Mix Challenge

Hello and welcome to the Mix Challenge 42 - April 2018


This is the introduction post, where we directly link to the challenge corresponding files (source files, submission information, sponsors), start of the evaluation process and the first post for re-submissions for Mix Round 2.



This month we're taking a closer look at a Pop Ballad by David Talbot (MOA22), which thematizes various terrorist attacks in France from recent years, and it's resulting repercussions. We are however not looking at the initial version I got offered for the Mix Challenge, but actually a re-recording. The original production was more synth and e-guitar heavy, which gave the story (lyrics) a way more aggressive yet sad feeling. The material we have a chance to look at and work with, is a bit more limited in terms of instrumentation. Yet the story has the same bitter aftertaste.

Read more about it below...



Please take note of the following

• IMPORTANT: It is now mandatory to provide WAV files (FLAC bar minimum on low internet bandwidth), files need to be accessible/downloadable, try to work within suitable work levels, document your edits (as simple or as detailed as you like)
  IMPORTANT: please use the following naming convention: MC000_-_ArtistName_-_TrackName_-_ContestanttName.wav/mp3 and MC000_-_ArtistName_-_TrackName_-_ContestanttName_R2.wav/mp3 for Mix Round 2. The order of the tags might change in upcoming challenges - though this is up for debate
• It is highly encouraged to give feedback to each other, to share tips and tricks. Ideally, this should happen after Mix Round 1 has ended, to not influence each other during the main competition round

Also please take note of the following

• We're desperately looking for new source material for future competitions (Mix Challenge, Mastering Challenge, Remix Challenge). Please follow our official campaign. No new tracks mean no more challenges! Please reach out!
• Social Media accounts can be found via the handles @MixChallenge (Twitter) and MixChallenge (Facebook). Please spread the word!
• if you like what the Mix Challenge (community) has been doing in recent months, please consider supporting us. For example with a voluntary monthly donation (this will mainly cover server and social media maintenance fees). Some interesting bonus perks await you through either route, and donors get a special rank on the forum.

This post will be updated with the corresponding links as we progress, and of course the suitable thread headlines. So please watch this spot:


Submission Period: General Information, Source Files, Sponsors
Mix Round 2: Global Feedback and Round 2 Participant Announcement
Results of the Mix Challenge 42: Winners announced

CURRENT CHALLENGE - GENERAL INFORMATION

Time Frame: Sunday, 01st April 2018 to Saturday, 21st April 2018 (21 days)

Challenge submission will end on 21-04-2018, 11:59pm CEST/GMT+2 (Germany) - until further notice.

Want to find out if you're still within the deadline, please consult the following options:
The Global Countdown on it's dedicated page or the countdown on the home page. You can also consult the World Clock at the top of the forum or alternatively the following tool - in this case please select "Berlin (Germany)" as location 1, and your location as location 2: Time and Date - World Clock Meeting Planner. We do post reminders via our Twitter account and Facebook page.



Song Provider: BRIM / David Talbot
Song Name and Length: Keep on..., 4:28min
Song Information: 115 BPM / Signature: 4/4, D# min
File Format: WAV, 44kHz, 24bit

GENRE: Pop Ballad


Preview of the Song:




A word from the song provider:

David Talbot wrote:Hi,

this song was written by me, MOA22 (music, lyrics) for my band BRIM. It was inspired by the « Bataclan », but not only.


Something like a potentially scary feeling, doing stuff in public. Even if I am not in the same frame of mind today, I don’t want to forget that my girlfriend was in a huge concert hall in Paris a day before this sad day.

This is the second version of the song, because I had to stop the band "Brim". I decided to record a brand new arrangement, from scratch. This time more in phase with my personal taste of the moment.


I am looking for a clear and punchy mix, that have to stay natural. The more important is a real punch difference between the choruses and verses. The bridge may be pretty smooth and soft. I really want to hear a soft but punchy pop ballad. Clarity but fatness too.

Modulation/delay… creative fx wanted !!! Don’t be shy !!!
The Guitar Di tracks are optional, you can use it if you want to.
You even can use the Di track only, or both amped and Di one.


Hope you’ll enjoy working on it. Good luck !

David TALBOT (MOA22)

A few words by the Mix Challenge staff:

Staff (Mister Fox) wrote:To those that don't know what the "Bataclan" is:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bataclan_(theatre)


This production is a ballad, which can be interpreted in various ways. I recommend to just listen to the vocals at some point, to get a feeling for the story that is being told. This often helps me to find a certain "mood" that I can then reflect with the mix. Lyrics are provided in written form.

The original version (which was initially planned for the Mix Challenge) had more electronic instruments, which could push the sadness even more as vocal "support". This particular version has a more limited instrumentation, but it's far from being upbeat.


Proper gain staging is absolutely essential before you start working!

I also recommend to use careful automation. Especially for the background vocals, and to add some impact effects during the various sections (story chapters) of the song.


The guitar feedback effect at the beginning of the song might not sound realistic at first (too many feedback layers), but this is intentional. Imagine a dropped guitar, and another one chiming in on top, which creates the initial impact for the first verse that people ran from stage in fear of what's happening around them.

Please also consult the TXT files that are bundled in the source files package below. There you can find more information about the individual files and changes to the time signature.

Special Add-On Rules:

• try to create a mix that complements this production (in your own style)
• Clean / Alternative versions can be used if you need more flexibility over a certain sound (if present in this production)
• No rearrangement or pitch shifting of the song structure, with the exception of the following add-on rules
• PRODUCTION RELATED: please no drum replacements
• summing bus processing is allowed, as long as the dynamic range (average signal strength to maximum signal strength) doesn't suffer - use of this method is artistically!
• try to not(!) pre-master the track (please no overuse of mix bus treatment, no loudness adjustments / limiting)

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Source Files:

Main Mix Package - Mirror on the Mix Challenge Homepage (492,26 MB, LZMA compressed, 7z v15)
Main Mix Package - Mirror on the Mix Challenge Homepage (492,82 MB, LZMA compressed, zip)


The provided files were packed as ZIP with LZMA compression.
File size extracted: 1795,25 MB, packed 492,82 MB (ZIP, LZMA)
In order to extract the files, we can recommend these programs:

Macintosh:
The Unarchiver - get it here
Keka (open source) - get it here

Windows:
7zip - Installation / Portable


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Please take note of the official rules - they can be found at the following thread:
Mix Challenge - Official Rules and Guidelines

Please address any OT question in the official Gossip thread:
Mix Challenge - Gossip and Discussion

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SPONSORS (Prizes):

Prizes for Mix Challenge participants:

Note: All licenses are NFR (Not-For-Resale), except where noted.
Changes to available prices on short notice may be possible and will be announced separately.



Acon Digital is kind enough give away a single plugin of winner's choice.
License will turn into NFR
More info on Acon Digital: http://acondigital.com



Black Rooster Audio is kind enough to give away one bundle of all currently available plugins to the winner
License will turn into NFR
More info on Black Rooster Audio: http://blackroosteraudio.com/



Hornet Plugins is kind enough give away one license from the depicted tools (see image) to the winner
License will turn into NFR
More info on Hornet Plugins: http://www.hornetplugins.com



Metric Halo is kind enough to give away a single plugin of winner's choice.
License will turn into NFR
More info about Metric Halo: http://mhsecure.com/metric_halo/



MuTools is kind enough give away one license of MUX Modular 7 of winner's choice (until End of 2018)
License will turn into NFR
More info on MuTools: http://www.mutools.com/



Nyrv Systems offers AGENT incl. all currently available NyrvDevices and free update to at least v1.5 of winner's choice (until further notice)
License will turn into NFR
More info about Nyrv Systems: http://www.nyrvsystems.com/



Tone2 is kind enough to donate either a bundle consisting of AkustiX Enhancer and WarmVerb, or a license of Ultraspace to the winner (until further notice)
License will turn into NFR
More info on Tone2: https://tone2.com



Two Notes Audio Engineering is kind enough to donate one license of Torpedo Wall of Sound III to the winner, loaded with 57 cabinets (equivalent to "Torpedo WoS II") (donation until Spring of 2018)
License will not turn into NFR
More info on Two Notes: http://www.two-notes.com/en/



THANKS FOR THE LICENSE DONATIONS!
And also a thank you to all former contributors as well.

If you want to sponsor content (please have a focus on mix plugins, bundles and the likes), please get in touch with the Mix Challenge staff.

Please spread the word of the challenge on social media.
For example with our dedicated Twitter Account or Facebook Page

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Good luck to all participants.
And most importantly, have fun!

sounds great. it feels more emotional than before.

Hey there.

This Song is great, it soaked me in. Actually this is a genre i feel good with.
My references for general Bandsound were mostly german rock bands tocotronic and others, generally music produced by Moses Schneider.
I used the 'leakage' as my general drumsound and compressed and gated it hard. Just as Moses Schneider uses its "wurstmicrophone" .

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__Bh3D_Pvt8&t=2s

I really liked the middle-eight, i used a flanger on drums. Just remembered me to that Incubus or Peal Jam 90es thing. Had to do it. Ha!
I also digged the idea of a loud and harsh intro to introduce to the mood. So i had to distort here and there, it was all too clean for my feeling.

Plugins i used:

TrueVerb (ER only)
Soundtoys LittlePlate (awesome!)
Valhalla
J37
Cla2a
Virtual Mix Rack /1176 Style Comp
GEM Eq550 (Api-style)
Waves C1
Molot (!)
TDR SlickEQ (well for guitars)
The Glue

PS: Im interested in a list of equipment that was used while recording. Also which vst were used for drums. How were they triggered?
PSS: This is ment to be heard with a limiter.

MP3
https://www.dropbox.com/s/u03av04ia064c ... e.mp3?dl=0

WAV
https://www.dropbox.com/s/cbto1jzwoh9iy ... e.wav?dl=0

@MOA22, how would you feel about us muting certain parts of tracks, first and foremost to improve clarity but also to create diversity and guide the listener to focus on certain parts and moods of the mix?

Hi Henrik,

I have no particular problem with that, but Fox have to allow you to mix that way. He is the only one to be able to talk about any change of the rules.
So I would say : Fox, what do you think about it ?
You just don't have to change the arrangement itself.

Hope you're having fun playing with my tracks !!!

Thanks to David first and foremost for making his track available for the challenge, such a beautiful song and a real pleasure to mix.
I tried to keep as close to the brief as possible, with a clean, spacious, but still punchy mix. To echo the vibe of the song I thought this mix needed to be felt as much as it is heard, and that was one of my main objectives from the outset.
Cheers.

~FL Studio 12~

Plugins:

Fruity Parametric EQ2
Fruity Balance (automation)
Fruity Blood Overdrive
Fruity Delay
Fruity Reverb
Fruity Limiter (noise gate)
Drumagog 5 (snare top)
Thrillseeker XTC
ReaXcomp
Oxford Transmod
Ozone 7
Audiocation Comp
Poulin 'Lecto' Amp Sim (distorted bass track)
Voxengo Tempo Delay
Voxengo OldSkoolVerb
Schepps Omni C/Strip
Guitar Rig 5 (Airverb preset, 2nd verse r/gat)
Vocal Rider Live (main vocal)

Automation:

-Intro guitar - panning + volume
-28 trumpet - level
-Horn Buss - level
-31 Laughing Girl - panning + level
-Feedback Guitar Buss (intro) - level
-Main Vocal - level x2
-25 Add Voc - level
-26 Add Voc - level





https://www.dropbox.com/s/w9elb2g9x9c5b ... e.mp3?dl=0

https://www.dropbox.com/s/5olwde8jbx9gv ... e.wav?dl=0

MOA22 wrote: ↑

Sat Apr 07, 2018 23:15 CEST

...I have no particular problem with that, but Fox have to allow you to mix that way. He is the only one to be able to talk about any change of the rules.
So I would say : Fox, what do you think about it ?
You just don't have to change the arrangement itself

Henrik Hjortnaes wrote: ↑

Sat Apr 07, 2018 20:32 CEST

@MOA22, how would you feel about us muting certain parts of tracks, first and foremost to improve clarity but also to create diversity and guide the listener to focus on certain parts and moods of the mix?

What about using careful automation to focus on certain parts of the production - rather than "removing" parts to create different forms of attention?

I don't see the project to be cluttered with unnecessary information to be honest. Also, you're not the producer in this case, so mix "as is"

Hi,

This is a great song about a very serious issue!

I tried to mix it close to the original. I used a lot of volume automation. Especially for the backing vocals. I like them very much but one can hear, the they are quit low in the original mix. So I started with a low volume on the backings too, but I raised the volume from chorus to chorus to get more power over the time.

MP3: https://www.dropbox.com/s/o2al11h4c5k39 ... c.mp3?dl=1
WAV: https://www.dropbox.com/s/s5y7tvxd10l4u ... c.wav?dl=1

Mixed in Reaper v5.51

Drum-Bus: Presswerk (Drum Compressor Mode)
Kick and Snare: ReaEQ, ReaComp
all other drum tracks: ReaEQ
Room Mic: ReaEQ, ReaComp
Bass: Bass Professor II (Sonic Anomaly), Presswerk
IntroArpGuit: ReaEQ, tkdelay
all other guitars: ReaEQ, GreenEugene (satturation), ReaEQ (for short tap delays, no reverb used)
Brass: ReaEQ, S.LAX (compressor by Sonic Anomaly), Acon Digital Verberate
LeadVox: ReaEQ, S.LAX (compressor by Sonic Anomaly), Acon Digital Verberate, TDRNova, Presswerk (for Vox-Bus), ReaDelay (for short tap delays)
BackVox: ReaEQ, Transpire (to reduce transients), S.LAX (compressor by Sonic Anomaly), Acon Digital Verberate, Presswerk (for Vox-Bus), ReaDelay (for short tap delays)
FX: ReaEQ, ReaDelay, TAL Reverb III

Master: MQ57, Presswerk, SPAN

Hello,

I enjoyed the music a lot MOA22, I hope you will appreciate the stylistic approach I chose on your song.

I played with reverbs, delays and compressions to try to make things 3D. I used special effects on the larsens intro, everything else is EQ, balance and automation. Oh I forgot: saturations were used for colors.

Feel free to ask for more detailed info.


https://www.dropbox.com/s/29ngt2jrjhrvu ... n.mp3?dl=0

https://www.dropbox.com/s/m6ukgrcspjqx8 ... n.wav?dl=0