One Synth Challenge #80: MUX by MuTools (Voting Over, preliminary results in)

[psmacmur]

My entry for KVR One Synth Challenge #80: MUX

https://soundcloud.com/peter-macmurchy/ ... owls-mulab


A huge thanks to MuTools for letting us play with their toys for the month! MUX is a powerhouse and a gem. I've been jonesing for a hardware modular of late, so MUX couldn't have come at a better time, giving me a bit of that modular fix. After reading the recent CM, I realized MUX was the perfect synth for an exercise in micromodulation, so there are almost as many LFOs in this track as whiskers on my cat.

MuTools, while quirky, is capable and promising as a DAW. I wanted to give the MuTools a fair shakedown, so at first, I avoided external VSTs. However, my mix sounded like crap and I was becoming desperate, so I called in the cavalry. Voxengo Span quickly showed that I had brutal DC offset everywhere but, thanks to a recent OSC, I knew how to recognize and fix that. Filtering out the DC offset left my kick very weak, so it's processed now, alongside a couple favourites on the master for that extra bump. It was encouraging seeing everyone's helpful advice this month, and I applied quite a few of them to my track as well... most helpfully, filtering all the things... for me, that is the one mixing trick that makes the most difference.

Except for the first sound you hear, which is an extended Basic Synth patch, the rest of the instances are from the Empty Synth Template. I also built a pump effect built from the Basic Effect Template.

Made in MuLab 6.5.36

13 MUX instrument instances
1 Basic Effect MUX effect instance
Several MUX modules used directly as effects (Multi Mode Filter, Level Compressor, Audio Limiter)

DAW FX (several each):
MuEcho
MuVerb

Free FX (one each):

Kick Processing:
Nova67p
Roughrider

Master Processing:
MJUCjr
Limiter6-x64
SPAN

DR5

[wagtunes]

My entry for KVR One Synth Challenge #80: MUX

https://soundcloud.com/peter-macmurchy/ ... owls-mulab


A huge thanks to MuTools for letting us play with their toys for the month! MUX is a powerhouse and a gem. I've been jonesing for a hardware modular of late, so MUX couldn't have come at a better time, giving me a bit of that modular fix. After reading the recent CM, I realized MUX was the perfect synth for an exercise in micromodulation, so there are almost as many LFOs in this track as whiskers on my cat.

MuTools, while quirky, is capable and promising as a DAW. I wanted to give the MuTools a fair shakedown, so at first, I avoided external VSTs. However, my mix sounded like crap and I was becoming desperate, so I called in the cavalry. Voxengo Span quickly showed that I had brutal DC offset everywhere but, thanks to a recent OSC, I knew how to recognize and fix that. Filtering out the DC offset left my kick very weak, so it's processed now, alongside a couple favourites on the master for that extra bump. It was encouraging seeing everyone's helpful advice this month, and I applied quite a few of them to my track as well... most helpfully, filtering all the things... for me, that is the one mixing trick that makes the most difference.

Except for the first sound you hear, which is an extended Basic Synth patch, the rest of the instances are from the Empty Synth Template. I also built a pump effect built from the Basic Effect Template.

Made in MuLab 6.5.36

13 MUX instrument instances
1 Basic Effect MUX effect instance
Several MUX modules used directly as effects (Multi Mode Filter, Level Compressor, Audio Limiter)

DAW FX (several each):
MuEcho
MuVerb

Free FX (one each):

Kick Processing:
Nova67p
Roughrider

Master Processing:
MJUCjr
Limiter6-x64
SPAN

DR5

This is the kind of stuff I like. Shades of JMJ, Kraftwerk and Tangerine Dream. Aren't modulars so cool? MUX is like the closest thing to the real thing. Only reason I didn't do a JMJ type track was because I was afraid it would bomb on the voting. But this is so cool that it has to do well.

Now I think I'll go listen to Autobahn, Oxygene and Stratosphere.

[psmacmur]

Thanks, wagtunes, that means a lot! I too <3 JMJ and especially Kraftwerk. Still have to really grok TD, but I quite enjoy SMD's TD-inspired modular tracks, so I owe them a 2nd chance.

[wagtunes]

I have decided to go with what I have. I don't want to mess with this anymore than I have.

https://soundcloud.com/steven-wagenheim ... mux-take-3

Track details below:

DAW - Cubase 7.07

28 instances of MUX

FX Used - Cuabse Studio EQ, Limiter, REVerance, Compressor, VST Dynamics, Delay, Brickwall Limiter

Voxengo Curve EQ

Master Output - Studio EQ, Ferric TDS, Brickwall Limiter

I have to admit I'm really excited about this month but I'm cautiously optimistic. Whatever happens, this has been a lot of fun and I owe a lot to the good people here who really walked me through fixing this up until it was presentable.

To all of you, a big thanks.

This MUX's for you.

[bjporter]

I have decided to go with what I have. I don't want to mess with this anymore than I have.

https://soundcloud.com/steven-wagenheim ... mux-take-3

Track details below:

DAW - Cubase 7.07

28 instances of MUX

FX Used - Cuabse Studio EQ, Limiter, REVerance, Compressor, VST Dynamics, Delay, Brickwall Limiter

Voxengo Curve EQ

Master Output - Studio EQ, Ferric TDS, Brickwall Limiter

I have to admit I'm really excited about this month but I'm cautiously optimistic. Whatever happens, this has been a lot of fun and I owe a lot to the good people here who really walked me through fixing this up until it was presentable.

To all of you, a big thanks.

This MUX's for you.

Minor suggestion: If you use a more majestic icon in your social profiles, and for each song upload a photo, even if it's something simple, or googled. It helps build an atmosphere while listening, and definitely could have an effect on scoring too.

Very nice entry, definitely your best so far

[wagtunes]

I have decided to go with what I have. I don't want to mess with this anymore than I have.

https://soundcloud.com/steven-wagenheim ... mux-take-3

Track details below:

DAW - Cubase 7.07

28 instances of MUX

FX Used - Cuabse Studio EQ, Limiter, REVerance, Compressor, VST Dynamics, Delay, Brickwall Limiter

Voxengo Curve EQ

Master Output - Studio EQ, Ferric TDS, Brickwall Limiter

I have to admit I'm really excited about this month but I'm cautiously optimistic. Whatever happens, this has been a lot of fun and I owe a lot to the good people here who really walked me through fixing this up until it was presentable.

To all of you, a big thanks.

This MUX's for you.

Minor suggestion: If you use a more majestic icon in your social profiles, and for each song upload a photo, even if it's something simple, or googled. It helps build an atmosphere while listening, and definitely could have an effect on scoring too.

Very nice entry, definitely your best so far

If my icon affects scoring then there is something very wrong.

I'll look for something more appropriate.

[wagtunes]

Done. Hope that's better and improves my score.

Sorry, it's hard for me to actually take this seriously. I thought it was the music that sold the track. Come to think of it, I can't tell you one icon of any entry since I've been doing this.

Maybe I am just too old for this "glitz sells" world.

[bjporter]

Done. Hope that's better and improves my score.

Sorry, it's hard for me to actually take this seriously. I thought it was the music that sold the track. Come to think of it, I can't tell you one icon of any entry since I've been doing this.

Maybe I am just too old for this "glitz sells" world.

I remember Irion Dar Ronin always put on an amazing presentation on his tracks in OSC: Fully featured art for each song, and he had various logos, and beautifully thought up song names. His theme was mainly sci-fi / robotic futuristic / fantasy type stuff, and I quite enjoyed it. I imagine it helped a bit to put me into another world. Every little bit counts i think.

[pljones]

If my icon affects scoring then there is something very wrong.

Music's a form of communication and your choice of how you communicate directly affects your message. It always does, that's part of what being human is. Your score is determined by the people you're communicating with, so you if the score matters, then how you communicate matters. (I paraphrase David Byrne, whose book I'm reading )

[ThePresent]

"Glitz sells" is as old as the world is, we tend to like shiny objects

[wagtunes]

Well, maybe that's why I've never really had any success with anything I've ever done. I've always been a meat and potatoes kind of guy. Just give me the beef. I don't need all that parsley on the side and crap that I'm not going to eat. I don't need fancy plates. I don't need ambiance. I just want to eat my meal. I never went to a record store and bought an album because the cover looked nice and I never not bought an album because the cover was crap. Otherwise I would have never bought the Beatles "White" album, which actually wasn't even called the "White" album. They just referred to it as such because the album cover was white. I bought it because it was the Beatles and I loved Martha My Dear which they didn't release as a single. That and Rocky Raccoon. Yeah, most of the album was crap. But there was enough good music on it for me to get it. They could have had a picture of a goat on the cover and I still would have bought it.

But, whatever. Hope you guys like my "majestic" eagle. Maybe I should rename my track "The Eagle Has Landed"

[wagtunes]

What the hell? I renamed the track. Now I've really gone all out commercial.

I'm ready for my close up Mr Demille.

[cgnat]

Hi and thanks everyone.

Here is my entry:

https://soundcloud.com/carlosnatale/cgnat-muse

Studio One 3
4 instances of MUX
FX (master only): TP Basslane; Compressor and Limiter from Melda Production

Thanks for listening

[wagtunes]

Hi and thanks everyone.

Here is my entry:

https://soundcloud.com/carlosnatale/cgnat-muse

4 instances of MUX
FX (master only): TP Basslane; Compressor and Limiter from Melda Production

Thanks for listening

Reminds me of the New Age albums I used to listen to late at night when New Age was the new thing. I'd put on the headphones and just lay back on the couch and drift off while listening. Yanni was my favorite.

Good luck in the contest.

[cgnat]

Hi and thanks everyone.

Here is my entry:

https://soundcloud.com/carlosnatale/cgnat-muse

4 instances of MUX
FX (master only): TP Basslane; Compressor and Limiter from Melda Production

Thanks for listening

Reminds me of the New Age albums I used to listen to late at night when New Age was the new thing. I'd put on the headphones and just lay back on the couch and drift off while listening. Yanni was my favorite.

Good luck in the contest.

Thank you, wagtunes. Good luck.