Mix Challenge

It is the 25th December 2024, 00:05 UTC+1/CET - the first Mix Round has officially ended

A very warm welcome to all new participants, glad you found this place, nice meeting you and I hope you'll enjoy your stay. And an extended thank you to everyone that is spreading the word about the Mix Challenge.

Please also help get the Songwriting Competition as popular (SWC088 just ended, please look forward to SWC089 / "Community Scramble" in January 2025).


STATISTICS:

• If I didn't miscount, we have 73 submissions this month (73 prior to the deadline, with 58 of them prior to the extended deadline, plus 00 after the deadline, not counting re-submissions)
• the multi-tracks have been downloaded 119 times (regular compressed ZIP as of December 2024)
• We have 0 submissions after the deadline (as of 25-DEC-2024 00:15 UTC+1/CET, checked again 27-DEC-2024 10:00 UTC+1/CET)
• We have 6 submissions that could not be downloaded by the time of this post and are therefore disqualified (re-checked 25-DEC-2024 00:30 UTC+1/CET and again on 27-DEC-2024 10:00 UTC+1/CET)
• We have 1 submission not submitted properly or not submitted in public (e.g. submitted via SoundCloud or via PM - see Rule Book, post #6, Upload and Submission Guidelines)
• We have 0 submissions that has been withdrawn (entry counts as "submission within the deadline")

STATISTIC SHEETS:

• Overview of Submissions - is your entry within given parameters? (PDF - updated: 31-DEC-2024 22:47 UTC+1/CET)
• Overview of Submissions (disqualifications only) PDF - updated: 28-DEC-2024 10:37 UTC+1/CET)

INFORMATION:
The submitted entries will be checked again for accessibility and time stamps over the course of the next 48-72 hours (collection check)
Statistic Sheets have been updated (on 28-DEC-2024 10:35 UTC+1/CET)
Statistic Sheets are not available yet, please wait for the official announcement post -- sheets will arrive by mid 28-DEC-2024 latest
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⚠	Moderation Message from Mister Fox
	Our Song Provider for this month, @Mellow Browne, decided to go the "(Feedback for) Top 15" route. There might be additional feedback, but this is not a guarantee. We will keep you updated.

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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 Statistic Sheets, client feedback and Mix Round 2 participant announcement.

Good luck to all participants.





The Songwriting Competition 088 (SWC088) just ended.
There are 12 entries -- this month's theme: "Space" (Picture Theme), genre: free to select

Please spread the word, get involved, and just make music!




EDIT: 25-DEC-2024 00:05 UTC+1/CET - initial post
EDIT: 26-DEC-2024 08:05 UTC+1/CET - Corrections in initial statistics, Statistic Sheets not yet available
EDIT: 28-DEC-2024 10:40 UTC+1/CET - Statistic Sheets posted
EDIT: 30-DEC-2024 22:25 UTC+1/CET - Statistic Sheets updated (slight correction in column "Additional Information")
EDIT: 31-DEC-2024 22:47 UTC+1/CET - Statistic Sheets updated (slight correction in column "Additional Information")

Hello and Merry Christmas all,

thank you so much for participating and sharing information about your mix process but also about your mixing environment, which is really nice to know. This was SO helpful to evaluate your mixes! I hope you had fun while working on the mix. I'm really thankful for this opportunity as a Song Provider which helped me to understand things a bit better concerning translation, depth, dynamics, tone and all other aspects regarding a mix.

I just wanted to let you guys know that I will give feedback to ALL mixes, I already made this decision before the games started. I just need to evaluate the last few mixes and I'm also curious about @Mister Fox Statistic Sheet.

Let's see how quick I get things finished but I promise you won't have to wait two weeks before the game continues! And I will be very honest with you guys.

CUL8A!

PS: thanks for the kind words about the song, I really put some effort in this track and I think this is by far the "best" Hip Hop production I made so far.

The "Overview of Submissions" PDFs have been uploaded.
You can check them through the upper post (post #111).



The Statistic Sheet is used to give an overview of all entries, and whether or not they are within given parameters (loudness, sampling rate, bitrate, proper filename). This is adding to the overall learning process of the "Mix(ing) Challenge". Please take note that creating this sheet is not a fully automated process. I am using Wavelab 10's "Batch Analysis" tool (EBU R-128 specs / equivalent to ITU-R BS.1770-4), but the overall layout and highlighting issues/mishaps, not to mention triple checking files and time stamps, is time consuming. If you do not find yourself on this list, please let me know.

Please keep in mind, your mix being "tagged disqualified" (a bold "X" on the Statistic Sheet), does not mean "you're out of the game" (exceptions do apply). For more information on the Statistic Sheet and the "Wild Card" Mechanic, please consult the following addendum thread:

Mix Challenge - Addendum: Statistic Sheet and Wild Card Mechanic



Statistics Addendum:

⚠	Moderation Message from Mister Fox
	We have a disqualification rate of 27,40% for MC101 / December 2024 (73 entries, 20 disqualifications, 00 "Out of Competition" submission not counting). Compared to last month, MC100 / October 2024 was at 15,45%. As usual, many of these disqualifications are due to not paying attention to detail (careless mistakes), e.g.: wrong sampling rate or bitrate, loudness specs, lack of documentation, and not properly using the provided filename template (also see the provided "TL;DR Rules.txt" file, etc). There are also a high number of entries that could not be downloaded, or were in the wrong file format. On average (35 months of tracking), we currently have a disqualification rate of 25,98% (compared to last game's 25,94% avg), the rate is slightly increasing again. The disqualification rate over the course of the last 12 games (February 2023 to December 2024) is about 27,35% (previously 26,96%) and is also increasing again. I more than strongly recommend all participants to pay attention to each Mix Pack bundled "TL;DR Rules.txt".

A commentary on this month's entries:

I would like to extend a welcome to all new participants who have found their way to our little community. It is also great to see previous users revisiting the game. I hope this Mix(ing) Challenge was once again interesting, and you enjoy your stay.


As stated in previous Mix(ing) Challenges, future detailed "follow-up posts" will be a rare occurrence. These posts take up a lot of time, and I can only get so much done in the day. This section will eventually vanish in 2025 and you have to learn how to read the provided PDFs.

Please still have an eye on the following:

• There were too many entries that could not be downloaded, or vanished mid game. Don't just "upload", post a link, and then walk away. Triple check with another device and/or when you are logged out of your browser that the file is really accessible, even after the deadline (at least until the start of Mix Round 2).
• You do not(!) need to rewrite the provided Filename Template yourself. Just copy/paste and replace "ForumUsername" after the two underscores with your username that you have on the Mix Challenge community forum. Check for white spaces or misplaced double-underscores prior to uploading.
• The Multitrack Mix Pack bundled TL;DR Rules.txt explicitly mentions that space should be left at the beginning and end of a mix. Do not edit shorter than the specified minimum. This is mentioned for a reason.
• To those that use DAW with "Automatic Loudness Normalization during rendering" (more and more DAWs do this, and this is apparent with all entries that are exactly at -16,0 LUFS ILk), please be aware that this happens after(!) the file has been rendered, which can result in unwanted overshots. Triple check that everything is in order before uploading the file. This also means that you should check the sampling rate and bitrate again. do not use any mechanisms for "automatic loudness normalization" and leave a headroom of at least -0.5 LU (-16,5 LUFS ILk) and -2,00 dBTP. Especially if your "safety limiter" is not ISP safe.
• The idea of "documenting" serves as an additional learning factor for the community. This is reminiscent of the days when people used to write down on large sheets of paper (templates) how a channel strip was set up, which effect units were used and what settings they had. With the Mix Challenge, you don't have to go into so much detail. In fact, it's not helpful to just post a list of the gear you used. Neither does a generalization of what you did ("a bit of automation, a bit of tidying up, hope you like it, feedback welcome"). You are asked to merely document one sound you enjoyed sculpting. For example - the lead vocal and the chorus vocals. Go into detail, share tips. Talk about what you think others should pay attention to.

To close this out.

I am happy and grateful that we had the chance to work on such a unique production. Yet I am a little disappointed by the high Disqualification Rate once again. In fact, if MC101 had run for the regular time frame, there would have been only 58 entries and 15 disqualifications. However, this is still a Disqualification Rate of 25,86 %. And I do not understand why this is still a recurring theme - especially from regulars.

Granted - mistakes can happen. And unlike other games of this type, with the "Mix(ing) Challenge" you have the interaction with the "client" (Song Provider), and are made aware of your slight mistakes. You may even get the chance to fix them with a follow-up Mix Round. However, I really can not do any more reminders than in the multiple starting posts, the bundled TL;DR TXTs and the Newsletter. The participants always have detailed information how a finished mix has to be provided. Everything is is really explained in minute detail. It is at your own discretion to pay attention.

As closing words for this section -- once more thank you to everyone that invested time with this month's game. And an additional thank you to everyone that keeps spreading the word about the Mix Challenge. I hope you could learn something, and had fun in the process.

See you in the next challenge.
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I now (re-)open the field for everyone to give each other feedback (highly encouraged). This will be independent to the client feedback however. Though please note - (harsh / misplaced) criticism on the rule set and angry posts will be deleted without further notice.


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

This will ideally happen sometime within the next 14 days (starting tomorrow).

We (as in: the Song Provider and I) will keep you updated, and of course send out appropriate reminder newsletters!




EDIT: 28-DEC-2024 11:45 UTC+1/CET - initial post

The bitrate I have no excuse for, however, the peak I am irritated about. I spent quite a bit of time rerendering my mix to get it to render even at -1 in Reaper only to see you somehow got a -0.8. Is there any other tools we can use to check this besides your Wavelab 10 program? As I check the site now and they are on version 12 and its not cheap software.

I wanted as much peak as possible because in music like this I feel its extremely important for the bass to have those heavy transients.

Just looking for better tools to compete in these contests in the future, thanks.

@Paramnesia https://www.masteringthemix.com/products/expose-2
I'm using version 1 though, it was always correct.

I am using Wavelab 10, since this offers me batch processing and export as a .csv file, which I then hand-edit with scripts (filename and trimming excessive data) and color codes until it results in the known Statistic Sheets design. There aren't many tools that do this (in fact, I only know of two).


To those that want to cross-reference the Wavelab 10 readouts:
The two tools I trust and that are among the most accurate, are Youlean Loudness Meter, and of course NUGEN Audio with MasterCheck or VisLM.

Youlean Loudness Meter v2.x Free will definitely do the trick. Use either the EBU R128 preset, or the ITU-R BS.1770-x preset. There shouldn't be a higher tolerance offset than +-0,1 LU (LUFS ILk readout) or +-0,02 dBTP (True Peak readout). If in doubt, always export lower (more quiet). I do not recommend to "hit the exact maximum allowed values" as as stated in the rule book - tolerances/offsets in measurement tools are still a huge topic. If Youlean Loudness Meter 2 reads -16,1 LUFS ILk and -1,1 dBTP, you're golden.


Your DAW might have a solution as well, but I recommend using a third party tool that is trustworthy:
Steinberg Cubase for example has a built-in Loudness Meter on the Master Bus, and higher tier versions of that DAW also have the "SuperVision" suite. Apple Logic Pro has a dedicated loudness meter, Presonus Studio One has the "Level Meter", Cockos Reaper has the JS: Loudness Meter, Ableton Live has M4L Add-ons, ProTools sadly doesn't come shipped with anything of those sorts.


Sidenote:
Most DAW have Digital Peak Meters, not True Peak Meters. If your Digital Peak Meter shows -1,0 dBFS, and depending on how "Inter-sample Peak" safe your safety limiter is, that might result in overshots on a True Peak Meter. Which is what I assume happened here with your entry, @Paramnesia.

My 2 cents:
In my experience there can be up to 0.5 db discrepancies between between different True Peak Limiters and also different Isp analyzers and metering tools. If I want to be 100% sure I don't "get measured" over -1dbTp I set to at least -1.5 db if not -2.

Thanks for the tips everyone I'll look into this and definitely pick up that free tool! I also wasn't aware that it was common for discrepancies. I'm quite obviously an amateur here thank goodness we have some pros to help out!

On render it had a column for peak which is what I was following, however I checked the metering on the master bus and noticed there was a checkbox for "Oversampled Peaks "True Peaks" that was unchecked after doing this it read 0.9 instead of 1 so clearly I was using my instruments wrong.

Thank you to everyone for helping me correct this and thank you Mister Fox for the lesson and learning opportunity I'll have this solved for the next one!

I have some critque:
If you complain about naming the files incorrectly, please give an example in the guidelines and don't refer to some none existing txt file.

1 question:
how do you measure dBTP?

J.Golden12345 wrote: ↑

Sun Dec 29, 2024 01:15 CET

I have some critque:
If you complain about naming the files incorrectly, please give an example in the guidelines and don't refer to some none existing txt file.

First and foremost - you keep ignoring a PM from 04th December regarding the filename of your mix (and you presenting yourself as Paramnesia until your filename edit on 05-DEC-2024), from the administrator / host of these games no less. Which actually also listed how your file should have been named.

And then you state that there is no existing TXT file (which is bundled with the Multitrack Mix Pack, the file is called "TL;DR Rules.txt"), neither any mention of the filename template as part of the game thread (see post #002/Rule Summary and post #003), or the Rule Book.

This is quite bold.


There is nothing to critique / complain. Everything is / has been explained in minute detail. By joining the Mix(ing) Challenge (game), you agreed to adhere to the given Rules and Guidelines. I kindly ask you to please pay more attention to detail.

J.Golden12345 wrote: ↑

Sun Dec 29, 2024 01:15 CET

1 question:
how do you measure dBTP?

See the upper post (post #116).