KVR Audio

Compyfox · Post by **Compyfox** » Wed Aug 31, 2016 10:00 pm

Hello and welcome to the KVR Mix Challenge 25 - September 2016

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.

In this month, we take a dive into the past, with the 70's/80'S Synth Pop inspired track, provided by "One Synth Challenge" regular The Present. His track is called "Don't Turn Me Away" and jabs at the music style from late 70ies to early 80ies.

At this point, we have to give a HUGE shout out to the OSC over in the instrument section. A lot of regulars helping out the Mix Challenge recently. We can't thank you enough.

Please take note of the following

as of MC17, the rule set has been overhauled/simplified - please take note of them in the Rules and Guidelines thread.
our Twitter Account can be found via the handle @MixChallenge

Also Important:

We're desperately looking for new source material for future Mix Challenges. Our pool is in constant fear of running dry. Please follow our official campaign for this in the Music Cafe. No new tracks, no more challenges!
We still look for a Hard Rock/Metal Track for Metal November (MC27). If you know somebody in this area that is looking for alternative mixes, please forward him to us
Please also spread the word on your preferred social media platform. Our Twitter Account is already a good start

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 25: Winners announced

Compyfox · Post by **Compyfox** » Wed Aug 31, 2016 10:00 pm

CURRENT CHALLENGE - GENERAL INFORMATION

Time Frame: Thursday, 01st September 2016 to Wednesday, 21st August 2016 (21 days)

Challenge submission will end on 21-09-2016, 11:59pm CEST/GMT+1 (Germany) - until further notice. If you want to find out when that is the case at your place, please use the following tool and and select "Berlin (Germany)" as location 1, and your location as location 2:
http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/meeting.html

Song Provider: The Present (KVR Profile)
Song Name and Length: Don't Turn Me Away, 3:32min
Song Information: 112 bpm / Signature: 4/4, Key of F major
File Format: WAV, 48kHz, 32bit

GENRE: 70's/80'S Synth Pop

Preview of the Song:
https://soundcloud.com/the-present-o-19 ... erence-mix

A word from the song provider:

The Present wrote:I tried to write and produce a song in European late 70's - 80's melodic synthpop style like ABBA or Human League (which was an ABBA-like band anyway)

Mix this song like it was from that era, which will give you a lot of freedom I guess. Don't feel bound to my own reference mix though, I'm not really a good mixer (yet) and I'm curious about what you can make out of this. Feel free to be as dramatic as you can be. No fade-out please.

Don't replace or delete instruments. Be nice to the girls , it was sort of a quick recording session.

I recorded one track with two singers through one mic and a separate track with only one singer. I edited the vocals before making stems but if you feel some timing or pitch issues should be adressed, go ahead. Please make sure the vocals remain natural sounding.

All instruments are midi, except for the guitars.
The acoustic is a Takamine, the electric guitar is the SG-type guitar from Garageband, handplayed on an iPad.

A few words by the Mix Challenge staff:

Staff (Compyfox) wrote:Ah, Synth Pop from the 70's and 80's... so many good memoies, but I digress.
Wikipedia is your friend: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synthpop

There are no boundaries here mix wise, just know of the technical limitations from yesteryear:
limited MIDI technology, lots of hand played synths, digital recording equipment was still in its infancy, no perfect cuts/pitching (albeit in this production, some slight "timing nudges" can go a long way).

Be creative, let things groove, have an emphasis on the vocals. Then you should have a winner.

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 (not present in this production)
No rearrangement of the song structure
try to not(!) pre-master the track (please no overuse of mix bus treatment)

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Source Files:

Main Mix Package - Mirror on Studio Compyfox (430,18 MB, LZMA compressed)

The provided files were packed as ZIP with LZMA compression.
File size extracted: 1262,82 MB, packed 416,54 MB (ZIP, LZMA)
In order to extract the files, we can recommend these programs:

Macintosh:
The Unarchiver - 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 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.de

Ghostwave Audio (KVR User Karten) is kind enough to donate MixRight (a Reaktor Ensemble) to the winner (until further notice)
License won't turn into NFR, you need Native Instruments Reaktor 5.8+ for this
More info on Ghostwave Audio: http://ghostwaveaudio.com/

JRR Shop will give away a free copy of Audiffex/Audified STA Preamp (until further notice)
More info about the plugins on Audiffex (now known as Audified): http://shop.audified.com/
More info about the sponsor: http://www.jrrshop.com/

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

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/

Sound and Graphic, KVR user and Mix Challenge staff satYatunes is donating one commercial product of winner's choice (until further notice)
More info on satYatune's page: http://www.satyatunes.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 Summer 2017)
License will not turn into NFR
More info on Two Notes: http://www.two-notes.com/en/

THANKS FOR THE 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.

Did you know that there are even more contests / competitions / challenges here on KVR Audio?

One Synth Challenge (see stickies) - a demanding game where you have to use "one synth only", tweak it to your needs and write song with it (the OSC offered us a lot of songs in recent months!)
Music Cafe (KVR, see stickies) - A thematic monthly competition. Use recording, real instruments, synths and samples.

Please spread the word of the challenge on social media.
For example with our dedicated Twitter Account: https://twitter.com/MixChallenge

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

Nightpolymath · Post by **Nightpolymath** » Mon Sep 05, 2016 5:14 am

[Entry withdrawn]

ThePresent · Post by **ThePresent** » Mon Sep 05, 2016 9:13 am

To all, my wishes were: Don't replace or delete instruments. be nice to the girls

, it was sort of a quick recording session.

So, include ALL vocals please.

Of course, partial muting of instrument sections for musical purposes is allowed.

Studio Saturn · Post by **Studio Saturn** » Mon Sep 05, 2016 6:52 pm

Hi there, Can I layer the snare drum with slate digital not replacing but giving character with it? Mixing is all about test and when I do that, the mix breathes and gets its groove going. Thank you

Compyfox · Post by **Compyfox** » Mon Sep 05, 2016 8:38 pm

So far we didn't have adding/layering snares or kicks. I actually do lean towards a "no - please work with what was been given and make the best out of it".

I know that ABBA basically did layer a lot of tracks back in the days, but we still talk tape machine and fairly new drum machines. Adding Slate Digital (Drums or Trigger) might work for you, but wouldn't it change the sound of the whole production in this case? A valid question that maybe only the song provider can fully answer.

Though one hint from my side: did you try parallel processing and more stronger EQ/compression than usual?

We still have a couple of days until the first mix round ends. So let's us discuss this if we should allow an exception for this challenge or not. So the more opinions on this, the better.

Studio Saturn · Post by **Studio Saturn** » Mon Sep 05, 2016 10:51 pm

Yes I have tried parallel it is actually in my setup. Room track is not provided in multitrack so I was hoping me using slate trigger for the room sound purpose to improve the character. Now when I send the provided Snare drum with a couple of room slate triggers to parallel the snare gets its own place. on top of it when I apply Reverb and two parallel compression the snare become sweet. Slate Trigger is helping me create the Room fat sounding snare the parallel compression is beefing up all round the drum. My approach is compress less on main track and use 1176 all button on bus meaning the parallel. If there was a Room track provided I wouldn't use slate trigger but now I feel like I need to. Anyways, let me know otherwise I will tray to recreate using reverb and bounce it to save DSP on my computer.

Thanks

Nightpolymath · Post by **Nightpolymath** » Tue Sep 06, 2016 12:36 am

ThePresent wrote:To all, my wishes were: Don't replace or delete instruments. be nice to the girls , it was sort of a quick recording session.

So, include ALL vocals please.

Of course, partial muting of instrument sections for musical purposes is allowed.

I can resubmit if the rules allow it. If not, no biggie.

Compyfox · Post by **Compyfox** » Tue Sep 06, 2016 12:37 am

Ah I see what you're trying to achieve, Studio Saturn.

BONUS INFO/HINTS (didn't do this in months!):
Are you folks maybe aware of the Slate Digital "Drum Mixing" tutorial? If not, I'll link it in a minute.

This tutorial covers two mix tricks where you can create more "force" for a snare (basically NY compression with over-emphasized EQ filtering), and something that Slate calls "Faux Room". Which is basically a digital delay in the Haas Effect range (20-40ms), which is then run into a reverb (which creates the room), and then run through a very agressive compression (to create a "room mic" type situation). The creativity doesn't end there.

https://youtu.be/iocdFlUgzl0?t=14m46s

It might not 100% work in this type situation (the provided mix pack), since I don't think that we need a super tight metal kit type sound, but it could improve things. In fact, I remember that our month's song provider told me, that he HEAVILY used FX modules on the individual drum samples. It was basically a night and day result after I checked the RAW files.

Once more, I guess I understand what you're trying to do, "beef" up the main snare with a sample (for example: different ring/more "snare bottom"), while creating a faux ambience, etc. But ultimately, I can't decide if that (sample triggering) would be allowed for this particular challenge. This is where you participants and the song provider comes in.

Personally (as host) I say "there is still a lot of possibilities for this track (hint: transient designer, maybe pitch shifting), please work with what you have". I also say this because not everyone has access to sample trigger type tools, and this would result in an unfair advantage. At least IMO. I'm after "show your creativity, think of ways to fix a situation within certain limitations". But the final word has the song provider - always - I'm just giving suggestions to make things interesting and keep the game fair for everyone.

But feel free to discuss this further. I'll have an eye on this thread, and answer ASAP

@Nightpolymath:
I'm covering my eyes this time. No rush, check your mix again, edit further if needed. Once you're happy with the final result, submit your edit. (see rules/guidelines thread)

ThePresent · Post by **ThePresent** » Tue Sep 06, 2016 5:17 am

Well, I guess it's my turn then

I don't mind beefing up sounds whether it be saturation, slapback delays, simulated rooms, room impulses or whatever as long as the original tracks are kept into the song. If the result pleases me,(read my provided information) I think it should be okay. Just don't add any extra instruments or replace tracks. For example, I wouldn't want anyone to add an extra guitar or synth or even a singer playing/singing along the original. Treat the mix like you can't play any instrument and you don't know a musician to help you out

you're just a mixer, in this case anyway.

Btw I really don't know what Slate Trigger does

Compyfox · Post by **Compyfox** » Tue Sep 06, 2016 11:56 am

"Trigger" is basically a tool that "triggers" a specific sample according to an incoming signal (incl. min signal strength and maximum signal strength). Very simple spoken, it's a drum replacement tool.

vasdim · Post by **vasdim** » Wed Sep 07, 2016 6:28 am

Hi all,
this is my attempt to mix:
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/700 ... %20mix.mp3
Good luck to all.
VasDim

Nightpolymath · Post by **Nightpolymath** » Wed Sep 07, 2016 12:11 pm

Here is my entry:

MP3:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/mqgtdjxfc67s2 ... .mp3?raw=1

WAV:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/5ihfwadjze7d2 ... .wav?raw=1

mementus · Post by **mementus** » Wed Sep 07, 2016 11:46 pm

https://clyp.it/0fmgyzqh here is my mp3. Click and there is the player

A very quick mix, tougth.

For Compyfox:

Please, keep your work up. I really appreciate your dedition and these challenges.
I would pay (answering your survey) 10 euro a month in order to keep this alive.

Thank You

Studio Saturn · Post by **Studio Saturn** » Thu Sep 08, 2016 9:27 pm

My entry unmastered and mastered.

un mastered https://www.dropbox.com/s/8vjn3r8z4tw1q ... n.mp3?dl=0

Mastered https://www.dropbox.com/s/jaxhowes2hq4b ... n.mp3?dl=0

MIX CHALLENGE - MC25 September 2016 - Winners announced