REAPER CONTEST - APRIL 2018 (RESULTS)

[D Rocks]

Originally Posted by g4greg

Like I said, I learned a lot while mixing this beast... And Sidechaining an EQ to a compressoer for de-essing is one of them.

I'm not so sure I'm going to use my good ole de-esser again as well..
I really like the control the reaplugs offer.

Haha I get you!! Before coming to Reaper I bought like 1000 dollar of plugins and now I regret almost all my purchases because of Reapercan do anything hahah..... sad for my wallet but good news for Reaper

[dug dog]

For me, learning about everything that's available natively in Reaper has been one of the greatest benefits of this contest.

[g4greg]

Originally Posted by dug dog

For me, learning about everything that's available natively in Reaper has been one of the greatest benefits of this contest.

Indeed!

I mean, I was already using reaEQ and reacomp in every single mix as my "channel strips".. But these babies can do so much more..

This contest really teaches you how things work instead of just using something without fully understanding it... like a "vintage" plug, or X model of compressor, "because it sounds good.. I dunno why, but it sounds good."

When it's all said and done, I will still use a few 3rd party plugs, but I will also understand how they work a lot more


IMHO, the only real thing I found was missing is a good native convolution reverb. Yes, we can load an IR in reaverb, but there's a lot less control over the reverb when you do that. Reaverbate convo ain't quite good enough compared to... Umm my not so expensive, but paid for reverb that I missed dearly for this mix..

is there a killer JS reverb that I'm unaware of?

[Olli H]

THanks for the submissions file.

Track number 5 was wrong song, so we're left with 13 songs to judge.

Quite difficult to find winners this time. Esses were problematic to most of the submissions. As if the singer is constantly opening a new Guinness. But otherwise mixes are quite well done. Nice variation in overall sounds.

[DaveKeehl]

Originally Posted by Olli H

Track number 5 was wrong song, so we're left with 13 songs to judge

I know, I've already contacted the user and hopefully he'll send me the correct file

[DaveKeehl]

Man, that singer needs to go on rehab...

[DaveKeehl]

Originally Posted by g4greg

is there a killer JS reverb that I'm unaware of?

Not that I know. When I don’t use 3rd party reverb plugins, I usually grab ReaVerb with some good external IRs.

[D Rocks]

Wow congrats on how well managed this contest is. I really like the display for submissions on the website very nice.

And I think ID 14 is the one who was most angry at the esses and smashed the De Esser

very hard to tell on first listen on a cellphone speaker! You can mostly hear différences in drums and guitars balance

[g4greg]

wow, this is going to be a tough one to judge..

I'm definitely not winning this one, but there's at least 5-6 mixes who deserve the big honors.

I think it's going to get down to our own personnal taste on instrument placement, and minute little details in the mix.

[Not_Here]

+1

What g4greg said...

This is one heck of a voting round.
I gotta say, hearing all of the different choices of placement and some of the editing at the beginning and ends, It's a tough choice to say who's is better. I mean within this song there was enough material for individual stlyes to come through and totally change the feel of the song. I really like that. I liked hearing choices made, that I did not even think to do... Creativity really showed in this mix group.

Guess I better git to listenin Boyos!

[hwhalen]

After a little listening...me thinks that this one may come down to the artistic choices.
One thing I don't particular enjoy is the decision to leave in the first breath. That's on me...whatever.
I had a good little chuckle with #4's decision to have a little fun with the ending.
As this song would never be a hit single...except at Christmas in Ireland assuming that most listeners enjoy a wee dram and a Guinness as well as a quick puff I'll make me choices.

May the best mix win...and to all a good night!

[DaveKeehl]

This song is the perfect example of what is too much. You can't have all those instruments and expect to be able to hear everything super clear, something has to be left away because there are just too many clashing frequencies.
The guitars weren't even recorded properly and were a bit out of time.

I don't know what I would do if somebody came to my studio with such a song to produce

[g4greg]

Originally Posted by DaveKeehl

This song is the perfect example of what is too much. You can't have all those instruments and expect to be able to hear everything super clear, something has to be left away because there are just too many clashing frequencies.
The guitars weren't even recorded properly and were a bit out of time.

I don't know what I would do if somebody came to my studio with such a song to produce

I think this is the exact reason I find the judging so interesting. Almost everyone took a different path because they just had to leave some stuff out, so the mixes are really, really different from each other.. I like that!

But yeah, I'm not saying this one was easy to mix. I swore pretty often at everyone for not keeping with the tempo and going off tune... ripped my hair at every SSSSSSS the singer spat in the mic, but hey, that's part of the fun!

However, I was really blown away by some of the mixes out there, which had a completely different.... Dare I say elegant solution to our common problem

[DaveKeehl]

The results are in. Come back tomorrow to know who won

[Not_Here]

Suspense.....

Tic toc tic toc...


What a crazy month's mix. I'm dying to see the results!

[D Rocks]

Ohh guys im so sorry that I am late to vote!! I listenned twice to every mix but forgot to vote this weekend. My apologies. You guys had great mixes it was one of the most satisfying mixing experience I had in years because of the comparison and sharing we have around the same song.

[jonboper]

Originally Posted by D Rocks

Ohh guys im so sorry that I am late to vote!! I listenned twice to every mix but forgot to vote this weekend. My apologies. You guys had great mixes it was one of the most satisfying mixing experience I had in years because of the comparison and sharing we have around the same song.

I missed the vote too, but will have some comments...listening to this song? Uf. No offense to whoever picked it/made it, but this was not fun to listen to over and over, so I didn't.

[DaveKeehl]

Originally Posted by D Rocks

Ohh guys im so sorry that I am late to vote!! I listenned twice to every mix but forgot to vote this weekend. My apologies. You guys had great mixes it was one of the most satisfying mixing experience I had in years because of the comparison and sharing we have around the same song.

Hey Alex, don't worry haha shit happens xD however even if you had voted, the winner would have won anyway

[DaveKeehl]

Originally Posted by jonboper

I missed the vote too, but will have some comments...listening to this song? Uf. No offense to whoever picked it/made it, but this was not fun to listen to over and over, so I didn't.

I hear you man, I wanted to participate this month but that song got on my nerves so much that I simply gave up

[DaveKeehl]

Here I am with the results...

The winner is...



*drumroll*



g4greg! He was able not only to tell that drunk fella to chill the fuck out, but also to win the contest this month! Well done!
As always you're kindly invited to go and pick a sing of you liking from here. Send me a PM when you're done!


Updated analytics (click it)

Complete rankings:



Grass is now leading with 35 points, second is Olli H with 29 points and third is Darjama with 27.

New Top 10:

[g4greg]

Originally Posted by DaveKeehl

Here I am with the results...

The winner is...



*drumroll*



g4greg! He was able not only to tell track that drunk fella to chill the fuck out, but also to win the contest this month! Well done!

Whaaa? I thought I didn't control that drunk vocalist's SSSSSSSSSSSSS's well enough compared to other guys, and I thought I messed up on enough things to get booted out of the top 3, but THANKS EVERYONE! I totally don't deserve it

IMHO, the voting was way more difficult than the mixing itself.. I took exhaustive notes on every single mix, only to throw them in the garbage on my second listening....

I finally went with the very scientific method of listening to all the mixes on random shuffle while doing housework, and voting for the ones that annoyed me the less LOL

IMHO, Grass, Djarma and Olli's mixes were superior to mine...

Should I post my listening notes? Even if in the end I went for different mixes?

EDIT- I just took a look at the analytics, and fun fact: this month was the first month with lesser votes than mixes. People got that sick of listening to it eh? LOL! I understand though

[Dex]

Man, tough competition this round! Thanks to whoever voted for me. It's nice to get a point. Hah.

For what it's worth here are my notes from listening to everything twice - first on speakers then on headphones. I'm not very good at this stuff so take all this with a grain of salt. Also I've noticed I'm a lot better at writing down things that bother me rather than things that I like, so I hope these don't sound too harsh...

1 - first thing I noticed was a lot of reverb on the lead vocal, and it sounds too nasal. The sleighbells dropping out abruplty when the first chorus comes in makes the chorus feel less full than the verse. Throughout the song the chorus continues to be at a lower energy levels than the verses. Flute sounds good in the third verse. Liked it when the sleighbells came back in for the bridge. I barely hear that ride cymbal bell, which is probably the best way to treat it. Hah. I feel like the vocals are a little loud toward the end.

2 - Vocals are too far back. Instruments are nice and clear. Backing vox are clear and at a good level but kind of boringly placed in the mix. Something's wrong with a drum hit at 1:21 - is the tom fader just too loud? Lead vox are at an appropriate level starting at 2:56 (which is when I think the lead vocal should be moved back a bit). Vocal at 2:33 was not fixed. Decent mix but I felt it was kind of flat throughout - no excitement and no variation in levels to keep the listener interested.

3 - Nice and warm at the beginning, although I think the cello should be centered. Also those cymbals sound strangely nasal. Autoharp and flute are too loud at the end.

4 - Good warm opening but then too much bass and cymbal ringing in first verse and throughout the rest of the tune. Turn the bass down 3-6 db, drums down a little, and raise the backing vox a touch and I think this one is in good shape. I feel like it's really rockin' toward the end.

5 - I'm glad I checked the website. This is nicely done. I especially appreciate how you moved the lead vox back at 3:00.

6 - Background vox are too loud, drowing everything else out when they come in. Song overall is fairly muddy/unclear, especially the ending. Needs more separation between the instruments.

7 - Too thin at the beginning. That poor cello . Drums are nice and well-defined when they come in. I think the accordian and vocals are fighting a bit during the verses. Wish the bridge heading into the final chorus had more energy. Ending is pretty good but I feel the constant cymbal splashing around at the end is too loud.

8 - Ends of vocal phrases are cut off too hard. Vocal levels are inconsistent too, although I liked the edge on the vocals going into the second chorus. Sleighbells coming back in the final bridge are jarring and somehow cause the overall eq level to change as everything fights for space.

9 - I hear the high end of the kick drum too much, and not enough of its low end. Try rebalancing the eq on the kick, and lower the level of the bass. Notch the bass around the low-frequency content of the kick if you find them competing too much. IIRC on this song it's around 80hz. Reverb tails on vocals are too audible and overall mix is too bass/mid heavy. Vocal at 2:33 was not fixed.

10 - This one has nice punch to it and audible but not too much bass. I feel like I'm detecting a little too much reverb, especially when they get to the Guinness part. Bridge is handled well although the sleighbells are a little too loud for my tastes in the final chorus.

11 - Beginning is good. First chorus: Background vox are barely audible! I actually went back to check that they were actually there and my mind wasn't just filling them in. I feel that the instruments are mixed fairly well but the mix is flat from left to right with little front-to-back depth. Actually this is a problem with most of the mixes. Second verse: Some of the lead vocals are sticking out a bit too far. Vocals at 3:00 are sticking out way too far.

12 - Too much fighting between the bass and cello for the low end, and not enough high end information, but other than that this one is pretty good. Maybe a little too much reverb.

13 - Pretty good. Bass drum sounds a little flappy. Very similar to entry 10.

14 - Mine.

[jonboper]

Originally Posted by g4greg

Should I post my listening notes? Even if in the end I went for different mixes?

Shouldn't be a question, but please do. I think we're all trying to understand what we're hearing, public opinion be dammed, but in your case, public opinion be hailed! Haha. Well done.

I'm sure people will appreciate the response, whatever it is.

[Olli H]

Here’s my subjective comments. If I were to do these again, I might end up to other kind of notes and different results.

If I say that something is too bright or too dark, I calibrated my ears with these two diffferent top quality references:
Green Day: American Idiot
Mumford & Sons: I Will Wait.
I levelled those to -15 LUFS so it was easy to switch from contest mixes to my references

Overall comment: all mixes were pretty nicely balanced and well done. It was difficult to choose winners from them. I should have concentrated more on positive aspects, but for some reason it was easier to find winners by finding problems. For that reason my comments are more picky than praising. Sorry for that. I just wanted to find a fast method to find my winners.

I looped the same parts of each mix and jumped from one mix to another. I listened mainly these parts:
1. second verse
2. second chorus
3. Stop + Guinness
4. Loud ending
Guinness part was interesting to listen as it showed clearly some problems with the use of reverb. The tail of the reverb is clearly audible there.





01
Second verse: Good, strong balanced sound, personally I’d prefer to hear more acoustic instruments.
Vox has a little bit too much different room than the band
Second chorus: Background voice work nicely
Stop + Guinness:
Loud outro: Loud end very well done
Overall sound a bit bass heav y.
TOP




02
Second verse: Nice smooth sound, Vox a little bit undefined and buried
Second chorus: Bg-howling a bit too piercinng in some notes
Stop + Guinness: Nice stop and guinness
Loud outro: Cymbal accents too separate from the rest of the band
Overall sound doesn’t open optimally because the contrast of dark vox and bright string instruments.
Although I’m just complaining, still: TOP




03
Second verse: Quite good one, but groove is not rolling optimally, WHen I start to listen to the snare, after that i don’t hear anything else, and it feels like driving to street pumps:
snare feels a bit too strong and dominating. But sound is well done. Sounds like a sample
Nice vox sound, except esses
Second chorus: Background voice work nicely
Stop + Guinness: UNnatural space with guinness
Loud outro: autoharp too dominant
Overall sound is a bit muddy.





04
Second verse: Nice acoustic sound. Suits nice the arrangement.
Overall sound too bright, if compared to my references. Hi-frequency content maybe a bit too restless especially in choruses, causes fatique. mix is otherwise very well done, right mastering would probably correct the fatique-issue.
De-essing needed
Stop + Guinness: works fine
Overall sound maybe too ”smiley”





05
Wrong song



06
Second verse: Bit suffocated sound,
Second chorus: background burst out too loud.
Vox is a bit behind a blanket
Stop + Guinness: GuInness sounds too much like essses
Loud outro: Loud part could be stronger, now pipes and bg-choir lead too much



07

Second verse: Nice natural sound, acoustic instruments could be a bit nearer
Second chorus: Ride cymbal too piercing
Stop + Guinness: NIce Guinness
Loud outro: Cymbal accents too loud
Overall sound a bit messy, probably caused by busy and stringy snare



08
My mix



09
Second verse an chorus: Smooth sound, but maybe too smooth. As if there’s a blanket laid over speakers. Could be a question of too bright monitors/room.
Bass has too much reverb, undefined bass
De-essing needed
Stop + Guinness: GUInness nice but too long unnatural reverb tail in overall sound
Loud outro: Is whistle too loud in loud part?



10 + 13 SAME MIX TWICE
Second verse and chorus: Too much hi-frequency energy. Too big space, overall sound becomes a bit unfocused. On the other hand now it sound like live session.
De-essing needed in choruses
Stop + Guinness: Unnatural noisy Guinness
Loud outro: Christmas bells too loud
Overall: Pretty good and natural



11
Second verse: Nice and balanced,
Second chorus: nice acustically driven beat
Grows nicely from smooth verse to loud chorus, nice transitions from part to another
De-essing needed
Stop + Guinness: Nice Guinness, but unnatural tail with band sound
Loud outro: Focused strong sound, whistle quite loud
Overall: vox feels a bit weak, it’s not leading the song, but the band sounds very nice. I like the natural groove created by close string instruments
TOP



12
Second verse: nice and balanced, but mandolin is quite loud on the right sound without balancing high-frequency element on left side.
Second chorus: Ride too loud and piercing in otherwise smooth band sound
Bg howling quite loud
Stop + Guinness: well done
Loud outro: Drums too far, they could have a stronger role when things get rough



14

Second verse: Nice drum dominated ”small room” sound in verses, maybe too compressed
Second chorus: De-essing needed, esses spoil the chorus.
Stop + Guinness: Guinneess sound too much like esses, room tail of the band maybe a bit too short. Now it dies unnaturally.
Loud outro: Focused strong sound
Nicely controlled hi-end.
Vox feels a bit separate from the band
Bass/low end is mixed quite low and mix is quite mid-rangey. Probably for that reason it feels a bit louder than those mixes with more balanced low end.
TOP

[g4greg]

DISCLAIMER: these are the notes I wrote the first times I listened to the songs, and I changed my mind a bit since then.


Mix 1:

The reverb and delay on the vocals are a little too dominant compared to the instruments, which makes it sound a little too “not in the same room”.

I really like how the jingle bells are dominant in the mix. I didn’t do that, and I should have

The bass could use a little more corrective EQ in the mid frequencies.

Overall, a really solid mix. I really like the panning choices as well.

Mix 2:

Not sure I like the panning on the jingle bells…

The vocals could be a bit more up front. I think there’s a bit too much reverb on it, which makes them sound “far away”. the esses are not super well controlled, even for this super hard to control signer.

I really like the banjo/mandolin panning/levels.

The back vocals could be panned a little more evenly.

The overall EQing on individual tracks is pretty well done.. there’s room for everything in the spectrum. The song never sounds “crowded” or “messy.”

Another solid mix. Man this is going to be hard to judge!

Mix 3:

The banjo/mandolin/bells are slightly out of sync at the beginning.. I know, it’s the performers’ fault, but it’s our job to fix those things..

The drums sound really good, with the snare being a hair too compressed.. But I like it!

The back track sometimes bury the lead vocals, especially the flute, which is a bit too loud and overpowers everything else..

The mix is more “wide open” than the first two. I suspect a few unholy things on the master bus, but they work well When it gets busy at the end, it becomes a bit mushy.

Good mix.. sounds better overall than 1 and 2…. but 1 had a few very good mixing choices…

Mix 4: mine

I think I dropped the ball at the mastering stage… I added a bit to much high end with the exciter, and it sounds a bit harsh… It also made the esses and cymbal sizzle pop out even more..

The flute is too loud, and I was gun shy with the bass..
I compressed the drum overheads a bit too much. The cymbals sounds “splashy”.
I hope someone notices my little edits after the guy says “merry fucking Christmas!” It was childish, but I had a blast

The vocals could be a hair louder at the end… and I didn’t control the esses as well as some other guys.

The fiddle is out of sync in the 2nd half DAMMIT! How could I have missed that!

Mix 5:

Wow, that’s a lot of reverb on the bells!

I really like how the lead vocals are “in your face” I do the same, and I just like it that way.

I really, really like how the back vocals are mixed and panned. Yes, they overpower the band, but it’s for the greater good.

The EQ and panning are really on point. You can hear everything the engineer wants us to hear.
The drums sound amazing.

Not sure I like how the lead vocals got pulled back when he starts belting, but it doesn’t hurt the song too much


Mix 6:

The lead vocals are a little over-processed.. They sound “out of the song”. they could be a couple Dbs louder as well..

The back vocals are louder than the main… as a matter of fact, they are louder than the whole mix, including the drums… Not sure it’s a good strategy.

The drums sound good, but they could be a bit more up front…


Mix 7:

Again, lots of reverb on the bells!

The vocals are nice and dry, I like I like them. The esses could be controlled a bit better, but then again, I tried really hard, and didn’t do much of a better job

The bass could be EQed and compressed a little better.
Not sure I like how the accordion and fiddle are the instruments we hear the most..

There could be a bit more separation between all the instruments.. A little more EQ and panning could help.

The kicks sound good, but the snare could be a bit more up front.

Another solid mix, it could sound a little “wider”




Mix 8:

Nice intro. There are quite a of bit effects on the main vocals, but they are nice and subtle, like they should be. Me like The esses could be controlled a bit better, but then again.. that’s a hard thing to do here..

Man does the mix sound good! We can hear everything the engineer wants us to listen to. And it comes back in and out of the mix at the right time. The EQing, compression and automations for every single instrument is just spot on

Oh man, are the jingle bells well punched in!

Everything sounds , clear, nice and in your face. But not harsh. The guy who mixed this mixed a lot of stuff, and knows what he’s doing

The snare could be a hair louder, but that’s just IMHO



Mix 9

Wow, that’s a lot of reverb on the vocals… Welcome to the 80’s lol.

The kicks sound like the kick drums of a death metal band.. not sure it fits well here. The snare could be a bit more in front, and the overheads are super aggressively gated and compressed.

Whoever mixed those drums probably mixed a lot of metal, because they would sound awesome in that context.

I really like the panning and EQing of the instruments. The mix is wide and clear and nothing is buried.

Overall, this is a great mix, with everything at its place.. I’m just not fond of the kicks which make me quite distracted.

10

There is a bit too much reverb overall, which makes the mix a bit “soft”. On the other hand, there are so many harsh sounding things in there that it may help the overall “ear pleasing” aspect of the mix.

The vocals sit super well on the song, as well as the drums.. perfect levels.

The drums are super wide and well panned, but everything else sounds “in the middle”, with very little difference in instrument position. Panning a few more things towards the edges would help a lot for the wideness, me thinks.. But then again, that would probably affect how wide the drums sound.. hmm…

Really, really good sounding mix overall.

11

The vocals are a little too low in the mix.

I really like the sound of the mandolin, accordion and acoustic guitar. They sound very natural. Putting those 3 as lead instruments was a very good choice.

The drums are too quiet IMHO. I know they don’t sound fantastic, but they should still be a bit louder.. Then again, that would probably compromise that beautiful guitar/mandolin/accordion sound….

Overall, if the vocals would be louder, I think I could forget about the drums being a bit too quiet..

12

There’s a bit too much verb on the vocals to my taste.. But it’s not distracting.

I like the how the flute/mandolin/accordion/violin alternate as lead instruments, and I love their panning choices.. It’s amazing how many different choices were made with this mix!

The mix is crystal clear and competes with my first pick….Damn which one sounds better? They both have their strong sides!

13,

Nice bass sound.. not sure I like the panning on the accordion, but the banjo is nice and clear.. at the cost of the mandolin..

The vocals and drums sit super well on the song. Juuust right.

Man, why didn’t I throw in those bells on the bridge, many guys did it, and it sounds awesome!

The 2nd half of the song sounds amazing. Everything is very well controlled in what could be a total mess.

14

I like dry mixes, but this one is a bit too dry.

Not sure I like the bass sound. The drums sound nice and punchy, but there’s no definition in the other instruments.. no real lead.. It’s like” drums, vocals, bass…….. and the rest of the instruments all mashed together..” selective EQ on a track basis to separate the instruments and more drastic panning would have been a good idea.

[Olli H]

An idea to think about:

How about opening the commeting phase AFTER the voting is done but a couple of days BEFORE the results are published

[g4greg]

Originally Posted by Olli H

An idea to think about:

How about opening the commeting phase AFTER the voting is done but a couple of days BEFORE the results are published

I like this idea a lot

We could make the voting period a couple days shorter..

[Not_Here]

What would reading comments before results improve?

[Olli H]

Originally Posted by Not_Here

What would reading comments before results improve?

Maybe nothing,
- but I personally prefer to give comments before knowing the results.
- And also in some cases comments are more honest if one doesn't know whose mix one is commenting.
- It might also affect content of comments if one knows the results. One might end up changing one's comments based on results
- And those who don't want to comment others for any reason, they still might reveal their guesses about winners.

[Not_Here]

I see.. I for one take my notes during the voting stage, so I don't know who will be winning.
I personally do not go back and change what I may have said, I'm honestly listening and commenting, why would I change a comment after I see what placed where. I suppose participants are already allowed to guess on a winner, but I don't see a lot of that going on currently.

I'm already waiting for this month's selection. I think something that gets us back to mixing faster though is an interesting proposal. I've read my feed back, and incorporated advice and am ready to get going on next project. I have learned a LOT from the feed back I have received that's for sure! Awesome contest.

[DaveKeehl]

I have a few concerns about this idea:

In particular, it messes up quite a bit with the current flow of events. Right now it's very easy for new users to understand how the contest is structured:

- mixing
- voting
- results
- feedback

Now, if we put the feedback session after the voting has closed and before the results are announced, I feel that would confuse a lot of people that randomly browse through the forum and stumble upon this thread.
Some might not agree but I tried to have the contest as streamlined as possible.

Also, I don't want the users to be constrained to share feedback in a very short span of time.

PLUS, I don't really want to change what's on the website

[DaveKeehl]

Some of you might already know because they read it on facebook, but now our website is affilitated with IK Multimedia. That means that you'll start seeing ads and we'll be able to give you promo codes

[Not_Here]

Which website? The contest site or this forum?

[DaveKeehl]

ID 01

• Good de-essing
• Too much space effect on the vocals
• Some instruments could be a bit more panned
• Generally pleasent to listen to, good balace slightly too much towards the left
• Some automation couldn't hurt

ID 02

• Vox definitely too quite (the instruments are louder)
• De-essing could be better
• Nice panning
• Instruments too loud on the sides
• Unbalanced back vox (if they are panned left and right, the right is too quite)
• Drums are hidden
• Bass frequencies should be louder
• Didn't like the bells on the right at the beginning

ID 03

• Nice drums (really nice kick and snare sound!) but should be a bit louder
• Voice too quite
• Flute too loud
• The mix has potential but feels unfinished
• T bass is hard to hear

ID 04

• Nice stereo spread
• Voice too quite
• The snare should be louder
• The bass can be heard but it's a bit muffled
• The back vox could be louder and spread

ID 05

• Voice way too quite
• Good volume balance
• Quite nice stereo spread
• Instruments on the sides a bit too loud compared to the main vox

ID 06

• Weird eq on vox
• Eq curve on the mix is almost flat
• The mix is almost mono at times
• The drums are too hidden (the snare should drag the listener)
• The mix sounds like it's coming out from a little radio, it sounds small

ID 07

• Kick too subby
• Violin too loud
• Interesting bells at the beginning
• The main vox should be more exciting
• Almost flat master eq curve

ID 08

• Almost no difference volume between sections
• Flat master eq curve
• Too much esss
• Vox sounds weird
• Nice stereo spread (could be wider though)

ID 09

• Wrong eq for the kick (sounds like a metal kick, I would have put the snare on front, not the kick)
• Vox could be louder
• Nice wide mix
• Back vox could be wider
• Some instruments are too hidden
• Didn't like the automation on the bells

ID 10

• Panned reverb on bells sounds weird (cool in some situations but not here)
• Nice energy and balance
• Vox could be louder but still in a good spot
• The snare could be louder
• Bells at the end sound harsh

ID 11

• Wrong volume balance
• Sounds like a rough mix
• Not exciting
• Nice stereo spread though

ID 12

• Nice drums
• The snare fights with the voice I think
• Vox could be louder
• Sides are too loud compared to the main vox

ID 13

• Too much esss
• Nice feeling
• Weird eq on voice
• Eq balance could be better
• The flute is way off (you must have moved the file while mixing)

ID 14

• Nice beginning
• Nice snare
• Weird balance
• Too much esss
• Flat master eq
• Voice could be more exciting

[DaveKeehl]

Originally Posted by Not_Here

Which website? The contest site or this forum?

The contest website

[g4greg]

Originally Posted by DaveKeehl

ID 01

• Good de-essing
• Too much space effect on the vocals
• Some instruments could be a bit more panned
• Generally pleasent to listen to, good balace slightly too much towards the left
• Some automation couldn't hurt

ID 04

• Nice stereo spread
• Voice too quite
• The snare should be louder
• The bass can be heard but it's a bit muffled
• The back vox could be louder and spread

[/list]

You bit the bullet and listened to this drunk singer 14 more times, eh? I thank you for enduring the torture. It's for the greater good


Seriously though, I wish more critics would turn up... I'm in it to learn, not to win....

Olli was really on point with his critics, and so did you

Also, checking out other guys .rpp files is really, REALLY interesting.

[Not_Here]

Just tell them you'd like the promo code for a free upgrade to the new Amplitube they are releasing.

And I'll second the critique value of this contest. .rpp files are really cool too, seeing a working example of a mix from a different perspective totally helped me have more confidence in actually "using and working" with Reaper.

This last consensus on my vox reverbs is fantastic because I know I'm getting closer to getting it right. I might have nailed it had I just backed of the volume a little for main vox and had it match better to my overall reverb ( I'm guessing that means keeping a similar eq on the reverbs to give me a consistent sound/feel too)

I would of course not have learned any of this so quickly on my own.
More people would be awesome. It's inspiring to hear everyone else's ideas about how to really make a song jam with some very diligently placed mixing techniques. I think it's called "experience" .....

[Dex]

Originally Posted by DaveKeehl

I have a few concerns about this idea:

In particular, it messes up quite a bit with the current flow of events. Right now it's very easy for new users to understand how the contest is structured:

- mixing
- voting
- results
- feedback

Now, if we put the feedback session after the voting has closed and before the results are announced, I feel that would confuse a lot of people that randomly browse through the forum and stumble upon this thread.
Some might not agree but I tried to have the contest as streamlined as possible.

Also, I don't want the users to be constrained to share feedback in a very short span of time.

PLUS, I don't really want to change what's on the website

Personally I would like to get feedback as soon as possible. The wait from submission to feedback is quite long as things stand IMO, and I don't see a good reason to have to wait until results are posted to give feedback. Actually, isn't feedback mostly an unofficial part of the contest anyway? The stages are really

Mix and submit,
Vote,
Results,

all of which are prominent on the website. On the other hand Feedback is only mentioned once on the website, on the calendar (unless I missed something). It's not like feedback is posted on the website. Why not just have

Mix and submit May 5 - 19
Vote May 20 - 29
Results May 31

and then once voting is closed, make a post in the thread saying "Voting is closed, so feel free to post feedback now."

By the way I *do* appreciate having such a long voting phase. It takes a while to listen to all the renditions of the song (and I like to listen to each one at least twice) and make notes on them. Thanks to everyone else who does the same.

Some of you might already know because they read it on facebook, but now our website is affilitated with IK Multimedia. That means that you'll start seeing ads and we'll be able to give you promo codes

Nice! Well done.

[g4greg]

Originally Posted by Dex

Personally I would like to get feedback as soon as possible. The wait from submission to feedback is quite long as things stand IMO, and I don't see a good reason to have to wait until results are posted to give feedback. Actually, isn't feedback mostly an unofficial part of the contest anyway? The stages are really

Mix and submit,
Vote,
Results,

all of which are prominent on the website. On the other hand Feedback is only mentioned once on the website, on the calendar (unless I missed something). It's not like feedback is posted on the website. Why not just have

Mix and submit May 5 - 19
Vote May 20 - 29
Results May 31

and then once voting is closed, make a post in the thread saying "Voting is closed, so feel free to post feedback now."

By the way I *do* appreciate having such a long voting phase. It takes a while to listen to all the renditions of the song (and I like to listen to each one at least twice) and make notes on them. Thanks to everyone else who does the same.

I totally agree with this. Like that, you don't have to change anything on the website.


BTW thanks for the feedback, it's really appreciated.

[RiffStreet]

Still new and trying to get the hang of how this all works. One of the things I noted about the mix that ended up winning this month was that it seemed louder than the others. Can someone please expand on how exactly to get your mix to -14LUFS using the Youlean loudness meter? The FAQ part of the contest website says: "you need to put your loudness meter after your limiter and adjust the threshold on your limiter until you have a solid -14 LUFS (integrated value)." OK but do you have to listen to the song start to finish and get the integrated value to end up at -14 after listening all the way through? Or look for -14 during the loudest parts? Or...? Thanks in advance for any guidance on this.