I would like to start off by thanking everybody, once again. It's been a great experience!
To all those who didn't respond after not getting into round two, please allow me to clarify again, that my comments were not personal, and weren't from a place of superiority; Truly, despite knowing what I like, my own mixing skills suck. I don't think I could have done much better than any of you!
To the winners, well done. In each case, feedback was received and acted on to the betterment of the mixes, and the final selection was made much harder because of this. However, in the end, the final three did stand out.
Mork was a potential winner, already, going into round two. And I still think his mix is a better representation of the overall picture. However, I just ended up preferring the sound/tone of HerbFelho's mix. My issue (and why I emailed Fox), was that I wasn't sure if it was the right thing to do to put my preferred mix over what would likely be considered the 'better' mix.
In the end, I returned to my original ethos, laid out at the start i.e that I can only judge this on what I like. In addition, I asked myself which mix would I post to Soundcloud if I could change nothing else. In the end, I feel HerbFelho edged away with a punchy, exciting, and spacious mix.
Please feel free to critique my critique. I am also here to learn, especially as I might submit further tracks in future
Now, to the commentary:
1st Place - HerbFelho
Really enjoyed the space, power, and brightness here. Love the sound of all elements, even the ‘hyper-real’ sound of the brass.
Despite the sound of the organ and brass being what I was after, I think they could both do with having the tiniest hair shaved off the volume (Yes! I’m asking for the brass to be dialled back a notch
). The piano could do with being a little bit more ‘close’ (probably nothing more than a slight wet/dry adjustment, with volume compensated). Lastly, I think your sculpting might have left some of the instruments a little low in volume e.g clav, vibes, and piano (though this could be sorted with the previous request).
If you ever get the time or the inclination to make those changes, I would love for this to be the mix that I share.
2nd Place - Mork
Everything is present, and correct, with nothing really standing put. This can be a good thing, but I think that with a live recording (even one committed to tape), things would perhaps be a bit more …dynamic (I doubt I am making myself very clear
). Overall, it feels a little ‘caged’, and perhaps dark. I can’t discount that it could be a combination of my older ears, and the constant a/b’ing with HF’s brighter mix, but I did tend to prefer the brightness.
While I did like the bass sound going into round two, it now feels a little ‘boxy’ to me. Maybe in the low mids. Even then, I would still prefer a slightly lighter feel, albeit with all the bite of the original file that I supplied.
The organ sound has a better tone, but I think some of the lows being cut might help this feel lighter, while still serving it’s purpose. I’d say the same for the brass. I do realise that this might not offer an accurate representation of what a brass section sounds like, but it would better serve the effect I was after.
Some of my issues with this mix could be addressed in mastering. Even just slapping Sie-Q on the master, and dialling in a small amount of highs, managed to give a nice lift, but it would still take a little bit more sculpting at track level.
3rd Place - Photonic
The changes have all worked well, although I would still look for a bit more ‘air’ in the brass. In isolation, it’s a great mix, but when compared to the other two, I prefer the dynamic of the others. Much of this comes down to the impact of the drums. Again, I stress, this is something that only stood out with the constant a/b’ing of the top 3 (I realise that I hadn’t indicated any necessary changes for the drums, but it was harder to judge when listening to the 17 mixes in isolation)
A great mix, nonetheless, and only a hair’s difference between you and 2nd place.
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In alphabetical order:
davemcisaac
The changes to the snare have made a great difference. I like that much more! The kick is definitely an improvement, but still a little dominant for my tastes (You can really hear it distinctly when the mix is at it’s busiest)
Organ has a better sound, but still too far back in mix (Not really lifting the section)
Brass - Also improved, but still feel like they could ‘pop’ a little more
erictracks
Clavs are perhaps a little too present, now
, but I like how they sound. Same for the snare I.e the rolls/ruffs are a little too loud compared to the main hits of the snare.
Brass is definitely better, but I would still like it to ‘pop’ little more
The drums definitely make a huge difference. I hadn’t picked up on what you’d mentioned about them disappearing at the end section, but it’s made a huge difference to that section, and the entire mix. Sweet!
OctopusOnFire
Still not keen on the bass sound. There is an improvement in the snare, but still not quite there. Piano perhaps a little too loud, which is especially noticeable in the solo section. Organ sounds great. Brass also has what I am after, albeit the tiniest touch too loud)
Overall, I think that your mix is a little too ‘contained’, and is lacking some of the power of the other entrants that I’m using as a comparison.
That said, this is a great first entry.
