Mix Challenge

Hey everyone!

Here's my mix : https://drive.google.com/file/d/1PmQtH1 ... sp=sharing

It's my very first post on this forum and I must say that I had a great time mixing this track, so thanks Jeroen and the team for putting this together!

Here are some of the key things that I did in my mix :

- Snare : I felt like the snare was missing quite a bit of body. I used two different parallel compression busses and tamed the peaks with some saturation / clipping inserts

- Lead Vox : I gave the lead vocal a trippy / slightly psychedelic touch in the verses with a tape delay on which I increased the feedback a little bit so that some of the repeats would clash with the next words. I retained some of the clarity of the vocal performance by riding the delay volume and filtering the delay.

- Kick : I pushed the very lows of the kick with a bit of harmonic enhancement. It took me some time to get the right amount of density / low end while avoiding too much boominess.

- Overall mix : I went for a mix with quite a bit of density in the choruses, I wanted the same kind of feel that can be heard on records from the 90s where the guitars were quite loud in the choruses.

I hope you guys will like the mix! Thanks again for doing this!

Hi everyone.
This is my mix. Thanks for the oportunity.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1jOdB19 ... drive_link


Drums:

Kick drum: I applied multiband compression to control the dynamics and enhance the lows. A bit of emulated analog saturation gave it that characteristic punch.
Snare drum: I used dynamic EQ to control the sibilance and an equalizer to boost the highs. Reverb was key in giving it depth.
Toms: A light chorus and a short delay helped create a wider ambiance.
Bass:

I started with a high-pass filter to remove low frequencies that competed with the kick drum. Gentle compression kept a consistent level.
Harmonics: A bit of soft distortion in the mid frequencies gave it more body and character.
Guitars:

Rhythm: I applied light compression to unify the level and an equalizer to boost the mid frequencies. A bit of room reverb added a more natural touch.
Solo: I used more aggressive compression to make the solo stand out. A short delay and subtle chorus added movement.
Vocals:

Processing: I started with a de-esser to control sibilance. Multiband compression helped control the dynamics and enhance the mid frequencies.
Effects: A bit of plate reverb gave it a warmer and more enveloping sound, but overall, they already had enough effects.

Hello !

Great song again to mix this month, I almost felt the energy of the gig while mixing ^^ (I hope it does translate to the sound).
Sometimes the tempo is a bit off but not a big deal and it gives character to the song.

The hardest part for me was to handle the voices. So I dusted off a plugin I bought on a sale but the UI was too weird for me to handle, Lisa TOMO, after a bit reading the manual I tried to even the voices and make them clear, instead of using usual EQs etc. Ofc I used EQ for cleaning some low end, and wideband opto compression after the TOMO process (and de-esser before).

Beside that I used Lindell 50 and Britson on all tracks for some console flavor. Usual EQ/gating/comp on individual tracks for control.

I used API 2500 and DBX style compression on the Drum Buss.

I did compress the bass with an 1176 style comp then I distorded it a bit with the recent Cyberdrive plugin (lots of flavors, but a bit buggy at the moment )

The guitars were panned, sometimes re-amped, EQed, and the gt buss compressed with Opto and SSL Style compression.

Mixbuss has Shadow Hills Compressor, Softube Tape, Pulltech EQ on it.

Here is the mix : https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Ebnsly ... sp=sharing

I tried to make the beat punchy and to cut through, with heavy kick and toms; the bass more gritty; the guitars dirty but glued; and the vocals to cut through while having the music still in the forefront overall...
Maybe the mix is a bit too bright, too much transients on the snare, guitars not carved enough (but I wanted them to grind my ears lol)... I'm having a hard time to assert the sound these weeks (ears...).
Also the stereo field I'm not sure, sounds nice in stereo-sounds ok in mono, on my monitors; but on other mediums I 'm not sure lol, hope it'll translate well ^^

Best luck to everyone

Happy 100 and thanx to Mr Fox for putting in a lot of work!

Hadn't had much time unfortunately, so I focused on the goal of making it raw and energetic.
I'd say 90% of it is balancing. A few Eqs and compressors, nothing special processing-wise. Worth mentioning is that I clipped the hell out of the snare to shape it with KClip3. I duplicated the kick, gated it and created my own sub kick using the lo-rider function in LTL Chop Shop. Bass is duplicated too, duplicate is highpassed and distorted, to give some "neck" sound. UAD API 2500 and DynOne on the MixBus for some glue. Especially the 2500 gives that squashy hard rock crompressed vibe, if you know what I mean
Oh, and theres some insanely awesome Valhalla Space Modulator on some Vocals. That's basically it.

https://icedrive.net/s/SZCwAvgBB5S45j6586jNxjTCkkiQ

Link to my mix:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1vuPofq ... sp=sharing


This is very much the kind of project I usually get. I normally would clean it up a bit more, but it was hard seeing as some things had already been processed (gated vocals with reverb) and we can't replace drums
I recently had a client say they wanted the bass guitar to "fill the room, we can barely hear the guitars when his distortion is on", so I tried to err on the side of feeling like we're in the room with the band, but our ears are a bit more hi-def.

EQ - I used the Logic stock across the board. For the most part, I was just rolling off anything below 100-200hz and tone sculpting the guitars. A few things (snare, vocals, guitar solo) got a big bump above 11k-ish. Just something I've been experimenting with, it especially helps snares cut.

Vocals - LA2A and Distressor. I'd normally use an 1176, but I'm liking the dirt Distressors add
Guitars - mostly a LITTLE LA2A. Chugs got some Pro-MB. I have a reverb trick I use for leads, but it's a secret (probably obvious and typical, but I feel special saying it)
Synth - S1 imager. Set it and forget it.
Bass - Ran it through an Ampeg to increase the "bassy-ness" and Darkglass (and Distressor!) for grit. I could've possibly pushed that harder, hopefully I'll get some artist feedback.
Drums - AutoAlign, soothe, NY comp. Glued it with a Neold U17, it CAN be aggressive and I wanted that here.

Almost no bus work besides groups of guitars, which I had to do to parse the arrangement. So while I AM favoring this or that guitar here and there, I'm mostly going for a wall instead of a distinct sense of LCR, you kind of lose that if you're in the room with a loud band, ya know?



Fun track, enjoy!

So its been a while since I had time to participate, but for the 100th anniversary I felt like I had to give it a shot

I did this mix in companionship with someone learning the ropes in the studio, so we had a fun process, in the end not enough time to work in the mix, so it’s a bit quick and raw.



So what we have done:

Drums

First of all phase adjusting and then working on the individual drums using fabfilter EQ/dynamic EQ. There is API EQ (550 and 560) and then Distressor on the snare and kick and snare.

The snare is sent to a Lustrous plate that has been equed to bring out some more body. Scoped some 83 Hz out of the kick to make room for the bass.

Drums are sent to Sound City studio reverb for placing it in a room.



Bass

Is split in two one low end signal and one high end signal.

Low signal Has gone thru a Ampeg SVT emulator, and high sign thru a devil-loc distortion to crunch the top end.

The bass was also out of time with the drums, so its adjusted here and there to make it sit better with the kick. Scoped some 63 Hz out the bass to give room to the kick.



Guitars

Have some low and high cut, and an API 550 EQ to bring out some mids.



Vocal

Was hard. I duplicated the signal, and used a de-reverb on one of the vocals to make it more clear and mixed the two signals.

We then sent the de-reverbed signal to a separate aux, heavily emphasized low end, triggering a very dark reverb 100% wet, and EQ-ed out the top and bottom to try to recreate more body to the vocals.

All vocals went through LA2, then 1176A, to RVox, and an Oxford inflator.



Mixbus

Glue compression with an SSL Gbus, and mono-ing bass below 76Hz.

Probably a lot more to be done, but also fun to have a tight time limit.

Here is our mix, very close to deadline!

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/l4kfvwf1 ... 10111&dl=0

In my mixing process, I predominantly used MAutoDynamicEQ for equalizing all tracks. On some tracks, I also employed the Lindell 50 Channel to add color, equalize, and compress.

For the drums, I applied Unfiltered Audio Zip on the snare, Gem Comp LA on the toms, and MTurbocompressor in Distressor mode on the room. On the bass, I used the Purple Audio MC77 for compression, The Growler for distortion, and the Lindell-80 Channel for coloring and equalizing.

The guitars were only equalized with MAutoDynamicEQ, and for the solo, I used a lead delay. For the vocals, I utilized multiple compressors in cascade: Gem Comp LA, Purple Audio MC77, and a Lindell De-esser.

My entry

It is the 22nd October 2024, 00:25 UTC+2/CEST - the first Mix Round has officially ended

Great to see a return of old users, and a continuous influx of new ones. 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 (SWC086 is still in full swing - 5 participants so far, 3 days left).


STATISTICS:

• If I didn't miscount, we have 110 submissions this month (110 prior to the deadline, plus 00 after the deadline, not counting re-submissions)
• the multi-tracks have been downloaded 202 times (44x the LZMA compressed ZIP, 158x the regular compressed ZIP)
• We have 0 submissions after the deadline (as of 22-OCT-2024 00:30 UTC+2/CEST)
• We have 3 submissions that could not be downloaded by the time of this post and are therefore disqualified (re-checked 22-OCT-2024 00:30 UTC+2/CEST)
• 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")
• Overview of Submissions - is your entry within given parameters? (PDF - updated: 00-OCT-2024 00:00 UTC+2/CEST)
• Overview of Submissions (disqualifications only) PDF - updated: updated: 00-OCT-2024 00:00 UTC+2/CEST)

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 are not available yet, please wait for the official announcement post -- sheets will arrive by mid 27-OCT-2024 latest
Statistic Sheets have been updated (on 28-OCT-2024 00:00 UTC+2/CEST)
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⚠	Moderation Message from Mister Fox
	Our Song Provider for this month, @JeroenZuiderwijk, 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 statistics sheet, client feedback and Mix Round 2 participant announcement.

Good luck to all participants.





The Songwriting Competition 086 (SWC086) is still in full swing.
So far, there are 5 entries, 3 days left -- this month's theme: "Harvest" (Picture Theme), genre: free to select

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




EDIT: 22-OCT-2024 00:30 UTC+2/CEST - initial post

My entry for the mix challenge. Enjoy!

MIX CHALLENGE OCTOBER 2024

I hope @Isa doesn’t get the tracks mixed up.

I wouldn’t want him to miss all the good stuff that was uploaded this month.