MIX CHALLENGE - MC093 August 2023 - Winners announced

[Mister Fox]

Yes, @trackerjack, I can indeed confirm the noise burst in @Dodgingrain's mix at the 4:02min mark.

However, this sadly isn't the only issue with this entry. Not only does the "burst" result in a peak up to +4,27 dBTP... the entry was also in 44kHz.


Yes, I highly recommend double-checking your files prior to uploading.
And then again after it has been uploaded (link accessibility especially) before you send that edit off to a client.

[trackerjack]

That's a shame. I seriously hoped it was just a problem with my download somehow.
But I'm also curious what might have happened there.

Do you think the fact that it appears only in the left channel can give us a clue to the root cause?
It looks like 1603 samples (~ 30 ms) are affected.

I have encountered this a couple of times with very old sample data after long-term storage (aka bit rot), probably most of us have. But usually both channels seemed to be affected.

I would suggest running checks on memory and storage to avoid more serious trouble down the road.

[Dodgingrain]

That's a shame. I seriously hoped it was just a problem with my download somehow.
But I'm also curious what might have happened there.

Do you think the fact that it appears only in the left channel can give us a clue to the root cause?
It looks like 1603 samples (~ 30 ms) are affected.

I have encountered this a couple of times with very old sample data after long-term storage (aka bit rot), probably most of us have. But usually both channels seemed to be affected.

I would suggest running checks on memory and storage to avoid more serious trouble down the road.

Yah its in the mix down here as well. Cubase has been so reliable that I don't bother to do a listen through on the mix down after the fact any more. I suspect this may have to do with my cmos battery dying and the fact that i didn't have a current saved bios profile and had to try and reset all the settings resulting in some instability in my system until I get it dialed back in and get the overclocking and voltages right. I did have cubase crash and create the backup project and RX isn't quite stable yet when doing something like decrackling an entire track when cleaning up vocals.

Oh well, on the good side I did have a client cry this week because they liked a mix so much, so I guess my karma is even.

[O'MIX]

Hello,
Is there no more news about the rest of the competition? No winner announced, no round 3?

[Mister Fox]

To update this thread (that I had hoped would have happened sooner):

I am in touch with @Gaz. Due to various private/personal reasons, things got massively postponed. This is the main reason of the radio silence.

I am afraid we won't be seeing a Mix Round 3, we will therefore end MC093 here. I am aware of the top 3 spots, however I do not know the positioning and I'm also still waiting for a public post with final words of encouragement. I can not speak for our Song Provider, and can therefore not close out the game.


I severely apologize for the inconvenience and can only ask for your patience still.

[Gaz]

Hello everyone,

I’m so sorry for late reply. I’ve had a tricky few months for various personal reasons so please accept my apologies for not getting back sooner.

I have made my decision for the final 3 mixes. This was very difficult as the mixes were all excellent. Some didn’t make the cut as they didn’t have the requested changes such as the tremolo bass and the more equal backing vocals/lead vocals even if the mixes were good I had to figure out how to narrow them down.

The finalist are:

3rd place: JW. A very solid mix with lots of attention to detail and overall good balance.

2nd place: 1970Studio Maybe the 1970 name inspired me here! Haha. The mix was evocative of a more vintage sound but I also liked the bright energy of it. Again it showed excellent attention to detail.

1st place: Christopher K. Just an absolutely excellent mix that I can’t fault. I liked the more verby sound of the lead guitar solo and the textures and sound effects are well managed and really help the narrative of the song.

Thanks to everyone for taking part. It’s been thoroughly fascinating to hear everyone’s take on this. All the mixes had plenty to offer but as it’s such a twisty and turny song it’s actually quite difficult to compare track by track. Big thanks to Mister Fox for organising everything and once again very sorry for late reply here.

[Mister Fox]

First and foremost, congratulations to the winners!
We are ending the game here and do not go into Mix Round 3.


The Winners Podium is
1) @Christoph_K .....(entries: Mix Round 1, Mix Round 2)
2) @1970studio .....(entries: Mix Round 1, Mix Round 2)
3) @jw_ .....(entries: Mix Round 1, Mix Round 2)


We perform with the usual - in order of the winners podium, please select one license out of the pool and mention it in this thread, then (important) get in touch with me via PM with your full name, email address and your plugin selection. If one company has been selected, it is not available for the rest of the podium anymore.

I'll update the "winners podium" thread shortly.

⚠	Moderation Message from Mister Fox
	Important Information: The NOS Audio license sponsorship with sadly end this November. (the collaboration is still valid for MC093 / August 2023 and MC094 / October 2023) This is the last chance to pick up the NOS Audio Roomer Reverb Plugin.

Thanks again for your participation. You can leave the thread alive if you want to exchange tips/tricks, edits, etc.
And thank you @Gaz for the final words of feedback and encouragement.


Please check out Songwriting Competition 075 and the Community Scramble Sample Collection Thread.

See you on the flipside.

[trackerjack]

Congrats to the winners. Well done!

[Christoph_K]

Thanks @Gaz for choosing my mix and all your efforts during this process. I loved mixing it, it was an exceptional track for the MC in general!

Congrats to the other winners as well. Nicely done

And - again - thanks to @Mister Fox for doing all the work to keep the MixChallenge alive.

The plugin of my choice this time is the HoRNet AutoGain Pro.

Cheers
Chris

[1970studio]

Uh!

Thanks @Gaz for the kind attention and the stunning material shared. Kudos to everybody, I've listened to valuable jobs here. Congrats to finalists and in particular to the winner @Christoph_K whose mix had me worried from the start, masterfully done.

@Mister Fox thanks for the opportunity, I'm sorry for the empty song pool cause I can't do anything to help at the moment.
I'm going to the prize basket to see how it works and I'll be back soon with my choice. Already Xmas!

Cheers.
M
p.s. can I finally change my username now?