Okay I'm here with the results!
Apologies for not doing this yesterday, something came up and I had to move this forward. Also, the usual stuff about my decisions being subjective and biased by my own taste, my monitors, having limited time to evaluate several different submissions of the same song....
I will say that I was very impressed with how all the mixes stepped up for the second round. It wasn't easy, especially choosing the podium order. Any of these mixes could've worked, and all of them had something good. I ended up choosing the ones that felt more appealing and exciting to me, specifically those that achieved the initial challenge: to fit all the elements properly, and make them work throughout the song to keep it interesting.
In that regard, some mixes did some things very well, but as a whole felt a bit static and losing momentum as the song progresses.
Before going into the feedback and results, I just wanted to thank the staff for all the patience and time put into this challenge, and for the invaluable learning experience that was for me. I think we're really lucky to have people setting these things in motion and putting up even more challenges for the future without charging a dime, and giving prizes on top of that.
And of course thank you guys for participating and putting so much effort on your entries! I've mixed this song a couple times and I know it can be a pain in the ass.
Congratulations to the winners and thanks again everyone for keeping it cool and making it awesome.
1.- Mork
I chose this mix as the winner because it nails both main requisites for this challenge. Every element has its own space, even in a crowded production such as this, feels like black magic. I can hear the song moving forward, the little automation filling the gaps and every section having its own life. It never gets boring.
On top of that, it sounds huge and everything works with each other, and the voice is the clearest of the bunch, while keeping all the attitude.
The only problems I have with this mix are pretty marginal and not important. I would ask you to tweak a little more the intro and maybe drop down the female voice a dbs on the transition, or maybe filter it. Nothing that detracts from the whole mix, which for me is well-deserved winner. You're a beast man, congrats.
2.- MedII
A close second. I felt a little less polished than Mork's but I like how agressive it without going over the top. The tone of the guitars feels great and works very well with the synths. The bass, however, still has something up there that gets a bit distracting on the verses.
I can't help but headbang when I fire up this mix, I love the energy it has, however, I think the drums suffer a bit on the busiest parts, like the second chorus. The overheads seem to get a little out of control at these points.
The mix guides the listener and keeps it interesting. The transition and ending section sounds really good. The tone of every instrument, especially the guitars and synths, is great and adds up to the song. Great job on all the vocals but I'm still missing a little clarity on the main one.
3.- Coiled Ear
This third place was extremely hard to judge and several participants occupied it for a while, but in the end Coiled Ear took it home.
At the beginning of the mix (after the intro, which is great, btw), the tone of the guitars appear to be a little harsh, and the whole mix seem thin in comparison with the rest. Once you get into it, or if you listen with fresh ears, you realize how it all falls into place and makes sense. At least that's what happened to me and what made this mix into the podium.
The problem with the guitars might be in the upper frequencies and not so much on the mid ones. There seems to be some stuff there that doesn't really add up. However, the guitars work great on the choruses.
The mix itself feels very well balanced, it doesn't get boring, it has a lot of aggressiveness, especially on the choruses, and on top of that, the last section and the transition work great with the rest of the song, and sound outstanding. The only problem I have with that section is that the echoes come forward, and I'd like them to move away from the listener. Just low-pass the echo, adjust the level and fixed.
Aside from the guitars, great mix overall. There were many moments that made me nod my head. Great job.
Rest of the entries, in alphabetical order:
- Dave McIsaac
The main reason that prevented me from choosing this mix was the voice "reverbiness" throughout the song, in both singers and the voice clips. The mix had much better balance and tone than before, the problems in the sides with the oherheads, guitars and other stuff clashing were mostly solved... still there were some problems in the busiest parts.
I liked the last section very much, sounded nice and 3D. Still, the voice didn't feel like the main attraction. It felt like the reverb wasn't giving it space, but the opposite.
The main problem I have with the mix is that it doesn't "gel" properly to me. In the main section (with male vocals), the instruments work tonally wise, it is balanced, but I don't feel they're dancing with each other, so to speak. This works much better on the last part, though
- Donkey Tugger
Everything feels much more in place than before. The voice still is the main event but it's way better integrated in the mix than it was. I still don't dig that snare. Dunno if it is the attack, it feels too artificial for me. I miss some body. It ends up feeling small at some points. The whole drums feel as if they wanted to be an electronic kit, but still not there. I think it works well with the character of the song and you surely went for that sound, but I'm still not totally sold on it.
Much better delays on the pre-chorus. Nice buildup to the second chorus!
Last section: Too much distortion on the voice solo parts at the beginning and end. It could work if it wasn't so ear piercing.
Nice work on the harmonies, they have a purpose now, and add a ghostly character the the voice.
Great ideas for the buildup. I think it would really work with a little more back and forth, working out some suggestions, since it's a bunch of bars of rearranging. Feedback wise, I am still missing that epic explosion of sound after the long buildup. It feels that it doesn't really pay off, and it could be bolder and bigger.
Great job anyway, this mix captivated me in its own way. It had its own sound and I enjoyed many things, especially the work on the voices.
- Marc Clement
Though I liked where the mix was going sonically, this second entry ended having more problems than positives for me. Snare still a little paperish. The drums pump in a way that is not pleasing. Better sound on the guitars, but I think the bass is a little too fat and boomy for the song... It doesn't feel consistent, mostly in the main part. Sometimes it gets out of control and overwhelms the other elements. Probably the guitars are eating now some space that didn't need before.
On the last section, I still feel the snare is a little paperish. Maybe it's just a matter of different tastes. Otherwise it feels balanced and spacious. The echoes work much better now.
The problem I had with the overall mix is that it doesn't feel all the time in control, and at the same time it is a bit linear and static throughout the song.
- VasDim
Beautiful tone, crisp and wide. The mix has a nice pumping to it, the bouncy synths help too. Very nice movement, however the overheads seem to get a little out of control in the choruses. The voices have their own space and really a good tone. Bass could be pushed back a little bit on the busiest parts.
Still not sold on the drums. The whole kit feels a bit small or contained... I don't know how to describe it, but it doesn't bring a lot of excitement, and being a long song it suffers from it. Snare a little boxy and dry.
Nice transition to the last part, nice sound, coherent with the rest of the track. The voice could come upfront a little bit more, I feel a little 2-4k could be missing. Instead, it feels a bit muffled.
Synths give a nice bouncy movement, working nice with the guitars on the main section and working nicely by themselves on the last one.
- Zsolt
Little more body and warmth on the guitars needed. A little too thick not in a right way, two dimensional and strident. The voice is nice, and I like the balance ad tone of the rest of the instruments. It feels like there's a great mix behind those guitars.
Same thing happens in the last section. Other than the guitars, the mix sounds really good! But the guitars feel very 2 dimensional and upfront. They miss a lot of body, space, and mostly detph behind them. Without that depth they feel disjointed from the rest of the mix, blocking the view so to speak.
Okay and that's it, what a ride!
Congratulations to the winners!!
I feel exhausted but I've enjoyed it so much. Thanks again to Mister Fox and everyone who participated!
I hope I was fair and whatever the results, I hope everyone could get something useful out of this.
Cant wait to be on the other side of the challenge again, though
See you around, Cheers!
). The changes are subtle, but I hope they are enough to work for you. 
