MIX CHALLENGE - MC060 November 2019 - Winners announced

[Piranha]

Pretty straightforward mixing process:
DRUMS: cleaning room resonances and compression, mostly on the main actors (kick and snare). A little verb on OH and a dedicated plate for the snare.
BASS: opto compression e parallel distortion on hi-end.
GUITARS: just eq on the bus and some reverb/delay when needed.
PIANO/STRINGS: same as guitars.
VOCALS: heavy gain riding and de-essing, reberb and delays.

WAV:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/jjueemvtaftsl ... a.wav?dl=0
MP3:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/fx4uw18qo03ro ... a.mp3?dl=0

[ArneB]

Hi,

here is my submission for this round:
WAV: https://www.dropbox.com/s/dlkxoqs2x3lkb ... B.wav?dl=0
MP3: https://www.dropbox.com/s/9hcraiyn7c30h ... B.mp3?dl=0

I will add documentation tomorrow, since I am already a bit late....

Cheers,
Arne

[Pavel Nebesky]

Hi everyone,

this is a super "last minute" admission of a mix. I mixed this beautifull song very quickly, ITB using mostly Acustica Audio, and Plugin Alliance plugins. Also did a lots of automation, and a tiny bit of vocal tuning in the intro.

Here is my entry:

Wav: https://www.dropbox.com/s/qghnstxpy2z94 ... y.wav?dl=0
Mp3: https://www.dropbox.com/s/biao95phvicw1 ... y.mp3?dl=0

Thanks to everyone involved, and best regards,
A.

[Mister Fox]

It is the 22nd November 2019, 01:00am GMT+1/CET - the first Mix Round has officially ended

Once more, a very warm welcome to all new participants. A huge thank you to everyone that is spreading the word about the Mix Challenge. Please help get the Songwriting Competition as popular (still only 1 submission as of the moment of this time-stamp).


STATISTICS:

• If I didn't miscount, we have 070 submissions this month
• We have 2 submission after the deadline
• We have 2 disqualifications (reuploaded edits, else it would have been 72 entries)

Please check all if your links again, make them downloadable(!). Those that uploaded MP3s only, please take note: providing a WAV file is mandatory. Please also update your posts with documentation for others to learn from (see Rules & Guidelines).


I now open the field for everyone to give each other feedback (highly encouraged). This will be independent to the client feedback however.


Please watch this spot for the client feedback and Mix Round 2 participant announcement.

Good luck to all participants.






The Songwriting Competition 27 (SWC27) is still in full swing.
The deadline is 24th November 2019, 11:59pm GMT+1/CET.

We're also in desperate need for more material for future Mix Challenge competitions. There have been some offering in recent weeks, but we're sadly not out of the woods yet. In order to keep the Mix Challenge up and running, we need a constant pool of 5-6 productions in the queue.

Please spread the word!

[White Punk OD]

this time I am listening and learning, thanks to everyone!

this is really about the art of putting a puzzle together, of orchestral fragments and percussion sounds, to melt with piano, guitars and drums.

mixes became better during these weeks, by inspiring each other. the beginning was a bit humble. then, ideas about how to streamline and enhance groove and song, became more prominent.

I think, there were some choices and defining trends.
there is a "German" school with a very perfect sound, and creates pop with a little vintage feel (e.g. "Munich Sound") and very classy and fine piano and orchestral parts, and a modern vocal sound with high perfection.
then, there is a compressed, old-school pop sound, that fits also vinyl, I dare say it might be inspired by Frank Farian. this means, it is great for to dance, very strong groove and energy.
and then, there is also a more "Latin" sound, with strong guitars, and vocals sound different, very thick, and very intellegibly.

I comment on 10 mixes that I ramdomly like, but others sure are good too.


Kirurg did very great in my ears, he dared to change the piano sound, which I love, and he created a wonderful dancing groove, that is a good bed for the intense vocals. for me, perhaps best vocal mix (in this case it's not a technical statment but an emotional), but also beautiful and intense dynamics. caution: git solo is loud compared to some vocal parts.

with most mixes, I did not like the intro piano at all. it has no profile. like I look at a score sheet of paper. I want to hear intense life, or eclectic style.
some gave the piano more life, including the updated original mix.
also, the higher notes in the git solo sound a bit metallic, only a few mixes did address that.

Tom Immon is also great, with a somewhat cleaner sound, or a bit more "standard". vocals are strong, and I love the guitars during the outro. solo is also very nice.

i like SDB-12, very rich and full sound. I hope the low end from the orchestral drums and timpani is not too much. groove is good.
good outro with brilliant string concert.

VasDim - created a good piano sound, and very beautiful melody guitar in the intro.
big and pristine vocal sound. good blending with the second voice.
strings sound a bit classic but good.
vocals and melody rightfully carry the listener through the song. good flow.
git solo sounds nice and organic, like a combo is playing. that's good for the type of song.
I like it, when drums and combo (club band) sound dominate, and the orchestra gives that a bigger size as an addition, but does not overwhelm.
so, together it fits the voice.
Outro is great, at that point the orchestra is legit to show a bit of power.

RJR - very full sound. good groove, snare is a bit on the rock side, might be smaller.
vocals are brilliant, voices sound beautiful, but the air band makes the sibilance a bit sharp also.
the outro has a vivid and energetic piano sound, better than some other mixes.

Echoread - I love that mix, though the spectrum is a bit narrower and "70ies vinyl".
everything has a glue and is tight. this compression and complex sidechaining works well.
we hear a song, a voice, and a sound, not a thousand distinct and distracting instruments.
the bass is a little bit boomy, but so were those old Bose speakers hanging from the ceiling.
kick sounds a bit clicky here. but not a big problem.
but also, in spite of some vintage and patina, it still sounds fresh and time-less.
I can imagine cruising with the car and the radio blows it loud, and passengers happy and singing along.
great groove that holds the thing together.

Mork - pristine hitech sound, good european pop.
great dynamics, violin section with its melodies fits great.
vocals are perfect, but a little bit smaller than with the "latin" mixes.
modern and punchy drum sound. good guitars in the outro.
I love the organic and energetic guitar solo, it is the right sound for this type of mix.
good build-up for the finale chorus, good flow through the whole song.

Wizzo - I think articulation of the lyrics is very intellegible. stands out to some other mixes.

Huella Fonica - I hope it is ok to call it one of the Latin mixes.
to me, sounds just right. I like the short echo on the vocals, sometimes there is a long echo I could do without.
this mix puts a "combo" sound in the foreground, and uses the strings just as another keyboard. I love this also, it is just a very different approach.
in the outro, the orchestra comes out very well.
I'm stting now in a live music bodega for young people, singing along.

Green-Dog - vocals sound very intimate and clear, that's great too.
very fine orchestra and string melody sound. very beautiful guitar solo. good bass.
good work with the piano sound. energetic drums, without being too dominant.
let's be careful with the subsonics.

this is just my 2 cents and a humble opinion, I am not the client.
(I was active in MC059)

[Waleed Morris]

Hello White Punk OD, Everyone,
Thank you for review and feedback, really appreciated. I positively know my mix not perfect, I made it very rush this time. bass is a bit high and the all mix a bit muddy and need more high end open !! anyway good to review our mixies regardless our beautiful client opinions will be! it's not affecting his opinion for sure. please keep it up.

[White Punk OD]

Hi Wizzo, I just wanted to point out a special nice aspect in your mix, I thought it is still good anyway,
while I think that many of the spectral imbalances that occured here and there in many mixes, can be cured during mastering quite well.
Sorry I commented only on what I liked quickly and was around a couple of thread pages, out of capacity,
there are some more that I liked, e.g. paperthin.

Anyone who has 5 minutes, might be so generous and go back to episode 59, and discuss a couple of results there also...
huge thing as such, does not deserve the silence.

[EchoOread]

Echoread - I love that mix, though the spectrum is a bit narrower and "70ies vinyl".
everything has a glue and is tight. this compression and complex sidechaining works well.
we hear a song, a voice, and a sound, not a thousand distinct and distracting instruments.
the bass is a little bit boomy, but so were those old Bose speakers hanging from the ceiling.
kick sounds a bit clicky here. but not a big problem.
but also, in spite of some vintage and patina, it still sounds fresh and time-less.
I can imagine cruising with the car and the radio blows it loud, and passengers happy and singing along.
great groove that holds the thing together

Thanks for taking the time out to listen. That is very kind of you. I really appreciate the gesture and the kind words. Thanks.

[White Punk OD]

Welcome! My first concern is always, aside of all technical issues, does the mix make me love the song and the artist?

Because, tech stuff can always be fixed one way or the other, perhaps with another request roundtrip, and a little imperfection will be always accepted, or may even become the thing to remember (like some echo hanging out while the voice was actually muted -- like with Hollywood, there is a long history of little studio bloopers in the music hall of fame.)

--
Another concern is, the mixes get listened to in queue, and compared only to each other, but there are totally different "schools" and viewpoints.
The real test, though too time-consuming, would be to place each mix somewhere into a playlist of top-40 hits, and check how it can stand up to its established neighborhood. Probably, outcomes would be quite different. (But needs to be pre-mastered by some fast and plain standard process, at the checking site, so we see how close on its own it comes to a release quality. Instructors like Warren Huart say this all the time, but in the context that the mixing engineer herself should do this kind of check, which goes beyond "referencing". Referencing is a particular, goal-oriented selection, but the playlist is just random, as in real life.)

[alelachowski]

If it’s a rule then there needs to be some accountability so that it is fair and equal for all.

That was an official warning from the host/CTO of this place.

With recent games, if a user didn't adhere to the rules given (including doing absolutely minimal documentation), the participant didn't even make it to Round 2 (I've made that clear to all Song Providers and constantly reminded them about this fact).

Just because I don't explicitly point it out or post warnings, doesn't mean rules can be evaded. I've also made that clear in recent newsletters.

For me, the provider of the stems and producer of this song, also responsable for all arrangements, recordings, and all the stuff I did with my mosdest equipment. All the feedbacks and the recaps of the individual participants, it is very important and helpul for the judment process. In my opinion, and I believe I share it with the admins of the Mix Challenge and the guys that will judge the mixes, the process, workflow, inserts, are not the point to win, it is the final mix and how it sounds. Since there is no receipe about how to mix a project, what real matters is the final work. But, if the administrator allow me, I would like to write few words for each participant after the winners announcement. And those words will be based in my knowleadgement with home studio productions, and also, a opened door to approach everybody and to learn with each one, receiving feedbacks. I believe this forum is not only a Challenger channel, but is a community where we can built a relatioship with each others. As I explained in the notes provided in the "Stems Pack", I mentioned that the drums were recorded by a Italian drummer. I never saw him in my front, but it´s a person I met in communities like this one. Today, I have many contacts with musicians, engineers, freelancers around the world which I trust in their works and I can hire them....sitted in my chair here in Brazil. Few words by Skype and some audio ideas shared by any way of contacting (email, skype, whatsapp, etc) is like a meeting at a expensive studio in the pre-production process. This is the future, and will be a pleasure keep in contact with any of you sharing anything we can about our passion. Audio, and music!
Best regards and good luck for all!

Alexandre Lack
(Alexandre Lachowski)