MIX CHALLENGE - MC073 February 2021 - Winners announced

[stefanos]

I have never the intension to confuse anyone with what i am saying and if i did i am sorry, in a matter of fact i wanted the exact opposite..
I just wanted the people that love to mix songs, and not be one of many engeneers that lack of musicality, to not stuck in that ideas.(rules that doesnt mean they agree with them because they follow them)

And because its your place that i dont agree i kick my self out Mistery Fox.

[Ollio]

I apologize for fueling the fire even though I myself suggested to take it elsewhere. Thank you Mister Fox, looking forward to MC074 and good vibes from now on!

[Mister Fox]

For further reference:
We have a Mix Challenge - General Gossip Thread for off-topic commentary, constructive criticism and feedback.

Just like the Rules and Guidelines, it's been linked in the 2nd post of each corresponding game thread. The same request of respectful behavior applies for the whole forum though. Please keep that in mind.



I once more try to open the field for constructive feedback amongst participants.
Else, this month's Song Provider will (ideally) comment within the next 14 days and we can start with Mix Round 2.

[Dodgingrain]

To me part of the challenge of mixing this track was its flatness (lack of large dynamic changes in the arrangement along with the sampled drums and lack of vocals). To me a perfect example is the chorus didn't lift in the rough mix and that transition wasn't satisfying in the original set of tracks. As a mixing engineer that's exactly the sort of thing we should be addressing either by recommending to the artist that they go back and work that section again or by figuring out how to create the lift going into the chorus through stuff like automation, eq changes, efx changes and so on. If there isn't enough dynamics in the track then as a mixing engineer we can fix some of that and create them. Honestly I don't think I succeeded with my mix in fixing that transition, or at least not as much as I would like anyway.

I think with the rough mix it sounded like they tried to get around the problem with the transition into the chorus by keeping the mix pretty narrow in the verse and then going wider. While that seemed an option I think it really let down the verses so I didn't go that route.

I'm really curious to see the feedback on this track from the artist. I would also be curious to hear how others attempted to fix that transition into the chorus. To me going into the chorus needs to be an event that the listener looks forward to, I didn't get that feeling in the rough mix and had trouble coming up with a good solution. Either that or I just don't understand the genre which could entirely be the case too!

[Ollio]

To me part of the challenge of mixing this track was its flatness (lack of large dynamic changes in the arrangement along with the sampled drums and lack of vocals). To me a perfect example is the chorus didn't lift in the rough mix and that transition wasn't satisfying in the original set of tracks. As a mixing engineer that's exactly the sort of thing we should be addressing either by recommending to the artist that they go back and work that section again or by figuring out how to create the lift going into the chorus through stuff like automation, eq changes, efx changes and so on. If there isn't enough dynamics in the track then as a mixing engineer we can fix some of that and create them. Honestly I don't think I succeeded with my mix in fixing that transition, or at least not as much as I would like anyway.

I think with the rough mix it sounded like they tried to get around the problem with the transition into the chorus by keeping the mix pretty narrow in the verse and then going wider. While that seemed an option I think it really let down the verses so I didn't go that route.

I'm really curious to see the feedback on this track from the artist. I would also be curious to hear how others attempted to fix that transition into the chorus. To me going into the chorus needs to be an event that the listener looks forward to, I didn't get that feeling in the rough mix and had trouble coming up with a good solution. Either that or I just don't understand the genre which could entirely be the case too!

I think you got the hang of it, and I agree: the transitions from one section to the other are where most of the emotional response of the listener happens and those moments are crucial! They can really make or break a song. As for the genre, this song actually isn't in a typical post-rock form structure-wise. The genre itself has a very broad spectrum of styles, but the songs are usually out of the basic pop song form with an emphasis on crescendos and a big climax. Here we have a song clearly with a chorus, so IMO it definitely should pop out like in a pop song.

[m_tree]

My solution for the transition to and 'lift' of the chorus was the master-volume (automation) and the use of reverb and delays. Untypical for common approaches, I mixed the verses more wet than the choruses for this song. Just because it 'feels' right to me that way.
I panned the rhythm guitars 100% l/r over the whole song.

And I think the bridge with the djembe and additional synths is a very good transition to the chorus, relating to the arrangement only. In my opinion this is the most difficult part here to mix, referring to it's function between verse and chorus.

[Pemberley]

I agree that emphasizing a contrast between the verses and choruses was a challenge here, partly due to the unique arrangement of the track. You mentioned that the level of dynamic range was a bit steady, which I think is a useful observation, but I think it's usefully high. My approach was to use a light touch on the verses to let them breathe, keeping the transients quick and delicate, and contrast with a more squashed chorus (especially in percussion).

[dnlptn]

Rather than the transition from verse to chorus, I was more focused on trying to give the end solo section the lift. I found it challenging to make it sound bigger and different to the other choruses.

[Mister Fox]

A short information for everyone:
Since there are still arguments about "rules", I am now moving any additional comment over to the Mix Challenge - General Gossip without any further notice.

[Coiled_Ear]

Hopefully the results will come soon!