2024-MAR-01 Info: Check out Songwriting Competition 079 if you're into "Synthwave" music making.

MIX CHALLENGE - MC089 December 2022 - Winners announced

Join the Mix Challenge - recurrence: February until December
Post Reply
User avatar
Mister Fox
Site Admin
Site Admin
Posts: 3111
Joined: Fri Mar 31, 2017 16:15 CEST
Location: Berlin, Germany

MIX CHALLENGE - MC089 December 2022 - Winners announced

#1

Post by Mister Fox »

Hello and welcome to the Mix Challenge 089 - December 2022

 ! Bonus Info
For the final mixing game of this year, you have the chance to to work on a "Progressive Rock" production that actually reaches more towards "Metalcore", kindly provided to us by Canadian producer Ron Stokes (@Rawkinron). The song is called "INFERNO".

This month, you are encouraged to take a step beyond known parameters. The general idea is to find a "new sound" for the production, and there is plenty of space for that with the vocals alone. Take a risk, be a more bold and creative regarding sound design, see where the road might take you.

Did we catch your attention? Then please take special note of the attached TXT files in the Mix Pack, and please read about the details and special requirements for handling this mix further down below.



THE ABSOLUTE ESSENTIALS FOR THE MIX(ING) CHALLENGE:
  • Before you get started, please consult the official "Rules and Guidelines" for the Mix Challenge regarding principles of the game, upload/submission guidelines, the concept of documenting your edits, and maximum allowed loudness values (see Rule Book - post #6)
  • The focus of this game is "mixing". Try to create a mix in your own style that complements this production and can stand on it's own, no matter the playback medium. Edit/Mix in such a way, that barely any after-touches other than proper fade in/out and finalizing for distribution (incl. loudness adjustments e.g. for release on Streaming, Vinyl, Tape, CD) is needed for a possible follow-up mastering step.
  • The "Mix Pack" and additional information for this months production can be found in in post #2
  • Render the edited material in the same sampling rate and bitrate as originally provided (MC089 / December => 44/24)
  • Filename Template: MC089__Hooker_and_a_Handgun__INFERNO__ForumUsername.wav
Failing to adhere to the rules will result in disqualification. There will be no additional reminders given.




This introduction post acts as an index for the various stages of the Mix(Ing) Challenge. It will be updated with the corresponding links and suitable thread headlines as we progress. Please watch this spot...


Submission Period: General Information, Source Files, Sponsors
Mix Round 1 Statistics/Data Sheet: Overview of Submissions - is your entry within given parameters?
Mix Round 2: Global Feedback and Round 2 Participant Announcement
Mix Round 3: <optional>/<not happening this game>
Results of the Mix Challenge: Winners announced
User avatar
Mister Fox
Site Admin
Site Admin
Posts: 3111
Joined: Fri Mar 31, 2017 16:15 CEST
Location: Berlin, Germany

MIX CHALLENGE - MC089 December 2022 - Submissions until 21-12-2022 23:59 UTC+1/CET

#2

Post by Mister Fox »

CURRENT CHALLENGE - GENERAL INFORMATION

Time Frame: Thursday, 01st December 2022 to Wednesday, 21st December 2022 (21 days)

Challenge submission will end on 21-DEC-2022, 23:59 UTC+1/CET (Germany) - until further notice.

Want to find out if you're still within the deadline, please either consult the Global Countdown (dedicated page), or the countdown on the landing site. There will also be short reminders on Social Media and on Discord.



Song Provider: Hooker and a Handgun (represented by Ron Stokes)
Song Name and Length: INFERNO, 3:12 min
Song Information: 120 BPM / Signature: 4/4
File Format: WAV, 44kHz, 24bit

GENRE: Progressive Rock


Preview of the Song (Demo Mix):
phpBB [media]


INFORMATION: This version might sound different from the provided multi-tracks.



A word from the song provider:
Ron Stokes wrote:Dear friends,

I'm happy to share this very special Mix Challenge with you this month, together with the UK/CANADIAN Band "HOOKER AND A HANDGUN".

The band was designed by me, Ron Stokes (guitar player, producer), to try to fit a pocket between "Alexis on Fire" and "Thrice". For two years I searched for a singer to be able to fit the image. I looked locally and all over social media with no luck and then finally found (Jim) on a vocalist website. I passed the idea by him and just by luck Alxis on Fire and Thrice were his two favourite bands. Now that my search was over I started to send Jim the music for the album and right away he started filling in the lyrics. One by one we knocked out every song and were left with our album "INFERNO". I was impressed with how close he came to my vision I was getting really excited.


Jim is from the UK and I am from the Toronto Area in Ontario Canada. Jim and I wrote all of the music and lyrics together in our studios, on the album I basically play every instrument for every song except for Ultraviolet where our drummer and bass player weren't tied to family obligations and covid restrictions and were able to record with us.

All of the album songs were created during the lockdowns between 2019 and 2022. The songs were mixed by me while I was finishing off my mixing course. For the vocals the goal was to sound as if we had 3 singers instead of one. This was my last project before my coach was to send me off to take on professional clients. He was impressed with how everything turned out considering it was my first album release.

The whole album had great reviews and the other single "Ultraviolet" had radio play within the first two weeks of the album release on Boston Rock Radio (a great radio station for prog rock by the way) as well as other magazine articles written on it and promoters talking about it locally. We are currently writing a new album at so Washburn Records so watch out for it in 2023!



Some things to keep in mind are:

1) the guitars are off time on purpose
2) the drums are programmed with GGD OKW METAL but do have some parts with samples from Heavy Hitter by Presonus (stereo fill track) that I had to blend in with the GGD
3) the drum overheads are just one stereo track

I am very open to new tones for guitars, bass. If you would like to do something new with the vocals I am open to hearing what you come up with (tuning, grit, glitching, repeating, overall feel)



Good luck, and have fun!
I am looking forward to hearing what everyone does with it.


Cheers!
Ron



(more technical details in the Mix Pack bundled TXTs)

A few words by the Mix Challenge staff:
Mister Fox wrote:Quite the interesting production, which definitely goes towards the "Metalcore" genre. I highly recommend you not to just try to copy the mix 1-on-1 this month, but actually build upon what has been given to you, see where the road takes you.

The multi-tracks offer a lot of room for sound shaping experimentation. And you can decide which route this goes, depending on your tool usage. Utilizing creative effects is allowed, as long as the overall arrangement stays untouched (see request on instrument timing).

If you want to draw inspiration for a more rougher (also down-tuned) tone, then I can recommend taking a listen to bands like "Refused", "Of Mice & Men", maybe even "Our Mirage" or "Bad Omens".

Take a risk this Mix(ing) Challenge, let your creativity run wild.

Have fun!

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.

Rule Summary / Add-On Rules:
► Show Spoiler

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


SOURCE FILES:

Main Mix Package - full package (389,47 MB, LZMA compressed, zip)
IMPORTANT NOTE: download window might show a smaller file size, file unavailable after 21-DEC-2022


The provided files were packed as ZIP with LZMA compression (specs from 2015).
File size extracted: 955,23 MB, packed 389,47 MB (ZIP, LZMA)


In order to extract the files, we can recommend these programs / apps:

Macintosh:
The Unarchiver - get it here
Keka (open source) - get it here (please take note of the file extraction guide)

Windows:
7zip - Installation / Portable


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


SPONSORS (Prizes):

Prizes for Mix Challenge 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.


Image
Acon Digital is kind enough to give away a single plugin of winner's choice (exception: Verberate Immersive)
License will turn into NFR
More info on Acon Digital: https://acondigital.com/


Image
Hornet Plugins is kind enough to give away one license from the depicted tools (see image) to the winner
License will turn into NFR
More info on Hornet Plugins: https://www.hornetplugins.com/


Image
IK Multimedia is kind enough to give away one license of T-RackS Tape Machine Collection to the winner
License will turn into NFR
More info on IK Multimedia: https://www.ikmultimedia.com


Image
Metric Halo is kind enough to give away a single plugin of winner's choice
License will turn into NFR
More info about Metric Halo: https://mhsecure.com/metric_halo/


Image
NOS Audio is kind enough to give away one license of NOS Roomer to the winner
License will turn into NFR
More info on NOS Audio: https://www.nosaudio.com/


Image
NUGEN Audio is kind enough to give away one license from the depicted tools (see image) to the winner
License will turn into NFR
More info on NUGEN Audio: https://nugenaudio.com/


Image
Tone2 is kind enough to donate a license of Ultraspace to the winner
License will turn into NFR
More info on Tone2: https://tone2.com



THANKS FOR THE LICENSE DONATIONS!
And also a thank you to all former contributors as well.

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

Good luck to all participants.
And most importantly, have fun!
User avatar
Tony Black
Posts: 6
Joined: Tue Sep 27, 2022 11:31 CEST
Location: Ancona (Italy)

Re: MIX CHALLENGE - MC089 December 2022 - Submissions until 21-12-2022 23:59 UTC+1/CET

#3

Post by Tony Black »

Hello people!

Hope i'll manage to partecipate! :grin:
Best wishes to Ron and Hooker and a Handgun for their project!

One quick question @Mister Fox ...

By reading the rules it is obvious that sample replacing is not allowed but what about using samples just to "enhance" the drum sounds?

Thanks!
User avatar
Mister Fox
Site Admin
Site Admin
Posts: 3111
Joined: Fri Mar 31, 2017 16:15 CEST
Location: Berlin, Germany

MIX CHALLENGE - MC089 December 2022 - Submissions until 21-12-2022 23:59 UTC+1/CET

#4

Post by Mister Fox »

Tony Black wrote:
Thu Dec 01, 2022 09:15 CET
One quick question @Mister Fox ...

By reading the rules it is obvious that sample replacing is not allowed but what about using samples just to "enhance" the drum sounds?

Thanks!
This has been answered both in the Rule Book and FAQs.

The TL;DR:
Anything samples - not allowed
Using conventional tricks (e.g. parallel processing, transient designers, saturation/Sub-Bass/MaxxBass enhancement, etc) - allowed

On top of that, the drum kit is already sample based. Proper EQ, compression and maybe even parallel processing will definitely get you really far.



Additionally:
Please don't forget to have suitable silence in front and back of the mix, everyone. Not only to prevent transient smearing and/or unwanted FX ring out cut off. But to make it possible to set proper fades in a follow up editing process. At bar minimum, I recommend to urilize half a bar of silence (in front)
User avatar
Tony Black
Posts: 6
Joined: Tue Sep 27, 2022 11:31 CEST
Location: Ancona (Italy)

Re: MIX CHALLENGE - MC089 December 2022 - Submissions until 21-12-2022 23:59 UTC+1/CET

#5

Post by Tony Black »

@Mister Fox ...In this case sorry for my question! :hail:

Thanks...have a great day!!!
Mastemoth
Posts: 12
Joined: Thu Jul 25, 2019 12:08 CEST

Re: MIX CHALLENGE - MC089 December 2022 - Submissions until 21-12-2022 23:59 UTC+1/CET

#6

Post by Mastemoth »

Hi

Long time lurker here, probably since two years. I think I have partook in the competition some times. I have a busy schedule so seldom can meet the deadline here. But this December I might make it. I find it extremely fun to practice mixing on the multitracks in this competition because you never know what you'll get.

I just wanted to check something. All Guitar tracks, both the Amped and DI, seems to be the same take. I haven't doctored it but they practically nulls against each other. Is this by design or by mistake? Quite often there are files that are stereo but with identical left and rights. But this this is Guitar 1, 1 Dub and 2 that seems to be the same. I just slapped the files into Pro Tools Session and tried to see what felt like. It felt dual mono. OBS. This is not valid for the Guitar Lead, those are different.

Kind regards,
Rawkinron

Re: MIX CHALLENGE - MC089 December 2022 - Submissions until 21-12-2022 23:59 UTC+1/CET

#7

Post by Rawkinron »

Sorry I don’t think I’m following your question. The two versions are just a clean take so you can add your own guitar tone.
Rawkinron

Re: MIX CHALLENGE - MC089 December 2022 - Submissions until 21-12-2022 23:59 UTC+1/CET

#8

Post by Rawkinron »

There is one guitar for guitar 1,2&3 the rest are separate takes
User avatar
Mister Fox
Site Admin
Site Admin
Posts: 3111
Joined: Fri Mar 31, 2017 16:15 CEST
Location: Berlin, Germany

Re: MIX CHALLENGE - MC089 December 2022 - Submissions until 21-12-2022 23:59 UTC+1/CET

#9

Post by Mister Fox »

Mastemoth wrote:
Thu Dec 01, 2022 20:00 CET
...

I just wanted to check something. All Guitar tracks, both the Amped and DI, seems to be the same take. I haven't doctored it but they practically nulls against each other. Is this by design or by mistake? Quite often there are files that are stereo but with identical left and rights. But this this is Guitar 1, 1 Dub and 2 that seems to be the same. I just slapped the files into Pro Tools Session and tried to see what felt like. It felt dual mono. OBS. This is not valid for the Guitar Lead, those are different.

...
Rawkinron wrote:
Thu Dec 01, 2022 23:38 CET
There is one guitar for guitar 1,2&3 the rest are separate takes
Investigating, will report back ASAP.



EDIT 02-DEC-2022 1:45 UTC+1/CET:
The issue has been investigated. Please check the follow up post (post #010). Thank you.
User avatar
Mister Fox
Site Admin
Site Admin
Posts: 3111
Joined: Fri Mar 31, 2017 16:15 CEST
Location: Berlin, Germany

MIX CHALLENGE - MC089 December 2022 - Submissions until 21-12-2022 23:59 UTC+1/CET

#10

Post by Mister Fox »

A quick update for everyone:

 ⚠ Moderation Message from Mister Fox  
After investigating the guitars (as brought up by @Mastemoth), the Song Provider (@Rawkinron) and I decided to make the following two files obsolete:

-- GUITAR 1 DUB.wav
-- GUITAR 1 DUB - DI.wav


If you have downloaded the Mix Pack prior to 02-DEC-2022 1:30 UTC+1/CET, please do not use these upper mentioned files in your mix. If you have downloaded the Mix Pack after 02-DEC-2022 1:30 UTC+1/CET, the mentioned files are not part of the multi-track package anymore.

Apologies for this oversight.


Green lights for submitting your mix.
Have fun!
Post Reply