MIX CHALLENGE - MC071 November 2020 - Winners announced

[canese]

Hi,

Such a nice track to mix ! And the mix : https://drive.google.com/file/d/1qEKLhS ... sp=sharing

Summary :

Tried a different approach by filtering everything. And I mean everything.

Rhythmic synth (Arpegg, Soft and harsh SQ) :

• multiband low-shelf@360, Eq, limiter
• Sent into short verb and "music" parallel comp

multiband

Clean synth (Rob papen & Motion synth) :

• EQ, limiter, chorus.
• Sent into short verb, stereo delay, 1/8D delay and music comp

Lead Synth (Serum, tops & sparkle)

• EQ and stereo widening
• Sent into plate w/ long predelay, pitch shifted reverb, stereo delay, 1/8D delay and music comp

Bass (every track with bass in the name)

• Parallel distortion on sub. Multiband comp, limiter. Sidechained to the kick(s)
• Sent to drum comp, short verb and flanger

Vox

• Leveler into 76-style comp.Multiband into lufitkus, limiter, stereo widening
• Throw track : outputs to nowhere but is sent to 1/2 note delay (+stereo delay + pitch reverb). Volume automation where I want throws to happen.
• Sent into parallel vox comp, plate w/predelay, slap (15-inch-ish), hall verb, 1/4 note delay, stereo delay. Maybe to much...

Long synth (Pads, organ, violins)

• EQ, limiter
• Sent into long verb and music comp

Drums (the rest)

• 3 groups : kick, snare, aux
• Tape sat, EQ, comp. White noise to verbs on snares.
• Kick and snare to drum comp. Kick to short verb. Snare sent to a mix of short, medium and long verb. Aux into short verb.

Master bus : Kotelnikov into MS-EQ

Automation : VCA automation on FX. Volume adjustements.
In memorian of my subwoofer.

Omg, this mix is awesome! Love the dark feeling it has the vocals are also top level.

[Dodgingrain]

Here's my mix:https://1drv.ms/u/s!AqpB-RLndYJrj91qr91 ... Q?e=uybDxM


Enjoyed working on the track, it was really well done and a pleasure to work on. I went for a kind of Pet Shop Boys style.

Drums: Typical eq and compression, also did a gated snare effect to bring in some extra 90's synth pop vibe. The drum tracks have a few db of level increase as the track builds, nothing to drastic. Drums focused primarily on snares and kicks. Kicks had a little bit of transient work to bring out the hits a little more and duck the sub bass as well so they don't get lost.

Basses: Some eq work here to seperate the two bass tracks and some distortion on the stabs. Did the typical trick of driving the bass mono below around 150Hz and going a little wider over that. Some general level automation to let the volume of the sub bass build as the track progresses, drop a little during some of the breaks and then partly fade out at the end.

Arps: Not to much here other than some eq and a little bit of distortion, microshift, and delay on the synth motion track. Also used a plate reverb send for the synth motion track blended in heavily.

Guitars: Again mostly standard eq and a little bit of delay to add space. Used both the dry and wet tracks here. Tried to eq against the arps to give each some space.

Pads: Mostly eq with some chorus, delays, and reverb.

Vocals: Standard de-esser, some eq, couple of compressors and lots of reverb send to again give it a 90's synth pop feel with a lot of reverb. The vocal was well recorded and I don't think it needed any pitch correction which is great and saves a lot of work. Vocal also treated with an add track for parallel compression, modern pop sheen effect, and a couple of different delays. Some delays only brought in during chorus. Heavy delay used on the last line of the vocal to let it echo out.

Risers: Mostly added delays but also did a few things like on the last riser I added a reversal and crossfaded it with the original to let it ring out a little vs an abrupt stop.

[SuC76]

Hi to everybody on Mix Challenge.

Here's my mix:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/167Xjf- ... sp=sharing




KICKS - split into 2 tracks, stock eq, little of room reverb

SNARE - split into 2 tracks, 1176, stock eq, room reverb

Kick and Snare - parallel comp., stock eq lo and hi boost

BASS - split into two tracks, la3a, stock eq

PADS - subbed into one group, little bit of single eq and group eq, room rev. and some delays

VOCALS - split into 4 tracks, added little distortion, chorus, downpitch and automation




DAW: Ableton Live 9



Mixbus:
VTM Brit-N, UAD-Pultec, VTM

[elroms]

Here is my mix:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1TbnlmJ ... sp=sharing

Cheers!

[doobop]

Hi everybody,

here is my mix:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/8dy2dzkrk640r ... p.wav?dl=0

I've imagined this song without many reverbs and fx. So I took some kind of a dry approach..
I used a lot of EQ and Comps and short spaces.

Screenshot:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/ekxo479v882sx ... M.png?dl=0

Good luck to everybody!

[leslingle]

Thank you once again for another opportunity to stretch us engineers with a excellent "Mix Challenge" I thought I would take a analog approach on this mix by using a Studer Revox emulation of one of there two track tape machines to process this mix which I set it up on 30ips with ampex499 tape. (IK Multimedio) plugin. I used the console one by Softube on vocal and synth. using both SSL4000E and SSL9000G emulations. On low bass i used BassMint by Plugin Alliance (Unfiltered Audio) which gave it a nice sheen. I also used automation all effects chains with was 3 verbs and 2 delays. Most of the other instruments just needed some filtering to keep them clean and clear. Also the free plugin Boom by Plugin Alliance is great on kicks. Thanks again for providing this for free.
Les

https://www.dropbox.com/s/1bnhnrq3121ew ... e.wav?dl=0

[maxovrdrive]

Thank you Patrick Lord / Digital Genes for submitting your production to Mix Challenge.


https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ciKP4O ... sp=sharing


MIX NOTES:

SERUM - produce similar feel to the original reference
=> SERUMGROUP

SYNTHTOPS-SPARKLE - produce similar feel to the original reference
=> SYNLDGROUP

VOC - clarity, eq, comp, deesser
- aux send to saturation
- aux send to room
- aux send to plate
=> VOCGROUP

VIOLINS - altiverb
=> VIOLINSGROUP

SQHARSH
ARPEG-SQSOFT - eq
=> SQGROUP

SYNTHMOTION - eq, comp, ambience verb
=> SYNTHGROUP

PAPEN - eq, delay, tape flange
=> PAPENGROUP

PADHAUNTHIGH
PADBINGHIGH
PADHAUNT-PADBLUE - eq
=> PADSGROUP

BASSHOLD - aux send to bass sub
BASSSTABS - eq
=> BASSGROUP

HATS
RISE
DOWNER
CRASH
KICK2-SNARE2-HATS - eq
KICK1-SNARE1-INTERSNARE - eq
=> DRUMGROUP


SERUMGROUP - finishing eq
SYNLDGROUP - finishing eq
VOCGROUP - finishing eq
VIOLINGROUP - finishing eq
SQGROUP - finishing eq
SYNTHGROUP - finishing eq
PAPENGROUP - finishing eq
PADSGROUP - finishing eq/ leslie
BASSGROUP - finishing eq/ compression
DRUMGROUP - eq, compression, saturation, deesser

MASTER - compression for glue

[javiramallo]

Hello friends. Hope all of you are okay!
thnaks to Patrick and Mr Fox for let us enjoy mixing this song.

Here you have my attempt at mixing, I hope you like it.

MIX >>> https://drive.google.com/file/d/1vsXkz6 ... sp=sharing

I use Reaper DAW and not too many plugins.

This time the LOW END was especially difficult for me. It's such an important part of the song that it had to be (at least IMHO) its best.

On the other hand, the voice, although it was well tuned, I found it difficult to sound in a consistent way. I have had to use more automation than I would have liked to keep the inflections nice in the mix.

On the other hand, my main objective has been to achieve a clean and balanced mix, without more.

Hope you like it.

To be able to appreciate what processes I have used, I prefer to make a video because for me, telling that kind of thing in English is a great handicap!

Explanoatory video : https://drive.google.com/file/d/1cnTtGo ... sp=sharing


Cheers From SPain.

[Lemmonz]

Mix: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1iB0gin ... sp=sharing

Details: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/ ... sp=sharing

Started with rough balances and a couple plugins to get some sonic ideas in place until a rough production mix started to come together. Refined that further and then bussed it out to a fake tape/console setup for saturation/glue and focus on tracks working together. Mixed into plugins on the mix bus (light eq/compression/saturation/tape). Lots of going back and tweaking, moving forward, and all that. Screenshots show plugins and settings, edits made, FX, and automation moves.

Thanks to Patrick for letting us play around with the song!

[Arthur Labus]

Hello everybody !

Specs:
Tracks set to 0 VU. Izotope Neutrino and NLS Channel (Neve) on every instrument bus.

DRUMS:
u-he Protoverb (deep room), Variety Of Sound Thrillseeker VBL (vintage compressor) and Toneboosters TB Sibilance v3 (deEsser) on bus
Kick group: Black Rooster Audio VEQ-1P Pultech EQ (low end trick)
Snare 2: Voxengo Stereo Touch
Hats: Variety Of Sound RescueMK2 (tame highs), Audio Assault RM2 (tame highs), Ozone Imager
otherwise no treatment

BASS buss
Overloud Gem EQ550
Waves Scheps 73 (clean bass)
GVST GMonoBass (below 150 Hz)

Bass hold: Wavesfactory Trackspacer (sidechainBlack Rooster Audio VPRE-73 / Audio Assault Bass Grinder amp simulation / Bass Professor Mark II / Black Rooster Audio VEQ-1P Pultech EQ (low end trick)
Bass stabs: Waves CLA Bass (distortion, chorus FX)

VOCAL:
Spitfish De-Esser
Waves CLA Vocals (differing setting in places, mostly delay/reverb)
Luftikus EQ (adding Air and lowering some 2,5 kHz)
Toneboosters Sibilance v3 de-esser

GUITARS:
dry: Black Rooster Audio VHL-3C (Low cut 150 Hz)
wet: Black Rooster Audio VHL-3C (Low cut 500 Hz)
GMonoBass under 150 Hz
Toneboosters Sibilance v3 de-esser

Serum LEAD:
doubled track with Soundtoys Effect Rack (2x EchoBoy) / Variety of Sound Thrillseeker VBL and Sorround Pan
BUS: Waves CLA Effects (edgey solo), Audio Thing Valve Filter VF-1, Toneboosters Sibilance v3 de-esser

KEYS:
Violins - Variety of Sound Thrillseeker VBL
Synth tops - D16 Droup Sigmund delay (Epichoes)
Sparkle - Soundtoys Effect Rack (2x EchoBoy)
Downer - D16 Droup Sigmund delay (Tangerine Dream)
otherwise no treatment
BUS: Black Rooster Audio VHL-3C (Low cut 100 Hz, High cut 15kHz), Toneboosters Sibilance v3 de-esser, GMonoBass under 150 Hz

Lot of volume automation

Master Bus:
NLS Bus (Neve) analog summing, Acustica CoralEQ (pulling down some 350 Hz),Waves TG12345 console with subtle EQ, Density MkII compressor (glueing), Toneboosters ReelBus tape sim, Toneboosters Sibilance, Charly Limited analog gain, Barricade Limiter (just for sure), Youlean loudness Meter

WAV: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1NM-09C ... sp=sharing

WAV 24bit/44kHz round 2,2 dB headroom / loudness -17,1 LUFS

Good succes everybody !