The Reaper Mixing Contest - September 2023: Chaque Fois

darjama · 09-01-2023, 04:55 PM

REAPER CONTEST - September 2023
(ONLY REAPER / TUKAN PLUGINS ALLOWED)

Click here to donate

OFFICIAL WEBSITE: reaMIXed.com

MIXING: 1-16 September
VOTING: 21-26 September
RESULTS: 28 September
FEEDBACK: 29-30 September

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This month's track, Chaque Fois, was chosen by last month's winner Svein. It's by Klôpmin and was submitted by Alan Perez.

Note: In addition to the effects included with Reaper, the Tukan plugins (all current versions from ReaPack as of the 1st of the month) are considered part of the base installation for the contest, so if you're using plugins from this version of tukan, you don't need to include them in your submission. These are now included in mixcheck.

Non Reaper / Tukan JSFX are still allowed, you just need to include them with your submission.

Please remember:

-NO GLUING OF FILES / RENDERING OF EFFECTS
-ONLY NATIVE REAPER FX -or- non-Native JSFX files that you include with your submission.

It's recommended that you take advantage of the normalization settings in the reaper rendering dialog to meet the LUFS and dBFS requirements by:

1. Normalizing to -14 LUFS.
2. If your mix peaks at or under -1 dBFS, you're done!
3. If your mix peaks over -1 dBFS, rerender it, normalizing to -1 dBFS.

MixCheck (https://reamixed.com/mixcheck/) is still beta, it can help you by analyzing your .rpp files before you upload to:
- Make sure your they don't contain disqualifying audio files
- Make sure your they don't contain disqualifying VST/AU plugins
- See what non-native JSFX files you need to include in your zip file
- See what impulse files you need to include in your zip file

NOTE that Mix Check DOES NOT upload your mix, only checks your project file on your local machine.

Once Mix Check has been tested I may not require you to send in the mixed flacs, just the project files, jsfx and impulses. I'd like to hear your thoughts on that.

You can download the multitrack from the website or clicking on this link.

Happy mixing anniversary!
-Daryl

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IMPORTANT

Please use the reaMIXed.com website as the main resource for the contest.

bitgo.space · 09-01-2023, 11:57 PM

Chilling track

91bpm

DuraMorte · 09-02-2023, 08:10 PM

Is anyone else noticing the odd artifacts in some of the tracks?

Seems like there is some noise gating baked in as well.

Wallaby · 09-02-2023, 08:13 PM

The bassist should buy a new cable, the one he used for the recording is probably broken...?

DuraMorte · 09-02-2023, 08:17 PM

According to the track name, it's an upright... maybe a bad microphone?

bitgo.space · 09-03-2023, 01:15 AM

Yes, there is some noise on tracks. Raising long tail (like a snare springs). It is audible on most of the drum set tracks. Appears after each hit.

darjama · 09-03-2023, 11:10 AM

I had asked Alan earlier what was real vs sampled, he said:

Quote:

The trumpet and saxophone are real Double bass It is a sampler
The drum It is played on a drum pad
The piano It is an electric piano.

bitgo.space · 09-04-2023, 08:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by darjama

I had asked Alan earlier what was real vs sampled, he said:

So, it looks like broken or low quality samples or, as Wallaby wrote, poor quality cables were used. It will be challenging

MisterGTR · 09-05-2023, 09:31 AM

Really nice track.

Did a quick blast through but I'm at -20 lufs so far, so will need to do some investigating into what needs turned down or clipped/limited to get it nearer -14 (i realise it doesn't have to be -14 but getting it loud is part of the job these days!)

Might be one i do in 2 stages, i.e make stems and them mix the stems. That worked recently for mix.collective track which was a similar vibe. It meant i could target outlying peaks due to the live performance with clip gain.

But good choice and nice to have a bit of variety.

LCM! · 09-05-2023, 10:23 PM

Is there a mix by Alan?
I would like to have a reference at least, feel very hesitant with these tracks, honestly.

ggBlue · 09-06-2023, 04:31 AM

In the real world, I'd recommend 'record the drums again!'.

To get rid of the noise, I doubled all single Drum tracks except the two room mics, inverted the phase of each double (If correct done, you hear nothing...) and then tried to eq back the deeper frequencies nearly without noise...

The highs come from the room mics.

A lot of work... some artifacts seem not avoidable.

So... is it possible to make clean drum tracks? Or are these one main part of the challenge?

darjama · 09-06-2023, 05:49 AM

Here's a link to Alan's mix:

https://flac.reamixed.com/user_submi...s%20bounce.mp3

I think dealing with the sounds you are given are part of the challenge. You can either embrace them as they are or try to clean them up.

TomekSmilok · 09-06-2023, 10:13 AM

Nice track Alan, instant vibes !

Quote:

Originally Posted by LCM!

Is there a mix by Alan?
I would like to have a reference at least, feel very hesitant with these tracks, honestly.

You might want to check some french funky vibes
https://youtu.be/X405dknHQd4?si=XDrFQ5IpCczUTvGq

Closest i can think of, should give you some inspiration.

Me too i don’t know what to do yet, I guess i love so much those melodies and harmonies I don’t see any need to give it something more powerful/dramatic/clean/entertaining. It just feels like a jam and i would join to play something with them.

JerZee · 09-07-2023, 12:54 PM

For this song I use mostly volume automation to level things. I didn't use much compression. I did experimented with de JS Digital Drum Compressor on drums, just curious...because that is my favorite drumcompressor for rock / pop production. And to be honest, with that the drums sounded great on its own but it totaly didn't suit the song. So I deleted it :-)

This month I try to do as little as possible, just what is needed to keep the vibe of the song. So lots of dynamics and not too processed sounds.

Good luck everybody!

DuraMorte · 09-07-2023, 02:22 PM

ReaFIR in subtraction mode does a fair job of getting the weird noise out of the tracks.

bitgo.space · 09-08-2023, 06:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DuraMorte

ReaFIR in subtraction mode does a fair job of getting the weird noise out of the tracks.

Yes, to reduce noise on drums I will also use ReaFIR in a substraction mode.

With track doubling and phase switing you'll probably get a lot of uncontrolled compression or phasing issues. FirEQ is not the best tool eihter - it is struggling with noises mixed with instruments - but in this case, it's not the main issue.

Russclaat · 09-09-2023, 12:15 AM

Do we know what the settings are for the render?

Looks like the tracks were recorded 24/44.1?

Punchipum · 09-09-2023, 11:16 AM

I was scared by the quality of the tracks when I read here that they had noise, etc., but when listening to the song I don't think the noise is too much of a problem, it doesn't bother too much, and I think that often removing it is worse, you lose a bit of quality and definition. On the other hand, and contrary to what I thought when reading the comments here, I think that the tracks all sound pretty good and that they don't even need much equalization. And beware, this is a style that I would not compress much either. In short, I think that with a good balance and some atmosphere it can go well.

darjama · 09-09-2023, 12:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Russclaat

Do we know what the settings are for the render?

Looks like the tracks were recorded 24/44.1?

Render sample rate should match the raw audio files, so 44.1 in this case. Always 24 bit. And flac

TomekSmilok · 09-11-2023, 02:27 PM

The noise appears very rarely as noise, most of the time it gives a nice feeling of jazz snare brushes

bitgo.space · 09-12-2023, 09:58 PM

I got a comment last time about improper energy level distribution. Is there a tool which could help me to diagnose such issues? Or common/best practice?

TomekSmilok · 09-13-2023, 09:40 AM

You can check your LUFS variations during the song, with reaper loudness meter for example. That is a good start to help you notice with ears the difference of loudness between different parts. And should be enough !
The LUFS you want to check are instant LUFS, or average LUFS, be careful because you have LUFS-I, which means integrated LUFS, and this one is really to check the overall loudness of a song from start to finish.

I should take a look at those LUFS sometimes too !

DuraMorte · 09-15-2023, 07:27 PM

We're only a few hours away from submission deadline.

Good luck, everyone!

bitgo.space · 09-18-2023, 10:49 AM

In my opinion, it wasn't easy. I struggled and encountered challenges in every aspect, with every track:
- Noise
- Reverb
- Instrument bleed
- Incorrect instrument timbre
- Uneven sound over time
- Uneven sound in volume
- Pitch issues
- Mid/side balance
It took me more time to understand what the problems were than I had for editing

. Honestly, I'm a bit relieved I didn't finish my project. Now I think I couldn't handle the thought that I could have done better if I hadn't started off on the wrong foot. I was bothered by the uneven playing and pitch issues, which I tried to fix first. Dealing with significant sound leakage between tracks can make adjusting the rhythm tricky. Especially when aligning the rythm one track at a time instead of fixing all the tracks with bleeding issues together.

JerZee · 09-19-2023, 01:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bitgo.space

In my opinion, it wasn't easy. I struggled and encountered challenges in every aspect, with every track:
- Noise
- Reverb
- Instrument bleed
- Incorrect instrument timbre
- Uneven sound over time
- Uneven sound in volume
- Pitch issues
- Mid/side balance
It took me more time to understand what the problems were than I had for editing

. Honestly, I'm a bit relieved I didn't finish my project. Now I think I couldn't handle the thought that I could have done better if I hadn't started off on the wrong foot. I was bothered by the uneven playing and pitch issues, which I tried to fix first. Dealing with significant sound leakage between tracks can make adjusting the rhythm tricky. Especially when aligning the rythm one track at a time instead of fixing all the tracks with bleeding issues together.

I ignored this month a lot of those technical issues you have mentioned. I think with a song like this, it is not about precision but all about feel. If it feels good, it is good. Intrument bleed and inconsistanties can actualy highlight the feel / charm of the song. Even noise can help to blend the tracks together. if it was a popsong.....that would be a whole different story.

Bally · 09-20-2023, 03:58 PM

I wasn't paying attention and got my dates wrong, I thought today was "submit" day but it's "start voting" day.
I need to pay more attention to the webpage clock next month!...

Punchipum · 09-21-2023, 02:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JerZee

I ignored this month a lot of those technical issues you have mentioned. I think with a song like this, it is not about precision but all about feel. If it feels good, it is good. Intrument bleed and inconsistanties can actualy highlight the feel / charm of the song. Even noise can help to blend the tracks together. if it was a popsong.....that would be a whole different story.

I think exactly that too 👍

darjama · 09-21-2023, 06:25 AM

voting is open: https://reamixed.com/vote/

bitgo.space · 09-22-2023, 04:43 PM

But you must admit that Get It Right At The Source happens sometimes

Wallaby · 09-22-2023, 04:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bally

I wasn't paying attention and got my dates wrong, I thought today was "submit" day but it's "start voting" day.
I need to pay more attention to the webpage clock next month!...

There is plenty of time to do the mix and no problem for Aussies, if your mix comes upside down I can play it backwards... !

bitgo.space · 09-23-2023, 12:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wallaby

no problem for Aussies, if your mix comes upside down

Punchipum · Yesterday, 01:18 AM

I won and this time it was totally unexpected 🤣 It didn't take me long to mix and I don't think I even equalized the horns because they already sounded good to me 🤷

MisterGTR · Yesterday, 07:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Punchipum

I won and this time it was totally unexpected 🤣 It didn't take me long to mix and I don't think I even equalized the horns because they already sounded good to me 🤷

Congratulations! Another very good mix and win. How many is that?

It was definitely a mix where you could just bring the faders up and place yourself in a little french cafe, with a smokey atmosphere sipping an espresso

I went for more of a big band approach - where people were dancing and moving about - just to try it, and i don't think i got it right eg my snare is too loud. But it was fun trying something different.

Looking forward to the next one already!

bitgo.space · Yesterday, 08:34 AM

Congrats all, it was a challenging project.
Kudos to Punchipum.

(help! the link to the projects provided on reamixed website does not work)

darjama · Yesterday, 08:37 PM

Sorry for the delay, project files are available now along with comments at https://reamixed.com/results

Congrats Punchipum! I'll be in touch shortly about picking next month's track.