MIX CHALLENGE - MC080 September 2021 - Mix Round 2 in evaluation (staff taking over)

[Mister Fox]

Hello and welcome to the Mix Challenge 80 - September 2021


This is the introduction post, where we directly link to the challenge corresponding files (source files, submission information, sponsors), start of the evaluation process and the first post for re-submissions for Mix Round 2.

This month, you have the chance to work on another "Singer / Songwriter" production by the band "Eavedrops", which was originally released in 2012. The multi-tracks are kindly provided by "Matthew Snyder" (@Square), and the song is called "Alone".

The big twist this month, is that you only have access to 8 audio tracks. Understanding the song and paying attention to detail is of utmost importance.

Please take special note of the attached TXT files (Technical Details section in "Words by the Song Provider") and please read about the details and special requirements for handling this mix further down below.




IMPORTANT: 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). Interaction is highly encouraged, including asking questions for the song provider. Giving and receiving constructive feedback to your entry, and sharing tips and tricks should ideally happen after Mix Round 1 has ended, to not influence each other during the main competition round.



Please also take note of the following

!	Bonus Info
	Our Song Pool has dried up! Future Mix Challenges are in jeopardy. We're looking for new source material for future competitions. Please follow our official campaign. Your only investment is time in turn for a free mix by our very talented participants. No new songs mean no more challenges! Please reach out!

This post will be updated with the corresponding links as we progress, and of course the suitable thread headlines. So 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 (also see announcement summary)
Mix Round 3: <in debate>
Results of the Mix Challenge: Winners announced

[Mister Fox]

CURRENT CHALLENGE - GENERAL INFORMATION

Time Frame: Wednesday, 01st September 2021 to Tuesday, 21st September 2021 (21 days)

Challenge submission will end on 21-09-2021, 23:59 UTC+2/CEST (Germany) - until further notice.

Want to find out if you're still within the deadline, please consult the following options:
The Global Countdown on it's dedicated page or the countdown on the home page. You can also consult the World Clock at the top of the forum or alternatively the following tool - in this case please select "Berlin (Germany)" as location 1, and your location as location 2: Time and Date - World Clock Meeting Planner. We do post reminders via our Twitter account and Facebook page.



Song Provider: Eavesdrops (presented by Matthew Smith / @Square)
Song Name and Length: Alone, 3:43 min
Song Information: 96 BPM / Signature: 4/4
File Format: WAV, 48kHz, 24bit

GENRE: Acoustic, Singer / Songwriter


Preview of the Song (Demo Mix):

phpBB [media]

A word from the song provider:

I am Square (Matthew Smith), the main producer and assistant mixer on the album. This track (Alone) was recorded for the Eavesdrops album "Common Courtesies, Tainted Prose", circa 2008-2012. Eavesdrops is a project that was created by songwriter Bryan McRitchie to showcase a collection of his songs.


This song is a reflection of the the feelings of separation. The constant fight of "they are gone" (as in: a beloved person and/or partner), but struggling to accept that the memories are still there are very present.


Like the song, I am revisitng this old recording in the hopes of breathing in new life and trying to get one good final mix.

The song is meant to be close and personal and I would encourage experimentation (mix wise), but to keep it in the pocket enough that it still retains its strong emotional presence.


Problematic in the mix:
The vocals have gone through many changes over the years, but these ones will need a bit of effort to make sure that the presence is there without the nasal sound being too prominent.

Being that it is only 8 tracks, this will put your mixing skills to the test! There isn't a lot of source material, so you will have to make sure each sound has its own place and is audible.


Reference Songs
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4ayaS ... af24ad4509

If you don't have a Spotify Account:
Beth Orton, Victor Van Vught, Andrew Weatherall - I Wish I Never Saw The Sunshine
Kasey Chambers - Don't Go (this one especially!)
Frank Turner - Be More Kind



(more technical details in the Mix Pack bundled TXTs)

A few words by the Mix Challenge staff:

You might be thinking "8 track production, this is an easy 1 hour job maximum". Do absolutely not be fooled by that! Due to the limited instrumentation, there is an even bigger focus on intricate details and emotion. So please do not take this as an "easy task" this month, as you can definitely invest a couple of hours with mixing to tell "your" story through sound design / mixing.

Aside from reading the lyrics and checking out some of the provided reference mixes for inspiration, I highly recommend to listen to each individual track first, clean them up from headphone bleed (if possible), then focus on the vocal balance.

The ceiling in terms of sound design capabilities has been set quite high. But I would definitely not go crazy with reverbs and delay. Tip: take frequent breaks, re-evaluate your creation, does it "get a certain feel across?", etc.

Enjoy mixing!



Additional possible references

Birdy - Not About Angels
Victoria Justice & Max - Say Something (more emotionally raw cover version of A Great Big World)
A Great Big World, Christina Aguilera - Say Something
Kate Metz - My Last Breath (cover version of Evanescence, "drops" metal for a more emotional acoustic version)
Evanescence - "Hello" and "I'm Immortal"
Sarah McLachlan - Angel (more upbeat melody)

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:

• try to create a mix that complements this production (in your own style)
• the focus of this game is "mixing" - NO MASTERING. Edit/Mix in such a way, that barely any after-touches other than loudness adjustments and final limiting is needed in a possible follow-up mastering step.
• Clean / Alternative versions can be used if you need more flexibility over a certain sound (if present for this production)
• make the best out of the provided audio material (EQ, compression, transient tools, etc), no "drum sample triggering / replacement", neither any changes to the arrangement (copy/move/add/remove parts)!
• please only provide WAV files, files need to be accessible/downloadable from your preferred cloud storage space (no SoundCloud!)
• render the edited material in the same sampling rate and bitrate as originally provided (MC080 / September => 48/24)
• ADD-ON RULES - PRODUCTION RELATED:
  • Filename Template: MC080_Eavesdrops__Alone__ForumUsername.wav
  • no (more) add-on rules specified

Please consult the official Rules and Guidelines for a more detailed set of rules, including how to document your edits, maximum loudness values and delivery formats (see Rule Book - Post #6). Failing to adhere to the rules will result in disqualification. There will be no additional reminders given.


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


Source Files:

Main Mix Package - full package (134,54 MB, LZMA compressed, zip)
IMPORTANT NOTE: file unavailable after 21-SEP-2021


The provided files were packed as ZIP with LZMA compression.
File size extracted: 324,02 MB, packed 134,54 MB (ZIP, LZMA)
In order to extract the files, we can recommend these programs:

Macintosh:
The Unarchiver - get it here
Keka (open source) - get it here

Windows:
7zip - Installation / Portable


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

Please take note of the official rules - they can be found at the following thread:
Mix Challenge - Official Rules and Guidelines

Please address any OT question in the official Gossip thread:
Mix Challenge - Gossip and Discussion

If you like what the Mix Challenge (community) has been doing in recent months:
Please consider supporting us

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


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.



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



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



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



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: http://mhsecure.com/metric_halo/



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



NUGEN Audio is kind enough 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/



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.

If you want to sponsor content (please have a focus on mix plugins, bundles and the likes), please get in touch with the Mix Challenge staff.

Please spread the word of the challenge on social media.
For example with our dedicated Twitter Account or Facebook Page

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

Good luck to all participants.
And most importantly, have fun!

[Square]

Hi everyone,

Hope you enjoy mixing this, definately a challenge with such few tracks, if anyone has any questions about direction etc, ill be checking in every few days.

Good luck all!

(Matthew) Square

[Mister Fox]

A short heads up:
Thread title typo fixed. Of course it's supposed to mean 21-09-2021 (21st September), not 21-02-2021 (21st February)



I highly recommend again to not rush the mix. An 8-track production might sound simple, but in my humble opinion, this is far from it.

Good luck!

[PistolPete]

Quick Question:

Are we "tied" to the instrument placement in the stereo field from the demo mixed version? Or are we free to completely change the instrument placement in the stereo field? For instance if I wanted the violins on the left instead, would that be allowed per contest rules Mister Fox? Would that allowed per the submission client Square?

Thanks

[Mister Fox]

You can pan how you seem fit, as long as you don't change the arrangement. Keep in mind, the strings are "doubled".

[rafael1983]

Greatings!
Here my mix.
Thank You.
R.


Here's the link:
https://onedrive.live.com/?authkey=%21A ... ot&o=OneUp


DAW:
.Reaper Daw

Plugins:
.Native Plugins from Reaper
.Izotope
.Exponential Audio
.Plugin Alliance
.Waves Audio
.Softube
.Arturia
.Soundspot
.Celemony
.Analog Obsession


Hope You like it!
Once again, Thank You.

[PistolPete]

Song Statistics via Cubase track analyzer:

Title; - "MC080_Eavesdrops__Alone__PistolPete"
Date;Friday, September 3, 2021
Loudness_Value;-17.05 LUFS *(Integrated LUFS)
Loudness_Range;9.88 LU
Max_True_Peak_Level;-1.50 dBTP *(this is the brickwall limiter set to -1.5dBTP, to prevent any overs, only 2 incidents i needed to change in the most powerful moment in the song)
Max_Momentary_Loudness;-12.21 LUFS
Max_Short_Term_Loudness;-13.39 LUFS
Sample Rate;48.000 kHz
Average RMS (AES-17) Left;-17.82 dB
Average RMS (AES-17) Right;-17.64 dB
Max. RMS Left;-13.64 dB
Max. RMS Right;-13.30 dB
Max. RMS;-13.30 dB
Min. Sample Value Left;-2.04 dB
Min. Sample Value Right;-2.86 dB
Max. Sample Value Left;-2.04 dB
Max. Sample Value Right;-1.50 dB
Peak Amplitude Left;-2.04 dB
Peak Amplitude Right;-1.50 dB
True Peak Left;-2.04 dB
True Peak Right;-1.50 dB
DC Offset Left;-79.13 dB
DC Offset Right;-80.15 dB
Bit Depth Left;24 bit
Bit Depth Right;24 bit
Estimated Pitch Left;1130.4Hz/C#5
Estimated Pitch Right;1332.2Hz/E5

Download Here:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1k_wG94 ... sp=sharing

Software:
Cubase 10.5

Computer and interface
custom built OLD X6 phenom 1090T (modern cheap laptops are better..LOL) with Steinberg UR22 connected to Presonus Central station for monitoring:

Plugins:
mostly waves, some Steinberg and analog obsession, Valhalla

Monitoring:
Strictly mixed in Sennheiser HD280s with Waves VX headphone correction. Checked in a old pair of Samsung Headphones and lightly played on my Foxtex PM5 monitors (rooms not eq or treated and thin walls with neighbors prevent me from mixing via monitor)

Visual Monitoring:
Waves PAZ analyzer, Waves VU set to -18, Waves WLM set to EBU 128 -18LUFS and main digital fader set to K-14.


Overview:
This was a really deep song, and the lyrics and singer portrayed a lot of emotion. My overall biggest goal was to focus on the emotion, the lyrics and the music transitions from quiet subtle vulnerable parts, to louder more powerful strong moments. Originally I did a full mix, but changed all of the instrument positions in the stereo field, however I was not happy with the mix, so I completely scrapped that project and started a 2nd mix from scratch. I tried to model the instrument placement from the original mix, as I didn't want to stray too far from the original, as that can either be really good, or really bad in the clients eyes... so I decided to stick to similar instrument placement, but focused on entirely different instruments in the mix to drive the emotion and power... Hopefully it is well received. The original mix instruments sounded good but I wanted the strings and piano to be more 3d forward in the mix and wanted the piano to really have strong transients as the keys really drove the song emotion. The vocals on the original also had some kind of mid "nasal" type of sound with a flange tail which i wanted to change (as described below). This was the original target goals I found after listening to the original mix.

Vocals:
Since this was a lyrically driven song, I put a lot of time into crafting the singers voice to sound sweet, vulnerable, clear but with a slightly modern twist. Since there was not a backup track, I created a Vox Reverb/FX channel group/bus, in which I automated the send, to create a backup type effect on the more stronger parts of the song with a nicely timed echo to carry on through the soft spots. This included a vocal rider (synced to the main vox) as well as 2 reverbs (one short echo and one large room) as well as a delay.

I had a hard time determining how I should eq her voice as I wanted to bring in more body and warmth, but decided against it since it was a more emotionally vulnerable feel to her lyrics, I wanted to keep it more timid sounding. I used a slight autotune on her vocals but kept it very subtle so you couldn’t really hear any changes, I also used Waves Butch Vig vocals plug to craft the tone and eq shape of her vox adding some, eq, tone, compression and de-essing as well. I added some abbey road saturation to bring out the sharper tones and clarity but give it some body, some delay/reverb and tape emulation to really give the vox a clear, up front almost whispery live sound with an echo that fades into the BPM of the beat and really gave the perception of distance/depth in the quite parts. I used waves smack attack very lightly on the vocals to really help give some nice dynamics and help work the transients as well.

I had an additional send for the vocals, which I sent to the Global Reverb bus/group and the send was automated to help build the vocal presence when the sound got louder.

Global Reverb Bus/Group Channel:
This was created as a send from the main driving instruments and vocals channel strips, to have a nice global spacious reverb to really help bring the instruments present and help them sit in the mix. I used a hi-pass filter/eq on it to cut much of the lows as didn’t want the low end to get messy with verb. 2 different reverbs were used, on to create a nice delay verb timed to the music to fill the silence, and the other was a large drum room filtered reverb to focus on the mids and mid highs and give a nice clear presence.

Guitar, Piano, Violin
The rhythm guitar, piano and violins I really wanted to stand out as well as they blended beautifully together. I really wanted each instrument to have its place in the stereo field, and each instrument to drive the emotion and transitions to compliment the vocals. A lot of volume automation between song changes was done to create fluid transitions and to keep the song active in the stereo field. On each instrument I eq, compressed and added delays and effects. I used waves smack attack on the piano and guitar to help bring out some nice transients and really give the piano a nice punchy crispness.

Each instrument was sent to its own group channel for volume leveling if needed in the final touch ups. I also sent each instrument to the Global Verb Bus/group, in which I automated the send to the bus on each instrument, to create loudness, depth and power at moments in the song to create build ups and emotion during the transitions.


Track cleanup:
In all of the instrument tracks, and vocals I removed out all of the dead air with automation and chops, to really keep a nice dead silence in the quiet parts of the song. With the vocals I minimized the breaths that were non vital by enveloping the automation to leave them in, but reduce their volume. Any background noises such as headphone bleed or other noises were removed. I like enveloping on breaths because it leaves just enough present to be caught by the reverbs and makes a almost whispy ghost effect.

*In the guitar track, I noticed in the very beginning what sounded like an accidental string pluck or hit on the guitar, which I tried to remove via automation, as it was also within the fading guitar sustain in the reverb. I couldn't completely eliminate it, as it would have made the reverberation sound odd, so I minimized it with volume automation. Normally (if allowed) I would have copy/pasted a different note in its place, but since I don't believe it is allowed in this contest, I didn't do that... so you can slightly still hear it, but its not as noticeable as untreated.

**In the guitar track during the final measures of the song, there is a sound which sounds almost like someone plunked their headphones down, or took them off. This happens right during the sustain of a guitar strum, and I couldn't remove it without creating an awkward silence in the strum, and like I mentioned above, normally I would replace the guitar strum note with a different one in the audio, but since thats not allowed in the contest, I left the sound in the track and did not address it. I actually liked it, as to me it sounded like someone taking off headphones and almost played into the track ending, like the artist was done singing and actually seemed to play a nice role in the song ending as it closed off. Im curious to know how others addressed this

Chello:
The cello brought a nice warm low end to the song and really helped blend everything together and give the track energy, so I wanted it to blend nicely, but not be too driving or distinct as I thought the other instruments and vocals deserved more presence and attention. I used CLA Bass which is a EQ, distortion, sub harmonics, compressor, chorus plug and found I worked nicely with the cello to bring out the low mids and make them nice and rich. I then used a DC offset eq and rumble reduction Eq to cut out the very low rumble and to allow the harmonics to work the magic. I used Waves Vocal rider and sidechained the chello to the bass, piano and guitar to help those instruments take more presence.

Cello and Strings PIZ:
I sent both of these to a PIZ group channel and processed them together since they were very similar in dynamics and sound. I used eq, compression, 2 different reverbs and a delay to really give them a nice warm presence, as well as a ping pong echo to opposite speakers to give a nice sense of motion. I used a lot of send and panning automation to give these 2 instruments life, and movement in the mix to help with the transitions of the song.

Master/Mix Bus:
All I used here was waves SSL bus compressor with a very light compression to tame the transients slightly and glue it all together. I gain/level matched it so there was no additional volume added. I ran the mix without a limiter and it had a 2 single peaks that were a little hot, so I slapped a brickwall limiter set to -1.5db and matched the input to the output so there was no crunch or effect to the song dynamics, and just for a protection on any overs at -1.5db. (see below for more details on the final decision for the mix)


Mix Checking:
I imported the final wave into a new project in cubase, ran track statistics (analyzer, see above for results) to make sure the track was within the contest parameters. It was a little hotter than recommended, but still within the contest rules.

I did bounce 4 other versions of the mix, each with the main fader slightly lower at -1db, -1.5db, 3db and 0db without brickwall limiter to see if I could get away without using the brickwall limiter...Although the RMS values of the other versons (other than the 0db one) were more in line with what is the recommended loudness parameters on the other versions, the vocals and instruments didn't sound as good so I kept the main fader at 0db, slapped a brickwall limiter on the main stereo bus to control the 2 (peak overs) and limit them to -1.5db and volume matched the input/output so there was no gain added and the mix was not effected. I think the reduction on the peak over was -1.3 for the 2 overs...if I can remember.

I also checked the mix via smartphone speaker, 3 sets of headphones (samsung open air, sony mdr 7506, and my sennheiser HD280s) as well as played it through my fostex pm5 monitors and it sounded good in all of them. I also compared it to the original mix on numerous listening sources, in which it sounded (IMO) better so I was content with the final version... Lets hope everyone likes it.. fingers crossed.


Well I hope it sounds good and people enjoy it. This was a great song lyrically and performance wise and very enjoyable to mix. Thank you to Square for the opportunity to remix it, and for Mister Fox for hosting such an awesome contest.

[Square]

Quick Question:

Are we "tied" to the instrument placement in the stereo field from the demo mixed version? Or are we free to completely change the instrument placement in the stereo field? For instance if I wanted the violins on the left instead, would that be allowed per contest rules Mister Fox? Would that allowed per the submission client Square?

Thanks

Hi, just to double what mister fox said, aye, feel free to change the panning as much as you want, in fact, i encourage it! Theres not many tracks to work with so I think panning will be a huge part of the creative process, ideally i am looking for some nice full breathing wide string sounds, especially in the intro section, volume automation will most likely play a big part in this as well...

[Photonic]

Hi all,

Here is my mix. My goal was to set the vocals in front of the instruments, make them more intimate and closer to the listener. So I gave the strings more of a longer reverb, guitar and piano a shorter and less reverb and the vocal more of an short ambient and a bit of a longer plate.
The pitch of the vocal is corrected with ReaTune. It was not much to do, but it sounds better this way.
I cut some notes of some tracks, so that all instruments have a more defined end within the ryhthm.

WAV: https://www.dropbox.com/s/xry5mjr9dek5u ... c.wav?dl=0

Mixed in Reaper v5.99.

Acoustic Gtr: ReaEQ for HP at 130Hz and boost at 5kHz, Presswerk, ThrillseekerXTC for some harmonics, Arcon Digital Multiply for slight chorus FX
Acoustic Gtr Solo: I cut the melody of the guitar to separat track to add some NastyDLA and more reverb
Piano: ReaEQ for HP at 300Hz, Cut at 550Hz, Transpire to reduce trnsient to make the piano softer
Strings Piz: Strings Piz: ReaEQ for HP at 500Hz, Arcon Digital Multiply for slight chorus FX
Violin 1&2: ReaEQ for HP at 500Hz and boost at 5kHz, Arcon Digital Multiply for slight chorus FX, TDR Nova as de-esser to rduce harsh notes around 3kHz, Thrillseeker XTC to add harmonics
Chello Piz: ReaEQ for HP at 100Hz and high boost at 2kHz, Arcon Digital Multiply for slight chorus FX
Chello: ReaEQ for HP at 50Hz and boost at 2kHz, Trillseeker XTC, Arcon Digital Multiply for slight chorus FX
Vocals: ReaRQ for HP at 100Hz, boost at 300Hz and 5kHz, TDR Nova as de-esser, Presswerk, Thrillseeker XTC. Put two reverbs on the vocal. A small ambient to place the voice in a room and a short plate to give an additional longer reverb tail. Second is automated, closer and less in the verse and longer and more in the chorus.

Reverbs: Arcon Digital Verberate 2
Mix-Bus: MQ57, Presswwerk, SPAN, Youlean Loudness Meter 2