MIX CHALLENGE - MC28 December 2016 - Winners announced

[Davias]

Here is my mix !

Excellent and moving pop track, really enjoyed mixing it ^^

[FLAC]
https://www.dropbox.com/s/jl9fooujrlphs ... .flac?dl=0

[MP3]
https://www.dropbox.com/s/kvcgi1c6vighh ... s.mp3?dl=0

Mix details :
Most of the stems where very clean so it was pleasing to focus on the mixing side ^^
I cleaned the vocals from a bit of clicks and pop. And I used saturation to enhance even more the grain.
I boosted both basses as well as removing excessive highs, the pulse bass needed stereo fixing. I used a multiband compressor to mix them together.
A bit enhancement on the piano and the synth arp.
a bit eq on the pads.
The kick was the hardest stem to mix, I hope I did well but I had to use so much fx that my cpu was heating :p
A slight plate reverb on diverse elements of the mix.
I sidechained the pad with a digital compressor while I sidechained the distorded guitars at the end with a fairlight clone.



Good luck to everybody

[mwaudioprod]

Here my mix:

mp3:
https://dl.dropbox.com/s/wwjzmjci7p46t3 ... d.mp3?dl=0
flac:
https://dl.dropbox.com/s/nai8nxc20uwj1l ... .flac?dl=0

[davemcisaac]

I was in too big a hurry to get it in and submitted a louder mix than planned - same mix but hotter. I dropped the level -1.0 dB to fit the suggested guidelines of peaking no higher than -1dBFS and an average maximum -16dB RMS realtime for the file I intended to submit. Oh well - I hope we're not too overly picky for this potentially final Mix Challenge. That's what happens when life gets busy and I rush a mix.

[Compyfox]

Phew... some day you folks will give me a heart attack.


As with this post, MC28's Mix Round 1 has officially ended.
If I didn't count wrong, we got 12 participants, with a huge rush towards the very last minute (technically mwproduction is 3 minutes over, but okay...)


Please check all of your links again, make your tracks downloadable (ideally with a WAV link, and without special login). Add to your post with further information as to what you did (if you feel like it).

Our "virtual client" will take a listen to all entries and get back to you ASAP.
Until then... thank you for your participation.

Oh well - I hope we're not too overly picky for this potentially final Mix Challenge.

I'm working my fingers off behind the scenes (thanks to those that reached out). But I'd still feel more comfortable to get more audio content - so that we can secure "Year 4".

[mwaudioprod]

If I didn't count wrong, we got 12 participants, with a huge rush towards the very last minute (technically mwproduction is 3 minutes over, but okay...)

Thank you! I had made my mix hurriedly in the last one and a half hour. Then Dropbox unfortunately could not upload my files faster.

[Compyfox]

I take it that writing a post doesn't take just 10 seconds or so. So the track was uploaded prior to the deadline.


But... this is what safety buffers are for.

[ThePresent]

Sorry, didn't mean to make a new post. See my earlier post

[bstageboss]

Hi everyone,

I'm going to post some notes here shortly; there are a few more things I'm going over, but I want to say thank again you for your time and effort.
So far I've gone over the stylistic mix choices (choice of processing and featured instruments/parts, but I still have to see how well the mixes translate on different systems. For that I'll be checking on two sets of studio monitors, Apple earbuds (a common choice nowadays, and always worth checking), a clock radio, regular radio and car stereo. I may not have time enough to do all of those, but I want to include the most diverse ones if I can. hopefully this will be done by the end of today , but I am in a rather late time zone (U.S. Mountain Time or GMT +7), so those of you in other parts of the world will have to forgive the odd timing with which things come through.

Again, thank you all, and also a big thank you to the sponsors for the donation of the prizes.

STV/Vivolator

[davemcisaac]

...but I am in a rather late time zone (U.S. Mountain Time or GMT +7), so those of you in other parts of the world will have to forgive the odd timing with which things come through.

Again, thank you all, and also a big thank you to the sponsors for the donation of the prizes.

STV/Vivolator

Your time zone is no issue for me - I'm in Mountain Time also! (We might be neighbors...)

[bstageboss]

Hi, all,

Well, I've gone through almost everything. My apologies for the delay, there were a few personal family issues that had to be dealt with yesterday, but it looks like I'm back on track. As soon as I fix up my notes, I'll put them up (right now they're abbreviated and a little cryptic).
Thanks again to everyone; I found that every mix had strong points going for it, so the decision making process was not easy. There were some mixes that got really close to getting what we were looking for, so I'll explain all about it when I post the notes.

Cheers,

STV/Vivolator

[bstageboss]

Hi everyone (again),

Okay, so I've gone over the entries with headphones, studio monitors (2 pairs), a standalone CD/recordplayer combo and my car stereo. I don't think I've listened to the tune as much as when I recorded and mixed it. Phew!
But I do want to provide some constructive feedback to all of you, at least from my perspective, which is by no means the final word in evaluating your mixing skills, but really only concerns the song I submitted, and my interpretation of it. This is the least of what I owe you guys for the time and effort you put in.

If you have any concerns or follow-up questions about my notes, let me know (either PM or here on the thread) and, time permitting, I will be happy to elaborate. The main notes are for the mix and it's elements. There is a short blurb about the car stereo translation, since it was the most different an unforgiving situation. Last, there is a general note about the feel and vibe of the mix.

That said, here's what I came away with, in alphabetical order:-
MC 28 notes:

-----------------------------------------------------------------
An Electric Heart:

The delay in the synth pulse bass delay phases the sound, and takes away focus from the part. The effects on the vocals could be dialed back. The 16th guitar blend is good, but could have a little more of the side chain effect. The guitar chords have some deep chorusing that's too wide; I would dial back the depth/speed settings. The toms in verse 2 are back too far in the mix. I like where the Echo break delay levels are, but the timing on the echoes is too late (the first delay works better when it's in the space before before the lead/jam section). The lead synth gets buried in the mix; it's okay to dial that up, as it is the featured part. The guitars fade nicely at end but tend to overwhelm the synth pad. The overall mix feels 'bus compressed', not a bad thing, but maybe a tad too audible.

Car mix notes: The vocal FX (slapback?) definitely come out very clearly, which distracted me a little from listening to the lyrics

It's creative, unconventional; a good match would be an alt pop/rock band in the vein of Foster the people or Dr. Dog.

Dave McIsaac:

The side chained guitar is almost losing the first two 16th notes; backing off on the compression would preserve the accents while making it more of a , nice instrument blend and good contrast between sections. The drum break after chorus one could use more effects (we went with a gated reverb to make it stand apart.)
Also go ahead and tighten the snare timing, it should fit better with what you're doing. Lastly, reduce the guitar fade up in the bridge a little.

Car mix notes: The claps come through too much, otherwise just a very slight bit more bottom end

Very nice mix, captures most of what was intended. Wouln't be out of place next to Maroon 5, P!nk


Davias

The kick very strong and clicky, it works for the jam section, but could be dialed back for verses (EQ and volume automation would be ideal for this), The drum break after jam part one could be louder and feature the gated reverb. Back off on the toms in verse 2 by a few dB. I like the echo break after the second chorus; it hits right. There's good contrast between sections. The echo play at the end is nice but could be pulled down a little. The distorted guitar chords at the end could use a smoother fade.

Car mix notes: The vocals are fighting to be heard over the rest of the mix. The riser after chorus 2 in particular buries them; it could come down, as well as the hi hat (a little).

This sounds like the definitive dance mix. Katy Perry and Max Martin should be looking over their shoulders.

Hate9:

The vocal in the verses is mixed very hot, and the low midrange needs balancing. Overall, the bass gets lost a little in the choruses (was this mixed with subwoofers?) I like where the drum break sits; that is the sweet spot. There's some interesting eq automation in last verse, but it's too subtle. I'd either go all the way with it, or just keep it natural. There's nothing subtle about the end guitar power chords; that part jars me when it comes in. The ending feels unbalanced between the guitars fading away from the pad, and the glockenspiel part needs to blend better.

Car mix notes: The bass is very light and hard to make out, the upper mids and highs are very prominent.

This has got an alt rock vibe to it; we're definitely headed for Weezer or Fall Out Boy territory on this one.

Jim Kennedy:

On this one, the 16ths guitar could use a little bit of sidechaining. The chorus on the guitar chords in the chorus needsto have the depth setting reduced. Good impact on drums, especially kick and snare. I am missing the vocal echoes in the break after second chorus, but the toms hit nice and hard. The final vocal ad-libs are extra cool, but would work even better with more extreme panning and slightly reduced volume. The guitar fade at the end feels too abrupt; you can take your time and blend the fade with the other parts.

Car mix notes: The claps are too strong, the riser after chorus 2 also steps on the vocals, otherwise, it's solid

Another rock/pop mix that has Maroon 5 or The Killers written all over it

Mementus:

The vocal processing on this one sounds brittle, but it's hard to put my finger on whre that's coming from. The 16th note guitar sidechaining feels just right, though. Snare lacks impact/punch. Drum break okay but could benefit from better ambience. Parts of the mix sound muffled/ too processed. Echo break missing. Tom needs more beefiness. Dial back delay on synth lead and guitar volume in bridge. Guitar overall needs to blend better.

Car mix notes:Mix could use a little presence boost and the synth lead could come down a little.

Some interesting experimentation; this tune is not the best choice for your style, but something in the Radiohead direction might be right on the money.

Mwaudioprod:

Dial back the kick in the verse and chorus, and the snare overall (reduce click on kick track). For this mix I'd also go for lining up the snare tracks. The vocal blend between sections is really good on this. The subtle echo on the vox in nice, but it could use that echo break automation. The synth pulse in break should come down; it sticks out too much. The guitar tone at the end is nice but the fade out would sound better blended with the synth pad.

Car mix notes: Vocals could come up by a few dB

I'm feeling an alt rock vibe for this one, too; Weezer, or some MGMT perhaps

PGstudio:

I gotta admit, I really liked this one. Cool guitar 16ths in the verses. The drums feel deep and punchy in a satisfying way. The drum break could have used a bit of something else (gate reverb + phaser?), but the tempo delay on it is a cool trick I didn't expect. Another one is the subtle noise sweep before last chorus. The filter sweep down at end is also nice, although the pad panning feels off balance if it's panned hard at the very end.

Car mix notes: Bring up the vocal in the verse by a couple of dB

Rock/Pop all the way, this is something to compare to Coldplay or P!nk

Photonic:

The high mids are strong with this one. Check your monitoring system for bass response oddities. The vox ambience FX and blend are very nice. The 16th note guitar feels good, too. It has the best drum break ambience so far, but I do miss the echo break. The last vox echo kinda steps on the ad lib vocal (maybe dial back on the delay level?). The fade on the guitar and pad could be more gradual and blended. On small monitors the kick gets lost a little (maybe bring in some transients to make it cut through more).

Car mix notes: The midrange emphasis became much bigger in the car, to the point where the bass almost disappeared.

With a few fixes, this one could also be arena-ready rock/pop; in the Coldplay or Killers direction

ThePresent:

The reverb/ambience on the verse vocal seems too 'bathroom-y' and 'narrow', but it gets better in the chorus. The kick has trouble coming through on small speakers, but this mix has easily the best snare sound! The echo break is good, but could even have a higher delay level. The drum break flutter echoes are too distinct and would be better as gated reverb. Good section contrast throughout the song and a nice blended fade at end.

Car mix notes: Balance was good, but perhaps some lower mid warmth could help the mix translate to other systems

Another Rock mix, this one going into the same territory as some of the rock acts already mentioned above.

Thiagoam88:

On this one, the mids feel unbalanced through song. The level of the vocals sounds uneven from verse to chorus (mix bus/multiband compressor artifact?), and they could use a bit of ambience/delay and mid boost in the chorus. The drum break could be featured some more. The toms in verse two sound great! Section contrast in good. The echo break could also be featured more. The rhythm guitar in the bridge could be taken down a few dB. You've got a great snare sound in the lead/jam sections, and a good mix placement for ad lib vocal at the end. The final fade out is smooth as butter.

Car mix notes: The bass disappears in the high energy sections (like the lead/jam and bridge). Check your bus compressor settings.

Definitely going for a rock vibe on this one too, so see above again for comparisons

VasDim
The mix feels bright and a little light in the midrange elements (perhaps this was referenced on headphones or laptop speakers?). The guitar 16ths feel well blended, but could use a hint of sidechaining. There's an interesting buzzy synth addition on the second chorus, which is a cool choice, but I'm still missing the vocal echo break. The stereo processing on the synth lead diffuses the sound (maybe play with chorus/delay settings?). At the end, I'd pull the guitar out to match the pad fade out.

Car mix notes: The vocal processing becomes emphasized and somewhat metallic sounding (delay in the millisecond range?). The synth/pad elements get lost in the lead/jam section

It kind of feels like it wants to straddle between dance and rock; the sparse feel takes it into into an R&B kind of vibe, but with a rock beat. Tricky to pin this one down.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

I have to say that there was lots of stuff to like, and also room for improvement. If I thought that putting the stems together was the most difficult thing, then boy, was I wrong, it's picking which mixes make it through. Sometimes the difference is so tiny that I question and second-guess myself constantly.
I can see that getting someone to post a track is only one hurdle to overcome for this challenge, and I gotta hand it to Compyfox for making this thing happen again and again.

Thank you all once more, and here are the top choices:

Dave McIsaac
Davias
Hate9
Jim Kennedy
mwaudioprod
PGstudio
Photonic
ThePresent

Thanks,

STV/Vivolator

(I'm going to let my brain and ears rest for a bit, then I will fix up the Synth1 bank and send you guys a DL link as a small token of appreciation for your effort.)

(edited to include additional participants as per Compyfox's suggestions)

[Compyfox]

All right. Thanks for going through all tracks and giving feedback.

Let us kick off Mix Round 2, which will end on Wednesday, 18-01-201ü 11:59pm CET/GMT+1



The following participants go into Round 2

Dave McIsaac
Davias
Hate9
Jim Kennedy
mwaudioprod
PGstudio
Photonic
ThePresent


A thank you to everyone, amd good luck for Round 2

[davemcisaac]

Looks like I'll be the 1st for Round 2
1. I backed off the side chain comp on the 16th note guitar
2. Added gated verb on the last two kicks into the break after Chorus 1 - very subtle...
3. Tightened the snares
4. Reduced the guitar fade up to better blend
5. Brought the Claps down
6. Let just a bit more bottom through
Hope it works!

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0O6oz ... sp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0O6oz ... sp=sharing

[hate9]

Looks like I'll be the second.
I think I fixed all of the issues you mentioned with the bass, guitars, and eq automation, and I adjusted some of the balancing, eq, and sidechaining (plus some minor eq sidechaining on the pad).
https://soundcloud.com/hate9/mc28-vivol ... ate9-mix-1
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B0B1z ... HdrVDhHbVU

I might make another post later, with more changes, depending on how much spare time I have.

[Compyfox]

A friendly reminder:
Less than 48 hours left to submit your edit for Mix Round 2