'Back to Basics' PLAPA Mix Challenge

[Alexey SolovievParticipant]

Hello Wonderful PLAPPERS!!!

My mix for the challenge : https://www.dropbox.com/s/j4v6w8ewq8n9hwh/Christina%20Holmes_Everybody%20Knows%20%5BAlexey%20Soloviev%20Mix%5D.wav?dl=0

[Tim EllifritzParticipant]

Gosh that's a lot of tracks to me 🙂 . Took me a while just to go through them and get ready to mix. Are the buss tracks supposed to be used or do they not count?

[TobiKeymaster]

Mark,

I'm using everything! Bus track! DIs! Everything! It's getting hectic!

Tobi.

[TobiKeymaster]

Hey Plapas!

A word about the rules. Questions about using tracks and such..

The degree to which you choose to 'follow the letter of the law' is your on choice. A reasonable argument can be made that DIs are not necessary (as they are intended to re-amping) and the Bus tracks were added as an option. It's kind of how much you want to make things difficult for yourself. I'd suggest for the more skilled mixers it'd be a good idea to make things as difficult as possible. For the beginners, absolutely drop DIs/Bus tracks if you see fit.

There are no prizes here. The challenge is an opportunity to test yourself and learn. It's not about impressing anyone or proving who's the best. It's simply an exercise to force yourself to think differently about mixing, plugins, processing sound, etc. The more stringently you follow the rules, the more you will test yourself. You more you will learn.

We're not checking anyone's signal chain so if people sneak some compression into their mix - they're simply cheating themselves and depriving themselves of an opportunity to learn. I'd also add that, those of us who have been doing this for a while, we can hear the difference between fader automation and a compressor (be it parallel or otherwise). There's certain punch, slap, and spank that can only be achieved by an audio signal hitting a compressor. Fader auto is cleaner with more fidelity to the source audio signal.

Given we're all working to the same tracks we also know the reference dynamics of all the tracks. We know how dynamic the bass line is and how much compression is possible by means of fading riding and at what point a compressor would be required to achieve really 'tight' results.

'The only true mountain in life, is the one you climb within yourself.'

Tobi.

• This reply was modified 4 years ago by Tobi.

[Mervyn WalkerParticipant]

Here is my humble effort,left out the di's used the premixed BGV a little and only plugin BX cleansweep.Good challenge Tobi.all comments welcome

https://www.dropbox.com/s/f0e5rux0alcd5p7/Everybody%20Knows%20No%20Plugin%20Version.wav?dl=0

[Paul WickhamParticipant]

Okay all tracks used for the hell of it except the stereo mix down of course. Lost count of the amount of time I wanted to reach for a banned tool but stuck rigidly to the parameters.

https://soundcloud.com/los-cajones/everybody-knows-mix-challenge/s-g5hdE

[Tim EllifritzParticipant]

Nice mixes everyone, thanks for sharing. Here's my attempt. I used every track but the summed ones are very very low in the mix. This is a static mix, I haven't applied any automation yet. I've listened to it too many times now. Please let me know what you think could be improved. https://drive.google.com/open?id=1Mvwqt68Rc55Bv9XebjiZpp2xsAKORq9h

• This reply was modified 4 years ago by Tim Ellifritz.

[TobiKeymaster]

Gonna catch up with this! Thanks to everyone who has been putting in mixes. Another 2-3 weeks of automation and my mix will be done.

Tobi.

[Mark HoldenParticipant]

Hello

I'll have a listen also after some sleep 🙂 I've put together a static mix levels and panning and the first few HP/LP moves no automation yet but as we have a month for this one I'll hold off posting till at least some automation is in there.

Mark

[Erik DuijsParticipant]

My attempt: https://soundcloud.com/user-769060788/plap-everybody-knows-challenge/s-MDQj5

[TobiKeymaster]

Mervyn,

Huge low on the percussion! Very impressive that you got that - prob. needs taming a touch - kinda monstering the track at the moment.

It's quite down the middle with the backing vocals - and then the guitars maybe feel a touch disconnected on the sides. On the other hand it is a good way to get a good sense of separation for the mix with limited tools, so I get see the thinking behind it.

There's a nice sense of depth and width - which I like a lot. The bass is working well and the percussion is coming across well. The Acoustic is kinda bedded in there - but that kind of works. Making it more a percussive presence. Very nicely done. I'd prob. just look at taming that low on the perc. a touch. Good stuff!

Tobi.

[TobiKeymaster]

Paul,

Percussion sounds nice on this. Lows could so with a little tidy - but nice 'grounded' texture to them.

Like the build out from the center. Gives the track a nice feeling of growing. The balance left to right is nice with an interesting sense of depth across the mix as elements are placed in fore and background.

The approach of mono to stereo in the chorus - gives that great lift into the chorus. I think you are sacrificing width in places to do it. It feels a little biased towards ensuring the choruses arrive - if that makes sense?

V. cool work! I'd perhaps want a little more width in places, but I get the approach. Very solid work indeed.

Tobi.

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