KVR MIX CHALLENGE - MC11 June 2015 - winners announced

[camsr]

Via sample replacement or transient designers and/or EQ?

No, no sample replacement, just EQ and Dynamics.
But, doing that got rid of some of the midrange swagger it had, which sounded good but didn't mix well IMO.

[mwaudioprod]

That was a simple mixing Contest. The stems were a priori good. I was just worked out here and there with an EQ the sweetspot . Here and there compressed . Nothing spectacular . Here is my mix.
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/s/obb ... d.mp3?dl=0
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/s/fxq ... .flac?dl=0
I have currently a Dropbox traffic problem. I have replaced the wave file to a flac. Hopefully Dropbox works soon.

[Mehr212]

Here's my mix:

MP3 : https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/s/132 ... 2.mp3?dl=0

WAV : https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/s/m9a ... 2.wav?dl=0

Generally I didn't add anything or do any major changes effect wise. Just focused on warmth, definition and stereo image. Not that much verb either, kept it dry and punchy.
Tried to get the full and warm characteristics of analog sound, No compression or limiting on the main buss,
peak level around -3. Mix was done in Pro tools 10.

Thanks KVR

[adam_firegate]

Mix was made in Ableton Suite 9.1

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/646 ... regate.mp3
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/646 ... regate.wav

EQ = EQ Eight

Drums:

• kick, EQ boost around 216 Hz
• clap, Reverb, Klanghelm DC1A2 compressor, EQ low cut
• hats, Reverb, EQ low cut, high cut
• conga, EQ low cut
• fill, EQ low cut
• wood, Klanghelm IVGI saturation, EQ low cut
• crash, EQ low cut, high cut

Bass: sidechain compressor to the kick, EQ high shelf boost, Utility to monoize

Synths:

• stab, Reverb, EQ low cut, high cut
• st-synth, Ping Pong Delay, EQ, low cut, high cut
• gata, EQ low cut high cut

Vox:

• mainvox1, EQ low cut, high cut
• mainvox2, EQ low cut, high cut
• vox-down, Voxengo Tube Amp, EQ low cut, high cut

FX:

• percjam, EQ low cut, high shelf boost
• swfx, EQ low cut, high cut

Master: EQ low cut at 35 Hz, high cut at 17 kHz, Utility +1 dB amplification

[photonic]

Hi all,

Here is my mix for the MC#11:

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

Mixed in Reaper 4.731

Drums Bus: Ferric TDS for Satturation and Compression
Kick – GStereo to mono the low end, ReEQ, ReaComp
Claps – ReaEQ
Hats – ReaEQ, Bitter Sweet II to enhance the attack
Conga – ReaEQ
Fills – ReaEQ, NastyDLA
Wood – ReaEQ
Crash+Reverse - ReaEQ, NastyDLA, MidSideMangler to enhance side
Bass - GStereo to mono the low end, ReEQ
Studry Synth – ReaEQ
Stabs - ReaEQ, NastyDLA
Gata – ReaEQ
Main vox – ReaEQ, BitterSweet II to reduce transients
Perc Jam, Rock down and SweepFX - ReaEQ

Reverbs: U-he’s Uhbik-A

Master: MQ57, Satin, AkustiX
Analyser: Voxengo’s Span, Sleepy Time’s Stereo Channel, TT-DR-Meter

[satYatunes]

Thought this was MC10 thread. Good luck to all contestants.

[bmanic]

Hi guys,

Well I thought I'd take part in this little competition/learning experience. I'm quite rusty when it comes to mixing so it's good to get some practice. I do have a few questions to the creator of this fine tune.

Q: I've listened to some of the references and noticed most of them are lot "tighter" than the original mix presented here. Would this be desirable? Getting a tighter, more "snappy", mix? That's basically where I'm at right now but the original tune and it's "lazy flow" has been quite transformed. I think I may have gone a bit too far (even though I have not made all that many changes.. some careful EQing and dynamics processing here and there).

Q: Some of the chopped up vocal stuff is quite noticeably "out of the beat" in what I consider "a bad way". Would it be acceptable to mute these parts (at the moment I've just lowered these bits volume considerably)?

Q: The percussion track is really cool as it has some tuned drums that mix extremely well with some of the synth sounds. I've done quite heavy processing on these to make them a lot more "electronic" sounding. This of course will sound quite artificial.. basically they don't sound like ordinary percussion any more, at least not within the mix context. Is this okay?

Q (to the moderators/compyfox): I've kind of matched the original mix volume at this stage so it's easier for the creator of the track to compare. This of course means it's way louder (like the original mix) than the recommended target levels of the Mix Challenge rules. Is this okay? Basically it's really hard to stick to the current recommended volume levels when it comes to this kind of music as the impact and "click" of each drumhit is very much dictated by the final limiter/clipping and removing these will impact the type of sound usually common to this kind of music. Let me know what you guys think.

Anyhow.. will be posting the current session of the mix as soon as the rendering is done (my studio computer is starting to get long in the tooth so this will take a while).

Cheers!
bManic

[Compyfox]

Welcome to the Mix Challenge, bmanic.

A lot of the fine details can only be answered by the "client" (song provider), but I try to at least scratch the surface regarding rules and technical aspects:

Q: I've listened to some of the references and noticed most of them are lot "tighter" than the original mix presented here. Would this be desirable? Getting a tighter, more "snappy", mix? That's basically where I'm at right now but the original tune and it's "lazy flow" has been quite transformed. I think I may have gone a bit too far (even though I have not made all that many changes.. some careful EQing and dynamics processing here and there).

Can't speak for the client, but I can at least say that the source files, and the references give you a rough guideline that you shouldn't venture too far off. In the end, you have to find your style of mixing and what you think the track should sound like. The "client" then decides "well, this is sounding great" or "nah, not my cup of tea".

Just like in the real world - clients come to the engineer because of their "style". Especially if they have made a name of themselves.

Q: Some of the chopped up vocal stuff is quite noticeably "out of the beat" in what I consider "a bad way". Would it be acceptable to mute these parts (at the moment I've just lowered these bits volume considerably)?

Plain technical answer here:
- no muting of tracks
- no rearrangement

See the second post of this thread.

You can try to "fix" a production it within limited boundaries, but if the client wanted that type of sound to boot with, then you're stuck with what you got.

Q: The percussion track is really cool as it has some tuned drums that mix extremely well with some of the synth sounds. I've done quite heavy processing on these to make them a lot more "electronic" sounding. This of course will sound quite artificial.. basically they don't sound like ordinary percussion any more, at least not within the mix context. Is this okay?

Again, this counts to your type of mixing style, and what you think the track should sound like.

But then again - there was a demo mix given by the client that you should(!) built upon and elevate into new heights, rather than completely change it to something unrecognizable or a new sound altogether.

Q (to the moderators/compyfox): I've kind of matched the original mix volume at this stage so it's easier for the creator of the track to compare. This of course means it's way louder (like the original mix) than the recommended target levels of the Mix Challenge rules. Is this okay? Basically it's really hard to stick to the current recommended volume levels when it comes to this kind of music as the impact and "click" of each drumhit is very much dictated by the final limiter/clipping and removing these will impact the type of sound usually common to this kind of music. Let me know what you guys think.

I do understand that a master limiter or "(pre)mastering" per se can add to such a production. The concept of the challenge is to (only) "mix" however, not also (pre)master.

We're already very lenient on possible master bus treatment, which can add a lot to a production as well (tape printing/gluing, mixing through a compressor, over-driving a summing device, etc). You should however have a focus on proper gain staging, and a suitable work level rather than having a loudness raised production to boot with. This is the main learning factor here.

Yes, A/Bing might be simpler. But if the client is like "I do loudness normalization myself for an A/B", then your heavily processed track might sound out of place due to missing transients (which is what made pre 2000s/pre-loudness war records awesome). My KVR Marks can help you on the Gain Staging questions, and I've also linked a "loudness normalization" tutorial there.

A lot of the participants in recent challenges found a hotspot between -19dBFS RMS avg to -15dBFS RMS avg. Mixing to -23LUFS (EBU R-128 specs, broadcast level) doesn't make any sense if your reference (work) level is -18dBFS = 0VU. So plus/minus 3dB around that value is absolutely fine. And you barely clip the peaks on the master bus - if at all.

A good track doesn't have to be "loud". And over-compression can hide a lot of issues.

Anyhow.. will be posting the current session of the mix as soon as the rendering is done (my studio computer is starting to get long in the tooth so this will take a while).

Before you do that, keep in mind that this is not a "get feedback on mix stages" type of challenge. You work on the production, and if you're happy with it, you file it once(!) prior to the given deadline. The client then listens to all tracks after the deadline has been reached. He then gives feedback to the mixes and further decides if/what tracks need an overhaul.



I'll leave the field to 3ee - it's his track after all.
Else, good luck to all participants.

[nineofkings]

Here's my mix in WAV format: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/898 ... fkings.wav

The stems sounded good on their own (thanks Wave Alchemy!) so controlling dynamics and such wasn't a huge deal. There were some weird frequency anomalies that needed cleaning (like a lot of ~20kHz on the cymbal/sweeper for some reason) but mostly I focused on getting a good balance and a wide stereo image, the latter of which I felt the original demo lacked. Light compression and EQ on the master, nothing crazy.

[3ee]

Q: I've listened to some of the references and noticed most of them are lot "tighter" than the original mix presented here. Would this be desirable? Getting a tighter, more "snappy", mix? That's basically where I'm at right now but the original tune and it's "lazy flow" has been quite transformed. I think I may have gone a bit too far (even though I have not made all that many changes.. some careful EQing and dynamics processing here and there).

Yeah, if it sounds good, you can do a tighter low-end sure! It's all about the context of the mix. I will be looking a "GOOD" mix, regardless if I were to mix it like that or not. Don't take my original mix too literally cause I think it could be better mixed.

Q: Some of the chopped up vocal stuff is quite noticeably "out of the beat" in what I consider "a bad way". Would it be acceptable to mute these parts (at the moment I've just lowered these bits volume considerably)?

hmm... didn't seem "out of beat" to me ...maybe it's the overall shuffle and I didn't take into account to quantize the loops accordingly since I didn't perceive anything -wrong- ... feel free to align or mix at low level if you think it helps... just don't remove it completely.

Q: The percussion track is really cool as it has some tuned drums that mix extremely well with some of the synth sounds. I've done quite heavy processing on these to make them a lot more "electronic" sounding. This of course will sound quite artificial.. basically they don't sound like ordinary percussion any more, at least not within the mix context. Is this okay?

Yeah, I usually always tune drums. that's both phase alignment as well as pitch.
If you like the the result of the heavy processing and think it's a real fit, feel free to leave it there. As I said, I'll be looking for a -good- mix, and that basically means -context-

Q (to the moderators/compyfox): I've kind of matched the original mix volume at this stage so it's easier for the creator of the track to compare. This of course means it's way louder (like the original mix) than the recommended target levels of the Mix Challenge rules. Is this okay? Basically it's really hard to stick to the current recommended volume levels when it comes to this kind of music as the impact and "click" of each drumhit is very much dictated by the final limiter/clipping and removing these will impact the type of sound usually common to this kind of music. Let me know what you guys think.

yeah, please conform with the competition volume rules, I'll be listening to all mixes side by side and not against the original mix.

Anyhow.. will be posting the current session of the mix as soon as the rendering is done (my studio computer is starting to get long in the tooth so this will take a while).

Looking forward to check out your mix!

[bmanic]

It'll have to wait a bit.. the power supply of the studio computer just blew up, literally. A very loud "bang!" and that electronic-death smell all over the studio. I've verified that the hard disks survived but the rest of the computer seems to have gone kaput.

EDIT: Nevermind.. I just checked my schedule and there's no way I'll have time to start fixing things at this point in time so I'm posting my mix as it is now.

MP3: http://badsauna.net/nikke/audiodemos/3e ... bManic.mp3

WAV: http://badsauna.net/nikke/audiodemos/3e ... bManic.wav


Basic mixing premise:

1) Make things "tight and focused", mainly using phase tricks like the allpass filter in ReaEQ. I put quite a lot of effort in getting the kick and bass to be tight and work together without resorting to too much side-chain compression nor EQ. I think I ended up flipping the phase of the whole bass track and then had a pretty narrow all-pass filter at around 50Hz

2) Tried to create an interesting, hectic and above all "groovy" mix. This is done with quite a few subtle volume and EQ automations.

3) Narrow down the stereo field of many elements to focus the beat and overall energy towards the center of the mix so that it is grooving in one place

4) Enhancing the "cut up" hectic nature of some of the sounds (like the cut up vocal samples) by using Native Instruments Transient Master and some gate plugins

5) Have a tight and focused low end.. mainly achieved with the combination of Klanghelm SDRR and some Acustica Audio Nebula programs (AlexB A5D was used quite a bit)

6) I transformed the percussion track by quite heavily distorting it and focusing narrow EQ boosts around the fundamental tone of the drums as they were very well in tune with the track. This blends the whole track in so that it sounds almost synth like but it still grooves very well with the track


Known issues/problems with my mix: It's a bit overall bass light and it's also a bit too "hard" due to the bunched up high-mid (3 to 5kHz) and high (8 to 12kHz) frequencies. However the overall balance is good enough so that these issues could probably be fixed in quite easily in mastering.

Sorry for the quite loud mix. It's fairly tight and compressed but that's how I like it.

Cheers!
bManic

[bmanic]

Here's my mix in WAV format: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/898 ... fkings.wav

The stems sounded good on their own (thanks Wave Alchemy!) so controlling dynamics and such wasn't a huge deal. There were some weird frequency anomalies that needed cleaning (like a lot of ~20kHz on the cymbal/sweeper for some reason) but mostly I focused on getting a good balance and a wide stereo image, the latter of which I felt the original demo lacked. Light compression and EQ on the master, nothing crazy.

I have to say I really REALLY like your mix. It's like the long lost "soft and pillowy" version of my mix.. what I'm trying to say is that it's pretty much the exact opposite to my mix but it's still very stylish and extremely pleasant to listen to.

Not sure about the massive reverb addition in the middle buildup part though.

Oh and also the clap/that track that contains the other part of the "clap" sound is the only quite harsh sound. On my headphones it's not too bad but at the studio it hits the "nasty spot" of the Genelecs and really stands out in the mix compared to all the other soft and fluffy parts. Though to be fair, it's nothing a little mastering couldn't fix so it's no biggie.

Anyhow, good work.

[Compyfox]

... mainly using phase tricks like the allpass filter in ReaEQ.

Just for understanding.
Did you use Allpass filters as sample delay, or rather just a phase switch?

I barely reach for that technique to be honest.

[bmanic]

I'm just using it to warp the phase response around certain frequencies. I usually use this technique if I think there is more to gain than by simply switching the phase of the whole track. It's kind of like a "track EQ" of sorts as it of course affects everything.. and it's completely unpredictable. I just mess around with it and see if something improves. Usually spend about 10 minutes doing this and A/B checking without the all-pass filter. If there's no improvement or things get worse I leave it alone and try to get the bass tight with traditional EQ and compression.

[Empyrean]

This track kind of reminded me of early 00's broken beat with those vocal chops so I tried to gear it into that direction of tone and dynamics while staying pretty close to idea of the original mix. Other than that I did some stereo stuff and some reverbs in the empty spaces I carved out, threw in a little sidechain compression. Used mainly a bunch of Variety of Sound EQs, exciters, compressors, some Acon Multiply, and stock FL stuff.

WAV: https://soundcloud.com/cutlassmusic/3ee ... 1-empyrean