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

[Lawrence Phaw]

@ Photonic

This is a great mix. Would love to hear your mix in the round 2.

[Ollio]

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

This isn't really a reply to this message, but rather a question to @Mister Fox and @Square: Is vocal pitch correction ok? I'd love to fix a couple bum notes too, but nothing major.

[Mister Fox]

Please check the FAQ Section (most notably Q/A10), @Ollio. This should answer your question.

[Photonic]

@ Photonic

This is a great mix. Would love to hear your mix in the round 2.

Thank you very much!
I hope your wish will come true

[Photonic]

...
This isn't really a reply to this message, but rather a question to @Mister Fox and @Square: Is vocal pitch correction ok? I'd love to fix a couple bum notes too, but nothing major.

I use ReaTune, the correction plugin from Reaper, from time to time and I saw other people doing pitch correction too in previous mixing rounds.
I use the manual mode in ReaTune, where I can draw in where the correction should take place. I use no automation to avoid any audible side effect of the correction. So I can only correct those areas where long notes are held. All short notes and slides between notes are untouched. Using pitch correction that way, you will not change the style or performance, except those notes where the listener recognizes some uncertainty.

[JamesMusic]

Hi all,

Great song and a fun challenge for mixing, thanks for sharing.
Here's my mix - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1z6136B ... sp=sharing

And here's the info -

Vocals - Subtle tuning, de-essing, high pass 150Hz, boost at 4k, dip at 16k, subtle compression, upward compression to bring out clarity and some saturation, hall reverb

Acoustic Guitar - High pass 70Hz, boost at 150Hz, high shelf at 5k and 12k with compression on highs to keep top end consistent. Gentle compression. Panned top end to right for some stereo spread, send to reverb

Piano - High pass 235Hz, dip at 550Hz, room reverb, gentle compression, transient shaper to soften, panned left

Cello Piz - Added sub harmonic, gentle compression, low end specific compression for more even note volumes, delay (dotted 16th), room verb

Cello - Same as above but without delay or low end compression

String Piz - High Pass 300Hz, boost at 400Hz, big high shelf at 3k, hall reverb

Violin 1 and 2 - Subtle tuning, 6db/oct high pass and low pass filters at 1k and 7k for violin 1 and at 32f Hz and 2k for Viloin 2. These two string parts have their top end ducked by the vocal so that it falls in behind the vocal during singing

There is automation of levels for each part throughout.

Master Bus - bit of top end, bit of pultec on low end, gentle glue compression, little satuation and a limiter to avoid going over -1db TP.

[Giorgio]

Hi! here's my mix
https://www.dropbox.com/s/ddp45kdvko0ql ... i.wav?dl=0
Quick info:
On all channels: Fabfilter ProQ3>Uad Studer>Comp to taste>PA Ssl9000
Parallel compressors on mixbus (sort of Brauer setup)
Mixbus: Uad AmpexTape>PA Blackbox>Clariphonic>Soothe
Reverbs: mostly Liquidsonic Reverberate and Cinematic Room

Thanks, it was really cool to mix this great song!
Giorgio

[Beejay]

Hi Everyone,

Here's my submission:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1MhyQw7 ... sp=sharing

Mixed in Studio One.

Some of the plugins I used:

Fabfilter Pro-Q 3 (on all channels)
Fabfilter Pro-C 2
Fabfilter Saturn
Klanghelm Mjuc
Klanghelm Sdrr 2

Thanks,
Beejay.

[MFTWC]

All instruments where cleaned, balanced & mixed with the built-in eq in cubase.

acoustic gtr: Made some fake stereo with bx stereomaker, made the low frequencies mono, compressed with vc 2a, some high frequency dynamic eq with toneboosters eq4.

piano: Made some fake stereo with voxengo stereo touch.

cello: Just some balancing with the eq.

violin 1 & violin 2: panned left and right 75 %, then bussed to a group channel where it got compressed with vc 2a.

strings piz & cello piz: eq & reverb.

vocals:Some pitch correction, compression with vc 2a, deessing with the toneboosters eq4 dynamics section and then some tape saturation with the tonebooster reelbus 3.

For reverb i used exponential audio's r4 & nimbus as send fx.




https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ME3EP2 ... sp=sharing

[Ronson79]

Here is my take on the song.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-L5dbX ... sp=sharing

All tracks have AA Black Pre on it to give them some color before going into the mix.

GTR:
Insert: multiband compression, eq to open the sound, another eq for specific cuts to make room for the vocal, saturation, sub harmonics
Aux: reverbs, stereo widening, delay
some automation

Cello Piz:
Insert: compression to bring out sustain, transient designer to further sculpt attack and sustain
Aux: reverbs, exciter
some automation

Cello:
Insert: eq
Aux: reverbs

Piano:
Insert: compression, tilt eq
Aux: reverbs, stereo widening, delay, exciter
some automation

String Piz:
Insert: compression to bring out sustain
Aux: reverbs, stereo widening, delay, exciter
some automation

Violins:
Insert: Soothe 2, light compression
Aux: reverb

Vocals:
Insert: multiband compression, second stage compression, saturation, dessing, exciter, eq to tame a harsh frequency
Aux: reverbs, delay, stereo widening

2-Bus:
Touch of Gullfoss Master for balance, AA Erin Comp for glue, Pro-Q3 to slightly control the high end with a shelf, Leapwing Audio CenterOne to sculpt the image, FF Pro-L2