Hello everybody,
thanks again for participating and making adjustments in your mixes for Round 2. It was a nice experience to listen to your 2nd revision and I even learned more things. This time my feedback is not so detailed like in Round 1 simply because there are less flaws in most of the mixes.
So, here is the feedback:
► Show Spoiler
Alex Von Mixland: -17,9 LUFS / -3,8 TP
+good gain staging
+bass works on my system and everything (the beat) is well controlled
+main rap vocal is the „star“ of the mix, it really shines
+add lips are audible now and bells are not so wide in the stereo field
-mix of the beat is a tiny bit dull imo, the „background“ elements sound a bit muffled, but I understand, you cannot have every element in focus. You sacrificed some sparkle of the bell element which is the main instrument
-the room around the main vocal is a bit too large imo (from a 3d or top to bottom perspective. I hear more of the reverb than the contour of the 808. Pulling that reverb back a bit (send fader) would open up the sound stage a bit more imo. The reflections of the reverb are very light but still „very“ pronounced and it does sound bigger than the beat on my system. I hope you understand what I mean by that
-pistol sound is barely audible and has no impact
-strange „under water“ effect transition at the end of the 2nd verse, not sure if I like that
I like that you controlled the bell element by bringing it more to the center. Also, the add lips are „playing“ their role now. The only two things that bother me a „bit“ is that the beat sounds a bit dull, I see in MMultianalyzer that you tamed the area between 2,5 kHz and 12 kHz compared to the first mix. I have the impression is was just a bit too much, I see a difference of roundabout 5 dB from 3,5 kHz to 6,5 kHz in your mixes. I think the bell element would benefit from a more airy sound exactly in that frequency range. But in general, you did a good job with your R2 mix, you improved it a lot imo. Bravo! Thanks for your effort.
———————————
Christoph_K: -16,4 LUFS / -1,8 TP
+you managed the distortion of the 808 a lot
+you managed to control the low end
+the kick sounds good now, it doesn’t have that hard and stiff „knock“ sound anymore
+gain staging is good, also the sound stage is interesting
+I like the controlled mute of the reverb automation in some sections
+nice dry in your face vocals
+interesting pan effect on the „low bells“
-although the 808 has a more controlled fuzz I’m not sure if I like that tone. But you definitely got it to a sound which I enjoy a lot more than before.
-the beat „stutter“ effect makes the beat louder, I have the impression there is a siginficant increase of energy in this section
-I have the impression the decay of the reverb is very long
-unfortunately, the panned „low bells“ are barely audible in mono which takes away some tension imo
First of all you managed the 808 fuzz, the low end control and you brought the bell element to a more central role. I can hear a good amount of reverb in the hook coming from some instruments. I have the impression the hook is a bit washed out with reverb and I am not sure if you used several reverbs for the „hook“ beat elements. My impression is that the decay is really long, also from the „yuh“ in the hook. I cannot hear a distinct stop of the reverb you added to some instruments, it’s more like some reflections are overlapping. Especially the low lead is very drown in reverb. This gives me this super long tunnel effect in your sound stage, which is interesting but also not so focused as I would like to hear. This makes things a bit „loose“. But overall, this mix is much more enjoyable than your first try. You did a good job on tackling the things I mentioned in your feedback. In MMultianalyzer I can see that you tamed the sub region from 20-50 Hz, you slightly pushed the area from 70-250 Hz to give more focus on the beat and you decreased the HF energy from 5 kHz by roundabout 2 dB which makes the sound warmer and more round overall. Good job!
————————————
dstra: -16,2 LUFS / -1,0 TP
+you managed the sizzling hi hat
+you managed the reflections of the vocal reverb
+you managed the reverb of the clap
+your low end works on my system
-room around the vocals is the „tallest element“ from a top to bottom 3d perspective in your mix
-kick and 808 could hit a bit harder imo
-filter automation at the end of the beat is a bit too „heavy“. The edges of the filter are very pronounced and they have an impact on how I perceive the beat from a top to bottom 3d perspective. The filter makes the beat a bit taller overall than without in this short section.
I like that you tackled every point I mentioned in your feedback. The mix sounds much more controlled and the drums have a more cohesive overall sound with less audible reverb on the clap. The one thing I still find a bit „problematic“ is the reverb on the main rap part. The reflections are much more controlled, I still have the impression the amount of reverb is a bit too much. By pulling the send fader down by 2dB or so would embed the vocal a bit more into the beat.
Still, you did a good job and your mix sounds more professional now to my ears. Biggest difference I can see in MMultianalyzer is the HF area between 3,5 kHz and 8,5 kHz which is decreased by roundabout 1.5 dB. This makes your mix rounder and fuller overall. Good job!
—————————————
Green-Dog: -17,0 LUFS / -1,1 TP
+gain staging is better than in your first mix
+the overall balance has improved a lot imo
-808 is a bit weak and not so audible on my system, also the tone is slightly different, it has an emphasis on high frequencies
-main vocal still has a certain edgy sound, you managed some of the clenched teeth sound, there is still something left. There is a certain girth I don’t enjoy so much
-beat could be a little louder in context imo
-hook has less impact and loudness than the rap part
-add lips could be a little bit louder imo
Main things I can see in MMultianalyzer is the sub region which is a bit more controlled and the area from 150-400 Hz. In your first mix I could hear more impact from the 808 but overall your 2nd mix sounds much rounder, the hihat is not sizzling anymore and the overall sound stage has improved. Imo the beat could be a bit louder in context and the 808 could hit harder. Also, the add lips are a bit shy imo. Still, you did a really good job with revision numero dos. I chose your mix for Round 2 because it had some features I liked. And I was very curious if you could fix that clenched teeth sound. You were able to bring it to a more enjoyable level, I still hear some of that energy is left. I’ll be honest, your mix wasn’t my first choice for the last spot in the Top 15. But I repeat myself, your mix has really improved compared to Round 1. I appreciate your work and effort. Good job!
—————————————
kombainera: -18,0 LUFS / -1,6 TP
+your mix has more low end than the first one
+interesting transition at the end of the 2nd verse
+deessing has improved
+volume between rap and hook has improved a lot
-added 2nd snare is still too loud in context imo, the reverb is less reflective overall. But, it’s the loudest mix element I can hear on my system. It is the thing that sticks out the most and is the tallest „element“ from top to bottom 3d perspective
-add lips could be a bit louder
-the vocals are lower/ the beat is louder in volume compared to the first mix which brings everything a bit better together, but I’m missing the energy of the rap part from mix #1
In MMultianalyzer I can see that your mix tilted towards the lows from roundabout 200 Hz. This makes the mix more round and everything is closer together now. You managed the volume differences from verse to hook and also the low end has more impact. I still find the added 2nd snare too loud in context and the reverb is also too audible imo. But your mix definitely has improved overall. Good job!
—————————————
Martial.Levesque: -16,4 LUFS / -1,8 TP
+nice in your face vocals
+you managed the sibilance in the hook
+the overall midrange energy from 500 Hz to 4 kHz is more audible and adds more depth and attitude to your mix
+main clap is more audible now
-I find the low bell very prominent in the mix, all other beat instruments are not so audible because of this
-something happens at the end of the song with the lead, like an automation or something. The tail is more sustained compared to the original, not sure if like that effect
-hihat is still prominent and louder than the clap, it’s not as sizzling as before though
In MMultianalyzer I see more LF energy below 70 Hz but I cannot really feel it. You added some midrange energy from 500 Hz to 4 kHz which adds a good amount of detail overall but this energy is overpowering the low end. But overall, I think your mix has improved. Thanks for your effort!
—————————————
MFTWC: -16,5 LUFS / -1,1 TP
+you managed the feedback of the choir element, nice how it blends out at the end of verse 1 right before the hook
+I can hear you left some of the delay clap in the verse
+I like the atmosphere of your mix, it has something mysterious and dark
+interesting, the piano is panned to the left but only for the intro
-808 is a bit weak when all elements are playing
There is a slight metallic atmosphere over the beat which I really like, especially in the hook and at the beginning of verse 2. You mixed the song in a way that absolutely matches the sound asthetics from my point of view. At the same time you made it in your own unique way. My ears are very pleased by your mix, I really like it. You had a very good feeling what the song was asking for and with some small adjustments I think your mix came out really good. The only thing I would say is that the 808 is a tiny bit too weak, but that would maybe change how things are positioned in your mix, so I’m fine with this. You did a superb job. This mix sounds really great on my system and also on small devices. In MMultianalyzer I can see a small boost of 2dB between 2-4 kHz and a reduction of roundabout 3-4 dB above 5 kHz. Bravo!
————————————
Michael_K: -16,5 LUFS / -2,0 TP
+I like the 808 sound, it has a nice bounce to it on my system and a warm controlled sound
+the room around the vocal is very interesting, blends nice into the beat and the amount of wet signal is just perfect
+funny pistol effect, multiple shots
+nice integration of the autotune part
+the overall atmosphere is pretty cool
+cool transition right before the last hook
-I don’t like that pointy kick sound, I find it to sound exagerated in the high frequency area, although the kick/bass relation is actually pretty good in your mix
-There is a tiny bit of „S“ and „F“ power in the mix, especially in the hook. This is what I meant when I said the recording sounds slightly coloured to my ears. Maybe I was just too close to the mic while recording
Your mix sounds great on my system, it has a nice depth and the energy is really good. Gain staging is optimal and it’s fun to listen to your mix, I enjoy it. The only two things I find problematic are the following: I don’t like the sound of the kick at all. It has that pointy stiff „knock“ sound with lots of high frequencies. The character is imo pretty far away from the original. The other thing is the slightly aggressive „S“ and „F“ sounds in the hook. I tried the following setting with TDR Nova to tame the sibilance:
Bell Type:
Q: 6
Freq: 8,2 kHz
Thres: -7,2 dB
R: 2,0:1
Att: 0,1 ms
Rel: 10
Apart from this your mix works good on my system. Good job!
————————————
Mork: -16,3 LUFS / -1,1 TP
+very interesting filter intro
+atmosphere is really cool
+I like the filter automation, everything is smoother and much more controlled now
+I like the vibe of the piano
+nice integration of the autotune part
+the reverb of the main rap is well integrated, the blending is great
+you did some interesting things in the background like „volume automation“ for some instruments etc.
-the vocals are not boring, but I’m missing the hype a bit. The overall volume is good and everything. I’m not really sure why this is my impression. They are a bit on the dull/boxy side but at the same time I still can hear a good amount of 8kHz power and energy which wants to be controlled.
Your mix has a nice vibe, your interpretation of the song is really cool and unique. I think your mix has improved a lot.
I tried the following with TDR Nova to tame the HF energy and boxy/dull vocals:
Band 1 bell type:
Q: 4,02
Freq: 7,9 kHz
Thres: -6,4 dB
R: 2:1
Att: 0,10 ms
Rel: 10 ms
Band 2 bell type
Q: 2,80
Freq: 5,6 kHz
Gain: +2,2 dB
Really, you did a good job. Your mix sounds, apart from the „dull“ vocals, good on my system and on small devices. Bravo!
—————————————
Rchm.Music:
INFO: check your filename for Round 2!
I’m honest, your 808 sounds absolutely bad now, it reminds of a detuned fart. I even hear it when I bypass the subwoofer on my main system and also on small phone speakers! I don’t want to be rude, but it sounds totally different than in your first mix. There are some foul harmonics, absolutely out of key and not musical at all. This really kills your mix. Why did you change things in this area? Next time you should just add more gain to the low end. I can tell you were messing in a frequency range which you obviously cannot hear correct on your system or your ears were somewhere else in this moment. You didn’t say in detail what yo did (I suspect a subharmonic exciter), but I don’t recommend you to do this in the near future unless you add a subwoofer or change speakers (or learn how to listen to this specific tool). This makes it really hard for me to listen to your mix and give correct feedback, it feels like a real bummer to me! I had hopes in your mix, but this is the mix I can enjoy the least. Your first mix had nice features and the sound stage was promising. But revision #2 is simply a fail. You still did a good job with your first mix and I appreciate your effort. Not sure if this was the missing subwoofer or budget speakers which apparently do not show you the inharmonic content in the sub area. There is a reason why I don’t like mixing with headphones, this phenomen happened to me from time to time back in the days when I had my KRK Rokit 5, I also checked my mixes on Beyerdynamic DT 770 but I couldn’t hear what was going on in the lowest register. I hope you can hear the result on some more precise speakers. Maybe you can learn something from this mix challenge and the decision you made for this song. Unfortunately, I didn’t work at all! I don’t want to discourage you at this point. Listen more carefully to things you try to change and learn the tools you are using! Train your ears and spend a moment with the specific tool you used in this particular song to avoid these things in the future.
—————————————
scottfitz: -17,9 LUFS/ -1,3 TP
+clap reverb is well integrated
+the energy of your mix is very interesting
+all elements are detectable in the sound stage
+interesting delay/reverb transition effect right before the last hook, the blending is just right
+your mix has really improved, it has more space to breathe and overall it is more dynamic
-your mix has some „S“ and „F“ power in the hook, it is not really sibilant, there is just a good amount of HF. Like I mentioned somewhere, I think I was a bit too close while recording the vocals. The recorded vocals already sound slightly coloured to my ears. This becomes a bit obvious in your mix
-your 808 could hit harder overall.
Your mix has improved and I find it to be much more enjoyable with more dynamics overall. I like the drive and the energy in your mix, it is just that slight harsh and stiff „S“ and „F“ sound.
With this setting in TDR Nova I could improve the overall balance a bit imo, it tilts a bit to the lows of course and makes your mix slightly darker:
Bell type:
Q: 5,71
Freq: 5 kHz
Thres: -12,7 dB
R: 2,0:1
Att: 0,10 ms
Rel: 10 ms
Thank you very much for your effort!
————————————
WhitePunkOD: -16,1 LUFS / -3,0 TP
+the sound stage is very interesting
+nice and interesting transition at the end of verse 2
+gain staging is good overall
+your mix has a certain drive
-the piano is the loudest element, it maskes a bit the main vocal
-autotune has an „uninspired“ sound compared to the hyped overall sound of your mix, although I find the placement in the sound stage really interesting. There is this interplay between left and right channel which makes things interesting to my ears
-main vocal sounds dull compared the hook, this kills the vibe for me a tiny bit
-808 could hit a bit harder just like in your 1st mix
Your mix has a good drive from the very beginning, the gain staging is good, the choice of the effect is really good and I think your mix has improved overall. Maybe the bell elements are a bit too compressed, or the attack is too short. One thing I find is the main vocal which is a bit dull and dark to my ears on my system and the rather loud piano which maskes some of the impact of the vocals. Also, I think the 808 could hit a bit harder but overall I enjoy your mix. Good job!
—————————————
Shubhashish: -17,2 LUFS / -1,0 TP
+interesting and creative work at the end of verse 2
+interesting sound stage overall
-some syllables are not audible in the hook, not sure if you applied some side chainig or something. I really hope you can hear it on another system. „Du“ wirst zum Opfer für Deine Gewinne, „Du“ is missing, and also other words in some other sections
-kick could hit harder imo
Your mix has improved compared to Round 1, I find it much more enjoyable now and the overall sound is closer to some professional work imo. The gain staging is good and the amount of energy is right. Main things that bother me are the missing syllables in the hook and the rather shy kick and 808. Still, you did a good job and managed most things I mentioned about your first mix. Thank you very much for your effort!
——————————————
Mitchellpmusic: -17,3 LUFS / -7,5 TP
I really don’t understand why you keep your peaks so low, I even asked you to bring back some peaks. The dynamics are simply not there. The 808 still has this hard „knock“ sound and the character is totally different compared to the original. You tackled some points I mentioned but there are still a lot of things I think you could improve overall. Your first revision was very promising and I had hopes that you would bring some peaks back, unfortunately you missed that occasion. Maybe you can elaborate on that and explain why you squashed the peaks so heavy? On top, there is just this edgy vocal sound I find a bit aggressive and the tone of your 808 is not really what I wanted to hear. The best feature in your mix is the added beat mute, I really have to give you props for this. But honestly, your mix hasn’t changed dramatically compared to the first one. Still, thank you very much for your effort!
———————————————
Some notes about Round 2:
► Show Spoiler
All of you managed the sizzling hi hat, most mixes are much rounder, warmer and fuller now compared to Round 1. Almost everybody was able to improve the sound stage and energy of the mix, I hope you can hear it too. It was fun and I learned a lot of things. Thank you so much!
About saturation/distortion in general:
Please, don’t just add saturation or anything else because some youtuber/influencer said so or because your favourite mixing engineer does it in every of his mixes. Or because you think/believe the songs needs it. If you are not sure just don’t do it! Just do things you REALLY can hear and where you can hear a difference. Like I said before, I would recommend you to only use the stock compressor + EQ for a certain amount of time and learn how clean compression sounds (you can get a lot of saturation out of a clean compressor, just use a very short attack and a high ratio > 8:1 + 6dB and more of GR). I have the impression some people just do certain things because they heard a tip from somebody but they don’t really know why and what to listen for in context. Learning how clean compression sounds will boost your listening experience a lot!
General advice from me:
Please, all of you visit an
ENT and check your hearing ASAP! With over 8 years of experience as a hearing care professional I can tell you that many people are not aware of their hearing impairment. For a very short period I was even a student of hearing acoustics in the city of Lübeck, Germany. But I had some health issues and I really wanted to go back to my hometown.
An estimated 1,5 BILLION!!! people worldwide live with some form of hearing impairment. I personally would even say more than 2 billion people because so many are simply not aware of it and the lack of understanding and knowledge regarding this topic is huge.
Statistically, from 69 participants, roundabout 12-18 people „should“ suffer in some form or another from hearing impairment. Some of you even mentioned problems. I can also hear it now in some mixes. Please, I don’t want to offend/insult you and I have to give you my highest respect!
I really want you to KNOW your audiogram, this is very important, especially if you are a musician, mixing engineer etc.
You cannot know how good or bad you actually hear without an accurate measurement. You cannot know how fast you run, how much you weight etc. unless you measure these things. It would be negligent to only estimate these things and to believe that you can hear everything. Many clients are not aware of their „handicap“ until it is a moderate hearing impairment (hearing threshold is below -50 dB HL in an audiogram (HL stands for „Hearing Level“ and is a quasi Fletcher-Munson curve or equal loudness contour).
About 80% of all hearing impairment cases are so called „noise-induced“. Typicall for this type of hearing loss is a notch @ 4 kHz in the audiogram which becomes over the years a high shelf cut. This means that the natural amplification of low level sounds is not functioning correctly. This can lead to „recruitment“, a diminished dynamic range of the hearing. People still have their absolute loudness and pain threshold in the normal range (90-120 dB HL in an audiogram), only low level noise (below 50 dB SPL) is not audible from 4 kHz and upwards.
People often complain about difficulties in a noisy environment, they are very often stressed because of certain sounds (like high pitched sounds such as women’s and children’s voices, bells and alarms etc.) and background noises, mainly due to the lack of the natural noise filtering of the brain in such circumstances and/or the slightly distorted sound the cochlea is producing on a physical/medical level in that specific frequency area on the basilar membran/ organ of Corti.
Talking on the phone or with more than 3 people in a noisy environment can become a challenge and sometimes people avoid these situations on a subconsious level. On the other hand, there is this phenomenon called „Cocktail-party effect“. Another common problem is the difficulty with directional hearing/auditory localization. One problem is the signal-to-noise ratio which needs to be positive for hearing impaired people (like +3dB and more). A „normal and healthy“ hearing can handle a negative signal-to-noise ratio up to -10 dB and more in some cases.
I started to play the drums a few years ago and I eventually bought an acoustic set in November 2024. I play everyday for at least an hour and I ALWAYS wear custom-made ear protection with 25 dB filters under my headphone, but I’m aware that my ears still will suffer in the next 10-15 years in one way or another because of high SPL. Luckily, I’m not a heavy hitter. I still monitor some sessions with an spl meter to check things and to understand the data a bit better. My ears are good for the moment (last hearing test was 6 months ago) but it is expected that hearing is deteriorating with the age of 40-45. I will visit an ENT every year from now on to check my hearing apparatus constantly. Regardless of your age I recommend you to also visit an ENT in the near future so that you exactly know how you hear. A measurement takes up to 15-20 minutes for sine tone and speach measurements (this is different from country to country). Do yourself and others a favour by doing the same, imo this is very important!
I hope this helps!
And now the Top 3:
► Show Spoiler
1st MFTWC
2nd Mork
3rd dstra
Congratulations to the podium!
I wish you all the best,
Patrick