Mix Challenge

Hello everyone!
Here's my contribution to mix challenge #68. This was a fun song to get creative with and try new things. I thought everything already sounded pretty great so this mix was more about being playful and creative focusing width and space. I used both wet and dry tracks simultaneously.

Some mix notes:
- Parallel compression on kick and snare for more punch
- Galaxy tape echo towards the end, automating different heads. More automation than tweaking effects on tracks in general.
- Used the Waves F6 to sidechain one of the pads with lots of lows to the kick. only sidechaining one band
- minimum EQ on most tracks

Fairchild and Oxide on stereo bus.


LInk to mix:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1UkYfgU ... sp=sharing

Hello.
Here's my entry:

Music:
Digital Sound Labs - Flying over the Rainbow
Mix by rvalle

My mix aprouch:

To keep the arrangement unchanged, as requested by the artist, I tried to work with small changes in certain parts of the music, automating volumes, panoramas and filters; some creative transitions have also been made.

DRUMS:
Snare: Equalization to control high frequencies and give more body. Simple compression. I used a convolution reverb inserted in the channel for a better ambience.
Kick: Equalization to control boxing and high frequencies. Basic compression.
HiHat: Only control the highs with EQ.
Sidestick: Equalization and application of binaural reverb.
Drum Bus: Compression for glue, equalization and character with bx_console SSL E, Acustica-audio El Rey and Magnetite

Extra channel for drums parallel compression, in which the Soundtoys effects rack was inserted. Devil-Lock and Sie-Q were used

BASS:
Bass Massive: Saturation with the Unfiltered Audio Triad, subtle equalization and ducking to improve the groove
Poly Stab: Subtle equalization. When it plays along with Poly stabs, I applied a little gain to the side to avoid masking.
Bass: basic equalization and a little chorus with Acon Digital Multiply to create stereo.
Bass Bus: Simulated tape saturation with UAD Oxide; multiband equalization and compression to improve the bass region; Ducking with the Wavesfactory Trackspacer triggered by the kick (low frequencies).

SYNTHS:
Basically equalization and some harmonic distortion on all channels.
In the "Layer 1 Serum" channel, XFer OTT and Soundtoys Tremolator were used for modulation.

VOCAL FX
Unfiltered Audio Dent2 was used for slight distortion.

AMBIENCE:
Altogether there are three channels with Delays, one short, one medium and one longer, and two channels with reverbs, one long and the other simulating a room.

Everything was printed on a sum channel and this file was processed with a bus compressor (for glue only) and a pre-amp simulator for caracter and final volume adjustment (this can be seen in the attached gif).

Music file:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/16uuKfq ... sp=sharing

Prints and Gif:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/ ... sp=sharing

General considerations:
For the sake of flexibility, I chose to use dry channels. The most important thing in this mix was to carry out a large number of automations, namely volume, sends, panorama, Dry / Wet effects and even the simulation of a tape stop (Wavesfactory Cassette) on Synth Buss. This was necessary because I felt a lack of variations in the music. I was very comfortable with this mix because electronic music is what I do the most. My congratulations to Samuel Dirska aka Digital Sound Labs for the song and thanks for submitting it to our Mix-Challenge.

Hi!

My first time posting here.

I used the dry tracks and stucked to the basics for the most part (EQ, COMPRESSORS, and SATURATION) for this one. Other than that I used some subtle panning FX to create more space in some of the elements.

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

javiramallo wrote: ↑

Fri Aug 07, 2020 11:57 CEST

Hi friends!

Cool to be here mixing this song.

Thanks to Mix Challenge and Digital SoundLabs for let us learn and enjoy doing it.

Here is my Mix: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1qhBVtw ... sp=sharing

and

Here is the explanatory video: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1wbUxCH ... sp=sharing

Best regard to everybody.

Javier from sunny Spain.

Hi there, i was just going through and listening to some entries and came across yours, and I would say there are some parts that sound more remixed as opposed to mixed. Im new here so im not complaining or jumping on ya (plus the mix sounds good) but the tempation to remix certain parts for me was a bit high at times, im currently struggling as to whether i should add a delay to a part as it basically makes one part sound double time (but i think it sounds great) and im just trying to get a feeling where the boundries are. That being said, i like what you did with it man and i hope it does well!

This month is a creativity challenge - and while edits like this are up for debate (more like re-arranging indeed - even if it was just volume drop-outs), the focus is on showing off what you can do with the material that has been given to you.


I will drop the Song Provider a mail, just in case he might miss this question/concern. He can answer this better than I do.

Hi all,

thanks for all the entries you all sent already. Here now the answer to the question:

Since this challenge is to be intended to rather on the creative side, everything, what can be reached with effects is allowed. Thus you are free to use:

-Saturation/Distortion
-Compressors
-EQs
-Glitch/Stutter effects (exception: no loopers, which tend to rearrange the song)
-Pitch ONLY drum lanes
-Delays
-Reverbs
-shortly spoken, all FX which have the given tracks as input

What you should NOT do:
-Rearrange the song
-Use other audio sources than given (no additional drum samples, bass, synth line)
-Shift tracks in the time domain so much, that they get out of a modulation effect, when doubled
-Pitch tonal/melodic tracks
-Violate all the other clear defined rules, which exist in the rule frame

But don't forget, that focus here is to deliver a good mix. When you make a brilliant stutter/short-before-remix-bomb it can give you some small plus points, when your mix is also brilliant, but will in no way compensate a bad basic mix. So regard the priorites.

Hope it is more clear now.

A friendly reminder:
Including today, 7 days left to submit your mix

Dear all,

Please find be below the dropbox link for the mix challenge MC068:

[Dropbox link for mix MC068]

Mix Details
DAW = Cubase 10.0.60
Integrated LUFS = -16.70
True Peak = -5.4 dB
48,000 kHz; 24 bits

Mix Preparation
Only used dry tracks.
Preliminary raw balance: cleaning-up, setting levels, panning/stereo spreading, check/invert phase, High-pass filtering with gusto on all tracks
Applied Cubase’s silence stripping tool on some tracks
(Automation/sidechaining in the latest stages of the mix)
Drums
Kick: adjustment of frequencies for 909 vibe, narrowing the side signal, parallel compression for punch and a bit of distortion. Sidechaining with bass massive during the “symphonic” parts of the track
Snare: narrowing the side signal, dynamic EQ
Beat: used as OH (all drum kits were added on the top of this track), dynamic EQ
HH: only (gentle) EQ
Sidestick: EQ and reverb for a deeper space
Bass
Massive: Sequential compression to reinforce the tonality of the track (1176 + LA2A-type), Pultec-like EQ, subtle tape saturation
Poly Stabs: Pultec-like EQ, a bit of distortion to reinforce harmonics
Bass: Pultec-like EQ, tube line amp at the end of the chain.
Synths
Layer 1 Serum: EQ for tonality, distortion
Layer 2 Serum: EQ for tonality, heavy distortion, tube modulator to reinforce dynamics
Pad Alchemy: Panning and shimmering FX
Pad Sylenth: Panning, filtering and shimmering FX
Pad Air: Panning FX
Pad Massive: Heavy treatment for blending (shimmering, tape saturation, stereo spread adjustments, ...)
Violins: Shimmering, tape saturation, stereo spread adjustments to blend with Pad Massive track
Vocals
Daydreams Choppy Vocal: Subtle tape delay
Main Mix Buss
Gentle SSL-G master compressor for gluing the mix together, subtle tape saturation.

All the best for all participants, and many thanks to Mister Fox and DigitalSoundLabs for this nice track.
Pablo

Hi everybody,
here is my mix done in Logic Pro X.
I've tried to make everything cut through mix and be heard easily, using mostly EQ and dynamics. Also I've tried to emphasize that dark feeling I got to my ears while I was mixing. For that I used Reverbs and Chorus only for the Vox.

Mix: https://www.dropbox.com/s/s6fvkv95xfjwd ... p.wav?dl=0

Snapshot: https://www.dropbox.com/s/5ldlipcefwqfw ... 2.png?dl=0

Regards!

Hello,

Link : https://drive.google.com/file/d/1N1K2ve ... sp=sharing

Description :

• Drums :
  Sent into a parallel drum bus.
  • Kick : both dry and wet into EQ and saturation. The dry kick triggers a short reverb.
  • Snare : used both. Into EQ and saturation. The dry snare triggers long reverb while the wet triggers a shorter one.
  • Sidestick : Used the dry only. Panned 60% right. EQ and transient designer. Sent into a dual mono delay and a short reverb.
  • Beat : smashed into saturation and sent into a synced delay (1/4 note)
  • Hi-hat : Panned 50% left. EQ and sent into a medium reverb.
• Vocals
  Used the dry one. EQ into 1176 into limiter. Sent into slap delay, 1/4 and 1/2 note delay, dual mono delay, plate with pre delay
• Bass
  Sent into a 1176 All-buttons in style compressor.
  • Bass : saturation
  • Bass Massive : used the wet one. EQ and parallel saturation (bass amp)
  • Poly stabs : used both. Smashed the dry into a saturator with a hint of an octaver. Blended with the wet.
  • Bus processing : Multiband compressor, limiter, chorus
• Pads (pad and violins)
  Used the wet tracks. EQ and stereo widening.
• Rhythmic synths (Pad sylenth, air and alchemy)
  Saturation, EQ and widening. Sent into a parallel compression + EQ (low & highs).
• Lead synth (?) i.e. Layer1 & 2
  Used both tracks. Dry tracks smashed into a saturator and blended back in.
• Master Bus
  Compressor and Pultec style EQ.

Hope it is extensive enough.