KVR Audio

Johny Indigo · Post by **Johny Indigo** » Sat Sep 06, 2014 4:52 am

Im sorry I was having issues with my daw

PhilthMN · Post by **PhilthMN** » Sat Sep 06, 2014 7:43 pm

Hello all. I joined specifically to take part in this challenge. I'm reasonably new to the mixing thing but I think I'm making some good strides and I thought I'd see how I stand up against you folks.

erikmichael · Post by **erikmichael** » Sun Sep 07, 2014 9:15 pm

Hey guys,

Where do we submit our finished mixes? Sorry, I'm new to these competitions on this site!

Compyfox · Post by **Compyfox** » Sun Sep 07, 2014 9:38 pm

You can upload the track to your own webspace. Or to a provider like SoundCloud, DropBox, etc.

Important is that we have access to a downloadable WAV file (or at least FLAC, if you're short on bandwidth) for analysis and preparation for the voting process. A MP3 file can be posted for preview purposes.

Links to the files are then posted in this thread, with a short documentary what you did for others to follow.

erikmichael · Post by **erikmichael** » Sun Sep 07, 2014 9:59 pm

thanks Compyfox!

tgraph · Post by **tgraph** » Sun Sep 07, 2014 11:42 pm

Hi, I'm new here... I hope this is correct.

https://soundcloud.com/tgraph/biglunglasses

Compyfox · Post by **Compyfox** » Mon Sep 08, 2014 1:07 am

Hello and welcome to the new participants.

Yes, posting is correct, but *sigh* have you read the Mix Challenge rules? We kind of created them for a reason.

(Pre)Mastering is not the focus of this challenge.

Else... On first listen (smartphone speakers), nice 60ies slapback delay sound on the vocals however.

EDIT: Just checked the song on my rig.

After several listens, it does sound heavily processed (the sum). Let's also take a quick look at the statistics. The WAV clocks in at about -11,35dB RMS avg with -2,00dBFS digital peak (brickwall limited? actually, digital true peak goes up until -1,10dB on L and -1,3dB on R), Loudness (range) barely fluctuates. So my assumption wasn't off last night.

We have our first entry - I'm really curious about the other ones.

tgraph · Post by **tgraph** » Mon Sep 08, 2014 11:50 am

It seems this challenge is beyond my scope and I shouldn't have submitted this track. I don't watch the numbers as closely as required. I have a set of plugins on my master bus that I've become used to, and do my mix with those in place and work by ear. I watch the peaks with my goal being a balance that appeals to me. I listen through a number of sources, none of them being anything near studio monitor quality. Then re-weak. As with other mixes, I am the client I am trying to please. This was a harder song to get a handle on then it first appeared. If I kept working on it I would get different results I'm sure. I used a reverb bus for the drums and another for everything. I had a parallel bus on the vox, gtrz, intr, bass, and drmz and then reduced it to a single one for all. I EQ'ed things and redid that a few times. I put some delays on the vox and gtrz bus. I mixed mostly in mono and then into stereo. I play thru my speakers and have a pair of akg headphones I like. I don't track it by the numbers and just play it and play it. This is how this came out after about 3 hours and I didn't want to spend much more time on it as I have songs of my own that need some work. Thanks to all who might give it a listen and congratulations to whoever might win this thing.

tgraph · Post by **tgraph** » Mon Sep 08, 2014 12:04 pm

A quick note.. I use Reaper and all freeware plugins, many of which I found through these pages. This is a screenshot of the mixer panel:

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid ... =1&theater

If there are questions about my FX chains or whatever, please let me know.
~ Tom

camsr · Post by **camsr** » Tue Sep 09, 2014 5:46 am

Master bus processing is to be avoided if possible. Your mix is entirely over-limited and heavily compressed. Think of it like flying in the dark, you have some instruments but really can't see where you (the mastered track) are going.

photonic · Post by **photonic** » Tue Sep 09, 2014 7:18 am

Hi all,

Here is my mix for MC04 - Big sunglasses:

MP3: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/717 ... otonic.mp3
WAV: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/717 ... otonic.wav

This was my first mix in Reaper!

No pitch correction used.
Drums time corrected on the half notes by kick as reference
On all other tracks only some few time corrections, where needed.
Volume automation used.

Except Uhbik-A Reverb all other tools are only freeware.

Drums:
I created a very small room reverb for the drums.
Grouped and compression with TDR Feedback Compressor. No reverb on the group.
Kick – only Inside Kick used, ReaEQ boosted 10dB around 50Hz and cut 8 db at 200 Hz., ReaComp
Snare – top and bottom used, EQ highpass at 160 Hz, high shelf to the top snare, ReaComp, send to reverb
Toms – gated with ReaGate, ReaEQ highpass around70 Hz, cut 6 dB at 1khz, some high shelf, send to reverb
Hihat - ReaEQ highpass at 2.5kHz
Ride/Cymbal - ReaEQ highpass at 500Hz, boost 4 dB at 3.5kHz
Overhead – ReaEQ highpass at 400Hz
Room - ReaEQ highpass at 300Hz and lowpass at 6kHz, ReaComp, send to reverb

Bass – ReaEQ highpass at 50Hz, cut 6dB at 600Hz, boost 10dB at 1400Hz., ReaComp

Guitar:
Grouped, no compression, ReaEQ cut 3 dB at 500Hz and boost 3 dB at 3200Hz.
Clean – close and room panned in a narrow stereo the left, ReaEQ highpass at 150Hz, cut 3dB at 500Hz, boost 3dB at 1300Hz., NastyDLA, ReaComp
Distort – close and room panned in a narrow stereo the left, ReaEQ highpass at 200Hz, cut 3dB at 1000Hz, NastyDLA

Brass:
Grouped, no FX, all solo parts cut out and separated to a new track
Sax1 - ReaEQ highpass at 120Hz, boost 3 dB at 2kHz and high shelf, ReaComp, send to reverb and TAL-Dub2 (Delay)
Sax1 Solo - ReaEQ highpass at 120Hz, boost 4 dB at 2.5kHz and high shelf, ReaComp, send to reverb, NastyDLA and TAL-Dub2 (Delay)
Sax2 - ReaEQ highpass at 50Hz, boost 3 dB at 120Hz and 2.2kHz,high shelf, ReaComp, send to reverb and TAL-Dub2 (Delay)
Sax2 Solo - ReaEQ highpass at 100Hz, boost 4 dB at 170Hz and 2.3kHz and high shelf, ReaComp, send to reverb, NastyDLA and TAL-Dub2 (Delay)
Trombone - ReaEQ highpass at 100Hz, boost 3 dB at 1.3kHz,high shelf, ReaComp, send to reverb and TAL-Dub2 (Delay)
Trombone Solo - ReaEQ highpass at 100Hz, boost 6 dB at 1.5kHz and high shelf, ReaComp, send to reverb, NastyDLA and TAL-Dub2 (Delay)

Organ – close and room used, ReaEQ highpass at 150Hz, boost 3 dB at 500Hz, Acon Digital Multiplyer for Stereo Chorus used, send to reverb

Vox:
Grouped and compression with TDR Feedback Compressor. No reverb on the group.
Reverb created a medium room for vocal.
Male - ReaEQ highpass at 200Hz, boost 3 dB at 1.9kHz and high shelf, ReaComp, send to reverb, IxoxDelay and TAL-Dub2
Female - ReaEQ highpass at 240Hz, boost 4 dB at 1.4kHz and high shelf, ReaComp, send to reverb, IxoxDelay and TAL-Dub2
Background - ReaEQ highpass at 140Hz, high shelf, Acon Digital Multiplyer for stereo widening, send to reverb, IxoxDelay and TAL-Dub2

Stereo-Master:
MQ57 filter for final sound shaping
GClip only for the highest peaks
The Span Analyser
MLoudnessAnalyser for TruePeakMeasurement

Compyfox · Post by **Compyfox** » Tue Sep 09, 2014 11:13 am

tgraph wrote:A quick note.. I use Reaper and all freeware plugins, many of which I found through these pages. This is a screenshot of the mixer panel:

Link leads to a dead end.

tgraph · Post by **tgraph** » Tue Sep 09, 2014 3:31 pm

I think it's fixed.. had a privacy settings there.

tgraph · Post by **tgraph** » Tue Sep 09, 2014 3:33 pm

Also, I remixed with no comp on the master. In your specs now I believe.

tgraph · Post by **tgraph** » Tue Sep 09, 2014 3:44 pm

nevermind to all of the above.. best of luck to you all in your endeavours. I seem to be in the wrong place.

KVR MIX CHALLENGE - MC04 September 2014 - Winners announced.