Mixing Challenge - THE RESULTS!

[Skol303]

[b][color=#b22222][size=5]Voting has now finished. And the results are…[/size][/color][/b]

MIX 01: Dad3353 [b][3][/b]
MIX 02: lurksalot [b][0]
[/b]
MIX 03: Ironside1966 [b][10]
[/b]
MIX 04: VasDim [b][3][/b]

[size=5]Well done to Ironside for his winning mix![/size]

[size=5]And likewise to Dad, Lurks and VasDim for their entries. Great stuff guys[/size]

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The track this time round was the excellent [i]'To Sam Rawfers'[/i] by Triviul.

You can listen to the entries here:

[b][size=5][url="https://soundcloud.com/basschat-mix-challenge"]TAKE ME TO THE MIXES![/url][/size][/b] Edited February 15, 2014 by Skol303

[Dad3353]

OK for the download, the whole caboodle takes up about 1/2 Gb. I'll admit straight away to being well out of my very narrow 'comfort zone' here; I've never been called upon to do anything with this style of music. That's what we here for, though, isn't it..?
As usual, I'll not be listening to the 'original' track, nor, indeed, any other mixes, until voting time, so as not to bend my own ear too much (or even, at all...).
Thanks for starting us up again, of course... I'll be posting my finished version a bit later on today, so that... Nah, that's just for laffs..! 'Twill take me a while to sort this one out. OK, then; sleeves rolled up..? Check. Headphones on, the right way round..? Check. Tea on the boil..? Check. Off we go, then...

[xgsjx]

Music sounds a bit like Bjork or Jo Hamilton, but with a guy singing. I like that.
If this is still running after Xmas, I'll be having a blast.
I've just read that the deadline is 31/01... I'll be having a good blast!

Edited November 28, 2013 by xgsjx

[lurksalot]

well played Paul , I will be getting stuck in aswell

[ironside1966]

May I suggest that there is some sort of level matching again, possibly K12.

[lurksalot]

Good call on that one, I think it was K12 we used last time , so it makes sense to use it again .

[Dad3353]

Good evening, all...

I'm not gong to be able to improve it, so I've sent my mix link up to Head Office for official entry ([i]OK, I know, there's a whole month left[/i]... ). I'm not sayin' it [i]can't[/i] be improved, of course, merely that I don't think [i]I[/i] can improve it.
Whilst I'm here...
I had trouble hearing the finer points of the lyrics (well I'm old and deaf, you see; it doesn't help... ), so I asked for a copy, and was kindly sent the whole works. Here they are, in case anyone else has the same troubles. (I said [size=5]"in case anyone else has the same troubles..!"[/size] ([i]Bloody old codgers; should be a law against it[/i]... )

[color=#800080]VERSE 1 LEAD: He waits outside, rolling his own salvation, away from his father's life by only a generation. She takes the order, as he tips his hat and smiles right through her, wondering what she got under that.

CHORUS 1 LEAD: And she understands his way of looking, the piece in his hand, and all the shooting. One takes cover behind a burger in a bag. One runs faster with a bullet in the back.

CHORUS 1 [/color][color=#0000cd]BACKING: Something in his eyes. Something in his hands controls, corrupts his soul. Something in his heart...[/color]

[color=#800080]VERSE 2 LEAD: Then he takes off his hat, staring at nothing, lifting his eyes, seeing his revelation coming. And he says...

CHORUS 2 LEAD: "Killing don't ever change, just reasons modernise. I need a new a thrill, a new change..." And his head vaporised. What a way to go. Should've seen the slo-mo. But the seraphic glow was on another call. I guess they got their claws into him after all.

CHORUS 2 [/color][color=#0000cd]BACKING: Something in his eyes. Something in his hands corrupts, destroys his soul. What a way to go. The seraphic glow...[/color]

Edited December 25, 2013 by Dad3353

[Twigman]

just seen this thread - do I have time to do one?

[51m0n]

Just seen this, top stuff!

I'm snowed at the moment (and for the forseeable) which i swhy I've almost disappeared off BC recently. Best of luck all of you who have a crack at this, I will try and give your efforts a proper listen and a vote when the time comes....

[lurksalot]

[quote name='Twigman' timestamp='1389111321' post='2330140']
just seen this thread - do I have time to do one?
[/quote]

I guess so , I have finished mine now and would be going around in circles if I tried to do anything else to be honest , I learned a few new tricks in the process which hopefully is good , well it is if the thing sounds better because of it !!

I have uploaded to soundcloud as private , but on the settings allowed Skol access by using his Email address , this means he can download it to put it on the competition account ,

Good luck all

[Skol303]

[size=5]Last orders please![/size]

[b]Tonight is the deadline for entries into the Mixing Challenge.[/b]

I'll be launching the voting thread later on tonight or tomorrow.

Well done to everyone who's entered thus far. Good work

[triviul]

Just caught up with this -- cool stuff! I'm a bit out of action at the moment, but I'll try to have a proper listen to all the mixes and give my thoughts on 10th Feb when I'm back on line studio-wise. Hope you've enjoyed mixing the track!

[the boy]

The mixes are excellent and I love the song but I honestly felt a bit depressed by the time I'd listened through all of the mixes. It's down to two for me and I'm not sure which way it will go. The song is quite deep and heavy and can wear you out emotionally. Something upbeat next month please.

[the boy]

Ok I voted. I needed closure. I really think the song has unbalanced my ying or my yang. I'm going to have a cup of tea now and if it's not perfect I may cry for a long time. I may have a real drink. I'm supposed to be drying out at the moment. Who'd of thought a song could be so strong.

[OldG]

[quote name='the boy' timestamp='1391433651' post='2357051']
The mixes are excellent and I love the song but I honestly felt a bit depressed by the time I'd listened through all of the mixes. It's down to two for me and I'm not sure which way it will go. The song is quite deep and heavy and can wear you out emotionally. Something upbeat next month please.
[/quote]

I think this is why I didn't get a mix out.... I tried manually riding the vocal -but just couldn't get through it. Will try harder next time.

[Dad3353]

[quote name='the boy' timestamp='1391433890' post='2357054']
Ok I voted. I needed closure. I really think the song has unbalanced my ying or my yang. I'm going to have a cup of tea now and if it's not perfect I may cry for a long time. I may have a real drink. I'm supposed to be drying out at the moment. Who'd of thought a song could be so strong.
[/quote]
[quote name='OldG' timestamp='1391437652' post='2357113']
I think this is why I didn't get a mix out.... I tried manually riding the vocal -but just couldn't get through it. Will try harder next time.
[/quote]

Indeed. I had to ask for the lyrics, as I couldn't hear them distinctly; I'm not so sure that it was the best move, now that I can follow along. Too late, of course; credit just the same for the poetic author for his strength of writing.

[lowdown]

Voted - Although the vocal was a bit heavy going for me.

Good stuff folks.

[xilddx]

Tune!! Really really like it, and I luuurve the vocals.

They are all good mixes, but one is brilliant, great depth, clarity and dynamics which really brought the song and the lead and backing vocals to life. I REALLY enjoyed listening to it - that is, of course, the one I voted for.

Great work people, you should all be delighted with the standards you've achieved.

[lurksalot]

Excellent job boys , I have cast mine now . great stuff

[Stephen Houghton]

Yeah really like the track, very dark but cool, cast my vote for the one that really stood out where everything was clearly crisp and audible but the bass groove was still prominent. Reminds me of something from the eighties, but that type of sound is really in with the young whipper snappers at the moment. I am approaching fifty this year and I am starting to go in shock, I am still 20 in my head

[51m0n]

Voted, excellent track,some very good entries, one particularly so, best balanced, best eq'ed and best panned IMO.

[ironside1966]

[quote name='Dad3353' timestamp='1391440273' post='2357158']
Indeed. I had to ask for the lyrics, as I couldn't hear them distinctly; I'm not so sure that it was the best move, now that I can follow along. Too late, of course; credit just the same for the poetic author for his strength of writing.
[/quote]

Understanding the composers intentions is important to me and knowing the lyrics helps me do that . You may misinterpret ate the lyrics or make wrong decisions but I would say it is definitely a good move. and something others can learn from.

Does the song have a message, what is the composer trying to convey? Getting the composers intentions and making them work for their intended audiences are often more important than getting good sound.

[TenLetters]

Voted. I will get around to doing one of these soon! Loved the song. I found the bass grove a bit hypnotic!

[MiltyG565]

I voted the other day. Good work, lads

I'm keeping a watchful eye for the next one

[triviul]

Hello again, everyone,

Finally had a proper listen to all the finalists -- thanks again everyone for taking the time to work with these tracks, and for the kind words about the music. Apologies for the heaviness of the tone. I'm really quite a cheerful person, honest!

As promised, here's some 'artist feedback' on each of the mixes, for what it's worth. I'll put each one in a separate post to make it easier to separate any reply history.

[size=5][b]Mix 1:[/b][/size]

Buckets of vibe in this one. Kind of lurching and creepy, which I like a lot -- it reminds me of the song's protagonist! Love the way the effects are flipping in and out, and that things don't stay static. It's always keeping my ear entertained, and making me want to listen more than once, which is always a good sign in my view.

Nice idea to leave the synthy thing out of the opening verse, and only bring it in for "generation" -- I should have done that myself, with hindsight, I think. It really focuses you of the details of the beat, verse vocal, and effects then before it comes in. It's also good that you've got effects in there creating the depth, but without recessing the vocal. I like to hear all the phlegm in there! I wonder whether that synth could be a bit higher in level, though -- again, because there are quirky details in the sound-design of it that I really enjoy hearing (eg. the little pitch-glide things).

The organ entry is a key moment in this arrangement, and you've made a pretty good judgement with that -- at least for the first fraction of a second, but the moment the bass hits whatever buss compressor/limiter you've got going there, it ducks it suddenly, reducing the impact for me. The main problem is that your bass is overblown below 40Hz. I know it's perhaps heresy to say so in a bass forum, but you can actually have too much bass in a mix! In this case there's a mass of low end below about 30-40Hz that's doing nothing much more than just messing with the action of your buss processing. By all means boost the low end if you like, but combine that with a high-pass filter around 30Hz to prevent the real subsonics coming through too strongly and blowing up people's subwoofers. That said, I think it's the odd way that the bass is pumping the mix compression during the verses that is one of the things I like about it, so getting the best of both worlds might be tricky -- a job for automation, I'd imagine.

Like the way you really dry up the lead vocal for the second chorus -- great psychological effect that, in particular the way it focuses attention on the moment of fragility in the word "revelation". Always been a favourite moment for me, that, and it really comes across nicely for me.


On the downside, the main thing that I'd rethink are the backing-vocal levels, because those parts are a massive part of the long-term dynamics of the track, and I can't really hear them much at all in this version. In particular the massed "the seraphic glow" is, for me, the climax of the track (it's just such a ridiculous chord!), and should be led by those BVs. Also, bear in mind that the lyrics in the backing vocals are commenting on what the lead's singing, not just repeating it, so you lose some of the sense of what the song's about if you can't hear them clearly enough. I'd always envisioned the lead having to fight a bit to stay above the BVs anyway, because it suits the way its sung.

Overall, though, I love the vibe of this one -- really transports you into the scene, which isn't easy to do, and makes it feel emotionally real. Great work!