MIX CHALLENGE - MC090 February 2023 - Winners announced

[nealgiedd]

Thanks, MisterFox for this competition. Thanks also to Cristian Condrea for the song. It was fun to mix.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/72n1avow5ipj8 ... d.wav?dl=0

My goal for this was to make the mix have more girth. I wanted to increase the lows and the stereo field. I also wanted the stereo spread of guitars to feel more equal. I wanted the focus to be around the lead vocals, snare, kick, and bass. In that order. The rest was secondary.

I tend to mix into my master bus processing so that I'm working with an overall tone I like.

MASTER BUS:

Waves AR TG Mastering:
- EQ'd for some slight tone improvements:
- Comp:
○ 3-4dB GR on Modern 2; 40% mix with hp and lp engaged to ignore highs and lows
- Spreader: +2
○ This made more of a difference than I expected to hear. It smoothed out the stereo field in a positive way.

Variety of Sound Baxter EQ: M/S Mode

ReaLimit


SNARE:
Top and Bottom have some very slight EQ, then are sent to a SNARE Bus with an SSL channel strip for more aggressive EQ and slight compression. This goes into a Transient Controller for more attack. Then a slight Plate reverb. This signal is bussed to a Chamber RVB.

KICK:
SSL Channel strip for EQ and comp into 1176 for 3-5dB comp. Then Black Box Analog Design HG-2 for saturation. Then transient Controller for more attack.

TOMS:
Subbed into an SSL Channel strip and Black Box Analog Design HG-2. I boosted the low-end on Toms 3 & 4 separately.

OH:
SSL Channel Strip and Transient Controller. I wanted more attack than I was getting.

Room and other drums/percussion have little processing.

Kick, Snare, Toms, and OHS are sent to a Parallel Bus for aggressive compression and mixed in at different levels. This output is automated for different parts of the song.

BASS:
There are more plugins on this than I'm proud of, but I couldn't get it to sit just right.
- SSL Channel strip
- Rbass for harmonics
- Slight eq on the low-mids and lows
- Waves C6 MB comp to control the lows when they get too loud and to comp and boost the mids for more clarity
- Using the Kick as a SC to duck the bass so the Kick can poke through easier
- Black Box for saturation
- TDR VoS SlickEQ for a little low-end sweetening
- Then some more low-end boost and low-mid cuts (very slight)

VOCALS:
- Most of these are processed the same with some subtle differences between the Lead and BGVs
- BX_Console Focusrite SC
- 1176
- Shadow Hills Mastering Comp - I like this on vocals right now
- C6
- The Essess got to be a bit much, so I through another C6 on the VOCAL Bus

I sent the Vocals to a couple different reverbs. One for general space and another for shimmer. I also sent the lead to a 1/4 note ping pong delay.

The Electric Solo and Acoustic Guitar melody echoes go to an 1/8 note delay

All Acoustic Guitars, plus Electric Rhythm and strings go to a chamber reverb.

I wanted more saturation and dirt on the Electric Solo, so I sent it through the EMI version of Waves NLS channel for overdrive. This goes into a VoS BootEQ mkII for some more presence and girth. But that made the low-end too beefy, so I shelved off below 250 Hz with ReaEQ.

Electric Rhythm Guitars needed a lot more dirt and saturation as well. So I used the Black Box and NLS EMI channel, followed by some EQ.

The Organ needed a little more dirt and depth, so I used NLS EMI channel into a tilt EQ with some slight flanging mixed in.

I pitch-shifted the claps up for a brighter tone.

[Mac So]

Hello Guys. I'm back

First of all, amazing song, I really like it.

As for my mix I tried to make it as radio ready as possible with punchy drums, bass and clean vocals.

I really did not use many complicated stuff this time.
Mainly EQs and compression. Everything routed to separate buss meaning drums, instruments, guitars, vocals

Vocals compressed and the instruments bus is being ducked whenever vocals hit.

On the mix bus ssl G compressor, saturation, stereo widening and eq.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/10_qQJ2 ... sp=sharing

I hope youll like it.
Thanks.

[O'MIX]

Hello everyone,

Thank you for this new opportunity to mix, thank you to the musicians and composers of this pop song, I tried to do something different softer and more sensual but with good dynamics and a good groove too and with effects well chosen by moment, I worked on the general sound quality to have something subtle and fine.

I used for this:

Drum part: Get good drum smash and grab, Overloud EQP, TC EQ

Drum Bus: AA Tiger comp., AA Magic Flow

Bass: AA El Rey, Magic Flow

Acc Gt: AA Magic Flow

El gt: AA Magic Flow

Solo gt: Overloud Thu, AA Magic Flow

Lead vocals: AA Magic Flow

Voices: Focusrite Bx PA console

Keyboard: Focusrite Bx PA console

Bus Grp: AA alexb Modern Flagship Console GE

Mix bus: AA Magic Flow, Kirchhoff-EQ, AA Ash, tone projects basslane pro.

Reverb: Relab, Rob Papen, Fabfilter, eventide

I also used a lot of P42 Pulsar modular climax saturator instances and Waves factory trackspacer

DAW: Studio One 6

24-bit 44.1Kz, - 18.02 LUFS INT, TPL - 2.11, DR 13.88

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

Good listening,
O'Mix

[ari5to5]

hi everyone

my mix: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1t08EOW ... sp=sharing

my comments:

nothing extreme happened in the mixing process..

drums: ssl channel strip on kick and snr for eq and compression, toms - flat, stock eq on o/h, rooms-flat, stock eq on hh, paralel compr on drum set, paral sat on kick and snr

drums fx (snr n toms): plate verb

bass: saturation and sock eq

Gtrs: stock eq, opto compression on solo (although it didnt much)

keys in group (organ pno rhodes strings): side chain compression (triggered from the vox), room verb, stock eq

Perc: belltree and tamp - flat, claps widening and stock eq

fx: flat

vox group (LV and BV): deesser

LV: fet compressor, stock eq, dynamic eq
LV fx: verb, echo, delay

BV (all processing on group): stock eq, widener, vintage verb

[nael]

First of all, thank the author for sharing his original recordings of a very beautiful and well-cared work.

I have done quite a few procedures so I am going to synthesize them to the maximum.

The main objectives that I wanted to focus on in this mix are:

1. Respect in the first place the author's decisions, in this case I mean the effects they have chosen for the guitars.
2. Giving prominence to the main instruments trying to bring the mix closer to contemporary productions but without losing that analog touch from the late s. XXI.
3. Achieve a structural coherence for the different sections of the work.

Taking into account the above, let's go to the instruments individually:

· Acoustic guitar: Very panned, I have emphasized the transients a bit, and I have equalized looking for a good sonority and cohesion with the rhodes.
· Electric guitar: Panned to the center, like the main voice, I have respected the original effects, I have only given it a little aggressiveness through EQ and compression.
· Rhodes: Panned to the opposite end of the acoustic guitar to get a good balance, I've added some effects in parallel to get a good stereo width.
· Drums: I have looked for a hard guitar that stands out but without being aggressive. I have placed the instruments that make up the drums in the most optimal way possible, looking for the kick, snare and toms to stand out.
· Chorus: I've doubled them to get a good balance and thus avoid a lame mix, I've sent them to a parallel bus to emphasize the mids, and I've EQed in an aggressive way so they don't disturb the lead vocals.
· Main voice: I have equalized it trying to respect its register but at the same time that it improves and mixes better with the instrumental, through some parallel processes I have given it a bit of character.
· Key: I have saturated it enough so that it stands out and takes color and that style similar to the piano of Hold the Line - Toto, since it reminds me a lot of his character.
· Reverbs: I've used convolution reverb to help the mix settle into the highest quality space possible.

· Parallel processes, AUX and buses: There have been quite a few, since I use many in my template. Through them I have used EQ, saturation, compression and sidechain to locate, in my opinion, each of the main instruments: Voice, Kick, Snare, Bass, Piano and guitars.

Some of the plugins I have used are: SSL E Channel, Pro C2, SSL Saturator, Subfilter, Pro MB, Pro Q, Ozone exciter, Specter...

Not mastered. The Levels are:

-16 LUFS
-1 DBTP

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

[Mastemoth]

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1dgTJ0W ... sp=sharing

Nice song.

My main purpose with this mix was to make it a bit more lofi but big. I don't know if I succeeded. I wanted the drums to be a bit more mushy and not as clean as the original.

Drums: Some saturation. Lots of parallel compression. General EQ.

Bass: Distortion and not so much EQ

GITS: Kept the electric as it was basically. Reamped the lead and the solo. Added an octaver.

KEYS: Im a sucker for Tremolo on Rhodes added that and reamped it a little.

VOX: Parallel compression and effects.

I will edit this post when I have more time.

[itsmorefuntocompute]

Hey everyone,

Here's my mix for MC090.

I tried to keep it simple in terms processing on individual channels. My first and often only insert on most tracks is Brainworx AMEK 9099 channel strip.
I like that forcing myself to adhere to a certain workflow on every track helps me approach the mix more cohesively.

Each instrument group was organized and sent to respective routing folders in Pro Tools. Drums was the only group that had buss processing, which was:

Brainworx AMEK 9099
Softube Drawmer 1973
FabFilter L2

I opted to use all DI tracks for acoustic and electric guitars. All of this was processed with Guitar Rig 6.
I also decided to take the acoustic lead sounds and push it more into electric guitar territory.

For Vocals my chain was the following:
AMEK 9099
Arturia's 1176
Soundtoys Microshift
FabFilter DS

I also ran a chorus on the octave vocals.

I did use a decent amount of reverbs and delays on this track to give it some more space and movement.

Instruments were run through one of two reverbs

FabFilter R-Verb or Valhalla VintageVerb

I also ran the strummed acoustic through a Microshift and a plate reverb to give it some additional width.

Lead and Background vocals were run through two instances of Valhalla VintageVerb

All delays were done with Valhalla Delay and there are 5 instances.


On the Master Track I used
Brainworx Vertigo VSC2
Softube Drawmer 1973
Softube Tape
Arturia Sitral EQ

[jeffssoloband]

Dear Cristian Condrea and the Mix Challenge community:

Please find my entry for MC090 here: https://www.dropbox.com/s/sojicastj9218 ... d.wav?dl=0

My mix of "Grande Ojos" went something like this:

The song provider suggested that the drums, bass, and lead vocals are the most important elements, so those were my main focus.

Drums: It seemed to me that based on the overheads, the drum image was in the drummer's perspective. So I panned the kick & snare in the center to keep the focus on them, and then I panned the rest of the drums around that. Not a ton of processing was done on the drums. Just the usual high-/low-pass, EQ, and compression. The toms got a bit of transient shaping to focus on the attack. The drum buss was compressed in parallel, and there is a bit of room reverb on there as well.

Bass: The bass recording was a bit muddy sounding to me, so I did a high-pass at 12dB/oct at 80Hz, gave a boot at a little over 700Hz to bring out the attach, and a high shelf around 5000Hz with 2.5dB of gain to give it some air. Then I ran the track through a u73b-modeled compressor, and piled on the saturation after that. (Panned center.)

Lead Vocals: First I automated the track's fader to level it out. Then I performed surgery by attenuating the breaths, de-essing, and de-clicking the track. Then I ran it through a few compressors in series and an EQ, and then a tough of chamber-style reverb. (Also panned center obvs.)

Once I got this three elements balanced, I added the remaining tracks one-by-one (standard processing: EQ, comp, reverb, saturation, as necessary), panned everything to try to give the center the focus. And that about sums it up (pun intended).

Thank you for your time and consideration. Please do not hesitate to let me know if you have any specific questions or concerns.

Salud,
Jeff (jeffssoloband)

[SyroniC_GP]

Hello everyone,

and thank you Cristian Condrea for the song. I really enjoyed mixing.
I tried to make the song sound relaxed and easy going. Only a little pressure, suitable for the voice.

On almost every track I use the Waves Q6 EQ to cut any frequencies that I don't need.

I compress the kick and snare 3:1 (Kramer Pie by Waves).
The snare has two sends. A stereo slap delay (45ms, 90ms) and a reverb (Snare Room, Abbey Road Chambers).

The toms are grouped together in a bus. Here is a C6 Multiband Compressor, which works like a dynamic EQ. Then an API-2500 compresses at 3:1.
The toms have a send to the same reverb as the snare.

The drumset is compressed in parallel, I use the Abbey Road RS124 for this.

On the bass is a multiband compressor with a sidechain for the kick. After that there is an API-550 here 800Hz are boosted and 240Hz cut.

For the guitars I used Logic's Amp Designer. On the two acoustic guitars is also a CLA-2A by Waves.
The solo guitar has a send to the Reel ADT2V plugin; the solo giutar gets a little more thickness. In addition, there is a plate reverb.

On the piano there is a reverb (Abbey Road Chamber, Piano Shimmer), on the organ an API-550 with a boost at 1.5kHz. The Rhodes has a stereo sample delay (0ms, 67ms), the strings are sent through a J37 tape to make them a little warmer.

The lead vocals got three sends. Reverb (Abbey Road Plate), delay (Stereo Slap Delay, 135ms, 67ms) and an exciter (Aphex Vitage).
The lead vocals are compressed with a CLA-76 and additionally processed with a PuigTec EQ.

Finally, there is an SSL Comp (4:1, Att 30, Rel 1.2) on my mix bus, which only works very little (approx. 0-3db GR).

And here's the mix:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1sPIUG0 ... share_link

Greetings
SyroniC_GP

[violintch02]

Hi all, here is my take:

BX SSL 4000e on all channels.
All Groups sent to reverb for a little warmth

Drums:
Drum Bus- Overall compression, slight low end bump with a “Pultec” type EQ
Drums had slight compression, some EQ to bring out characteristics of each drum that I wanted to keep. Snare bottom added high shelf, snare top took top end away a bit.
Panned toms, cymbals according to audience perspective.
Added parallel compression on drums. Used Scheps Omni Channel for a “crushed” sound, tweaking one of the presets slightly.
Drums minus room sent to a drum reverb for some added “realism.”
Drum room mic barely in the mix.

Bass
Doubled the bass track. One part un-effected other than EQ, the other into a bass amp sim. Blended to taste.
Bass group has Scheps Omni channel for some saturation, and a little “Pultec” style EQ.

Lead guitars
All leads sent to delay and verb
Acoustic lead- Some compression from SSL channel, Used both clean and amped signals, panned L/R.
Used only the electric amped version. Leveled out with SSL compressor, also used ThrillseekerXTCmkii for some extra “air” and drive.

Rhythm Guitars
Used both clean and amped electrics, panned hard left/right. Some EQ differences to make them not sound “the same.”
Hard panned acoustic guitar left, and sent copy to reverb, panned hard right.

Keys
Some EQ and compression via SSL channel, but pretty subtle.
Took Rhodes and did the same treatment as the acoustic rhythm guitar above.

FX tracks
Left pretty much alone, compressed as a group to keep under control

Percussion
Some compression and eq through SSL channel

Lead Vox
Compression and eq through SSL channel. Added a little saturation, also ThrillseekerXTC for some drive and high end.
Sent to a couple reverbs and delays
Half note delay throw on breakdown chorus

BG Vox
Compression/eq in BX SSL
Took out some of the high end to make the BGV group a little less prominent. Also some bus compression.
Group sent to a reverb

Automation
Automated volume for choruses up a hair to make more prominent than verses.
Created a “breakdown chorus” automation which added a filter for a transistor radio/telephone effect.

Master FX
A little mix glue and saturation from FerricTDS on the master bus, nothing too crazy, just to even out some of the bumps.

Here is my mix, I hope you enjoy it

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1TRYZHy ... share_link