MIX CHALLENGE - MC065 May 2020 - Winners announced

[Magnus]

Hello everyone, first post on this forum. Thank you for the opportunity.

Here is my mix:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/xehucq5uvufdb ... Magnus.wav

The song grew on me and I must say I really like it

The main goal of the mix was to add some variation and movement to the arrangement and highlighting the most interesting parts. Trying to make it feel like a song and not just a mix.

Something I felt was lacking in the rough mix and really in the arrangement as a whole was variation. There were not many tracks and especially the drums and percussion were repetitive. And since it also was a little out of sync at times I think it got in the way of the song. So these were my treatments.

DRUMS
I did not use the hihat track. Kick and snare were gated and multed to parallel tracks to add some weight.
The overheads are mixed low and I muted the overheads completely in the first verse to create some contrast. There are also mutes in the percussion to create some variation.

VOCALS
The other main thing that worked on was the vocals. Since the melody was so elaborate and double tracked it needed to be more in tune. I tried to keep it discrete and also keep some of the jangly feel.
The vocals are tuned using ReaTune in two stages, and there are some minor timing tweaks.
I added a tape ping pong delay that I was riding in the verses to add some interest.
The backing vocals have a ping pong auto panning effect to add some more movement to the choruses.

PIANO
I added a space echo delay to the piano in the verses to fill out the sparse arrangement.

GENERAL
There are lots of timing edits and volume rides on most tracks to add some movement and interest.
The mix has four FX buses, a room ambiance reverb, a vocal hall, a snare plate and a ping pong delay.

All the best!
Magnus

[Martin Menzel]

hi All!,

I like the happy mood of this song and its 70's tone, thanks for sharing

The first full session was spent on pitch correction on each voice track and fix some tempo here and there.
I did these things in Pro Tools 2020.3 and Melodyne.

Next day I was able to pay attention to the music.
I faced the mix now in the new Universal Audio LUNA with whom I am becoming a friend.

I needed to process the snare drum a lot to get what I wanted
I also used a classic 70's inverse reverb on it, and saturator on the drums buss for harmonic distortion and highlight.

I used the 1176 a lot on guitars and AutoAlign to adjust line with amp tracks

UAD Ampeg SVT for bass

Some modulation on piano and keyboards

a fairly classic sound for vocals, dubbing with an AMS chorus and some UA EMT 250 reverb

not much to add to the guitar solo and a classic slapback for the sax

almost no automation, since by adjustment the mix was already balanced correctly

here is my mix:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1iLJNRc ... sp=sharing
screenshot:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/13-rO3I ... sp=sharing

all the best for you

[tmort1277]

I am humbled to participate. After listening to everyone's mixes, I almost didn't enter. I just discovered mix contests, this is my first entry here and my third ever, all in the last two weeks.
I don't have much to add to the comments. I wasn't crazy about the rhythm guitars, mostly felt they distracted, so I kept them low and sidechained with the vocal buss. I didn't tune anything, I did mute a couple of kick hits that were real groove killers. I only used the ribbon mic bass track. I sidechained the bass with the kick. I really liked the guitar solo, it made the song fun to reach the end. I only EQed it a little. Scheps 73 on almost every channel, SSL E on keys. 1176, Pultec EQ, LA-2A on vocals. Sidechained the keys with the vocal buss. I used Avid 304 compressor on all SC. Global effects: Rverb Bright chamber, Rverb drum plate, Kramer master tape 15ips vocal slap, Orange phaser, avid chorus. Parallel treatment on everything (Andrew Scheps) Cobalt Saphira on both keys. Not digging the sax performance, but I figured Cameron must have gone to some trouble to record it on location, so i kept it.
I guess I did have a lot to add. Thanks for doing this and keep it up.
Here is my mix:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/u2o1n6telheq6 ... n.wav?dl=0

[alelachowski]

Hello,

@Mister Fox and everybody,

I would like to post again my mix... I had some free time to fix some issues, is this possible? Anyway I will share the link of my last mix...

Actually, I didn't change much thing... just some editting work and I tryied to let the main mix sounding more warm, like old times... my first mix was sounding too bright (in my opinion)

I forgot to mention but I mixed in pro tools 12 Hd... Windows (crashes many times) and in this new mix, I put some old school reverbs and delays, like tape delay and a chamber reverb simulation.
For compression and equalization I used the Waves SSL Channel on the most tracks, some few tracks I inserted a Puilgtec Eq just to brings some presence... and ok, I confess... since I have cheap reference monitors I prefer to avoid leaving some "trash" that I can't hear with my gear.. so, FabFilter Q3 was my righthand for some filters..

Thats it! It was fun to mix this song, I felt like driving my father's car listening to his playlist nostalgic

here is the link of my mix:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1ty0EX ... 6afvv7YTg4

Cheers

Alexandre Lack
www.alexandrelack.com

[Mister Fox]

Hello,

@Mister Fox and everybody,

I would like to post again my mix... I had some free time to fix some issues, is this possible? Anyway I will share the link of my last mix...

As per the Rules and Guidelines for the Mix Challenge.

No multiple submissions, re-uploads, or edits.
Your entry is final

This is why you have 21 days to edit, to prevent possible "wait, I've found an issue - here is another mix" at a later state. But it looks like I need to make this more clear with a dedicated paragraph for MC066.

[Olli H]

This song has a huge healing power. Love it. Pleasure to absorb into that energy.

Reference: Toto, Rosanna

Some eq in almost every track.
Automations on almost every track.

DRUMS
Some small tempo adjustments
I took couple of tom-hits from overhead-tracks and processed them separately.
Kick and snare to parallel compression.
Kick and snare strongly gated to parallel saturations

BASS
I used DI and ribbon track.

RHYTHM GUITARS
I used only one guitar and panned it to right. It's role was more Toto-style percussive instrument, so I thought double guitar just fills the sound stage.

SOLO GUITAR AND
Nothing, I just add some reverb to make them play in the same space.

PIANO AND KEYS
Just eq and little reverb.

VOX
Some tuning in verses.
Eq + compression + micro pitch shift + parallel compression + short plate and long plate

MASTER BUS
Just EQ + Loudness meter

WAV: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1dJTzN ... RPQydHuc8O

[kirurg]

Hello everyone, hello Cameron.

Thank you Cameron for the tracks , 70s is my favorite era in music.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/b1xlqp6tm6ldi ... g.wav?dl=0

Here are some relevant notes.
I've made time adjustments for drums, rhythm guitar and piano.
Vocal tuning was made as well. EQ and compression on most tracks.
The most compressed tracks are the vocal ones individually (TubeTech CL1B)
and all grouped and added Acustica Audio El-Rey.
Rhythm guitars DI got re-amped clean style and UAD EMT-250 added for
ambience/room fx. One rhythm guitar has Waves Tape Reel ADT fx as well.
For the bass saturation there is UAD Fatso and UAD Culture Vulture.
There is plate type reverb (UVI Plate) used, the larger type for vocals
and for the sax solo. Shorter, smaller plate was used for the snare and kick.
Most EQ processed tracks are the kick and snare. Kick having parallel compression with
DBX style comp and Culture Vulture.
There are Acustica Audio's Sand comp and CelestialMB for saturation on master bus
and also UAD Ampex-102 tape.

[JohnRick]

Greetings from Sweden! Home of Toontrack, Cheiron and liverpaste.

First time here. I appreciate the author having Toto’s Rosanna as a reference, but as a progrock/fusion drummer myself, I struggled to hear the Jeff Porcaro vibes. Regardless I sculpted as I saw fit as briefly explained below. Meters show that I have a peak at one point around -1.1 dBfs, hovering close to -18 in RMS. Hopefully that’s good enough, with room to grow.

Dropbox: https://www.dropbox.com/s/p4qi2fwpb3ja1 ... k.wav?dl=0
(If you can't download, just change the "0" to "1" in the URL, i.e: dl=0 > dl=1), i.e:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/p4qi2fwpb3ja1 ... k.wav?dl=1

Overall a three reverb setup (plate, plate, medium hall. All tracks grouped to their separate buses, and then grouped again. EQ and compression on basically everything. Balancing EQ, compression and metering on the sum bus.

Drums: Hardest part. Both kick and snare also got some transient shapers and manual automation due to the fluctuating snare volume. Did not do to much timing correction apart from some standout kick hits that were clearly late. Just a tad of the room mics used. Snare has its own plate. Easy on the OH due to the annoying hats.

Bass: Ditched the mic tracks. Only used DI, doubled the tracks and used one as a LF track (low pass down to 250 Hz) and another amped up with an Ampeg, cutting out the frequencies below 250 Hz. Routed to bus. Heavy compression and slight distortion. Extra boost around 1400 Hz.

Guitars: Only DI tracks used. Panned hard L&R. Fender Clean amp with slight reverb. Hi shelf to the sides. Solo guitar has the same Fender 65 Princeton, but with more dirt. Panned slightly off center.

Keys: Not much more than the usual high passing filters, EQ on the sides and verbing up with medium hall. Hopefully w/o sounding smeary. Biggest issue was if I should pan it or keep it up the middle. Panned off center. Same thing with the Rhodes.

Vox: Apart from drums (and bass, guitars, keys and perc.) this presented the biggest challenge. Since tuning was off, particularly in the verses where the high E and G couldn’t be reached, I consulted Melodyne. Manual adjustment on pitch center and modulation. Pretty transparent I must say. Plate verb. Chorus and the backvox were not too much of an issue. Heavy volume automation on track. BGV got some Eventide Harmonization mixed in to fatten it up, but just a bit.

Sax: Nothing special here. Compressed and EQ:d. Panned a bit off center. Medium verb.

Percussion: Heavy high passing. Keeping them as a slightly spread unit to the right, to counterpoint the hats. Shaker 2 gets lower during verses.

Thanks!

[RotterN]

Hi everyone,

Here is my entry for this months Mix Challenge: https://soundcloud.com/neil-harvey-9299 ... dVgm0KxLNA

I thoroughly enjoyed this track and hope you enjoy my version. I could close my eyes and imagine driving down a long,sunny American highway with the wind blowing through my hair.

As it was requested to be a 70's / 80's style track I tried to keep as era appropriate as I could with effects.
I also chose not to edit / tune, I have instead decided to opt for double tracking and delay to soften it but keep it pretty natural and as performed.



Mix Chain:

Kick: Scheps 73
Snare: Scheps 73, REQ 6
Hat: Scheps 73
O/Heads: Scheps 73, REQ 6
Rooms: Scheps 73, CLA 76
Bass: Scheps 73
Vocals: Scheps 73
Guitars: Scheps 73, Waves GTR 3 (on L & R rhythm to give them a slightly different flavour to help with width) - Solo GTR only : H-delay (mono spring), H-reverb (2 sec verb, large room).
Chorus Oohs: Scheps 73
Sax: Scheps 73, H-Delay (Tape Echo), H-Reverb (1.86 sec large room), VEQ 4
Shakers: Scheps 73
Tamb: Scheps 73

Each channel had Scheps 73 to give that Neve vibe.

Busses:

All Drums: H-Reverb (2 sec Drum room), Kramer Master Tape
Bass: Kramer Master Tape
Lead Vox: CLA 2A, H-Delay (Tape Echo), Kramer Master Tape
Piano & Keys: REQ 6, H-Reverb (1.6 sec large room), Kramer Master Tape
Guitar: REQ 6, Kramer Master Tape
Oohs: Kramer Master Tape
Percussion: H-Reverb (3.9 sec large room), Kramer Master Tape
Master: V Comp, Puigtec EQ, H Reverb (2 sec med Room), Kramer Master Tape

Sends:

Air Channel: Sibilance, CLA 76, VEQ 4, REQ 2, R-Deesser (sent to from Lead Vox Bus and Piano & Keys Bus)

[himanshu.shirlekar]

Hey, here is my entry.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/19mnQ4X ... sp=sharing
Had a great time mixing this song.
Polished drums with some gating,compression and Eq.
Spaced vocals with delay and reverb.
Added some delay in guitars and eq.
Thats it.