KVR MIX CHALLENGE - MC15 #Rocktober 2015 - Winners announced

[vasdim]

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

[erictracks]

Here's my submission. I enjoyed this tune, and those heavy guitars.

WAV:
http://www.erictracks.com/wp-content/up ... OA_wav.wav

MP3:
http://www.erictracks.com/wp-content/up ... OA_mp3.mp3

[g_liou]

Hey everyone!

That was truly a great and very enjoyable song to mix.
Mp3: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B3oJ-m ... sp=sharing

Wav: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B3oJ-m ... sp=sharing

Here's what I did:
On the individual drums ReaEq and ReaComp and on the Parallel drum bus the Red 3 Compressor.
For the Bass i used 3 parallel channels along with the DI. I amped the first through SHB-1 and NadIR, saturated the second with Saturation knob and added Kjaerhus Classic Chorus to the third. I mixed all 4 to taste and compressed with Rough Rider.
The individual Guitars were EQed with the Red 2 EQ. On their bus i used AXP CharBooster and TDR Feedback Compressor.
For the main vocals i used the extra lead 1 as i preferred the delivery. Lead vocals were EQed with ColourEQ and ReaEQ and compressed with Molot. For the harmonies i used different takes through the same processing. I also used an amped 2nd verse through Boogex and Rough Rider.
The Delay channels were Kjaerhus Classic Delay and ReaDelay.
For reverb i used OldSchoolVerb and epicVerb.
On the master bus I've used the Red2 Eq and TDR Kotelnikov.

I hope you enjoy my mix!

[slick3gz]

Here's my attempt for "Rocktober".

https://soundcloud.com/slick3gz/morella ... ck3gz-rd-1

I referenced Audioslave's "Gasoline" and Seether's "Needles" for perspective.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/z8u9490bgtjhj ... 1.mp3?dl=0
320k cbr mp3

https://www.dropbox.com/s/bni41pjj63wtf ... 1.wav?dl=0
44.1k 24bit WAV

I'll post more details when I have a little more time later this evening. Thanks to song provider and good luck to all participants.

[radio12]

Hi,
this is my mix, i did not have the time to write a large report about what i did, because i started only a few hours ago, but if someone is interested, i'll post it tomorrow or so.
In short: compression, compression, and compression,

MP3
https://www.dropbox.com/s/e9crkpdslzl34 ... 2.mp3?dl=0

wav
https://www.dropbox.com/s/k81ou0tckfrpp ... 2.wav?dl=0


hope you like it
manfred

[mwaudioprod]

Here is my mix. Quick and dirty:

Wav:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/zw3fp80yzs0s6 ... d.wav?dl=1

Mp3:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/4o3c1crt7sjye ... d.mp3?dl=1

[jhkennedy5]

Here is my mix:

WAV: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/896 ... ennedy.wav
MP3: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/896 ... ennedy.mp3

Nothing too unusual. Tried to add some grit and ADT to the vocal via parallel processing.

[MadDogE134]

it was hard to make the vocals sound aggressive with the 'marshmellow' way it was recorded. you can't put aggression in when that emotion was not recorded into the mic but i did my best with what i had. also this is a little more aggressive and in your face so beware. i am mainly a guitarist so the guitars have a bite to them. as stated before... i like garage band sounds so overall it is kinda punk-ish. very good tune and i enjoyed farting around with it. thnx kvr and morelia... hope you ALL enjoy my work. cheers

p.s. best if wave file is listened to... as usual... mp3 compression is not kind.

https://soundcloud.com/jaybranam/moreli ... doge134mp3

https://soundcloud.com/jaybranam/moreli ... doge134wav

vocals- waves butch vig, sound toys decapitator, waves reel adt, psp echo (slap back), plugin alliance maag 4, waves cla-2a, melda production auto-volume

drums- sound toys decapitator, waves dbx-160

bass- kuassa cerberus bass amp, plugin alliance maag 2

guitars- waves ren ax, plugin alliance bx opto, plugin alliance maag 2

mixbus (Elmer's Glue)- klanghelm mjuc

reverb- overloud rematrix

delay- psp echo

master- flux syrah v3, lvc audio limited-t

[Compyfox]

I ring in the bell to announce that the first mix round is officially over.
We have 16 entries. And as usual, we're now going into the evaluation process.


Please watch this spot for the client/song provider feedback.


In the meantime, you could help us out with two things:
We would like to get some feedback - please help us improve some odds and ends with the challenge.
"The KVR Mix Challenge needs your help!" campaign - have a track to mix, please get in touch

Of course, a shout out on your favorite social media doesn't hurt either.
Twitter is a good start: https://twitter.com/KVRMixChallenge

[morelia]

Thanks everyone for the time you took to produce a mix. It's really tough to critique as there are pros and cons of each mix and after listening to 16 of the same track over and over again I start to question my own ears. But, after much careful listening, and in no particular order the following 7 are through to the next round.

DR Audio Labs
This mix sound really well balanced. The only major thing that bothered me was the bass (particularly in the chorus) which seems to have too much mid and high end for it's own good. Nothing too adventurous going on which is what I wanted. I wonder if it would be possible to make this mix a bit more in your face like the Audioslave material referred to. Rhythm guitars are a bit on the weak side. Not sure I like the snare reverb. Perhaps if it was a little less obvious.

piranha81
I'll start with the drums. The kick is the only thing that really bothers me, but I don't like it much at all. Just doesn't suit the song to me and not a particularly hard rock sound I am used to. Snare could be a little more in your face. Not getting that big whack I think it needs in some spots. The bass seems a little soft. Could it be toughened a bit with a small adjustment in low frequencies or some bite? I don't know what I'm saying dammit, but it (combined with the kick) isn't quite providing the fat platform it could. Now to the good bit. You've done a great job with the vocal. It might be a bit loud and ever so slightly over done with effects but I hate my voice so who knows. It just sounds good and I thinking the comping has been done well. Guitars sound really good too.

Slick3gz
Drums and bass osund good. Bass might be a bit loud as to me it seems to dominate the mix. Should be on par with guitars as far as power throughout the song. Vocal needs some work as it seems like it belongs with another mix to some degree. Is there a room on it? I can't tell exactly but it needs to fit with the song better.

Jim Kennedy
Vocal might be a little over done in the high range. I can here a bit more of the hhhhhhh than I'd like. At first the mix seemed a bit bright but after a couple of listens it grew on me (might be possible to make some improvements there as it seems a bit hot in themids and highs over the whole mix). One thing I'd change if possible. The vocal just before the solo sound aweful to me and I don't think it is just because I hate my own voice. Sounds pretty big overall which I like.

Photonic
Mix sounds good. To me everything seems pretty well balanced. Guitars are an improvement on original but seem a little thin. Bass might be a little too lound for my taste. Can't really fault it much but could be that it lacks a little presence. Subtle adjustments in a few areas might lift this for me. I don't know how to explain it but if the mix was a little more modern sound this would be a great improvement. Snare sounds great.

radio12
Drums and bass are good. Guitars. A bit on the mono side. Overall it's a good mix but doesn't seem to have enough stereo spread (especially when listened to in comparison to the other entries). Seems like there is a lot of stuff fighting for attention. Cymbals seem a bit on the loud side.

erictracks
A pretty tight sounding mix. I think the vocal could use a few minor eq teaks to help it fit with the song a bit better. Really like the music part of the mix. There is an effect half way through the chorus that doesn't seem like it belongs. Seems to work better at the end of the chorus (But could be quieter) and at the end of the song. I could be way off on this but I thought there was a reverb or delay on the vocal (particularly in the verses) that was very nice but could be a little more obvious. I don't want to coerce you into overdoing it but I had the perception os something nice on the vocal but couldn't quite hear it. Deessing could be a bit overdone too. Overall the mix seems like it could be a little more present or brighter.

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- Sorry to the following. It's sometimes hard to separate to top few when there are good elements within each mix. In the end I've just gone with my gut on the mixes that were on the fence and chosen those that sounded most like the end result I originally wanted. I live in my own world musically so I hope none of the comments are offensive. I've just done my best to point out my personal take on each mix. Thanks for the effort and time to put in an entry. Really enjoyed listening to them all.

StClair
Overall a pretty good mix. The kick and tom tracks were the first that stood out to me as having issues. Seem to have too much sustain and tom was a bit boomy in the intro. I like this track overall. Main issue I have is with the vocals. Seems like there are some timing issues. I think the delay is good but may be a bit over used. There are a few places where it seems like there are multiple vocal tracks clashing. I'd replace the "I can't think of anything" before the solo as that is one of the worst lines in the recorded material (if not the worst). Bass is really good to my ears. Snare is a bit weak sounding for this mix.

MadDodE134
Drums sound like they are flanging. Not sure what causes that but I'd prefer it wasn't there. Vocals were too harsh and possibly too loud. Bass and guitars sound pretty good to me but a little hard to tell when blended with the other aspect that I didn't like.

VasDim
Not keen on the drums. The toms sound boomy to me and the overall drum mix sounds a bit like I might mix electronic drums. Bass sounds good but guitars a little to quiet in verses. I do like what you tried to do with the vocal but I think it is a bit over the top. More subtle doubling seems like it would produce good results though.

Kolyev
Bottom end sounds a bit off to me. Almost like a transient sustainer has been applied too much on bass and kick. I think the main vocal is too harsh and a bit too upfront for my tastes. That might change if it was equed differently. Overall the mix is a bit bass heavy and guitars not prominent enough for what I was after.

G_Liou
Too much mid range across the whole mix for me. Except for the vocals that is. Instruments seem at a pretty good level apart from the vocal which is a bit flat and buried in the background. Was there an effect used in the second verse? Sounded like there was something going on in the background with filtering which I liked.

Ichad.c
I admire trying something different with the intro but didn't go for it myself. I think some work is needed to help the vocal match the mix a little better. Seems a bit separated from the rest of the mix. Guitar solo is a bit small sounding, possibly because it comes in quieter than the vocal. Guitars also seem a little weak and not that meating riff sound I was going for.

Yeager
Bass is not eqed to my taste. For the genre I am after I think it is not sitting where it should. Guitars and vocal are very much in the background. Vocal has some good qualities but I think it is a little too wet and doesn't have the presence it should. Also, the guitars need to stand out for this some. I think the bass really is too loud.

Aditya.inHim
I appreciate loud guitars but this a bit extreme even for me. Huge guitars and slightly buried vocal. Guitars sound great but they still need to be in the right spot. For this mix you needed to find a way to make everything sound big and in your face and in this mix I think the guitars are the only thing really given that spot. Bass might be a little boomy but that could be only here in my room. Overall the bottom end is a good mix just not in the mix enough.

mwaudioprod
I really like the intro. The bass comes in a little too intense distortion wise for me. Vocal is a bit on the dry side and doesn't seem as much of an improvement as some of the other entries. Maybe doesn't suit the mix as everything else sounds fairly produced. I like the use of effects and while there are plenty of times I use these and like that sound this is probably not one of them. Can't believe I'm saying this blasphemy but the guitar solo may be too loud. Some of the filtered effects go through a sweep where the lows are a bit intense. I enjoyed listening to this mix but it is probably not what I had in mind for this song.

[Compyfox]

Thank you for the detailed feedback.
Let us kick off Mix Round 2 with the following participants:

- DR Audio Labs
- piranha81
- Slick3gz
- Jim Kennedy
- Photonic
- radio12
- erictracks



Mix Round 2 will run for the next 5 days and ends on Monday, 02-11-2015 11:59pm PDT (the last time we will use PDT!).

Good luck!

[MadDogE134]

can't understand where you heard flanging on the drums. they are untouched except for being funneled into a buss with decapitiator (which is a harmonic enhancer) and kick and snare paralleled into a DBX-160 with a very mild threshold and dry/mix level so they are not much different than what was given except for added reverb.

as for vocals... that had to be the butch vig which i DID run both overdrives on various parts trying to make it 'aggressive' as you wished and hollowed out the mids to give a megaphone or louder speaker type effect.

it is what it is... thanx for trying to explain your opinions.

cheers all and GOOD LUCK

[Kolyev]

That criticism of my mix is fair, I wasn't that happy with it either (especially with the low end and the vocals) and I admit it was kind of rushed this time.

Nevertheless, good luck to everyone in round 2, some great mixes in there

[morelia]

it is what it is... thanx for trying to explain your opinions.

cheers all and GOOD LUCK

Thanks for understanding. I had another listen and I can hear the distortion of Decap on the intro drums. You are absolutely right, it's not really flanging. Just that the sound reminds me of a flanger without the sweep (if that makes any sense at all). Anyway, thanks again.

[Aditya.inHim]

Good review.. Thank you and congratulations for participants in round 2

God bless