Mix Challenge

Hello and welcome to the Mix Challenge 79 - August 2021


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, you have the chance to work on a "Singer / Songwriter" production that has been recorded roughly 20 years ago. The multi-tracks for this lovely ballad are kindly provided by returning song provider "Javier Ramallo" (@javiramallo, merely credited as "Javi Ramallo" in this case), and the song is called "Lo siento por Sevilla" (Sorry for Seville).

Please take special note of the attached TXT files (Technical Details section in "Words by the Song Provider") and please read about the details and special requirements for handling this mix further down below.




IMPORTANT: Before you get started, please consult the official "Rules and Guidelines" for the Mix Challenge regarding principles of the game, upload/submission guidelines, the concept of documenting your edits, and maximum allowed loudness values (see Rule Book - post #6). Interaction is highly encouraged, including asking questions for the song provider. Giving and receiving constructive feedback to your entry, and sharing tips and tricks should ideally happen after Mix Round 1 has ended, to not influence each other during the main competition round.



Please also take note of the following

!	Bonus Info
	Our Song Pool has dried up! Future Mix Challenges are in jeopardy. We're looking for new source material for future competitions. Please follow our official campaign. Your only investment is time in turn for a free mix by our very talented participants. No new songs mean no more challenges! Please reach out!

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 1 Statistics/Data Sheet: Overview of Submissions - is your entry within given parameters?
Mix Round 2: Global Feedback and Round 2 Participant Announcement
Mix Round 3: <no Mix Round 3>
Results of the Mix Challenge: Winners announced

CURRENT CHALLENGE - GENERAL INFORMATION

Time Frame: Sunday, 01st August 2021 to Saturday, 21st August 2021 (21 days)

Challenge submission will end on 21-08-2021, 23:59 UTC+2/CEST (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: Javi Ramallo
Song Name and Length: Lo siento por Sevilla, 3:20 min
Song Information: 130 BPM / Signature: 4/4
File Format: WAV, 44kHz, 24bit

GENRE: Funk / Rap


Preview of the Song (Demo Mix):



A word from the song provider:

javiramallo wrote:About the song:
It is simply a love song of two young people before beginning a life together and physically united in the same place. Until then, she is in one end of the country and the other at the opposite side, she being specifically in Seville (SPAIN).

This song tells of that moment and that illusion where Seville is going to lose her, because she is going to go to live with him and start a life together in a different place.

That was during years of vibrating phones without WhatApps, where just a short ringing of a phone, from your significant other at a distance, had a different meaning. Like a kiss, I love you, I miss you, I am dreaming of you, etc.

Now, the couple that started that life together, continue together, living and caring for their two adorable daughters.


There are no reference tracks for this song because this song was born without any of them.

Let the story inspire you, then work on the mix.

As you will see, the tempo of the elements is highly imprecise in places, sorry for that. The tuning of the voices is another thing that you might want to address at your convenience to get a solid tuning between them.

My unique advise is: split the "PERC track" into elements, separate the high from the low ones in order to get some more control of the "kick" and get a nice and gentle LOW END during the chorus especially.



(more technical details in the Mix Pack bundled TXTs)

A few words by the Mix Challenge staff:

Mister Fox wrote:Once more a very interesting production by Javier Ramallo, this time a bit more acoustic oriented, and not all-out Pop-Rock (like with his band "Vanagloria").

Yes, there are definitely timing issues present. However, I highly advise to not go "perfectly quantized" in terms of editing. Same goes for possible pitch correction of the voice. The vocals are really good to begin with and are not that offset, so that you have to dive in and nudge things to perfection.

This song has a certain charm and groove to it. Going in-depth on correcting things would only sterilize that feeling of the song and the story being told. In my humble opinion of course.

I've heard several demo versions before finalizing the multi-track package for this mixing challenge. In these version, the ending had a fade out for and with certain instruments. It is up to you how to handle the multi-tracks in this case (notice the hidden sound bits).


I can't give many good possible "mixes for inspiration" this month.

Although maybe check out:

Natalia Lafourcade - Mi Tierra Veracruzana (hint: "NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert", or "Live from Here with Chris Thile" - for the upbeat feeling)
Jacob Gurevitsch - For Your Love (this is just an instrumental)
Pablo Alboran - Por Fin (acoustic version)


Have fun!

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.

Rule Summary / Add-On Rules:

• try to create a mix that complements this production (in your own style)
• the focus of this game is "mixing" - NO MASTERING. Edit/Mix in such a way, that barely any after-touches other than loudness adjustments and final limiting is needed in a possible follow-up mastering step.
• Clean / Alternative versions can be used if you need more flexibility over a certain sound (if present for this production)
• make the best out of the provided audio material (EQ, compression, transient tools, etc), no "drum sample triggering / replacement", neither any changes to the arrangement (copy/move/add parts)!
• please only provide WAV files, files need to be accessible/downloadable from your preferred cloud storage space (no SoundCloud!)
• render the edited material in the same sampling rate and bitrate as originally provided (MC079 / August => 44/24)
• ADD-ON RULES - PRODUCTION RELATED:
  • Filename Template: MC079_Javi_Ramallo__Lo_siento_por_Sevilla__ForumUsername.wav
  • if you want to, you can try to find a better fitting ending (fade out), but take note of the bonus sound bits at the very end
  • no (more) add-on rules specified

Please consult the official Rules and Guidelines for a more detailed set of rules, including how to document your edits, maximum loudness values and delivery formats (see Rule Book - Post #6). Failing to adhere to the rules will result in disqualification. There will be no additional reminders given.


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Source Files:

Main Mix Package - full package (119,14 MB, LZMA compressed, zip)
Main Mix Package - missing files only (0,475 MB, LZMA compressed, zip -- extracted 103,82 MB, not a typo!)
IMPORTANT NOTE: file unavailable after 21-AUG-2021
UPDATE: mix package updated 03-AUG-2021 19:15 UTC+2/CEST


The provided files were packed as ZIP with LZMA compression.
File size extracted: 736,10 MB, packed 119,14 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

If you like what the Mix Challenge (community) has been doing in recent months:
Please consider supporting us

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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 (exception: Verberate Immersive)
License will turn into NFR
More info on Acon Digital: http://acondigital.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



IK Multimedia is kind enough give away one license of T-RackS ONE to the winner
License will turn into NFR
More info on IK Multimedia: https://www.ikmultimedia.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/



NOS Audio is kind enough give away one license of NOS Roomer to the winner
License will turn into NFR
More info on NOS Audio: http://www.nosaudio.com/



NUGEN Audio is kind enough give away one license from the depicted tools (see image) to the winner
License will turn into NFR
More info on NUGEN Audio: https://nugenaudio.com/



Tone2 is kind enough to donate a license of Ultraspace to the winner
License will turn into NFR
More info on Tone2: https://tone2.com



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!

Just to get sure and to avoid disqualification. Are we allowed to correct timing issues AND are we allowed to mute things as part of mixing/arrangement decisions? Mixing sometimes involves decisions that change the arrangement to benefit the song and emotion.

Thank you!

In this particular challenge: timing and pitching are allowed to correct.
Muting parts is not allowed at all. We are supposed to keep up with the given tracks and arrangement.

As @Ronson79 said, are we allowed to add any instruments like pads, strings or others?

!	Bonus Info
	I highly advise anyone, especially new participants, to get (re-)acquainted with the Rules and Guidelines (post #6). Additionally, there is a FAQ Section (post #9) which covers most of the recurring questions on "re-arranging" content, timing adjustments and pitch correction.

Let me quickly answer some open questions:

Ronson79 wrote: ↑

Mon Aug 02, 2021 11:20 CEST

Just to get sure and to avoid disqualification. Are we allowed to correct timing issues AND are we allowed to mute things as part of mixing/arrangement decisions? Mixing sometimes involves decisions that change the arrangement to benefit the song and emotion.

Please check in with the FAQ Section, most notably Q/A #10 and Q/A #11

Time Alignment / Pitch Correction:
Correction on timing and pitch (vocals) is allowed, as long as it doesn't change the overall character and feel of the production, or the song key (vocals).

Muting / Arrangement decisions:
You take the production "as is". You are not allowed to change the arrangement (copy/moving/deleting). If you think the production needs drastic clean-up, do so with known / conventional means (EQ, volume automation, panning).


Let me assure you: during Integrity Checks of the multi-tracks that are provided to me, i also check for possible issues on that behalf. I also base my "words by the staff" on this topic in form of "tips and tricks". Despite the age of the song, the production offers a well written ABACAB song structure and isn't overloaded with sound clusters that are clashing with each other (not even close!). Time aligning is possible in certain sections of this song, but I didn't write out of nowhere that this will have influence on the overall feel.

Again, check in with the FAQ, and decide what you think is best. Document that you did alter the timing/correct the pitch so that we can understand your decision. If you are selected for Mix Round 2, and the "client" doesn't like those changes, he'll let you know and you might need to find a different soltuion.

A-Max wrote: ↑

Mon Aug 02, 2021 17:08 CEST

As @Ronson79 said, are we allowed to add any instruments like pads, strings or others?

Absolutely not!

Please check in with the FAQ Section, most notably Q/A #7
And especially check in again with the Rules and Guidelines (post #6).

I don't know where you got the impression, that this is part of this particular game. This is a mixing challenge, not a follow-up composer / songwriter / remixing competition. Your job, based upon given material and limitations, is to edit/mix in such a way, that barely any after-touches other than loudness adjustments and final limiting is needed in a possible follow-up mastering step. Do not change the arrangement.

Mister Fox wrote: ↑

Mon Aug 02, 2021 18:58 CEST

Absolutely not!

Please check in with the FAQ Section, most notably Q/A #7
And especially check in again with the Rules and Guidelines (post #6).

I don't know where you got the impression, that this is part of this particular game. This is a mixing challenge, not a follow-up composer / songwriter / remixing competition. Your job, based upon given material and limitations, is to edit/mix in such a way, that barely any after-touches other than loudness adjustments and final limiting is needed in a possible follow-up mastering step. Do not change the arrangement.

Ok! Sorry for asking.

Thanks for the info! It seems that I discovered a missing sound. In the demo mix you can hear a percussion at 0:17 sec for example.
I can´t find it in any track. Is this on purpose or are there any missing tracks in the folder? @Mister Fox

Hi Ronson! I am afraid that you are right!. I did not realize the lack of thi little FX.
Unfortunately I can not find this track is. really sorry.

As in the text is shown, this is a really old session which is carring some lacks like this. Again sorry.

I'll propose to Mr. Fox a alternative solution for this Issue. For the moment go ahead with the rest of the mix due to this little lack is so little that can let the mix go ahead.

Wait to Mr. Fox valorations.

Thanks.

Javiramallo.

No, worries. The song also works without this percussive element. IMO there´s no need to take further actions.