

I read the rules and they are pretty obvious and easy to follow. Just sayin'

[White Punk OD]

@wizzo,
I can't find anyone doing this style today.
none of the links below provide what you are looking for, but I want to give a survey. this is stuff that goes viral, supported by the industry.

practically every genre similar to our mix-song, all this was swallowed by Rap or Schlager, while use of the German language has grown in the charts/billboard. there may be many small niches, but there is no resilience, not like the USA has with her rock music styles.
other stuff is like Reggaeton, lots of Trance and Electronica, and then also there is a lot of new stuff in the sense of Charlie Puth, which is based on old, funky Disco Rhythm, programmed drums, and a lot of very modern synth sounds and reverbs.

Christina sure made no less money in Germany as she did in Austria. did many live concerts with band, in Germany and other countries.
https://www.rtl.de/themen/personen/chri ... 10529.html

also, many sing in English, and few declare themselves German at all.
at least you can check out what they do in their studios:
https://youtu.be/IPxNjDUaVUk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anZ52U0_s60 probably from Berlin
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZv2-Fge5gc

Arabs and Turks are doing hip-hop in German language (but very "Ebonics"-like, so old people dont understand a word). This business is MASSIVE! some of the lyrics are violent.

random stuff:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9EYjn5f_nE this is already the sign of the times
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8JW6xfbyg2A
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gDbpWC_9pE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpFQAFVwY6w
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74JDvFsmSSY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oq0rrYrufYU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_oDO2sTlcRo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YHbYAUs9JCo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lc4oUzjtj7I

the former posting was about mainstream ~10 years ago, this one is about current mainstream since a couple of years.