Mix Challenge

A short update on the Submission Overview (Statistics) and the "Wild-Card mechanic" test run.
You can both through the upper post (post #105).


I just updated the PDFs and added @Edu Cesar's submission in WAV form, due to mishap in posting the correct links in the entry post (this is not a re-submission in "traditional sense", but a correction - only an MP3 file was posted with the original post, resulting in a disqualification because no WAV file was present).


There has also been some healthy and constructive conversation on the new game mechanic we're currently testing. I took the criticism to heart, also already talked about this with the song provider for MC075. We've decided that "a wrong file format" does indeed count as "a honest slip up". Therefore there is a slight adjustment to the mechanic.

As of this moment, only the following does not make it possible for you to advance into Round 2, even with a possible "wild card".

• if your material could not be downloaded
• has been re-uploaded prior to the end of Mix Round 1
• has been submitted after the deadline (initial entry!)
• or has been withdrawn due to personal reasons

Please keep up the conversation about this mechanic test run in the General Gossip thread. The test run will continue until end of June 2021.


Please have an eye on this thread for the global feedback and Mix Round 2 announcements.

Mix Challenge - Round 2

Hi all:
Firstly, I want to thank each and every one of you for your time, creativity, and effort! It means so much to me - as a songwriter, musician, and as a human being.

Just so you know, I didn’t read the mix notes or any feedback comments before listening to the mixes. I didn’t want to colour my perception because it’s the result, not the tools that ultimately matter.

So. A few broad issues that were the most common....and open to improvement:
-Consistency in the sonic signature. As in the brightness and bottom end from section to section. Verses to chorus.
-Definition of the chorus vocals. These eat up a lot of space. So does everything else in the chorus, but it’s about making the puzzle pieces fit together to reduce masking. So EQ is preferable over compressors and saturators here I think. This section needs hard carving to come alive.
-Amplifying the emotional impact of the sections. This also refers to how something such as reverb brightness or its decay affects the listeners visceral response. But volume is always the most effective tonal shaping EQ we have.
-Uniting the vocals to the backing band. This applies mostly to the acoustic sections and effects. Ideally it can be spacey and weird but still feel like a band performing.

So one common attribute in a lot of these mixes, and it’s partly due to the soft verse vocal delivery plus the Saturn saturation track, versus me essentially hitting the 1176 compressor input much louder & harder while recording the chorus vocals (which tends to darken up a stacked performance as well).
As a result the chorus vocals are often coming off much warmer, further back, and less intelligible than the single lead vocal.
The chorus is still a first person narration. I would have loved to have a real & varied choir singing backup. Maybe like in Another Brick in the Wall. To my ear it should be as if the chorus lead is joined in by more voices, and they should retain most of that same presence. Think classic Queen too. Except here I’m just one singer, and I can’t sing like they can...

I think the same applies to the different drum sections. I know it’s often easier to make fewer instruments sound bigger, but the chorus is our payoff.
It’s a toggle between a classic sort of 70’s tight kit and then these modern, in your face samples. It’s a difficult mashup to transition well. But, they must compliment each other and again the chorus must sound bigger and harder than the acoustic instrument dominated sections.
Don’t be afraid to build that chorus wall of sound. Use the full range of the frequency spectrum, width, and depth. Think about the overall dynamics and flow like a left to right graph of intensity.

Tension and release is our friend and goal here. Can you make the listener feel those two principles?

Pick the elements that speak to you most, and drive the melody and point home...
Ride the master fader if necessary, but remain within the loudness tolerance.

Brian Eno working with Bowie said -
“Stop thinking about artworks as objects, and start thinking about them as triggers for experiences.”

I forgot to note whether each piano intro was replaced. It’s a relatively small thing, but was part of the ‘task’ - so please include it for this round...

If you need any clarity regarding my comments or going forward I’m happy to assist.

Thanks again for all your efforts!!!


———————————————————

Photonic

https://www.dropbox.com/s/e1ywsqjtfdqpd ... c.wav?dl=0

Intro Piano could be brighter and more married to the vocal.
LV sould be ridden to follow the buildup. It gets lost in the places like the bridge (1:57)
Add top end to CH Vox at 1:19. These are duller than then the other tracks and need a tweak.

Great verse vocal sound and ambience! Piano & vox feel a bit disjointed.
Sorry. That gritty distortion on the verse guitar @:41 is masking and stepping on the vocal too much. Try other effect.
@:57 noise on acoustic track?
Feel free to use my Flutter & Wow track 66 VS BG FX.

CH vox a touch too distant. Too soft. Good blend though!

Bass is a little too round. I hear some noises and compression artifacts.
70’s Drums sound great. Kik and hat kind of loud. 70’s kick and bass could lock together better. Both are quite round.
CH bass great.
Chorus drums soft and disjointed in the soundscape.
Chorus feels a little lifeless in comparison to other sections, increase its energy please.

———————-

studjo

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

The Intro piano radio eq is very interesting. How about trying a similar effect on the lead vocal until the bass and electric piano come in...to have them in the same surreal emotional space.

Mix sounds big. Clear. Good energy!
Chorus vocals needs focusing. Presence. They need to feel closer to the listener to impart their intensity.
70’s drums far too clicky. Too pinched or overcompressed. Maybe more OH or room is needed. They’re not breathing or meshing with the bass well.
Maybe blend the bass sub better beginning at 2:54 or automate the sub effect.
Bottom end in the verses is very powerful. The Chorus doesn’t expand on that. Chorus kik needs more impact & clarity & volume.
Verses sound clean and close. Chorus loses that presence.
2:54 piano sounds mushy and distant. This is an intimate part. Ride the piano verb and DDL
Balances are 80% there. Focus on the vocal levels. Ch vox too low. Too wet.
Bass gets boomy and & overwhelming at 3:25 and other spots.
Following choruses feels anticlimactic.
Buss compression too aggressive?

Good vocal. Great bass! It sits a little high though.

Melody vox is sort of veiled.
Great thick CH drums!

Good job!

———————————

orbital58

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1aUl-wH ... sp=sharing

Intro vocal is too wet specifically in the high mids. Maybe try a short predelay on the reverb? Dry it up a bit in the beginning and build it up and into the chorus. Maybe a touch shorter or darker plate.
Maybe less ~8k more 800-1k in LV. Make it more in your face. And a silkier top end.
Plate return needs eq to focus it, and to remove unimportant frequencies.
You can also use my 66 VS BG FX DDL track @56

Nice chorus vocal! Bit wet especially on the low register vocals.. Ride and EQ the reverb return for clarity.
Acoustics very nice but much too boomy in the chorus ~150hz. Try Mid/Side high pass needed?
70’s drums missing the backbeat impact after the fill. Scooped feeling and no oomph from the kit. Too thin ~200-800hz
Piano comp attack too fast. Let more transient through. It’s choking the sound a little.
@2:53 decrease the overall volume to increase the dynamic juxtaposition.
A lot of elements are too squashed. The compressors aren’t breathing, they’re stifling.

Piano nice
Overall levels great.
Very good & big chorus blend!!
Drums a little low & thin

———————————-

RodA - Wildcard

https://www.dropbox.com/s/21br8lcs8i1j9 ... _.wav?dl=0

The intro piano is overcompressed. Slow the compressor attack & quicken the release to allow more transient through to match the vocal bite.
LV could use a little more weight to balance out the top end.

Awesome feeling when the bass comes in. Deep bass! 8ve down. Cool!! Just needs riding.

Can you mute the electric piano DDL at the beginning of flutter @:58. There’s too many elements distracting you at that point.

Chorus is a bit messy. Beautiful acoustic guitars. Song feels fast - which implies great energy! But this mix needs better clarity overall.
Can you match the low end force of the chorus to make the sections flow together a bit more.
Lead vocal reverb is masking. Too much low frequency bloom.

LV @1:33 The reverb is feeling a bit too tiled room as opposed to warm plate or chamber. A bit splashy in the high mids. Marry it to the vocal more.

70’s kit lacking depth & low mids. Not sitting enough with the rest of the band.

Elec piano nice DDL but maybe ride the send or return and use it more sparingly throughout. Use it where it’s only most effective and can actually be heard.

Crash needs a hi pass filter.
The chorus vocals get more lost as song progresses...
Mix needs clarity in the midrange and a dryer bottom end.
Bass 8ve lows need to be tightened up and unified with its the amp sound. Maybe automate the Sub 8ve blend to keep it balanced when it starts resonating.

Awesome potential. Please continue...

———————————-

Frequency Painter

https://www.dropbox.com/s/mld0vng2o9t31 ... r.wav?dl=0

Really enjoyed the creativity on display!!
The Piano intro & Vocal aren’t feeling like they are in the same performance space though. Vocal obviously is very compressed. Almost spitty. Aim for more smoothness.

Bass is missing some deeper depth even though it’s quite round.

2nd verse. FX too loud. Too narrow too.
Love the FX ideas, but there’s a line between potent and overwhelming. Just tuck them in a bit.
The Vocal is getting lost in the bridge. @2:00 It’s feeling very far back in the soundstage.
Reverb needs to be tailored more to the vocal spectrum, especially in the chorus.
But the impact is fantastic!
@3:00 & 3:07 has FX crackles. Nice FX though.
70’s drums a bit boxy.

Whole mix just little wild regarding the balances. Bit too FX wet - which affects clarity.
Essentially reign in the FX just a bit. We can all hear them just fine. Haha.

Outro Piano is great. Fantastic vocal treatment @2:58!
You just automated the effect mix 100 to 0% correct?

Excellent blend. Faithful to reference which is ok I guess. LV 2nd verse too much FX

Ch vox great! Play with automating the reverb send - feel free to bring the Vox closer or farther depending on the surrounding instruments. Perhaps notch some mids out or hipass the reverb return for more CH vocal intimacy.

Great CH drums. Tight. Is the CH kick off to the left a few degrees though?

Great effort!

——————————-

kirurg

https://www.dropbox.com/s/nv6a3wyxnvj0y ... g.wav?dl=0

Good piano. Could use a little more weight and ambience though. Great vocal sound. Could use just a few more rides to keep it on top and sitting in front of the band.
Mix builds nicely.
Lovely treatment on electric piano!
Noise at 1:03?

Beautiful sounding descending acoustic line in chorus. I like that.
70’s snare needs a bit more low mid heft.
Distortion in electric piano FX envelop filter before 2nd chorus. @2:30. Please clean up.
@2:48. Chorus refrain needs to feel fuller.
@3:48 CH vocals become anemic. Maybe raise the harmonies here.
@4:16 More chorus heft in general. The first chorus feels more powerful than the subsequent ones.
Jazz bass transients @3:07 become distracting.

Balances are great! Vocal sounds great!
The obvious automation effort makes the track sing. Made a massive difference.
Interesting that you featured the CH melody so much over the other harmonies. It didn’t occur to me to start building up that way. I like it. But maybe push up the high harmonies in the last choruses as a crescendo and variation.
Chorus drums great, maybe a bit louder even.

Maybe the mix to beat!

——————————-

maxovrdrive

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

Good piano weight and intimacy with the intro vocal. Intro piano chorusing is a bit pitchy though, the detuning or modulation depth is a bit too deep.

Transients on the electric piano @:30 sounds like a small dense tiled room verb. The attack comes across as smeared and noisy. Doesn’t really sit in with the bass attack.

Flutter section acoustics feel a little brittle. More high mid body than pick strum and resonance. Needs weight. Warmth.

Mix mids in general need attention. Crucial 600hz-3.5k instrument range needs more clarity and punch. Feels hollow and a touch harsh in places.

70’s drums come across a papery. I hear a big scoop out of lower mids. It creates space but maybe just cutting has gone too far. The saturation is making the kit smaller, not bigger in this case.

Chorus vocals too narrow & too thin. Missing the same impact and feels smaller and less important compared to verse vocals. Chorus Acoustic guitar in mono lacks good transients and is very hollow sounding. Phase cancellation I guess?

The verse vocal really hugs you - can you make the chorus vocals do that too?

Then make the instruments support and hug the voice. Many elements seem to be in different acoustic spaces.

There great potential here though...
Kill it.

——————————-

AndyM - Wildcard

https://signalflowau-my.sharepoint.com/ ... g?e=0Slavj

Intro piano is a bit boxy.
Very nice vocal sound! Maybe a touch more of 6 or 12K. Or maybe it just riding the levels more for intelligibility during the LV piano outro section
Nice sonic signature.
Chorus vocals are a touch muddy. ~300-600hz

Could I hear a little more pick attack on the acoustic guitar, or less boom around 400hz in the flutter & wow section?
Chorus acoustics sound fantastic!

Great balances. V2 synths awesome!
70s Kick feels just a bit loud and clicky. Too much point. Very Talking Heads in the 80’s if you know what I mean.

The Choruses feel a little far away at times. But have a very nice blend. Play with the reverb depth within the sections and chorus to chorus. And feel free to juice the chorus vocal levels for even more impact.

Bottom end in chorus kicks is a little undefined and too round. Think less beach ball, more chest thump. Match it to the hard snare and clap vibe.
It may also be pumping your compressor or sidechaining weird at the end. I can hear the release. It feels uncoupled from the mix for some reason.

A really good mix Andy. Come back for round two!!

—————————

Christoph_K

https://www.dropbox.com/s/xfxs96h2c5u4m ... K.wav?dl=0

Great piano. And intro. LV slap delay is a bit loud and bright. Consider notching out some mids in your vocal FX returns to let them sit around and not right on top of the lead vocal, if that makes sense.

Love the building energy. And presence.

Chorus vocals need a 1-2.5db boost. Kick some ass.

Bass nice and warm. Flutter section great!!
Ch vox good effects. Chorus bass is too thin though.
Great energy. Great flow
Piano slap a bit much at times.
Push the entire Chorus volume up for better impact if necessary.
70’s snr is a bit loud. Kit needs low mids for better punch. Not getting the drum tone. Just drum snap.

Ch drums very good. But I hear the compressor making it smaller not bigger.

Very creative take!!
Please automate and ride the effects. They overwhelm in places. Make it flow. They need to be integrated better to add & not distract the vocal performance.
This mix needs to feel more unified.

Excellent effort!

—————————

KrissK

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1d4orPd ... sp=sharing

Nice open in your face present vocal.
The piano feels comparatively thin in the intro though. Unify the two elements.

Mix has a nice sonic signature. Could use some judicious low mid bass cleaning up.
Build each section in intensity leading up to the chorus. Such as verse electric guitar. Bigger Acoustic guitars.
Bass is a very good anchor here. Little loud and boomy at the outro section though. Automation needed.

Applause up please.

Nice CH vox sound! Needs even more presence though. And/or ~+2db fader volume.
CH Synth Bass a little thin, it should have the same relative loudness as the Jazz Bass.
Chorus drums have an awesome punch. Can you give the chorus a little more sub action and impact please?

Nice sounding 70s drums but they could sit in the track a little more. Love the presence but the snare is too papery and loud. Needs thwack and movement. Maybe try a parallel compressor like 1176 all buttons in or equivalent to bring up the drum ambience. Or more OH or Room.

Cool V2 synth space!
Chorus seems to be lacking bottom end compared to verses.

A fantastic verse lead vocal sound that sits well. Don’t <beep> with it.
Make the chorus vocal sound that good!!

—————————————

SuC76

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1sx1EuQ ... sp=sharing

Nice piano space & Vox blend. Could be a bit warmer overall.

LV vocal may have too much ~1K

Pull down Saturn just a hair maybe boost 14k. It’s a bit spitty, bit nasally. Upper mids lack clarity. Maybe it’s the way it’s hitting the compressor so hard. It’s subtle though but I can hear it.

The LV also needs riding, and more volume in bridge.

Bass a bit light. Needs more sub weight. Acoustics just a bit dark. Could use some sparkle.

Ch Vox. Needs more force, energy, power, pressure.
The vocals feel secondary to the instruments.
Really great 70’s drum sound. But chorus drums aren’t as bright nor as present.
CH kik feels like a there’s side chain issue? Or. Low end headroom is eating up mix buss comp. especially in the last chorus, something feels off.
CH low synth is lost too.

Great Potential! You’ve gotten excellent clarity and separation in the mids - particularity in the verses.

Maybe add a little more weight and gravitas to the mix overall to make it more intimate. Like a compressed pultec or something tubey in parallel?
Warm up the foundation a bit. Great mix!!

—————————————

White Punk OD

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1lzthi5 ... sp=sharing

Tape hiss audible at head. Don’t need that, it’s not really the 70’s.

Piano is too midrangey yet dampened feeling.

Maybe extend the pianos frequency range a little to make it feel likes it’s sharing the same intro vocal space. Give it more attack and depth without squashing it.

The LV intro reverb & DDL are smearing the vocal around 1-2k and the FX is a bit bright. Or loud.

Whole mix just a bit dark and lacking energy. Electric guitar can come up quite a lot.
Each section should have an increasing perception of energy leading to the chorus as a climax.

Acoustics are a little boomy @~100hz in chorus.
Mix low mids need work for better clarity. Chorus bottom end could be more impactful. Bigger. Harder.

Cool bass DDL - needs few cents less detune or depth though to keep the Vox from seeming pitchy.
Acoustics strum too quiet. Build the energy.

CH vocal actually a little loud in 1st chorus! ~1db. But it’s the right idea!!
Vocals get lost by the last chorus however.

Good 70’s drum sound, snare is blurred though. Either its reverb is too wide or it’s losing that great thwack but it’s sitting a just little far back in the soundscape.

The Chorus drums can come up to match the verse drum intensity.

Applause are too loud.
Some effects are randomly overbearing in outro vocal. Vocal feels slight disjointed from the band.

‘Get more’ space sounds hollow, unnatural.
LV De esser issues!! Too obvious.
Prefer chorus treatment to verses, so concentrate on improving that.

‘Love me’ at the end is too loud. The song is winding down at this point. He’s desperate here, so it should be very intimate.

Great effort! Great potential.

———————————

tiagogardner - Wildcard

https://www.dropbox.com/s/imkvg46m5cy0j ... r.wav?dl=0

Piano needs more top end excitement and energy.
Intro LV feels closed in. Maybe increase the space around the box it in each new section. It’s very upfront but a little too midrangey
Address the mix mids. Open up the top end. Extend low end.

1:07 weird DDL feedback is distracting.
Interesting balancing. Good 1st chorus.
Vocal @1:42 and other places getting lost.
Verse guitar a touch thick.
Great bridge. Maybe needs a bit shorter snare reverb.
Cool 2nd Chorus mute! Maybe just make the edit sound more natural, slightly less abrupt.
CH Vocals need a little more brightness & volume. Chorus vocal saturation is introducing some artifacts.
808 thump addition @3:08? This section works better with the 3 elements I think, plus the challenge has rules about arrangement changes. Thanks.
Outro piano louder than drums and Vox. Rebalance this please...

———————————

Blang - Wildcard

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

Intro Piano lacks high end detail and space. Boxy, veiled.
Intro vocal almost scratchy and not vibing. It works better with electric keys, but LV top end isn’t very smooth.

Good mix. Needs it’s elements to be somewhat more unified though. The effects needs to serve, not overwhelm the mix. Try greater use of width and depth. Darker means farther. Closer means brighter.
Verse electric guitar distortion doesn’t work for me. Sorry. Try something else on it.
Very cool flutter and wow section though!

Great chorus vocal sound! But the verse vocal is louder. That should be the opposite.
Very upfront LV. Needs some automation riding.
Reign in FX. Effects needs to be at a more appropriate level in most instances. To serve not distract.
70’s drums little dark & boxy.
Strings and choir elements lost in mix.
Guitar @2:21 too chorused.
2nd chorus effect little loud.
Good flow.
Great Ch kik.
Crystallizer? @2:58 becomes distracting.

Has great potential!

———————————

Ok. Have fun!!!


Additional mix entries....

GmfSongs wrote: ↑

Thu May 06, 2021 21:44 CEST

Mix Challenge - Round 2

I did make notes for every mix submitted - so if you’re curious I’d be happy to share my thoughts on your round 1 mix. Let me know...

I would think most would welcome any info

You can use the spoiler, like below Congrats to those who made it through to Round 2

Thank you for handling the evaluation, @GmfSongs.

Ladies and gentlemen, let us kick off Mix Round 2, which will end on Wednesday, 12-MAY-2021 23:59 UTC+2/CEST

As of this moment, that is a bit more than 5 days. All Mix Round 2 participants will be sent a reminder via mail, as this has been the case for a couple of month now.


There is a GLOBAL COUNTDOWN available to check for deadlines.
Just follow this link: Global Countdown (on homepage)



The following 14 participants go into Round 2 (alphabetical order), with "wild-cards" being pointed out.
(all Mix Round 2 participants should have been pinged)

@AndyM (wild card)
@Blang (wild card)
@Christoph_K
@Frequency Painter
@kirurg
@KrissK
@maxovrdrive
@orbital58
@Photonic
@RodA (wild card)
@studjo
@SuC76
@tiagogardner (wild card)
@White Punk OD

!

Bonus Info

Please take note of the "wild-card" game mechanic (test run until End of Q2/2021): viewtopic.php?p=10333#p10333 Those that have been selected for a wild card, can further progress the game. However, by doing so you not only have address the requested changes, but also fix you slight mishap against the established Rules and Guidelines. Additionally, posting your Mix Round 2 entry means that you will agree to using a wild cards to progress, and your available amount will shrink by -1.

The feedback to the productions can be found here:
viewtopic.php?p=10442#p10442


If you are unsure what to do exactly with your mix, reach out to the song provider and engage in a conversation here on the forum.
And please keep the Rules and Guidelines in mind regarding submitting your entry.

RodA wrote: ↑

Fri Apr 23, 2021 12:58 CEST

@Hiwatter Great vocal sound. not harsh but nice and bright. Really enjoy the reverb automation on the vocal, maybe just a tad too much in the bit just after the lyrics “darkness can bring us…” I like the tonal balance across the spectrum of this mix. And the kick and bass work well together. The stomps are good but I still think like a lot of mixes I’ve heard some more mid-lows 100 to 300 hz would add more of that low thwack.

Appreciate the feedback Rod

Thank you @GmfSongs for your comments and suggestions.

Really enjoyed working on this song !


Here is my R2

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1uDOj1c ... sp=sharing


Shaved some top on piano and voc

LV voc - pulled some 1K

Added some vocal riding and impact on vocal bus

Pulled saturn 2dB, little high shelf boost at 14k.

Added parr. bass track with lowpass and some stacking compression.

Added some 5k and hi shelf to accoustics

CH Kik few dB gr more on sidechain comp.

Added some 3.5k and high shelf to snr bus

CH low synth added some lows.

Changed bus compressor from 4:1 to 2:1, added some 60 Hz on bus Eq.


Bye.

GmfSongs wrote: ↑

Thu May 06, 2021 21:44 CEST

Mix Challenge - Round 2


RodA - Wildcard

https://www.dropbox.com/s/21br8lcs8i1j9 ... _.wav?dl=0

The intro piano is overcompressed. Slow the compressor attack & quicken the release to allow more transient through to match the vocal bite.
LV could use a little more weight to balance out the top end.

Awesome feeling when the bass comes in. Deep bass! 8ve down. Cool!! Just needs riding.

Can you mute the electric piano DDL at the beginning of flutter @:58. There’s too many elements distracting you at that point.

Chorus is a bit messy. Beautiful acoustic guitars. Song feels fast - which implies great energy! But this mix needs better clarity overall.
Can you match the low end force of the chorus to make the sections flow together a bit more.
Lead vocal reverb is masking. Too much low frequency bloom.

LV @1:33 The reverb is feeling a bit too tiled room as opposed to warm plate or chamber. A bit splashy in the high mids. Marry it to the vocal more.

70’s kit lacking depth & low mids. Not sitting enough with the rest of the band.

Elec piano nice DDL but maybe ride the send or return and use it more sparingly throughout. Use it where it’s only most effective and can actually be heard.

Crash needs a hi pass filter.
The chorus vocals get more lost as song progresses..
.
Mix needs clarity in the midrange and a dryer bottom end.
Bass 8ve lows need to be tightened up and unified with its the amp sound. Maybe automate the Sub 8ve blend to keep it balanced when it starts resonating.

———————————-
[/spoil]

Thanks for the feedback And insights Reduced compression on piano by about 6 db and lengthened attack.
Automated sub/bass through song
Muted the electric piano DDL at the beginning of flutter @:58
Reduced level of reverb and also high pass filtered it and dampened more than I had.
Created a drum bus to which I added a bit of tape saturation and maybe 1db of bus compression

https://www.dropbox.com/s/pmahx6dwfobgu ... 2.wav?dl=0

Thank you @GmfSongs for your detailed feddback and comments.

I hope I understood everything right. Here is was I changed:
- made the piano brighter
- improved timing of LV and piano
- improved timimg of bass to drums
- removed satturation on the verse guitar. Changed EQ to enhance more the low mids. This should give the voice more space in the high mids.
- Reduced satturation and compression on the bass. Adjust the EQ a bit.
- reduced volume of Kick and Hat.
- Made the complete drumsound a bit mor upfront and add some harmonics.

WAV: https://www.dropbox.com/s/q2an2xqa5eb9s ... 2.wav?dl=0

Thanks @GmfSongs to pick my mix for the next round!

Here’s my R2 Entry:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/3cxqiyilj5e2o ... 2.wav?dl=0

Great piano. And intro. LV slap delay is a bit high and bright. Consider notching out some mids in your vocal FX returns to let them sit around and not on the lead vocal, if that makes sense.

- Put a hi-cut on the slapback return at 5.5k with a 12db slope

Chorus vocals need a 1-2.5db boost. Kick some ass.

- kicked some ass here

Chorus bass is too thin though.

- More low-end and volume on the bass, added waves RBass @37hz -12db) and a Juno Chorus plus parallel distortion. Maybe it’s too much now - but no risk no fun

Piano slap a bit much at times.

- Lowered the slapback effect

Push entire Chorus volume up for better impact.

- pushed

70’s snr is a bit loud. Kit needs low mids for punch. Not getting the drums tone. Just drum snap.

- I wasn’t very satisfied with the drums in R1 so I revisited the tracks and changed the balances and added more tone to the kit with different EQ and the parallel processing levels.

Ch drums very good. But I hear the compressor making it smaller not bigger.

- Dialed in the lowpass side chain to the mixbus compressor

Please automate and ride the effects. They overwhelm in places. Make it flow. They need to be integrated better to add & not distract the vocal performance.

- Automated the FX sends of the Leadvocals here and there

Good luck everyone for R2!

Thank you @GmfSongs for your constructive feedback.
I am very happy you wanted me in round 2!

I've tried to correct the things you pointed out as good as I can.

-Thickened up the piano in the intro.
-Cleaned up the low mid bass.
-Tried to separate the different sections before the chorus.
-Cleaned up the bass in the outro.
-Turned up the applause.
-Turned up the CH vox 2db.
-Thickened up the CH synth bass.
-Tried to fix the Chorus drums so they have a bit more impact.
-For the snare, I added a decapitator, to soften it so it blends together better, I still wanted the snare to have some impact though. I also added more room.
-Added more impact on the chorus.
-Did not <beep> with the verse lead vocal Tried to make the chorus vocal sound the same.


I've also tried to do something about the choir in the end of the song, as I felt it was a bit harsh at higher volumes.

Here is my mix for round 2.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1n9FqMp ... sp=sharing

Again, thank you @GmfSongs for your feedback, and for providing the song. It has been fun working on it!

I would also like to thank Mister Fox for spending his time making this happen.